Chapter Nine:

Charlotte took two carefully placed steps towards me; around the bed that was separating us and raised herself to her full height; the sight of the woman in front of me would have been opposing if I had been human; eyes glittering, her neck muscles throbbing against her skin; her tattoos that almost seemed to be luminescent against this dimly lit room.

"Under the Accords you are required to tell me who you are." She was paraphrasing really; I had been there when they signed the rights over to the Nephlium to give them the power to create there Accords, mostly because we didn't want to deal with Downworlders, pesky little arrogant things those Downworlders are.

"My name is Theresa Gray and I like long walks on the beach; and you Ma'am?"

"I can bring the Enclave here right now, summon them if you do-

"Do not threaten me Nephlium, my temper has never been my strong suit." Charlotte seemed to loose her boldness at the cold tone of my voice. Guess I've still got the authority left me in; Dominus won't be pleased to hear that either.

"You are bound under law." Her voice rose as her eyes froze over, a look of authority seeping over her face.

"I do not follow your laws Nephlium!" My eyes flared as my temper rose; I could call to Dominus, he and I could easily- No Tessa, no.

"You will or you will die." I shouldn't have, I really shouldn't have, but I did; I could help it. Nephliums could never kill me; Maji's have progressed over time, evolved, so I laughed a small light laugh but enough for her to draw her blade and call for Jem, Henry, and Will.

I weighed my options, what's the worst that could happen if I let them take me away, what was the Enclave going to do anyway; stab me a few times with they're knives I've gotten far worse from Dominus.

"Last opportunity Downworlder." However if I allow them to take me than I run the risk of them finding out about the Maji's again; Dominus would be very upset, which reminds me I wonder when he'll find me, I wonder what he'll do when he does, he can't really get that upset with me, he triggered it anyhow. Then again on the other hand it might give me the opportunity to try getting back to Nate.

"Take her down to the meeting room." Charlotte ordered Jem and Will; Jem seemed hesitant but what was surprising was so did Will for a moment, before he snapped into action and latched himself onto my right arm waiting for Jem who shortly joined him. Like I said leeches.

Jem and Will gave a little shove as I forced my heavy feet to move, I walked to the wooden door and the other slightly older Shadowhunter opened it staring at me. I tipped my head cordially with a smirk on my face and dead eyes.

"Henry summon the Enclave."

"Oh I am so very excited to meet them, do please tell them exactly where I am." I paused to twist my head to look at Charlotte "I would simply die if I missed their visit."

"Why don't you just tell her what you are?" Jem asked as they lead me down a dimly candle lit hallway.

"I told you, I adore mystery's."

"You will tell the Enclave eventually." Will's voice was hard, even and cold.

"Or die, never rule out dying." You see there was a time when Maji's could never die, the original Nephliums cast out their lives and gave it to a warlock, mixed their blood and everything. It was a big ordeal, anyway when a Warlock has enough concentrated energy and strength he can bend any magic to his will. So the original twelve Nephliums sacarficed their lives and transferred their powers over to a Warlock named Darwin and the Warlock cast a curse on all Maji's. Saying something like, we were to suffer the wrath of the lost souls we destroyed, that we were to spend our eternity truly mortal. Mombo Jumbo if you ask me, but no one ever asks me. Which is a shame really because I have some very insightful thoughts on the matter.

Anyway the point is Maji's can die but when we do, we are simply recycled, in the literal form. We are literally reborn, our powers lie dormant until another Maji awakens them but it does prove testing to the Maji's subjected to it, Dominus would never forgive me if I died and he had to retrain me all over again. Not to mention find me, nope dying would not be pleasant. Must create a mental note on that dying: last resort. Check. Got it.

"You shouldn't take this too lightly, Tessa." Jem warned as he escorted me into a large room with vibrant chairs and a giant fountain in the center.

"The Enclave intend to torture me here; what will happen when my blood stains the marble floors?" I said in mock seriousness.

"Do you really think so lowly of yourself, that it wouldn't matter if you were dead or alive?" I wasn't entirely sure if Will was simply yelling at me or demanding an answer to a question I had missed due all his excessive said yelling.

"Well now, let me think on that for a while." I flopped down in the middle of the cold marble floor, sliding smoothly from their relaxed grip. "You don't suppose I could have a book to read?" My voice spiked just slightly at the notion, oh how I missed my books. Human heroines and their love affairs, I sighed allowing my shoulders to slump in defeat, I would never finish Romeo and Juliet now. Now that I was stuck in some Nephlium infested dark and dreary castle…thing.

"I-

"Jem!" Will remarked rather loudly in a warning "She's a prisoner for Christ's sake, don't show her compassion!"

"Yes Jem do listen to Will, I am just drowning in his sympathy over here, yours would only add to the burden."

Will glared at me, soon he turned his glare onto Jem as the Nephlium sat in one of the velvet chairs relaxing into it as if he hadn't slept for days. I turned slowly, being extra careful under Will's unyieldingly cold gaze. I studied the other Nephlium, Jem, his shoulders were slumped, his feet sagged onto the marble floor as if carrying them around all day was exhausting, his eyes were kind but so miserably tired that for a just a tiny half of a second my heart pulled toward him, his face was becoming pasty and pale in an unhealthy way that sort of unnerved me.

"So." I said to break the unnerving eerie silence; I looked at Will who had yet to move both in anyway at all and his hand from his engraved blade. "Will, why don't you sit." I smiled up at him as his eyebrows creased in both amusement and confusion.

"Unlike Jem I take my job very seriously."

"I bet you do." I mumbled to him rolling my eyes before closing them "Fine, then, lets have a little quiet." I took a long breath and held it; I concealed my aura and retrained the sudden and large flare-ups to simply direct itself away from the fabric of the world and into myself, my first lesson with Dominus. Before I could help myself or even prepare I was thrust, literally, thrust backwards slamming my head like a rag doll against the marble black wall with a loud and repulsing crack.