Chapter Three - Like Looking in a Mirror
Sorry for such a delay in chapters! I haven't had internet the past week and only had it fitted this morning, so, yeah. Thanks for all the new follows, and please please PLEASE review!
Clary felt like she'd been walking for hours without much result. Her mother had been right in the fact that there was only one path to follow, so it was pretty easy, but still a mission to traverse her way through. The secret tunnels were damp and cold, and she found herself hugging her jacket tighter around herself to keep warm. The floor was cobbled, like olden British Victorian roads, and the walls were large concrete thermal blocks. Every five metres or so there were empty torch holders, as if once it had been so frequently used that fire torches were necessary to illuminate the path. Now all that lit the way was the brightness of her own Witchlight.
As she was turning the corridor she felt a cool gust of wind hit her, and she gasped as she stopped dead in her tracks. She lifted the stone in her hand up above her head so she had maximum light, and squinted down the long stretch of seemingly endless hallway. Though this one wasn't so endless. It was marginal, but she could see a small glimmer of light in the very far distant.
She let out a shaky laugh of disbelief and couldn't help but smile at the sight, letting her feet carry her as she began running full speed towards the ball of light. It took maybe less than thirty seconds until she was hit full force with the cool night air, the confines of the tunnels no longer surrounding her.
The exit was concealed mostly by trees and foliage, so much so that she doubted anybody would ever be able to find it unless they were directly searching for it. She muttered something under her breath, and the Witchlight faded to darkness, the natural illumination of the moonlight being more than enough for her to see everything. She shoved it in her pocket alongside her Stele as she cautiously ventured forwards.
The forest ended almost as soon as it began, and Clary was stunned at the sight beyond the trees. It was stunning - absolutely stunning. There, about half a mile away, was the opulent city that was Alicante. She'd never seen it up close, only ever from the safety of the towers in the Morgenstern Castle, or images in books. But now she was seeing it up close, for real... The stories didn't do it justice.
The City of Glass.
It took Clary merely ten minutes to get to the very edge of the city, where a ten-foot-tall wall surrounded the perimeter. From certain angles she could see the shimmer of wards above the wall, presumably to keep out the Demons and Endarkened - hopefully not Shadowhunters.
She shrugged the duffel bag off from her shoulder and jumped up as high as she could, tossing the bag over the top of the concrete wall. She heard it land on the other side with a cushioned thud, before backing up several paces to prepare herself to vault over the wall. She ran straight for it and outstretched her arms above her, acting similarly to how she had in the training room when she was fighting with Jonathan as she ran several paces up the wall.
Despite it being twice her height, she managed to grab at the concrete at the top, and she let out a struggled sigh. She was able to heave herself up to the top of it where she dangled her legs over the other side. Her assumption of the wards not being put up against unwanted Nephilim was right as she jumped down to the muddied floor with no injury.
The city was surprisingly busy as she wandered further North, just as her mother instructed, the curious stares of both Nephilim and Downworlder's alike boring into her soul. A shiver went down her spine as she walked past the buildings, ducking her head low so not to attract too much attention to herself. She'd never met a single Downworlder - the sheltered life she lived under the dictatorship of her father never allowed for her to meet one. And now she was surrounded by them. It wasn't completely unnerving; just different.
Now that she'd gotten thus far, she honestly had no clue where to go. Keep heading North and you'll hit the city - search for a man named Lucian Graymark. That's what she was told. She'd headed North, she'd hit the city - but who on earth was Lucian Graymark?
She spotted a girl with light brown skin and voluptuous curly brown hair leaning against what appeared to be a bookstore, arms folded as she watched the people walk by. She looked nice enough, and so Clary decided to try her hand at asking for directions to this mysterious man she was searching for.
"Hey," she said politely as she approached the girl, gaining her attention. She seemed to regard her with cautious eyes, kicking her foot off from the wall behind her to rest on the floor. Closer up, Clary could now see the large scar decorating the front and part of the side of her neck. Werewolf. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me find someone. His name's Lucian? Lucian Graymark?"
The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise at that, and a small smile appeared on her lips. "I know Luke. Whether I take you to him depends on who you are."
As a precaution after the girl's hostility, Clary lowered her hand to hover over the front pocket containing her Stele. "Clary." She said cautiously, making sure not to mention 'Morgenstern' - she could only imagine the outrageous reaction that would receive. "My Mom told me to find him. Her name was Jocelyn."
"Jocelyn, huh?" That name seemed to ring a bell with the girl, and Clary felt hopeful she was getting somewhere. The girl pursed her lips and looked her up and down one final time, before seemingly coming to a decision and nodding. "Alright." She dropped her hands to her side and stepped away from the wall, nodding her head towards the door of the bookstore besides her. "Come along, Shortstuff."
Clary was surprised when the door opened without needing unlocked, considering it must have been close to midnight. There were no lights shining through the windows, either, so she'd assumed it was closed. Guess not...
The inside of the store was a complete contrast to the dull green of the exterior with a half broken sign. The place was much bigger on the inside, stretching back so far she couldn't quite see the books on the back wall. There was a second level to it, too, - at least that she could see - with a grand oak wooden staircase leading up to it. Clary was attracted immediately to the books on display, her body moving like a magnet to the wall on her left.
She outstretched a hand and her fingers grazed the spines of the books, each labelled differently but each with the same white base, and beautiful golden decor. Advanced Nephilim Combat, Advanced Nephilim Runes, Advanced Nephilim Weaponry. The expanse was huge - and that was just from the small part she'd seen!
"Hey," a scolding voice caught her attention, and her head snapped to look at the girl stood near the back of the store. She was looking at Clary in disbelief and slight annoyance. "We're not here to browse books. Do you want to see Luke or not?"
"Right." Clary retracted her hand from the bookshelf, shoving it in her pocket as she slowly walked to follow her. "Sorry."
The back room she lead her to was small - cozy, was probably a better word for it. There was a small amount of light being made from some sort of lamp, but she couldn't see it beyond the wall of books that was stacked on top of some desk. The girl walked to the far end of the room and spun on her heels to lean up against the wall, looking at something on the other side of the books. "Got somebody here to see you." Her eyes fluttered momentarily up at Clary, before back at who she presumed was Lucian. "Claims she's Jocelyn's daughter."
She could hear shuffling of papers, and incoherent mumbles from a deep voice she couldn't see. Clary's gaze was fixated on the girl she'd met outside the bookstore, who in turn was watching the third person in the room. She nodded, before pushing herself off the wall and sliding past Clary and out the room without another word.
She stepped forwards the moment the door behind her was shut, before a figure appeared where the girl had been stood before. He looked rather unkempt, with shaggy brown hair and an askew green flannel shirt. He had kind blue eyes that were oddly... familiar.
His mouth dropped open as soon as he set his gaze on her, and his eyes were wide with wonder. "You look exactly like her."
Turns out Luke, as he preferred to be called, lived above the bookstore. He'd closed up shop and took Clary up there so they could talk more privately. She sat down demurely in one of the oversized, red plush sofas as Luke handed her a mug of steaming hot tea. She shrugged her duffel bag off to toss it to the floor, kicking it so it was tucked between her legs and the sofa so it wasn't in the way.
"I'm sorry for coming so late." She apologised as he settled himself down on the chair opposite her, placing his own mug of tea on the table between them. "I didn't really have much of a choice - my mom told me to come straight here."
"It's really no bother, Clary." He offered her a kind smile, and suddenly she didn't feel so out of place there. "Your mother meant a great deal to me. She still means a great deal to me! So I'd do anything to help her out."
Clary leaned back and allowed herself relax slightly in the chair, taking a sip of her tea as she watched the familiar man opposite her. "How do you know my mother?"
"Jocelyn and I were very close before the Uprising." He explained, leaning forwards on his chair with his elbows across his knees. "I was your father's Parabatai."
"No way!" She gasped in disbelief as she practically jumped out of her seat. She placed her mug on the table and furrowed her brows in surprise. "I never even knew my father had a Parabatai."
"He doesn't." He chuckled slightly under his breath. "At least not anymore." He sat himself up straight and unbuttoned the top of his shirt, pulling one half to the side to expose three large scars going down his right pectoral. It was like a giant cat had scratched him, or a...
"You're a Werewolf." It came out more of a statement than a question, Clary noted, and with a tone of indifference. She surprised even herself with how safe she felt in the presence of a Downworlder, despite all the stories her father had told her.
She'd grown up being taught that Downworlder's were a disgrace, that their demon blood poisoned them and their judgement to do anything right. While Jonathan had always seemed to agree with him and took it in his stride, Clary couldn't help but always think of how hypocritical it was. Jonathan had demon blood. Her father interacted with demons on a weekly basis - yet Downworlder's who were just half demon didn't deserve to live, in his eyes? It just wasn't right.
Luke readjusted his shirt to cover the scar marks and buttoned it back up. He wasn't looking directly at Clary, rather than just a random spot on the table, with an almost nostalgic look on his face. "Your mother was there with me the night I first turned. Valentine took me out to the woods and was prepared to kill me for what I was about to come, but he decided against it. Jocelyn emerged from the shadows moments after he left, and comforted me throughout the whole process."
"Eventually it became too dangerous for her to be around me, so she ran and hid for protection. The moment I changed back into myself, she was there again." He smiled at the memory, looking up at Clary. "Your mother really is an amazing person."
That made Clary smile. She laughed softly to herself and nodded in agreement. "She is. She really is."
They were quiet for a few moments, almost just basking in memories of Clary's mother, before Luke finally broke the silence. "So Jocelyn sent you to come find me?" He said cautiously, and Clary nodded. "Why?"
She sighed heavily, running her hands through her hair. She rested her elbows on her knees as she bounced them up and down nervously. "Valentine wants to start a war." She said quietly, solemnly. "With the Clave - with Alicante. He wants more power."
She could see the realisation set in on Luke's features at her words as he leaned back in his chair. His hands gripped at the arm rests, and he let out a breath he'd been holding in. "That's huge." He shook his head. "I mean, we all expected him to rebel against the city at some point. We just didn't expect it so soon."
"I know how to stop him." Clary urged, clasping her hands in front of her. "I'm the only one that can stop him."
He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, leaning towards her once again. "What do you mean you're the only one that can stop him?"
"I have-" she hesitated with her mouth open as she debated telling him the full story. She knew she needed to inform the Clave of her abilities, but she didn't know if she wanted to tell every single person she met. She'd rather just have everybody who needed to know in one room, so she could tell them all at once. It was hard enough being known as an 'accidental experiment' by her own family - but for every other Angel-forsaken Nephilim to know as well?
"I have special abilities," she finally let out with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "Abilities that no other Shadowhunter has. I know how to defeat him, and I need the Clave to know that they need me on their side. Otherwise every single Downworlder and Nephilim on this side of the country is going to die."
The next morning, Luke scheduled a meeting with the Clave for Clary. She didn't really know what to expect with them, given she'd never interacted with another Shadowhunter outside of her father's domain, but she wasn't entirely surprised when they explained they didn't want a Morgenstern inside their property.
She knew her family had a bad reputation when it came to the people of Alicante, and so it was understandable that they didn't trust her enough to speak to her under their own roof. While she had all the best intentions on helping them fight against Valentine, they didn't know that. She could be working under the control of her father for all they knew.
Instead they'd agreed to meet with her at the Lightwood Institute - a smaller yet equally as important Shadowhunter Institute on the other side of the city. While the Alicante Institute was home to the Clave, and was where all official decisions regarding the Shadowhunter world were made, the Lightwood Institute was the one that trained all the younger Nephilim born and living in the city.
"I'm afraid this is as far as I go." Luke said apologetically as the approached the iron gates beyond the Institute. Clary spun around on her heels to face him with narrowed eyes. "While I am friendly with the Lightwoods, I'm not permitted to enter without official confirmation from the Head of the Institute."
Clary nodded in understanding, stepping forwards to hug him tightly. He seemed to be slightly taken back at first, though quickly responded as he wrapped his own arms around her. She felt him rest his cheek atop her head, and she smiled. "Thank you for looking after me, and helping me get a meeting with the Clave." She said genuinely as she pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself. "You've been nicer than you ever needed to be, so, thank you."
"Like I said last night, I owe Jocelyn a lot after everything she's done for me. Making sure her daughter was safe is the least I could do to repay her." He smiled, giving her one last one-armed hug before heading back the direction they both came.
Clary was about to step through the gates when Luke called after her, and she turned to face him again. He was looking back at her with a pointing finger. "Keep in contact with me, please. I'd like to know how you're doing in Alicante. Maryse knows how to contact me." She nodded her confirmation with a smile, before finally venturing her way inside.
The inside was almost the exact same as any other institute Clary had ever seen, with a tall roof and wooden decor across almost every inch of the place. There was an old timely carpet covering the floor, almost like the one you'd see in your grandparents house, and several gaping doorways with no doors leading to various parts of the compound.
She stepped forwards hesitantly, readjusting the strap of her duffel bag as she called out. "Hello?" She heard her voice echo off the empty walls, and she stopped in her tracks to look down the three different hallways she could see. "I'm looking for Maryse Lightwood?"
A small boy appeared at the end of one of the corridors, then, gazing at her curiously. An almost sly smile appeared on his lips as he took her in, before skipping down the hallway to stop at her feet. He was boyish, couldn't be any older than maybe seven or eight, with dark brown hair and oversized glasses covering pale grey eyes. He looked up at her with a confident grin, and Clary couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Max Lightwood, at your service." He beamed, outstretching his hand professionally to her. She bit her lower lip to stop the huge grin from breaking out, immediately enjoying the presence of this young man. She shook his hand firmly with a nod, letting him take the lead as he so pleased. "Are you looking for my mother?"
"If your mother's Maryse, then, yes." She chuckled.
The boy nodded, turning on his heels before walking down the same hallway he'd just come from. "Follow me - I think she's in her office with my siblings." Clary followed the quick steps of Max, only just managing to keep up with his pace. "So what's your name?"
"Clary." She smiled down at him. "Clary Morgenstern."
She heard the boy gasp in surprise at that, and he stopped in his tracks. He looked up at her in disbelief, and she stopped walking just besides him. "Are you Valentine's daughter?"
She bit her lower lip and nodded. "I am."
Max opened his mouth to say something else, but whatever he was about to say was cut short by the door behind him opening up. "If you three cannot come up with a suitable training schedule then I will simply do it myself." A commanding woman with long black hair was saying as she stepped through the door, yelping in surprise when she stumbled into Max's frozen figure. "Maxwell Joseph Lightwood, what are you doing stood outside my office?" She looked up to see Clary for the first time, and her face widened into one of shock. Clary had a feeling she'd been seeing that a lot... "You must be Clarissa Morgenstern. My, don't you look exactly like your mother."
"Just Clary, please." She smiled, watching as the young boy between them scurried off down the hallway and out of sight. "Are you Maryse?"
"I am, yes." The woman stepped back inside her office and opened the door up wide, gesturing for Clary to step inside. "Please, let's talk in my office. I'm sure my children would like to meet you, as well."
She held her duffel bag strap tighter to herself almost self consciously as she stepped in, looking around at the neatly furnished room. It was decorated like the main interior of the Institute in various shades of cream, red, and brown, with a large desk on one side and a large black sofa opposite it. Two black-headed people were bickering in the corner of the room, one female and one male, while a blond headed boy was leaning nonchalantly against the wall with his arms folded.
The two bickering immediately stopped as Maryse shut the door behind them, heading over to her desk. The girl regarded Clary with a smile, while the boy seemed more hesitant. "Hi." The girl stepped towards her cheerfully, outstretching a hand. "Izzy Lightwood. Nice to meet you - I assume you're gonna be staying here for a while?" She raised her eyebrows and nodded towards the bag on her shoulder.
"Oh, uh," Clary looked at the duffel bag for a moment as she placed it down on the ground, kicking it so it was out of the way from anyone to trip over it. "I don't really know yet. I'm here on kind of - business?" She heard a scoff come from besides her, and she snapped her head to see the blond boy watching her with a smirk.
"Business?" He said in disbelief, looking her up and down not so subtly. Clary swallowed nervously at his gaze, feeling awfully exposed in that moment. "You're, like, fifteen. What type of business could you be doing?"
"Jonathan Christopher Lightwood." Maryse scolded as she slammed her hands down at her desk, glaring at her son from across it. "That is not how we treat guests here in this Institute."
Clary waved her hand dismissively to the older woman, hoping it wouldn't come across as rude. "It's okay, Mrs Lightwood. I get it all the time." She smiled at her, before turning her gaze on the boy in question - the boy who, curiously enough, shared the same name as her own brother. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrow in a confident gesture. "For your information I'm seventeen, actually, and I'm here for a meeting with the Clave."
"Just ignore him," the raven-haired girl from before said to her. "Jace isn't exactly a people person. Unless you're a 6-foot-nothing blonde bimbo." That made Clary laugh, and the blond glared at the girl she assumed was his sister. Izzy just smiled innocently, fluttering her eyelashes as if butter wouldn't melt.
"That's enough, the pair of you." It was Maryse again, and she sighed before sitting in her tall leather chair. "Clary, these are my children; Isabelle and Jace, and the quiet one is Alexander."
The black haired boy from before shook his head, raising his hand in a 'stop' sort of motion. "Just Alec is fine. Pleasure to meet you." He outstretched his hand for her to shake, and so she did so with a polite smile.
"This is Clarissa Morgenstern." Maryse continued simply, as if her surname meant nothing. Clary noticed the curious gaze she got from Isabelle, but pretended to ignore it. "As she said, she is here for a meeting with the Clave. They couldn't hold the meeting at the Alicante Institute, so they requested permission to meet here."
"So you're a Morgenstern?" Alec said, sounding genuinely curious rather than suspicious or accusatory. "I assume this is your first time in Alicante?"
"It's my first time out of my own house." She laughed shakily, shoving her hands in her front pockets. "My father isn't exactly the type of parent who will let you go for midnight strolls beyond Brocelind Forest."
"So he's as ruthless as everyone says he is."
"Let's save the questions for another time," Maryse cut Clary off before she had the opportunity to respond to Alec's question, standing to her feet and dusting down her pencil skirt. She raised a hand and gestured to Jace, "could you please take Clary to one of the empty rooms in the West Wing, and take her bag for her."
Clary went to argue to say she could carry her own bags, but the blond was off from the wall and shouldering the duffel before she could even get a word out. "Of course." He opened up the door for her to walk through, and she nodded a gingerly thanks to the others in the room before heading off.
They walked for a few moments in awkward silence, Clary with her arms wrapped around her mid section and Jace with his hands in his pockets. Eventually it was him who broke it. "Business with the Clave, huh?" He still sounded suspicious like he had back in Maryse's office, and so she just nodded. "What type of business?"
"I don't know." She shrugged vaguely, not knowing if she could trust him. "Just business."
"Is it about Valentine?" He said none too kindly, peering at her curiously from the corner of her eye as they rounded another corridor.
She looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Why does it matter to you?"
"It doesn't." He laughed, looking ahead again. "But if you're going to be staying in my home then I thought I at least deserved to know what you're here for."
"I told you," she rolled her eyes as he stopped in front of a door, opening it up for her. Besides it was a black plaque with faded silver numbers on it. 176. "I'm here on-"
"Business. Right." He stepped inside and dropped her duffel bag at the end of the bed, before spinning around with arms wide to gesture to the room. "La Chambre de Clarissa." He smirked, stopping to look at where she was stood in the door way. "Make yourself at home. Isabelle's the room across from you, 175, and I'm just down the corridor in 111. Maryse will be in her office, and I'll be wherever."
He made his way past her and out the door with a mock salute for her before disappearing down the hallway. Clary let out a laugh as her gaze followed him down the hallway, shaking her head. "Unbelievable."