Chapter 9

The group followed Lerial, who was humming a tune under her breath, and started singing softly,

"Remembering me, discover and see. All over the world, she's known as a girl. To those who are free, their minds shall be key. Forgotten as the past, 'cause history will last.." Lerial was a good singer, but it was creepy that a demon was singing. And Clary knew it was for dark purposes.

"What the hell?" Simon whispered.

"God is a girl, wherever you are. Do you believe it, can you receive it? God is a girl, whatever you say. Do you believe it, can you receive it? God is a girl, however you live. Do you believe it, can you receive it? God is a girl, she's only a girl. Do you believe it, can you receive it?" Lerial sang, slashing at some vines with her black dagger.

"Uh, why are you singing?" Alec asked, Lerial stopped and fixed her amber eyes on him.

"Demons came from angels, and angels gain energy and communicate by song." Lerial said, the group passed a clear river which held many glowing flowers that seemed alien to the land. Fortunately, the creepy tune Lerial had been singing had ceased, and for that Clary was grateful, the song seemed to bring foreboding dark with every note.

They passed through a grove of trees with leaves the colors of the rainbows, Clary saw Maia reach out to touch one, and jerked her hand back with a squeak of pain.

"Don't touch the Fae-leaves, they hurt." Lerial hissed in annoyance to Maia, who had put her finger in her mouth.

"Fae-leaves?" Simon asked.

"What are they?" Jordan broke in. Lerial paused and looked at the group, it put it's hands on it's hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Roxy named them, she's fae, y'know, pretty but deadly, that's pretty much the definition of faeries." Lerial sighed, looking pissed,

"What's your problem?" Jace asked, Clary had noticed he had been unusually quiet the entire time.

"I could ask you the same thing, our kind don't sulk." Lerial said dryly, Jace stiffened.

"Our kind? I'm nothing like you." Jace spat, Clary glanced around, and saw everyone watching the exchange with a mix of fear and fascination in their eyes.

"Sure you aren't" Lerial said, rolling it's eyes and crossing it's arms. Jace glared, the crackling tension was almost tangible between the golden-eyed pair.

"You're a demon, I'm a Shadowhunter, we are not related." Jace said coolly, his sarcastic wall coming down before Clary's eyes.

"Destiny's children are all related, think about it, Tenebris puer." Lerial spat, before spinning around and disappearing into the lush undergrowth. Jace was left glaring at a tree and the group was left without a guide in this strange world.

"No offense, but you just scared away our guide." Magnus observed, his gaze troubled.

"That demon was crazy, well, crazier than normal, we're better off without it." Jace said, glancing at the group, but it was clear he was shaken up. Clary met his gaze and tried to comfort him slightly with her emerald gaze.

"Let's find a place to stop and find food." Simon suggested, glancing fearfully into the forest, no one could argue with that.

Lerial hadn't left, she crouched in a tree watching the group, it had been so long since any others had appeared on the island, and the human part of her was telling her to help them, while the demon part was telling her to let them die. It hissed at the parts of her mind that were challenging each other.

Despite the conflict inside, Lerial followed them, watching as they passed by the grove that led to her home. She sensed a presence and spun around, a yellow-eyes figure was standing there, watching her every move, she hissed.

"Drakiel you bastard, what are you doing here?" Lerial growled and stood up on the branch, the tree she was standing in would not be recognized by any botanist, its lush foliage was shaped slightly like maple leaves, but it was colored an indigo blue color, and as the sun rose, illuminating the area in orange light, the bot in front of her was revealed, he had dark skin, maroon-black hair and yellow eyes, the demonic runes on his skin glowed, stating his rank as a solider for the forces of darkness.

"Saying hi? Look, Sebastian's forces are gathering, he sent me to ask if Nightshade is with him or not." Drakiel said patiently, his eyes watching Lerial closely, Drakiel had known Lerial for a long time, and he knew that her pride and stubbornness wouldn't give out easily, he had watched the exchange between her and the amber-eyed Shadowhunter, and had frankly felt nothing but pity towards the ignorant supernaturals who had crashed onto Nightshade's island.

"I don't know, didn't he say something about a red-haired girl named Clary? How we were supposed to bring her to him on sight? She's here, and frankly, I'm curious what exactly she can do." Lerial said, sitting down and making eye contact with her old friend.

"Curiosity killed the cat Lerial, this isn't a good idea." Drakiel said, his eyes grew worried, he knew firstly the power that Sebastian wielded, and the scar on his hand showed that.

"Good thing I'm not only a cat." Lerial said, smirking and showing pointed teeth, Drakiel sighed, and grabbed Lerial's wrist.

"Don't get yourself killed." He whispered, Lerial shook away his touch and grinned,

"Since when do I ever do that?" Lerial purred, and stepped away and leaped after Jace and the others in the direction they took, Drakiel sighed.

"All the time friend." He whispered and looked back at the black clouds that were beginning to surround the island.

Jace glanced around at the clearing, and stared at a rock formation, this was the third time they had passed this landmark,

"Look genius, we're lost, admit it." Izzy said sarcastically, folding her arms and looking annoyed, Jordan and Maia were glancing around worriedly, Simon was staying silent with Magnus near the back, and Alec was sticking near Izzy, Clary put her hand on Jace's and looked up at him, but he didn't look back.

"I know I'm a genius, that's why we're staying here, its big, sheltered and there's a stream over there." Jace said, smirking, and gesturing to the edge of the clearing, Izzy rolled her eyes when she saw that he was right.

Clary sighed and looked around, and all of the sudden she felt a chill and spun around, a pair of amber eyes watched from the tree behind them, Lerial Clary thought, at least they weren't alone, even if it was a demon they weren't sure they could trust.

Ya, lol, anyway, chapter nine, at least I got to put Drakiel in, trust me, the whole Jace-is-related-t-Lerial will be explained, oh, and Sebastian will play a major role.