The beginning of the end for Cynthia began the next day. Jonathan's eyes were blazing with excitement as he did the back of her dress up, running his fingers over the dark red material there, the zip golden.

"By the Angel, Jonathan. You're more excited than a toddler in a theme park. Calm down."

"How can I? Tonight, all my plans come to fruition. Now-" he turned her around and placed his hands upon her shoulders, eyes dark and serious. "I want you to have no part in this okay. You stand by my side, head held high and proud." A smile twitched onto his face, raising a hand and touching the underside of her jaw. "My dark princess. Go on ahead and I'll be right there. You'll see Jace in red."

Cynthia's eyes traveled downwards, fingers playing with a golden rune upon his own red garment. "I like red on you. Much better than all the black and white."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Whatever. You little shit."

Jonathan smirked and bent down, tugging at the bottom of Cynthia's dress so it was level at just below her knees, fingers brushing her black tights. "Bitch. Now go. I love you."

"I love you too."

-LightInYourNightmare-

Cynthia hated high heels. Especially ones that were essentially stilettos. They were good for slamming onto feet to hurt, but that was it. The slope wasn't as steep as she'd been expecting it, but she still ended up taking her heels off and walking with them in her hand as she strolled down towards the witchlight.

It reminded her of Stonehenge with the ancient tomb. There was a flat stone that rose like a stage. Upon it stood Jace, looking resplendent as always, causing a twinge of sadness to flare up in her chest at the sight. He looked so beautiful. Heartbreakingly beautiful. She didn't love him anymore like that, but she cared for him. Even now with the demon blood cravings slowly coming back, the angel blood wearing off, she still felt that affection for him. His voice was ringing out over the grass before him. Upon it stood a large sort of semi-circle, Shadowhunters garbed in red stood there with witchlight rune stones in their hands. It creeped Cynthia out, the way their faces were lit up in the glow. In the middle, a blue-white pentagram.

Cynthia very nearly tripped as she climbed up onto the slab. Once she was safely upon it, she slipped her heels back on. It was a moment later when Jace doubled over, blood leaking through his tunic that she frowned, going "what's wrong?"

"Sebastian," he muttered, drawing out his stele. As she watched, Jace drew an iratze upon himself and the bleeding stemmed. Cynthia was gazing at him unblinkingly for a long time after that, worried. What had happened between Clary and Jonathan?

Not long after, the pair joined them, Clary looking sour and a muscle twitching in her jaw. Was that a bruise forming? Jonathan was glaring at her for a moment, but then it was gone. There was a crossbow in his hand, the Morgenstern ring glinting in the witchlight. She arched a brow at him, but he merely shrugged.

As Jonathan lowered the crossbow, she heard a voice next to her hiss "you're going to hell, bitch."

Cynthia glanced next to her, laughing out quietly as the demon boy started his speech, "I know Clary. But, strangely, we're on the same side here."

"What."

"Jace. I know you hate me, and I hate you too. But Jace… he needs to be saved."

Clary was staring at her as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Why," she went slowly, softly, "would you want to save him."

"Because I once loved him, Clarissa. I really did. He doesn't even know, but…" Cynthia took a deep breath. "In the Silent City, I- I was pregnant."

Clary looked faintly sick. "You're lying," she hissed under her breathe. Cynthia smiled and just looked back to the front, gazing at the pentagram as it flared up. "Oh I'm not. I lost the baby, if you must know. A week before I got out."

"If you're trying to make me feel sorry for you, it's not working."

"I don't need your pity," Cynthia went coolly, flashing a look at Jace. She'd never thought about it, the outcome of their night at the Penhallows. It wasn't the blood that made her lose her sanity in the Bone City, it was the fact she'd lost her child. And Jace's at that. She felt so sorry for the child that had been a result of them both in Alicante.

Another reason Jonathan had hated Jace, bound him to him. The fact that he'd gotten his Cynthia pregnant.

"I want to save Jace." Was all Cynthia just said now, and that was it. The girl blinked as Jonathan suddenly turned to her and took her hand, leading her forwards. "Mother," he simply went, "this is Cynthia."

Cynthia went pale at the sight of the demon stood in the pentagram, Jonathan grinning ear to ear next to her. "This is Lilith, my love. My real mother."

"But Jocelyn is your real mother," was what Cynthia wanted to say, but she smiled all the same and spoke to the ashy demoness with her hair like black seaweed, "a pleasure."

"The girl my son would destroy the world for," the demoness mused, eyes like black snakes. "On the contrary, it's a pleasure to meet you. My Jonathan has told me so much."

And then it was over. Jonathan was stepping forwards, and Cynthia saw a cup in his hand. The Infernal Cup, she realized. As she watched, the demoness tore her wrist open and she closed her eyes- blood. Demon blood. It made her sick to her stomach. Even more that she had it in her veins. That it would always be a part of her, slowly changing her. Slowly killing her.

Cynthia kept her eyes closed the entire time, listening to Clary next to her try and talk sense into Jace. It wasn't doing anything and her heart went out to the girl. She really loved Jace.

Love. Such a powerful, destructive thing that emotion was. Cynthia was wondering now. Wondering if Jonathan could feel love. Even the tiniest of fractions. What if… he couldn't? Nothing at all? That their relationship was him believing it was love.

She stood there pondering for a long time, wondering over the clashes of swords. It was only when there was a thump that she opened her eyes, feeling them widen as she stared at the fallen Shadowhunter of Jonathan's creation, arrow in his throat. A moment later, Clary had screamed to someone and she jerked back. Jonathan grabbed Cynthia's arm and very nearly dragged her behind the line of Shadowhunters, eyes blazing like black fire.

"Stay next to me," he ordered voice loud and clear. "Cynthia, don't stray."

Stray. Why would she stray? Cynthia was watching Clary as she argued with Jace, and then she took off into the battle. Jace was gone a moment later and before she realized what she'd done, she pulled away from Jonathan and took off after him. She could hear Jonathan yelling for her to get back, but she ignored him. He'd be safe. Jace wasn't.

She found them near the back of the battle, Clary with a sword in hand. Jace was telling her to give it to him. Was she trying to escape? Without thinking, Cynthia dashed forwards and grabbed Jace from behind, pinning his hands behind his back as she yelled, "Just go Clary! Now!"

But Clary didn't turn. She didn't run. To Cynthia's utter shock, she merely raised the sword and with a cry, ran Jace through. But the thing was… it didn't stop in Jace. Cynthia's eyes widened as she clung onto Jace still, the sword plunging into her stomach, then deeper and deeper as it went clean through him. Her hands instantly let him go, backing up with a horrified gasp as she looked down. She thought she could hear Jonathan screaming. At her being stabbed, or was it something else? She couldn't tell as suddenly, the burning started. It spread through her body, searing her veins. She wasn't even aware of hitting the ground as the flames engulfed her, the screaming, she realized, wasn't Jonathan now, but herself. And she couldn't stop it. Fire. So much fire. How could someone handle such torture? She'd always been terrified of fire. Who knew that this was the way she was going to die?

The last thing Cynthia saw was Jonathan on the other side of the hill. His midnight eyes wide in something she knew to be fear. He loved her. She knew it now… that he was capable after all. And that at her end, that was the last thing she thought. The last thing she saw. She didn't mind death at all as it embraced her. It was like an appointment she'd been missing for so many years, but finally they'd caught up. Caught her at last.

And then all she saw was darkness.