See 1-4 for disclaimers
I glance around nervously at the gathering of Shadowhunters around me. Jace squeezes my hand encouragingly. I glance at him and he gives me a smile before handing me the card. I pause silently, observing the Shadowhunters waiting with baited breaths. Alec, Isabelle and Max are standing together as a family which is nice to see, although Izzy just looks incredibly confused to be here. Is this such a good idea? I shrug it off and draw the rune, taking my hand and plunging it into the card. It sinks in and I hook my fingers around the handles of the cup, safely drawing it out. I wasn't entirely sure what I'd expected -exclamations of delight, perhaps a smattering of applause. Instead there was silence, broken only when Jace says, "Somehow, I thought it would be bigger."
I examine the Cup in my hand. It's the size, perhaps, of an ordinary wineglass, only much heavier. Power thrummed through it, like blood through living veins.
"It's a perfectly nice size," I reply indignantly.
"Oh, it's big enough," he says patronizingly, "but somehow I was expecting something… you know." He gestures with his hands, indicating something roughly the size of a house cat.
"It's the Mortal Cup, Jace, not the Mortal Toilet Bowl," says Maryse, taking the cup from my hands, but she lets me keep the card. A few Shadowhunters snicker at Maryse's comment and then the room bursts into life, questions firing out everywhere. Jace grabs my hand and drags me out of the crowd.
"I thought it'd be better to wait until the excitement dies down"
I nod in response.
"What happens now?"
"Not sure. Probably anarchy, a fight to the death-"
"Be serious Jace."
"I'm always serious."
"Sure"
"Hey Clary!" A voice calls form behind. I whip my head around to see Sebastian running towards us. "Did you see the cup?" He asks excitedly. Jace rolls his eyes and throws his arm across my shoulder.
"Of course she did"
Sebastian doesn't look taken aback.
"I didn't see it because I was too busy fighting off the demons hiding outside the wards" He says, and his outfit does look torn in places.
"Good for you" Jace relies coldly.
"Do you know where they took it? Could you take me there?" Sebastian continues, ignoring Jace.
"No, sorry we left before that was decided" I say.
"Oh. Later then?"
"Sure" I promise.
"Thanks" He smiles and turns to jog away.
"I don't like him" Jace declares.
"He seems okay"
"His hair, doesn't suit him"
I just roll my eyes.
Sometime later, after dinner, I try to find Sebastian as is Jace is busy talking to Alec. Maryse told me they're keeping the cup in library until they can find a safer place.
"Hey have you seen Sebastian?" I ask Izzy as she passes me along the corridor.
"I don't even know who Sebastian is"
"Oh okay"
"But-" She begins to say, but is cut off by a yell. She looks at me with wide eyes and we rush outside towards the noise. Izzy already has a whip out, she mastered that skill very quickly, whilst I still suck at anything to do with weapons. Outside is mayhem, a stray demon is freely trampling around all the tents.
"THE WARDS. THE WARDS ARE DOWN!" A Shadowhunter cries. "GET BACK INSIDE" He commands, running towards the institute with Izzy in tow. I ignore them and run towards the spot where the old ward runes were. Jace showed me how they worked and I have a few possible runes in mind. It would stop more demons coming in. I take my stele out, but before the tip even touches the ground something hurtles into me, throwing me down. Sebastian, the offending something, grabs my waist hoisting me up before dragging me by the arm back towards the institute.
"Wait! Sebastian I can fix the-"
"It's not safe!" He yells, dragging me faster. I try to tug my arm out of his grip, but he only tightens it with bone crushing force. I cry out, but he just continues to drag me. We manage to escape the attention of the demons that are occupied with the swarms of fighting Shadowhunters. I spot Jace among them.
"JACE LOOK OUT!" I scream, as a demon comes up behind him but he doesn't hear me. It doesn't matter as Alec covers his back. Sebastian clamps his hand down on my mouth, I bite it angrily. He swears and drops his hand, using it instead to pry open a side door into the institute.
"Sorry Clary" he apologises. "You can't distract him during battle"
I glare at him.
"I could've set up new wards!" I yell.
"You could've been killed!" He yells equally as loud, but then softens his voice. "I'm sorry okay? Jace saw you running off and told me to get you and bring you back to safety. I think the rest of us are gathering in the library"
He doesn't wait for a reply and walks off, expecting me to follow. I do, but when we reach the library I frown as there is no one in there.
"Sebastian I thought you said-" I start, but the click of the library door locking stops me as I turn to look at him. He smiles, but it only creeps me out even more.
"Okay…" I say, backing away from him.
"I just want to see the cup" He shrugs, moving past me.
"And you need me because…"
"You'll know soon enough" He says, cryptically as he stops in front of the glass case containing the cup.
"Yeah great, so now you've seen it…"
He smashes his fist into the class, effectively shattering it and picks up the cup, eyes glinting greedily.
"Finally…." He murmurs, cutting his wrist, letting the droplets fall into the cup.
"Okay, this is weird…."
He finally turns his attention to me, slipping the cup into a bag.
"I don't really need you as such, but father has his orders. Besides, I hear you're handy with runes"
"Father?" I ask, backing away into the institute door, secretly pressing my stele against it to unlock the door.
"Valentine Morgenstern, you may know him" He says, stalking towards me. My stomach flips as I realise who he is. Thankfully I hear the quiet click of the lock. I put my hand on the handle, but as quick as a flash Sebastian snatches my hand away, grabs me by the shoulder and traps me against a nearby pillar. "You know for a Morgenstern you really are slow on the uptake" He laughs and I try to punch him but he grabs my wrists, holding them above my head.
"I'm not a Morgenstern!"
He just laughs and holds out one of my wrist bands for me.
"I recognised this before. Only Valentine's experiments get inconclusive results and of course I recognise dearest mother's name. I saw her just as I left, she looks remarkably like you"
"What have you done to her?"
"Valentine has done nothing...yet."
I snarl and hurl insults at him. He just laughs.
"Sister, I don't think your use of language is very appropriate"
His wristband beeps and he drags me over to a circular door and begins twisting the rune things around. I glance at the cup sticking out of his bag and I kick out, whacking him in the shins. He buckles slightly, letting go of me. I grab the cup and take the card out of my jacket, slamming the cup into it.
"NO!" Sebastian yells, smacking me around the face causing me to fall to the floor. "Take it out!" He demands, pulling me up by my hair.
"She's not doing anything" A voice calls. I glance up at Jace and breathe a sigh of relief. Jace looks furious. Sebastian chuckles and brings something sharp up to my neck. A dagger.
"Let her go, Sebastian" Jace demands, brandishing a seraph blade.
"My name is Jonathon. Jonathon Morgenstern"
"I knew you were a traitor!"
"And yet you let me get away with it… Enough of this, I'm taking my sister and the cup." He snarls down at me. "If I can't get her to co-operate I'm sure Valentine will"
Something flashes in Jace's eyes and he lunges for Jonathon, who throws me out of the way. I land with a thud on the floor and watch the fight unfurl. How did Jace find me? When Seb-Jonathon turns his back to me a rune flashes into my mind. If I can just get close enough…Jace flies back into the wall and crumples at the bottom. I stand up silently, brandishing my stele as Jonathan towers triumphantly over Jace. Jace catches my eye and nods a little. I lift the stele and stab it into Jonathon's neck, just as he raises his sword over Jace. When he falls forward onto his knees I take the opportunity to carve the sleeping rune into his neck. He slump sideways, fast asleep.
"How long will it last?" Jace asks between heavy breaths.
"I don't know" I answer honestly.
"We need to get him tied up and alert the clave"
I nod and draw the binding runes on his hands and feet, dragging him over to a chair.
"How did you find me?"
"I was looking. We managed to set up temporary runes to keep the demons at bay. I saw you getting dragged off by Sebastian."
"Thank you"
"I would never have let him take you" He says, cupping my face in his hands and bringing his lips down to meet mine.
Later the important members of the clave gather around the still unconscious form of Sebastian, discussing what to do over the wide table in the library. They invited me and Jace to make a statement about what happened, although I'd lost the conversation a long time ago. As I'm not concentrating, my gaze falls upon Jonathon. I don't feel any feelings towards my brother, it's odd even calling him that, as I've never even had a decent conversation with him. His wrist band looks different from the rest and appears to have more functions. I'm sure something keeps flashing across the screen, but each time I turn around it looks normal again. The next time I turn around something is definitely up. I tap Jace and point as a bright light shines off of his wrist band, getting brighter and brighter.
"Maryse…." Jace calls.
"What Jace?" She asks, annoyed at being interrupted, he points and she gasps as the lights converges itself into the figure of a man. A very tall broad shouldered man with white hair. A man who looks very much like my brother and calls himself my father.
"Good evening" He greets us, but everybody jut stares at him in shock. "Oh dear, I wasn't aware the clave could not speak"
"Valentine" Maryse breathes. He turns his attention towards her.
"Maryse, it's been a long time. How's Robert?"
She stiffens at this comment and Valentine smiles superiorly.
"Why are you here?" Hodge asks
"I am here, because I need to retrieve some of my belongings." He stares right at me as he says that and then shifts his eyes to Jace. "And seeing as my son has failed to do this, I fear I must take it upon myself. As a hologram, clearly I cannot retrieve my possessions" Another glance at me "myself. So I invite them to come to me instead"
I shiver, like that's going to happen.
"Possessions? The cup is not yours!" Aldertree shrieks, face turning purple.
"I was not referring to the cup, but that is also mine to take."
"Then what else do you mean?" Hodge asks.
"My daughter and Jonathon Herondale"
The Clave all turn to look at us. Jace grabs my hand under the table.
"Why do think we'd ever come to you?" Jace asks, steadily.
"You will come, with the cup, to my headquarters in New York. Don't even think about portalling, Clarissa. My wards are too strong. When you get here you will surrender yourself and any information you know about the Clave."
The Clave members gasp in shock.
"No Valentine you're wrong. We won't ever surrender ourselves to you" I say confidently.
"You will call me father, I despise this mundane way of using first names"
"It doesn't matter what I call you"
He smiles coldly.
"Oh it will, I assure you."
"It doesn't change the fact that we aren't coming" I argue. Again Valentine smiles coldly. Aldertree suddenly gasps and clutches at his wristband. He shoots one last helpless look at the room before slumping forward. The clave members panic and check him over.
"Dead" A man declares solemnly.
"This is to be the fate of the entire Clave if you don't do as I have asked. You have three days" He commands before bursting into a blinding brightness, I shield my eyes from the light and when they adjust both Valentine and Jonathon are gone. Jace gives out an exclamation of surprise looking down at his wristband. I glance at mine and my blood runs cold.
The numbers have started counting upwards.