Chapter 12

Sebastian led Jace to his office. Jace was grateful to be able to walk briskly and without pain. With a plan in mind and a spring in his step, he almost felt like his old self again. Now, all he needed to do was find a way out.

When they made it to the office, Sebastian said, "Now, you do understand that despite our alliance, you will still need to stay with Rebecca. No one can know of our plan."

Jace cocked his head while Sebastian smiled. He suspected that this "alliance" was more to feed Sebastian's hunger for friendship than to gain an ally for war. But before Jace could begin to feel sorry for the guy, he remembered how Sebastian had brainwashed him and killed his brother along with countless others, all without any regret. His hatred renewed, he smiled back—not out of friendship, or even politeness.

He smiled at the prospect of destroying Sebastian just how Sebastian had destroyed him.

"No one will know." said Jace.

"And understand that when this is all over, only you and Clary will be saved."

"Okay." Jace agreed. "So do you mind explaining where we are?"

"Not at all." Sebastian said. "We're under Pandemonium."

"You mean the Pandemonium?"

Sebastian shook his head. "No. We are under the great demon city of Pandemonium, a city larger and more populous than earth itself."

Jace tried not to let his eyes widen. He'd been prepared for almost every other answer besides this one. Of course, he'd heard stories of Pandemonium, but no Shadowhunter or mundane had come back alive to tell them. Located in the center Void, a place that mundanes called "Hell", it was where demons came to recuperate after being slain.

"Oh." said Jace. "Then how would I get out of here?"

"You wouldn't be able to. If you tried to actually enter the city, you'd go insane or promptly die of despair. That's why we're miles underneath it."

"Well that sounds pleasant."

Sebastian laughed. "Trust me, it's not. But it's where I can find the most allies. Since I'm part demon, I'm the only Shadowhunter who can enter the city and live. And Garrick and I, being the only people who've seen the place, are the only ones who can get us here and back."

"Oh."

"I'll give you a minute to chew on that." said Sebastian. "I'll escort you to your room, where you and Rebecca can eat your dinner. Tomorrow, I'll tell you what I need help with."

Jace gulped. His old plan in shambles, he came up with the backbone for his new plan: he needed to manipulate Sebastian and get Garrick to open a portal to earth. Unfortunately, Sebastian, an ingenious and ruthless sociopath, would be hard to fool. And Jace, one of the best Shadowhunters alive, maybe even ever, had finally met his match.


Luke arrived at the address that Clary had texted him, letting himself inside. It was thirty minutes after midnight, and the stench of booze filled the air. Immediately, he spotted important downworlders that he'd seen in various meetings, especially Benjamin, third-in-command to Maureen, the head of the vampire clan.

Luke wondered how Maureen was doing. He had vague memories of her, always wanting a picture with Simon, human. But he'd heard from various sources that now she was anything but.

As soon as Benjamin saw Luke, he smiled and waved him over.

"Good evening," said Benjamin. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

Luke eyed Benjamin skeptically. Vampires and werewolves considered each other mortal enemies, and were rarely civil towards each other, much less friendly. Of course there were exceptions, but Benjamin didn't seem like one.

"I've been doing well." said Luke. "How's Maureen doing as the head of the New York vampire clan?"

"She's not the head anymore." Benjamin said, his smile becoming venomous. "I am."

Luke once again thought of the bubbly, blonde, fourteen-year-old girl with a crush on Simon. He never would have guessed that this would be her fate.

"You killed her?" whispered Luke.

"Well, how else does one acquire leadership of a vampire clan?"

Of course Benjamin hadn't beckoned him over to be friendly. He wanted to gloat about his new position.

"You disgust me." Luke spat. "Killing a fourteen-year-old girl—"

"She was a monster." Benjamin didn't sound defensive. It was as if he was just stating a fact. "Her humanity was long gone. And, she was a terrible leader. Who wants to be under the thumb of a child?"

"So how did you do it? How did you kill her?"

"Through simple trickery." he said. "Maureen expressed to me how badly she wanted to become a daylighter, like her friend Simon. She asked me how she could do so, but I had no idea. But then, I discovered a way to take advantage of her weakness and get rid of her.

"I told her that all she had to do was drink the blood of a Shadowhunter in order to gain this power. Of course, since I'd been around for a long time, I knew this wasn't a case. But she was barely more than a fledgling, and she didn't question me once. She did exactly as I instructed, and brought one of your idiot Shadowhunter friends to me. I played along, and I would have drained him if the blue lady hadn't gotten in the way.

"I told her that she had done well, and we would celebrate by watching the sunrise together. So I took her to a remote clearing in the woods, with a cabin in the center. I was able to run inside at the last moment, but she wasn't fast enough, and she promptly burst into flames. I watched her ashes blow away in the wind."

"That's despicable." Luke commented.

"But it's brilliant."

Before Luke could say anything, Magnus, in one of his most extravagant outfits to date, pushed through the crowed with Alec in tow. Alec blanched at the sight of Benjamin.

"Luke!" said Magnus. "Glad you could make it. I'm going to need to borrow you for a moment. Benjamin, who told you that you could come to this party? Ugh. Please leave immediately."

Benjamin slinked away without protest as Magnus pulled Luke along with him. "I've notified the others. I think I've found a way of finding Jace."