Once the group returned to the Institute, Jace was called in to get his new office set up. But he wasn't the leader type. He hadn't paid attention to anything the other advisor said and waited until he could be left alone. Then he called Alec and Isabelle into his office, making the right decision.
"Alec, I need to discuss something with you," Jace said as Alec straightened up and put his business face on.
"What's wrong?" Isabelle asked, curiosity spreading across her face. Wondering why she was there and what was going on.
"I've decided to give you the leadership position at the New York Institute. Being the current boss I have the authority to pass it down to anyone of my choosing. Alec Lightwood, will you accept the position?" Jace said as a smile appeared on Alec's face.
"I will kindly accept your offer," Alec said as Isabelle rubbed his shoulder.
"Alec Lightwood, you are now the new leader of the New York Institute. Congratulations," Jace said, giving Alec a tight hug as Sebastian came around the corner. He saw them in the office and hid so he could listen but not be seen.
"Thank you, Jace. It means a lot," Alec said, squeezing back.
"So Mr. Lightwood, what is your first mission as leader of the Institute?" Isabelle said in a joking tone. She was so happy he finally had his dream come true.
"Well, the Clave advisor told me they were going to take Valentine to Idris this afternoon," Jace said, which caught Isabelle, Alec, and even Sebastian's attention.
"Already? Shouldn't there be more questioning?" Isabelle asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"They have done everything up to the agony rune, but he still won't talk. The Clave wants to move him to Idris for more questioning and to make sure he can't find a way out. Since you're the new boss, you will lead the group taking him there," Jace explained.
"I'm glad he'll be in a place he can never come back from," Alec said. "When are they transporting him out?"
"In about two hours. All of this fighting and fear will hopefully fade away. All of it will be over," Jace said as a frightening smile came onto Sebastian's face. He turned away and crept out of sight before the others could notice his presence.
I woke up on Sebastian's couch and ran a hand through my hair. Once I was fully awake, I went into the kitchen and explored the cabinets until I found a mug and some plain coffee. After a few minutes of waiting, the coffee was done brewing and I poured myself a cup. I went back into the living room and found the remote. I searched through the channels and blankly stared at the screen; not really paying attention to what was on.
Every once in a while I would feel a twitch of darkness, but nothing I couldn't handle. Since I killed that wolf last night my urges vanished to almost nothing. I tried to distract myself but I was never one for sitting. I paced back and forth, finally deciding I needed to talk to someone.
Sebastian said the apartment was spelled to block out Clave and Warlock spells, so hopefully, it would block out my caller I.D. I searched through my contacts and decided I needed to hear his voice; Simon's voice. I clicked his profile pic and the call went through. After about two rings, Simon picked up.
"Hello?" Simon asked, confused at the unknown number.
I sighed in relief and responded. "Simon, it's me."
"Carly? How are you doing? Are you okay? Where are you?" Simon rambled.
"Simon, I'm okay. After what I did last night I didn't think you'd be happy to hear from me," I said sadly.
"Nothing you do will ever make me hate you, Carly. You weren't in control and I don't blame you for what happened. All I want to do is help you. Tell me where you are so I can come and get you," Simon said.
"Simon, I can't do that just yet. I don't want to hurt you or anyone else. I'll come back when I'm in control or when I lose it all and you have to kill me," I said truthfully.
"It won't come to that. Just let me help you," Simon said desperately.
"Simon, there is only one surefire way to fix this and I will not allow you to do that. I won't make you kill me so you can save me. I'm not gonna let you have that on your conscience," I said.
"I would rather have that burden on my conscience than watch you become the thing you're most afraid of. Please, let me help you," Simon begged.
"I can't. I'm sorry."
On the other side of the line, Simon threw his phone down on the bed. Then he dropped down onto the sheets and put his head in his hands. He hated knowing there was nothing he could do for me. He hated seeing me in pain. As his thoughts jumbled around, a knock sounded at the door. Simon shot up and ran to the door to find Ethan on the other side.
"Hey, what's up?" Simon asked, wiping away a tear before Ethan could notice.
"Magnus was called in to deal with transporting Valentine so I decided I'd do something helpful. Has Carly contacted you?" Ethan asked as he walked into the boat house; taking a seat on Simon's couch.
"Yeah she did, but Carly called from an unknown number," Simon said.
"I can try and track it," Ethan said, noticing Simon's phone on the bed.
"She didn't want me to go after her. She doesn't want to us to get hurt," Simon said as Ethan picked up the phone.
"There's nothing wrong with at least trying," Ethan said as his hand swirled above the phone. Blue mist escaped his palm and encapsulated the device. Ethan's eyes scanned the phone and disappointment spread across his face.
"What's wrong?" Simon asked.
"I don't know. Something is blocking the connection. I've never seen anything like this before. Even with my fairy blood, I can't see through these wards," Ethan said as Simon sunk down on the couch. Ethan noticed Simon's sad stature and sat down on Simon's bed.
"We'll find her. Carly is strong and she's the reason I'm free today. I won't allow her to fade into darkness. I'll do whatever I can to save her as she saved me," Ethan admitted.
"What if we don't find her in time?" Simon said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Carly has never gotten a happy ending. I just want her to be happy. But when the time comes I don't know if I could save her."
"Magnus told me. If you want Carly to be sane, it's the only way. It might be hard but in the end, she'll be more of herself," Ethan said.
"I'm worried that I won't be able to stop. Valentine's goons had to pull me off of Jace when I fed on him. If I bit Carly, I don't know if I'd be able to control myself," Simon groaned as Ethan sat down next to him.
"Simon, I am part fairy and part warlock. I have had problems controlling my urges my whole life. When you're different, things are hard. Focus and know what you have to do. Don't let yourself lose control," Ethan said as he comforted Simon.
Alec and Magnus made their way to the holding chambers. When they arrived, the guards were already preparing Valentine and getting his chains tightened. One of the guards grabbed Valentine by the arm and pulled him into the hallway.
After he was secure, the shadowhunters got into position. Four behind, then Valentine, then four ahead with Alec taking up the front. Magnus gave Valentine a look of disgust as Alec gave him the signal. Magnus swirled his hands and formed a golden portal. This would take them to Idris where Valentine would finally be punished for his actions.
Magnus stepped aside as the group headed for the portal. Alec gave Magnus a smile and a thank you as he vanished into the golden waters. The rest of the group followed suit and once the last guard was through, Magnus collapsed the portal.
On the other side, Alec and four guards came through. A few seconds later, four more guards stepped forward but Valentine was nowhere to be seen. Alec looked back at the guards with worry but they had the same look of worry and confusion.
"Where's Valentine?" Asked the president.
"He was right here. There is no way he escaped. Not alone at least." Said one of the guards
"Did anyone else know of this transport?" Asked the president.
"No. No one who wasn't supposed to know knew about it. Someone must have hacked our system or knew how to interfere with portals," Alec insisted.
"Someone must've pulled him out to another location." Said a different guard.
"Get everyone prepared and on the lookout. Valentine couldn't have gone far. We need to find him before anyone finds out he's missing. Now!" Said the president as chaos erupted.
Meanwhile, Valentine was in a worse situation. When the group was halfway to Idris, he felt a hand on his arm. The hand's grip tightened and pulled Valentine off to the side. When he opened his eyes he was in a dark basement.
It was musty and the only light was from a window across the room. He analyzed his surroundings and noticed a man in front of him. His back was to Valentine but he could tell the man was young.
Valentine recognized the basement but couldn't think of where exactly he was. He searched and tried to study his surroundings but the teen in front of him turned around. He had never seen this person before but something about his eyes seemed familiar.
"Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?" Valentine asked.
"Do you recognize me?" Asked the stranger with anger.
"No, am I supposed to?" Valentine questioned truthfully.
"How about now?" Asked the stranger as his cloak dissipated.
What was left terrified Valentine. Where the teen stood was now a creature. A man burned so badly beyond recognition with eyes as black as coal. The look of fire behind his eyes was as bright as the pits of hell.
Valentine looked into the stranger's eyes and something clicked. The eyes were something he'd looked into before. But back then he looked down into them, now he had to look up.
"Jonathan?" Valentine asked with fear and wonder. After he sent Jonathan to Eden, he never thought he'd see him again. He was proud but also completely terrified.
"The name is now Sebastian. Nice to see you again, father," Jonathan said with a dark grin.
