(( Disclaimer:I don't own the Mortal Instruments Universe, or any characters indigenous to it. Those all belong to their creator, Cassandra Clare. I do, however, own the plot line, the writing itself, and any original characters I insert into The Mortal Instruments universe. The secrets are starting to come out, the red herrings are everywhere, and the clues are slowly piling up. This chapter was a lot of fun to write! However, I'm at a cross-roads. This story is now at 11 chapters, and I feel like I'm not sure about its future. I have so many plans, but I'm sort of in a strange funk. What do you think, readers? Do you think this story should continue? Ah, well, I guess we'll see then! And, now, I present to you... ))
"Come not between the dragon and his wrath."
- King Lear ( I, i, 220 )
The pillar in Alec's hand collided with its target, only its target had transformed into empty air. The young woman had leaped out of the way, to where Alec nor Jace could tell, but in her absence a large crack shattered the wall. The pillar crumpled in Alec's hand, falling into dejected splinters.
As Alec spun towards Jace, he felt a hand on his chest. In a single, swift motion both he and Jace were raised to their toes, a threatening glow infecting both of their chests. The young woman's hands were not touching either of them, but rather a faint layer of electricity seemed to be emanating off her skin. She was pulsing, a lambent statue controlling them as they seeped in the power radiating from her.
"We are running out of time," she spoke through gritted teeth. Just as her body glowed, her voice seemed to shine. Jace, who had been keeping his arms at his sides, suddenly tried to push the young woman's palm from his chest, but when he collided with her wrist a flare from the burning light consuming his chest singed him. He cursed, struggling as the heat spread to his shoulders. The young woman did not laugh, as Alec had grown accustomed to her doing whenever challenged. Instead, she bore both boys down with a gaze that carried the lightning from her eyes into their shivering spines. The air in the room began to pop and sizzle, like crackling embers. The explosions were in random spots, never giving warning before they snapped. It reminded Jace of severed electrical wires, bursting with dangerous potential. "We are running out of time!" As she spoke, the explosions multiplied.
"Alright!" Jace's voice could barely be heard over the whirring energy. "Alright!"
She dropped her arms, and the two boys fell.
"Glad to see you've finally come to your senses." She grinned.
"But you tell us where Clary is." Jace added.
The young woman rolled her eyes, letting herself fall back. Her body seamlessly found its way onto the edge of the partially collapsed bed. She folded one leg over the other, stifling a yawn. "I'll tell you, but it won't help you get her back. Like I said to your friend, Alec Lightwood, you are better off praying to your God that Clary Valentine is the last punishment you must pay for your crimes against the universe."
"Crimes against the universe?" Jace rubbed the back of his neck. "Whatever Clary did, there's no way it can be that bad. We just thwarted a massive attempt to turn one of the world's greatest task forces into soldiers of evil. The universe should be thanking us," he drawled.
This seemed to strike a discord within her. She sprung to her feet, driving herself into Jace until the two of them slammed into the wall. She clamped her hands into the front of his shirt, pushing into his throat with her forearm. A tiny laugh tickled her lips, but was quickly replaced with a look of repulsion. Alec ran towards them, but felt himself launched backwards as the young woman flashed her palm at him.
Jace was smiling, despite the pressure building on his throat. He refused to give this young woman the satisfaction of seeing the desperation in his face. In truth, he had never felt so close to death. No one, not even a Greater Demon, possessed the power this young woman wielded. He held back a fit of coughing, instead trying to speak through tiny, low gasps. "This... gimmick... is getting... old..."
The young woman slammed her forearm into his throat. Jace let out an involuntary yelp.
"Why?" She shouted, glancing over her shoulder at Alec. "Why so much violence?" She cocked her head to the side, still pinning Jace down, eyes on Alec. When no answer came, she rounded her gaze back on Jace. His face was beginning to pale. "For the record," she hissed, "you are not one of the world's greatest task forces. You are a mop up crew, same as me. Our only difference is the level of spill we address. You are responsible for the bacteria that grows on the debris I clean. I am the sky where you are a blade of grass. Accept this. Cooperate with me. It is your only choice."
"Not... much... of a choice," Jace coughed out. His right arm had been fidgeting slowly towards his pocket, where a tiny dagger lay tucked. Finally feeling its cold metal hilt against his palm, Jace employed all the force in his body as he took a swing, dagger in hand, right at the young woman's face.
She let go of him, throwing her body up into the air, twisting into a back flip as the knife swiped through the air beneath her.
The air had grown colder, but there was a brewing draft that told Sebastian he was close to an opening in the building. He quickened his pace, unsure of how to channel the still foreign emotions coursing through his refreshed veins.
He heard a loud thud that seemed to come from a few hallways to the right. Sebastian remained still for a moment, listening for shouts or approaching footsteps. He was greeted with silence. And then, just as he had begun walking again, the booming sound of bodies smashing against stone filled the hallway. Sebastian was suddenly stricken with sweat, and as he wobbled to the side, crashing into the wall, he felt around for the pulse at his neck. It was thumping with thunderous vigor.
The sounds had reminded him of something that had happened but a few days ago. It was the last time he had seen the one he sought. They were attacked in the middle of the night, and she was not supposed to protect him. He had been a means to an end, that was made quite clear to Sebastian the first time they met, but that night he had been treated like the end itself. As the memories flooded to the flesh of his lids, he tried desperately to steady his breath.
Sebastian felt with utter resoluteness how loathsome it must be to be entirely human. To feel with such intensity and such focus. He was a useless pile of skin and bones with all these new changes in him.
Another thud woke him from his reverie. Slowly, his face began to catch up with the thought budding behind his storming eyes. "No, no..." he muttered, and yet he turned himself around, dabbing the sweat away from his forehead, and started walking back the way he came. On his face, tiny bits of hope seared the pale skin, perturbing the angular grit of his bones just enough to wash a new, uncharted beauty over them.
Simon and Isabelle had not gotten far before Isabelle pulled them aside into a spare room. It seemed to be some sort of a library, with watches and mini turnstiles occupying the desks and drawers littered about. Everything was open, as if it had been recently searched for something. Simon was about to ask Isabelle if she thought it was Sebastian, perhaps, that was responsible for it when she cut him off with an abrupt whisper.
"Jace is acting really weird. We need to figure out what's going on with him. Clary goes missing, Jace doesn't seem to care, and suddenly we run into Sebastian? No coincidences. Tell me what you know about Clary."
Simon rubbed his hands together, aware of how sweaty they were. "When you didn't show up this morning I walked over here, and I found Alec in his room with this... girl. This person. She said Clary was taken as payment."
"For what?" Isabelle leaned in, impatience flaring in her gaze.
"Isabelle I think we are dealing with things out of our control here. This... girl, whoever she is, she's stronger than anything... Look, I don't want to sound defeatist, but I think our best bet is to cooperate with her until we can get Clary back. I don't think Clary is hurt, wherever she is. I think they need her for something. I mean, why would they send someone like... like this girl to collect Clary if she wasn't important in some way?"
"You're right."
"You're going to think I'm crazy but please... wait, what?"
"You're right. That's actually pretty smart, Simon."
He blushed, caught off guard by the compliment in such a chaotic situation. "Thanks. So, what is this thing with Jace?"
"He's being sarcastic and complacent. He used to act this way when he was hurt, before he met Clary. I think," Isabelle paused, her eyes darkening. After a moment she blinked the intensity from them and regarded Simon with a blank expression. "We really should be looking for Sebastian."
"Yeah, you're right. I still can't believe... I mean, I sort of figured the next time we saw him he would be pointing an evil vicious army at us and generally destroying everything in his path as he approaches."
"Who says he isn't?" Isabelle opened the door, stepping out of the room and waiting for Simon to follow suit. "If there is one thing I have learned, it's that nothing is ever what it seems."
"This really needs to stop," the young woman growled as she crouched into a landing. "Why must you resist so much? Is this the disease of Angels?" She chuckled.
Jace lunged for her, but Alec caught the boy and pushed him back. "Stop! Stop it." He kept his eyes on Jace. "Let's see about these damn questions."
"Yes, let's," she smirked. Jace tossed the dagger over Alec's shoulder, grazing the side of the young woman's arm. It left a tear in her sleeve, just below the tear left by Alec's blade. She watched the limp fabric, expression curious. "You know, Clary was right about you."
"What did she say?" He slowly fished for another dagger from his pocket.
"You need a haircut." The young woman sighed, tossing her hair behind her as she walked right between Alec and Jace, leaving the two boys alone in Alec's now utterly destroyed room. Jace was the first to trail her. The three of them, now in the corridor, stood in a triangle. "My questions," the young woman tilted her head slightly.
"Ask away." Jace clenched his jaw as he spoke.
"First, I need you to tell me everything you know about Luke Garroway."
"What? Luke? What does he have to do with this?" Alec interrupted.
"Darling," the young woman put her hand on Alec's shoulder, the mocking corners of her mouth dripping with deep resonance, "remember what we learned about cooperating?"
Jace pulled another small dagger from his pocket. He had expected Alec to attack the young woman for what she had just said, and yet the dark haired boy was stunned by the brush of her hand on him. There was a mystified stillness to his eyes. She giggled, smoothing out the fabric of Alec's shirt as he continued to stare at her.
"What is going on here?" A voice interrupted their tension, and it was perhaps the biggest surprise to the young woman, despite shocking Jace into nearly dropping his dagger.
Sebastian was standing behind Alec, arms at his sides, eyes narrowed into threatening slits. "Get away from her before I slice you from neck to naval, Alec Lightwood."
Alec, still locked in a trance, only stepped closer to the young woman. With the speed of a loom whizzing past she grabbed Jace's dagger from his hands and slashed Alec clear across the upper shoulder. This seemed to snap him out of his reverie, for he yelped in pain and stumbled back, eyes retracting their haze. Before he had time to lift a hand to his wound, the young woman lanced into the air, flipping herself off the stone wall and taking off into a sprint down the hall.
Sebastian was quick on her heels. She seemed to be aware of him even without looking behind her. The young woman suddenly stopped, turning around to face Sebastian, who was not prepared for the abrupt halt in momentum. He nearly crashed into her, had she not stepped aside at the last second.
"Get out of here," she hissed at him. "It's not safe. You need to leave now."