Chapter Eighteen – Keep Holding On.
"Sebastian Morgenstern?" Gabriel Ravenwood questioned, finally speaking and breaking the silence that had fallen between the London Shadowhunters. "Not Valentine Morgenstern's son!"
"How many other boys do you know with their first name as Sebastian and surname as Morgenstern, Gabriel?" Jahoel snapped at his younger brother. "So what do we do?"
"Or a better question would be what does he want and why is he here?" Evangeline asked, everyone's eyes were pinpointed onto the Ashwells. "We don't know." Michael replied, "But our best option is to defend our home and stay calm."
"Awesome! A battle!" Cortana and Elijah echoed cradling their weapons to their chests, faces illuminated with glee and excitement.
"No, you will not be joining this battle Cortana." Evangeline snapped, "You will stay here with Elijah and Gabriel!"
"I agree." Jahoel replied.
"What?!" Elijah, Cortana and Gabriel screamed in frustration.
"We have -" Cortana started.
"As much right to battle as you do!" Elijah finished.
Gabriel shot them a grin, "You know, it's really cute how you two finish each other's sentence."
"Shut up Gabe!" Elijah snapped, his cheekbones tinged with pink. "Besides we are sixteen! We should be allowed to fight." Cortana nodded in agreement.
"I will not see you hurt. You will stay here." Jahoel and Evangeline snapped, following after the Ashwells who were already heading for the door. Gabriel threw himself down onto the floor as the door shut, "That's it then. There's nothing else we can do."
"Never took you for a quitter Gabe." Elijah snarled, "No, we are going out there and we are going to fight!"
"We've been trained to kill demons since we were small. Even if they are led by Sebastian Morgenstern. We will stand, we will fight and we will not quit! If we fall, we fall for the most noblest of causes!" Cortana yelled, blushing when she finally realised that both Elijah and Gabriel were staring at her.
"Now that… was inspirational," Gabriel said, "let's go!"
He headed towards the doors of the training room and stepped out into the corridor. As Cortana made to move, Elijah caught a hold of her elbow and she turned to face him. His eyes were staring at the floor unwilling to look up at her, his brow furrowed as he fought to speak his mind. "What is it?" Cortana asked.
"I just… if we die…" Elijah started.
"We won't." Cortana stated, "We won't fall in this battle."
"But if we do… I… I want you to know… I love you." Elijah stammered, his face glowing a deep scarlet as Cortana stared at him with her mouth wide open.
"I know it's against the whole Parabatai Oath. You know, the whole Parabatai are not permitted to fall in love with each other, but I don't care. I love you." Elijah said, with a small smile finally looking up at Cortana through his eyelashes. He stepped forward and brushed his lips against hers. "How do you feel?"
"I… We…" Cortana stammered; with a sigh she started again, "We should go after Gabriel." She blurted, then felt like slapping herself in the face as the smile fell from Elijah's lips.
"Okay. Yeah." He said, stepping back away from her and exiting the room.
'Damn! Damn! DAMN!' Cortana screamed internally, 'He tells me that he loves me, yet I can't find the words to say it back. But I love you Elijah Kevin Ravenwood, I love you!'
"I just… if we die…" Elijah started.
"We won't." Cortana stated, "We won't fall in this battle."
"But if we do… I… I want you to know… I love you." Elijah stammered, his face glowing a deep scarlet as Cortana stared at him with her mouth wide open.
"I know it's against the whole Parabatai Oath. You know, the whole Parabatai are not permitted to fall in love with each other, but I don't care. I love you." Elijah said, with a small smile finally looking up at Cortana through his eyelashes. He stepped forward and brushed his lips against hers. "How do you feel?"
"I… We…" Cortana stammered; with a sigh she started again, "We should go after Gabriel." She blurted, and the smile fell from Elijah's lips.
"Okay. Yeah." He said, stepping back away from her and exiting the room. He lent against the wall for a moment and slapped himself in the forehead,'Well done Elijah, way to make a fool of yourself! She's your Parabatai. She doesn't even see you like that and what did you do?! You had to go and make yourself look like an idiot!' He thought, slapping a hand to his forehead again.
The door to the training room opened and he hurriedly let his hand drop away from his forehead, "Elijah, I…" Cortana started.
"No it's okay. I understand. Let's just go." Elijah said, marching down the corridor at a determined pace, Cortana frowned and hurriedly followed after him before she could lose sight of him. "Where do you think Gabriel went?" She asked when she had caught up with Elijah.
"I don't know," Elijah said, "but I hope we find him."
"So do I." Cortana muttered, bumping Elijah's arm; he bumped her's back. "Listen," Cortana sighed, "I can't say it back…"
"I know. It's because you don't feel the same, right?" Elijah interrupted, his right hand tightening on the hilt of his Seraph blade. "No, I don't have the words to say what I feel. What little I know of my parents, I know for certain that they taught both me and Evangeline to hide our emotions, I've gotten so good at it I've even hid the nightmares from Evangeline."
"Does she know about them at all?" Elijah asked, she shook her head, and sighed "She thinks they've gotten better - that I don't have them anymore."
"Why do you hide them?" Elijah questioned a slight frown on his face.
Cortana shrugged, "I wouldn't want her to worry."
Elijah sighed, smiling down at his Parabatai, "But she always worries about you, you're the only member of your family she has left."
"I know. Anyway, stop trying to divert the subject!" Cortana accused, pointing her index finger in the direction of Elijah, he grinned. "I can't say it back because there are no words. I wouldn't even know where to begin in explaining my feelings." Elijah stepped forward, holding onto Cortana's elbows and looking straight into her eyes, "So what are you feeling now?" He asked, she didn't reply but instead she pressed her lips to his and drew back with a smile, "That's what I'm feeling. We can DTR later."
Elijah grinned wider than before, "Okay."
Getting into the library was the easy part, summoning the demons on hallowed ground was going to be the hardest part. Calling upon his mother Lilith, Sebastian found was hard. The bond was weak, he could still feel it but summoning the demons was difficult and he didn't have much longer to wait. His army of Demons -once summoned - consisted of Marbas, a cluster of spider Demons, a hunger Demon, two hydra and dragon Demons and a few Raum, Shax, Vermithrall Demons and Hellhounds. Speaking in Demon tongue he ordered them to follow him as he exited the library and headed up a flight of stairs to where he knew the Shadowhunters would hole themselves up in an attempt to form a plan and contact the Clave - the training room. Sebastian grinned to himself as he scouted his way towards the training room, knowing the Shadowhunters would not have much of a chance against him and his army. "No one escapes!" He ordered and sent his Demons forth.
Jahoel, Evangeline and the Ashwells hadn't got that far away from the training room - a flight of stairs and a corridor away - when the stench of Demons hit them like a blast to the face. A whole horde of Demons filled the corridor ahead of them and behind the line of Demons was Sebastian Morgenstern, his white-blonde hair shinning. "You may as well give up Sebastian," Michael called over to the boy, "the Clave has been contacted! They're on their way!" They weren't, Jahoel knew that. They hadn't had the time to contact the Clave since they'd spotted Sebastian in the courtyard, it was a ruse in an attempt to deter Sebastian from his goal. His thoughts went back to his brothers who he prayed to the Angel that they were still safe in the training room and he knew that Evangeline was thinking along the same lines. "By the time they arrive here there will nothing but dying corpses: your corpses!" Sebastian called, "Now if you'll excuse me. I'm looking for someone or rather something. Perhaps you know of it, but I shan't dally among the dead." Sebastian glanced at his Demons, "Go ahead, they are all yours!"
The Demons rushed towards the four Shadowhunters, Michael and Natalie defending any that came close alongside Jahoel and Evangeline. Sebastian was already lost from sight, "Jahoel go send word to the New York Institute! We need backup! Send it by fire message!" Michael yelled back to him as he dispatched a spider Demon with a swipe of his Seraph blade. "But the Clave!" Jahoel yelled back, loosing an arrow before throwing a blade at the Hydra Demon. "The Clave aren't always reliable, take Evangeline with you!" Natalie ordered.
"No!" Evangeline yelled, "We are not leaving you to die!" She slashed her whip in the direction of a Hellhound that was just about to bite Natalie's ankle.
"We'll hold them off! Go! I'm ordering you to go!" Michael yelled, stabbing down at a Raum Demon. Jahoel grabbed Evangeline by the wrist and ran, he hadn't wanted to leave Michael and Natalie alone fending off all those Demons but they were right - as much as he hated to admit it - they needed backup and the Clave wasn't always reliable. He ran to the nearest open room, dragging Evangeline behind him, and slammed shut the door. He whipped out his Stele and scrawled a rune on the nearest piece of paper he could find, he wrote: Assistance required, London Institute. Sebastian Morgenstern. The minute he lifted the pen from the page it simmered around the corners before bursting into flame. 'Please hurry.' Jahoel thought as he sank to his knees.
Sebastian was determined to find her, she had the one thing from her parents that he needed and she didn't even know the power of it. The Demons, his Demons, had killed her parents and so they would take everything else from her unless she gave him what he wanted. A certain book. One his mother had told him about, the Cantus et in Custodiis. Inside the book were the most powerful runes ever known to be created, powerful and dark. He knew exactly whom he was looking for, he'd scouted the perimeters of this Institute by day and night, he knew every room, every shadow under the staircases. There was nowhere she'd be able to hide from him. He headed down a corridor and up a winding staircase, his veins singing with adrenaline, he was close. So close to his goal and nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted. He turned right and a figure crashed straight into him, sending them both almost sprawling on the floor. The boy in front of Sebastian had black hair and bright blue eyes and he stared up at Sebastian with huge unblinking eyes. "You're… you're… Sebastian." The boy said, pointing a trembling finger in Sebastian's direction.
"And you're about to become my greatest asset." Sebastian said, lunging forward to grab the boy by the shoulders.
"Gabriel! Gabriel! Where are you?!" Elijah and Cortana yelled, calling for the youngest of the Shadowhunters. "He can't have gotten that far!" Cortana exclaimed, throwing her arms up in exasperation. She glanced over at Elijah who rubbed a hand over his face, she placed a hand on his shoulder, "We will find him, Elijah, we will." He nodded and placed his head on her hand.
"Well isn't this touching." A voice sneered from behind them, Elijah and Cortana spun on their heel weapons raised, "Gabriel!" Elijah yelled as soon as he spotted his younger brother, looking relatively unharmed besides from the blade resting against his throat.
"Sebastian." Cortana growled, her knuckles tightening on the hilt of her blade. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to find something. Something I need, something that conveniently you have." Sebastian said, shifting his grip on Gabriel as he struggled to twist out of Sebastian's hold.
"Then let him go! Go and find it!" Elijah yelled, moving to stand beside Cortana, they could hear echoes of the others fighting a few floors down.
"Did you not hear me?! I said your Parabatai, there, has it." Sebastian argued at Cortana's frown he elaborated, "A certain book? The Cantus et in Custodiis?"
Cortana's eyes widened and her mouth went dry. The book, the only remaining object from her parents. It had been hidden in the library, with the rest of the books as her parents had once told her to do. Hide it from sight of anyone besides from yourself and your sister, that was what her parents had told her. "So you know what I'm talking about." Sebastian smiled, "Good, that'll make things a lot more easier for us. Where is it?"
"Why do you want it?" Cortana demanded.
"Well, you have two choices, you can tell me where it is or you can watch your friends and Parabatai die!" Sebastian drawled.
"Let Gabriel go and I'll tell you." Cortana demanded glancing between Gabriel and his capturer to Elijah. Sebastian shrugged nonchalantly. "Only when I have my book. Now where is it?!" He demanded his dark eyes glinting as he pressed the silver blade closer to Gabriel's throat who let out a whimper.
"The library." Cortana breathed.