Hello all, and yes it's been a while. DX Life, she is twisty. Also this story has been giving me so much trouble. I know what I want, but couldn't decide How to get there. I don't know how many times I started writing it, then banged my head against the screen because I hated everything or didn't like where it was going. So, at some point I guess I'll post those alternatives or short scenes as a bonus chapter. It seems a waste otherwise -_- Just gotta wait till they are no longer spoilers to other stuffs.
So, finally I've gotten my shit together and here are two more chapters.
"So...who here wants to kill the big, bad king?"
The question hung between them as silence fell, heavy and oppressive over the space. A dozen Shadowhunters still and quiet as the grave, staring at Jonathan in open hatred and shock. Clearly this was the last thing any of them expected to hear. Clary too was caught by the suddenness of the question. That, and the roiling sensation of her body trying desperately to melt into the earth at her feet. At least with Jonathan's question, the attention of all her friends was locked on him. Now, at least, she could have a small panic attack in pseudo-privacy.
Jonathan let the proposal hang there a moment, his dark eyes scanning across the faces of all the rebels who wanted to kill him. Clary wondered how it was he could be so calm in the face of it, but then she had to remind herself he didn't have much to fear these days.
When it was clear no one planned to speak, Jonathan gave a soft, perturbed sigh. "Don't all chime in at once."
Alec's bow creaked from the strain of his hold on it and his blue eyes went flat and cold as a frozen lake.
"Pass," he said and the arrow he'd been aiming at Jonathan shot free.
Clary let out a cry despite herself, but beside her Jonathan had shifted so quickly he looked like a blur. The arrow flew passed him disappearing into the trees. He watched it with a slight frown before his black gaze snapped back to Alec, who had already nocked a new one.
"I heard you were quicker on the draw Lightwood. Disappointing."
Alec didn't rise to the bait. In fact, Clary thought, his tight, murderous expression didn't even flicker. He was laser focused on the man in front of him, a source of so much of his suffering Clary didn't know how he managed not to fly into a rage right there.
He killed Max. Clary reminded herself. He killed...but she couldn't finish the thought. She pushed away the memory of golden eyes and tried to breathe through her nausea. This wasn't the time for her to think about how sorry she was for the Lightwoods. In fact, she was really regretting that she left her sword abandoned on the forest floor beside the log she'd straddled Jonathan against. Again her stomach twisted, but she clenched her jaw and got ready to move instead. The tension in the air was palpable, a bomb that would be triggered with the wrong breath. She needed to be ready to defend herself, so why couldn't she stop shaking?
"Is this some kind of joke?" Alec spoke through his teeth, his jaw so tight the skin was pulled white across the bone. He was perfectly still, but the tip of his arrow trembled as if against the effort he took not to fire it. "You can't actually think we would fall for this-"
"Bullshit," Izzy finished with a growl, her own dark eyes were liquid pools of hate searing into Jonathan. The electrum whip that had been coiled around her arm like golden bands was loose at her side now, ready to be used at a moment's notice. "This is utter bullshit. Exactly how stupid do you think we are?"
To that Jonathan let a slight smile curl at the corner of his mouth, his black eyes shifting almost lazily over to Izzy. Clary wasn't sure who else saw it, but the moment they made eye contact, Isabelle flinched.
"Unfortunately beautiful, I think your brains are made of mud. The sad fact is we don't all get to be gorgeous and intelligent." He winked at Isabelle with a sly smile that made Clary's gut twist. "Don't worry. I still think you're a catch."
The color drained from Isabelle's face at that, a mix or fury, and disgust, and just the briefest flash of fear.
"Don't talk to her like that." Clary surprised herself by snapping softly. She didn't like the way he was half flirting to mock her, she didn't like any of it actually. At the moment she just felt sick.
Her friends were all here, right in front of her. It had been so long since she'd seen everyone together that it almost felt like a dream. Maybe it was. Clary wasn't exactly feeling like herself at the moment. Then again she didn't even know who Herself was these days. She certainly wasn't the Clary they knew from before. She had killed a man earlier, and he wasn't even the first life she had taken. The thought passed through her like it was coated in acid. It sizzled in her gut and made her muscles clench and twist. She had murdered a man to save Jonathan, because she thought he was dying. She had stabbed him in the back. She still had his blood on her hands and covering her shirt, and in that moment before the thought had crushed her she reached out to Jonathan for distraction. She had begged him to fuck her and her friends heard all of it. She was a murderer and a twisted monster and all they had to do was look at her now to see the truth of it. She almost felt like she was back in the ally with Alec.
He's your brother and a demon, and I watched you kissing him.
She felt just as untethered to her body as she did when he pointed his bow at her with such hatred. It was still there, she could see as he stood between two large trees with an arrow trained on Jonathan. The dozen other Shadowhunters that now surrounded them were likewise armed. Swords and daggers were all brandished towards Valentine's son. One large man held a great axe, a tall slender woman to the far left brandished a halberd with a thin, golden tassel tied around the shaft. Not a single one of them looked at him with anything other than disgust or hatred. Valentine's son. The demon. The Morning Star. They were all waiting for their chance to strike. Even Magnus twitched his fingers and let blue sparks fly from his fingertips. How could she blame them? How could she possibly ask them to wait, especially when he was being this arrogant and cruel?
"She is a catch Clary. I mean look at her. The last time I saw her, she was mangled and hardly able to stand. Now she's bounced back with hardly a scar. I'm impressed." He smirked at Isabelle again. "I appreciate a sturdy women."
"What is wrong with you?" Clary hissed and elbowed his arm, appalled by his behavior. Was he trying to make them attack?
"Clary," he replied tightly back. "Try to avoid any sudden movements."
Her eyes shifted to the tense half circle of Shadowhunters watching them like a pair of bombs that might explode at any moment. He was right. Jerking around, even to hit him, might cause them to attack. Clary grit her teeth and forced herself to remain still, her hands out and visible at her sides.
"You really didn't know about this?" Alec surprised her when he spoke. It wasn't just that he was talking to her at all, it was that he seemed to believe it, even if the look on his face said he didn't want to. Clary shook her head but Jonathan answered the question for her.
"She's only here because she wanted to help me twart our father. We've taken most of the nephilim inside. The rest fell fighting for him. She was only here to lock them in the building and assure our success. She had no idea you would be here tonight."
Alec watched her a moment more, his dark blue eyes narrowed in a horrible sort of scrutiny.
He's deciding if you're a liar. The voice in her head whispered softly. He already knows that you're a freak. Now that you're covered in blood he probably knows you're a murderer too.
Isabelle made a sharp sound at the back of her throat. Clary was happy for the distraction, though guilty for its source. It was better than Alec's cold, blue stare. Like an icy river at twilight. Isabelle shook her head. She still hadn't taken her eyes off of Jonathan. Clary could only imagine what she was feeling. After what he had done to her, to her family, how could she feel anything but hatred?
And now that she saw what you were doing, how can she still love you?
"No. It's a trick," Izzy growled out. "You wanted to bring us here to capture us."
Jonathan offered her a soft smile, tilting his head to the side in a expression of mocking amusement. "If you believe that, then why did you come?"
"I came for Clary, you disgusting monster." Izzy's voice was barely above a hiss. "I came to save her from you."
"From me?" Jonathan's eyebrows rose just slightly. "I'm the one who's trying to fix what our father has done to the world. If anything, you should be thanking me for doing your job. For a bunch of rebels, you haven't made much of a difference. I thought your type was supposed to, oh, I don't know, rebel."
"We're working on it." Alec growled from behind his fuming sister. She looked like she was on the verge of exploding.
"Oh, well pardon me. Real bang up job you're doing of it Lightwood. I'm sure my father is worn to the bone waving away all the messengers bearing news of your sort-of-irritating, minor delays to his plans. I mean your numbers have to be wrecked after that failed attempt at a rescue for your pretty sister over there."
"You might have noticed she's standing right in front of you," Alec said darkly. "Contemplating which of your limbs she's going to detach with that whip first."
"She didn't manage to take my hand before. But sure. Try, try again." Jonathan shrugged. "And I was referring to the first attempt, when you tossed your people at Alicante like an idiot just because I gave your sister a few bruises in a field."
Magnus suddenly cleared his throat, drawing their collective attention. "Quick question. Is this your attempt to convince us to trust you, because if so, I feel compelled to inform you that it's going very poorly."
Jonathan's jaw clenched, but in the next moment he took a breath and chuckled softly, seemingly calm again.
"You're right," he sighed. "I'm falling into old habits, and you're all far too easy to tease. I'm only here for Clary's sake. I'm not here to make friends with any of you, but I have no quarrel with you either. If you would all rather scramble around in the woods like savages, then so be it. I'm simply offering an alternative. You are still Shadowhunters, are you not? You must still want to fight for your world."
Alec's bow creaked loudly, as if he had pulled it so taught it nearly snapped in half. His dark blue eyes burned with more hatred than Clary had ever seen from anyone but her father. For just a moment, he didn't really look like himself.
What has happened to you, she wondered, since I've been away?
"You murdered my brothers." It was the only thing he could seem to say. The rest cut off as if he were choking on his rage. Jonathan blinked but his voice was calm when he spoke. Too calm to be even mildly respectful, Clary thought. It was all going wrong. Everything was wrong and she couldn't stop it.
"And that was perhaps a bit callous of me, but-"
The rest of Jonathan's answer was cut off as a silver light sparked between them with a sharp whistle. The arrow lodged itself into his shoulder with a dull thud, snapping his arm back so suddenly he nearly toppled backwards. Jonathan grunted at the pain, grabbing the metal shaft as he turned back to face Alec. He already had another arrow nocked and ready to fire. He didn't need it. Isabelle's electrum wire whip snapped out around Jonathan's free arm. It was tightening to cut through the leather of his gear jacket, Clary realized, her gut twisting. Izzy would have taken his arm if he didn't wrap a fist around the wire, heedless as it cut into his palm, and jerk it towards himself. Isabelle lurched toward him, drawing a knife as she moved. Jonathan only smiled back at her. They were going to kill each other, Clary thought in panic, then a softer voice crept in.
No. Izzy will try, and Jonathan will kill her for it.
"Stop," she began, her voice rough and softer than she intended. It was lodged in her throat, her heart pounding in her ears. This was all going wrong so quickly. If they started fighting there would be no hope, not that she really knew what to hope for in this situation. Either way she couldn't stand here and watch her friends and brother kill each other. She took a step toward the pair just before pain shot through her side like a flare of fire. Clary looked down to see a gash across her ribs, her shirt torn open. If she hadn't lurched forward, the arrow wouldn't have just grazed her. Her eyes rose to Alec, his own gaze narrowed on her in hatred. She opened her mouth to tell him to wait, but he was already nocking another arrow. She had forgotten how terrifyingly fast he was with his bow.
Clary dove backwards behind the nearest tree. It was thin and didn't provide much cover but at least it obscured his view. As she ducked behind a more substantial tree, another arrow whizzed passed her calf to lodge itself in the forest floor, as if he'd been trying to hobble her.
"There's nowhere to run Clary. You might as well come out."
Someone screamed behind her. She could hear the other Shadowhunters fighting with Jonathan. Tugging a dagger from her belt, she took a deep breath.
"I don't want to fight you Alec. I don't want to hurt any of you."
He didn't respond. The others were still shouting. She could hear swords clattering sharply together. She caught a glimpse of them through the trees. A blur of motion and a black sword that caught the fading sunlight along the edge of the blade and sparked like fire. For just a moment she wondered how quickly Jonathan could bring them all to their knees.
A twig snapped beside her tree and Clary spun away just before Alec's hand snapped out to grab at her hair. She danced back on the balls of her feet as Jonathan had taught her, bringing up her dagger in a defensive position as Alec stepped around the tree to face her. He moved toward her with a steady, deliberate pace that made her chest tighten with fear. The eldest Lightwood child had always been a serious sort, but that was nothing compared to the person that stalked toward her with hatred so clear in his eyes. If she were to paint him, it would be as a ragged angel, slogging through a battlefield, his wings tattered and ruined behind him. There was so much anger in his face, but there was also sorrow, a bone-deep, weary sadness that clung to him so completely it made her heart ache just to look at him. Admittedly this was not a time for pity.
"Don't want to hurt me, huh?" Alec nodded to her dagger between them, his bow at his side. "By the angel, you actually sound sincere. You're getting better at lying. Is he helping you practice?"
"Alec, please..." she wanted to say something, anything to make him stop, but what could she possibly say? What would ever be enough? What could possibly wipe away this betrayal? She was muted like she was in the alley, completely at a loss because there were no words that made this right.
"Isabelle didn't believe me, when I told her what I had seen in that pawn shop." Alec was still advancing, he prowled toward her like a cat waiting for an opening. "She told me I had to have misunderstood. She insisted he must have forced you like he did before, but we both know that isn't true, don't we?"
"Stop." She wasn't sure if she meant his advance or his words. Both unnerved her. She was shaking so badly she could barely keep her grip on the knife.
"He didn't force you in that store Clary," Alec slung his bow across his back. Clearly he wanted to be up close and personal when he killed her. "I don't think he forced you at all. We all saw the way you were grabbing at him back there. We heard you. Now that Isabelle has seen it herself, I think she'll realize the same thing I did."
"What is that?" Clary swallowed passed the lump in her throat, willing herself not to let the tears welling in her eyes flow free. She couldn't do this. She couldn't fight Alec.
"You don't deserve our pity. There is nothing left of you worth saving."
You are disgusting. You are a monster, and he deserves this rage. The quiet voice made her heart clench, her stomach lurching as Alec surged forward. Clary's foot caught on a root as she backed away, but she managed to catch herself before she fell. It wasn't fast enough to stop the sudden impact of Alec charging into her like a truck.
They toppled onto the ground, each scrambling to beat the other back to their knees. Clary slashed the dagger at his hand when he tried to grab for her. Surprise flashed through his eyes. Seeing it, Clary paused. Did that mean he actually believed she didn't want to hurt him, even if it was deep down?
Stopping to ponder his feelings was a stupid call. She seemed to be making a lot of them. Alec snatched up her wrist and twisted, sending her dagger tumbling off into the brush, while his free hand reeled back and then cracked across her jaw.
Clary's head snapped to the side, her ears ringing for just a moment as the world tilted around her. She collapsed onto the ground with a soft groan while Alec knelt above her and dragged her back up by the collar. His fist rose up, poised to punch her once again when they both heard a sharp sound.
"Alexander." Magnus hissed the word softly in warning and he froze with his fist in the air. Alec's head whipped to the side with Clary's and they both looked over at the scene before them through the trees.
"Lightwood," Jonathan's expression was mild, deceptively calm. Only his eyes and the sharp undertone in his voice gave away his anger. That, and the fact that he had Isabelle locked against his chest with one arm and her dagger pressed into her own throat with the other. He must have caught her as she slashed at him, Clary thought, because he had his hand closed over Izzy's, both wrapped around the dagger, her arm bent up across her chest. He was forcing her to press her own knife into her throat. Clary remembered how he had once caught her in that very same position, in the training room. Only Jonathan wasn't teasing now, and Isabelle had turned a sickly white in his grasp. Her body was very still, her eyes as she gazed out at them were sharp with panic. Her breath came in slow, deliberate pulls, to keep herself calm. At least as calm as one could be, pressed up against the person who had once tortured her.
Behind her, Jonathan raked Alec with a look of utter loathing. He tensed above Clary, all but forgetting she was there at the sight of his sister in danger. There were two Shadowhunters crumpled on the ground, unconscious or dead, Clary didn't know. Another body was slumped back against a tree, almost as if they had sat down in exhaustion, but most definitely dead. The head was missing and the jagged stump of the neck had splashed bright red blood across the tree bark and down the front of their black gear jacket. The last Shadowhunter was standing with his sword pointed at Jonathan's back, his other arm clutched around his ribs protectively, but he didn't dare strike. He looked vaguely familiar, but Clary couldn't quite place him. She didn't see any of the others. Had Jonathan killed them too? The thought made her stomach twist.
"Were you just punching my sister?" Jonathan asked in a flat, furious voice. Clary could feel the rage snapping off of him like solar flares. The other's must have felt it too. The youngest of the group, a Shadowhunter boy with daggers stapped to his belt, turned about as pale as Isabelle. Alec slowly rose to his feet, slinging his bow off his back as he went. He stepped over Clary as Magnus moved to drag her to her feet, holding her by her arm. Alec lifted his bow and pointed the arrow nocked there at Jonathan. His black eyes shifted, unimpressed, to the tip of the arrow before he looked back up at Alec and they both locked gazes.
"Are you stabbing mine?" Alec asked in a voice with just as much searing venom. Clary could see how tensed his shoulders were, how sweat beaded down the back of his neck and stuck his black hair to it, but his arrow didn't faulter in the slightest.
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Jonathan's mouth and Isabelle took a soft, sharp breath as the tip of her blade pressed up into the soft flesh just beneath her jaw. It forced her to lean her head back against his shoulder.
"Not yet," Jonathan answered. "But I'm starting to consider it."
"Do it and I'll put this arrow through your brain."
Jonathan's eyes narrowed slightly but his smile didn't fade. The shadows of the trees high above them fell across his face, darkening his features and turning his expression into something dangerous. In that moment he looked every bit the monster that they thought he was.
He is a monster. The voice in her mind whispered softly. You just keep forgetting that. You only see the parts he shows you. The parts you want to see.
"You're not going to kill me, Lightwood." Jonathan laughed harshly. "You couldn't if you wanted to. Not even your boyfriend over there can touch me." His eyes slid to Magnus, black and pitiless as a shark. "And you've been trying. Haven't you, warlock?"
Beside her Magnus gave a soft exhale, but she could tell he wasn't as calm as he seemed. His grip on her upper arm was painfully tight.
"I don't know why my magic can't touch you," Magnus spoke softly. "But it can touch her." He jerked Clary closer for emphasis. Jonathan's smile fell, but his eyes were steady. He didn't look worried, only curious.
"Really?" He asked slowly. "You're going to hurt Clary? I thought you all came here to save her."
Magnus didn't respond at first, but it didn't seem as if he'd been taken off guard by the comment. His cat eyes were sharp, calculating, as if he were trying to solve a puzzle written on her brother's face.
"You don't really want an alliance with us," Magnus said, avoiding the question. "Do you?"
To that Jonathan laughed. It puffed at the hair on the side of Isabelle's head and the girl gave a slight shiver that vanished quickly after.
She's so afraid, Clary thought miserably. He's touching her and she's terrified, but she doesn't want to show it.
"Want one? Of course not! What would that gain me? Your lot can hardly be trusted to strap your own gear on. No. I don't want an alliance with you, warlock. What I offered was a truce. Stay out of my way, and I will ignore you."
"That seems rather out of character for you." Magnus was smiling pleasantly, his head tilted slightly to the side in a way that made the spikey bangs of his hair fall across his eyes. For just a moment Clary could have believed he was as young as he looked. If it wasn't for his cat eyes, gleaming like sharp jewels beneath the black of his hair. The analytical way they locked on Jonathan. "I was under the impression merciless slaughter was how you liked to unwind. Killing nephilim children, burning forests to chase fairies, skinning them. It seems like those are your favorite passtimes. I mean, skinning fairies sends a pretty clear message. Not to mention it's pretty gross."
"It was a werewolf, and I only did it once. Why is everyone so stuck on that one?" Jonathan shook his head and sighed. "Like I said, Clary wants you safe. I have no thoughts on the matter one way or the other."
"Oh," Magnus chuckled. "Surely that's not true." When Jonathan didn't respond the warlock gestured to Clary with a nod. "Just as I'm sure you don't actually care what Clary wants. How could you? When it comes down to it, you don't really care about Clary either."
"Clary is the only thing I care about." Jonathan shocked her with the fierceness in his tone. His brow was furrowed and he looked offended, his dark eyes snapping black fire at Magnus.
The warlock simply smiled mildly back at him. "Right. Of course you do. Just like I cared about Chairmen Meow. Like one cares for a pet."
Something flashed in Jonathan's expression, something that was there and gone in a moment. His jaw set and he shook his head.
"Clary is nothing like your poorly named cat."
"I thought the name was rather clever actually," Magnus sighed, inspecting his nails. "But of course not. Chairmen Meow would look ridiculous as a red head."
"Enough Magnus." Alec snapped beside them. His eyes were locked on Isabelle, still frozen against Jonathan's chest. "Take this seriously."
"Oh I am, Alexander. Much more seriously than he is, I think. Then again, he's such a wonderful little actor, you might not have noticed."
Jonathan rolled his eyes, glancing at Clary instead. "You tell them then. They won't listen to me."
Clary went stiff as all eyes turned to her. She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a soft croaking sound. Magnus raised an eyebrow, Jonathan simply watched her, his black gaze steady and unyielding.
"I...I don't..."
"You know," Jonathan said slowly. "For someone who wanted so desperately to get back to her friends, you certainly aren't making much of an effort to speak to any of them."
"Now now," Magnus chided with a small smile. "Clary seems to have had a long day. I think we all need to step back and take a breather. Maybe a tea break!"
"I think he needs to let go of my sister." Alec did not sound amused by Magnus's flippant attitude. His body was so tense he looked as if he might split from his skin. Every muscle was wire tight, the veins standing stark against his skin, bulging at his neck and temple. He looked like he was losing his mind. Clary realized that all this time they had prattled on, Alec was watching Isabelle. The look on his face was heartbreakingly clear. Not another one. It said. I can't lose another person.
"This is ludicrous," Alec growled, eyes shifting to Jonathan, zeroing in on his target. "You're insane. I wouldn't follow you if the world were swolllowed into hell, and you were the only thing that could save me."
Jonathan smirked. "You say that..."
"Enough!" Alec shouted.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Alec released his bowstring. The arrow cut lose and Clary watched it travel the short distance between them toward Jonathan. He growled in annoyance and twisted with Isabelle in his arms just in time to force her into the arrow's path. Alec had been aiming for the demon's eye, but Isabelle took the metal tipped bolt through her cheek. It tore into her face as she choked on a scream, wrenching back.
Clary felt as if she were drenched in cold water. Her body went numb at the sight, her eyes shooting wide. She watched Izzy spin to the ground in a heap, smacking into the dirt. From her place beside Magnus, she couldn't see if Izzy was breathing. Clary didn't know if the shot had been deadly and Alec seemed to share her horror. He let out a bellow of rage and pain, dashing toward. He threw himself on the ground to gather Isabelle into his lap. All thoughts of his own saftey seemed forgotten. Not that it would have mattered.
The Shadowhunters that remained had been slowly gathering around Jonathan as he spoke. Now that he no longer held his hostage, they had no reason to hold back. The man behind him holding a simple broadsword slashed it across his back with a wide, satisfied smile. She watched him cry out at the pain and begin to turn to slash at the man, until another sword peirced him from the side. A short scream bubbled out of Clary at the sight of it. She slapped a hand down over her mouth and told herself to be quiet. She told herself he was protected. Even so, the sound of his growl of pain and anger when the Shadowhunter twisted his sword, made her knees shake. Jonathan grabbed at the blade, ignoring it as it cut into his palm, to force it back out of his ribs. He was stronger than the Shadowhunter and that clearly unnerved the man. He took a step back, his eyes popping open until the man who had slashed at Jonathan raised his sword behind him again and cracked it across the back of his head. Jonathan hit his knees, still conscious but clearly dazed, and Clary shifted forward. No. she thought. This was too much. Even for him.
"Stop." Clary barely got the word out around the dryness of her throat. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, beating so hard it felt as if it might explode. The Shadowhunters were surrounding Jonathan now, clustering in so tight she couldn't see him, like insects on a corpse. The man with the axe brought it down into the space between them all with a dull, wet thud, too wet to be the sound of a blade hitting soil. When he wrenched the blade back up, it was smeared in crimson, dripping down along the curve of the blade into the grass. He looked to the other gathered Shadowhunters and they all smiled. It was a triumphant expression, and savage. Their collective attention returned to Jonathan at the center of their circle, and they pounced.
The woman with the halberd turned it spear point down and raised it up for a killing blow. The two others with swords joined in with a shared laugh, slashing down gleefully. The young man with a set of daggers simply dropped to his knees and started stabbing at the ground. No, not the ground. Jonathan. They were all attacking Jonathan at once. Clary wrenched out of Magnus's grasp with a ragged cry.
"Stop!" She pitched forward desperately trying to reach him, but Magnus, with his long legs, had caught her quickly and grabbed the back of her collar. She staggered back a step and his arm curled around her from behind.
"No!" She shrieked, fighting against the tall, slender warlock for all she was worth. "Stop it! Don't hurt him!"
Magnus let out a sharp breath behind her. She couldn't see his expression, but the sound seemed almost pained. His arm around her tightened. She felt the fingers of his free hand pressing into her scalp through her sweat damp curls. His voice when he spoke was gentle, the kind one might use to lull a child to sleep.
"Alright biscuit," he murmured. "I think it's time you rest."
Clary caught a flash of blue light as she turned to look back at him, but she didn't manage to see his face. The world was suddenly swallowed in darkness.