Chapter 3- Escape

"Thank you, you are very kind." Clary lied, letting the shackles fall to the ground.

"You're welcome my dear." Captain Zara smiled cruelly.

Clary took in a shaky breath and lightly traced the red cuts the iron had left around her wrists. She willed her body to remain calm. She needed to be calm in order for this plan to work. Calm and she needed to appear as meek as possible. Focus.

"You are a very beautiful girl." Zara smiled, laying his hand possessively on her knee. Clary concealed the wave of disgust that swarmed in her stomach.

"I am certain that once the king realizes that you are not the girl that he is searching for that he will let you go, Irene." the Captain continued. If only he knew that she WAS the girl that the king had been looking for. If so, he wouldn't be treating her like this. No, he most certainly would be dragging the group on through the night. He might have even taken her away with another soldier on horseback and raced to the capital to collect his reward. Then, once she was in the capital...

Clary doubted that the King would be letting her go anywhere after all this. Why he was going through the trouble to find her was still a mystery but she knew that it must be important for him to put this effort in. If he knew her mother's name then maybe he knew hers, at once Clary was relieved in her decision to give the guards a fake name. The last thing she needed was to be tied back to Lady Herondale and to put the elderly woman in danger. Not to mention, poor Simon or Isabelle. She hoped they were a long way away from Ignis by now.

"I thank you, sir," she replied politely. "but I have never known the king to release any prisoner."

It was true. Even if she wasn't the girl he was looking for, Lord Axel would surely make her a concubine for the palace. The Captain smiled, and seemed to brush off the comment.

"Ah, yes. It is not in his nature to be forgiving but with the proper persuasion." He explained moving his hand up her thigh; pushing up the smooth fabric of her dress.

His touch left a hot trail against her skin making her stomach turn. His eyes were beating out of his eyes, his hair greasy fell down to his shoulders where a bald spot was now noticeable, and his breath had a stench of whiskey.

"And I assume that you plan to be that persuasion?" she guessed trying to keep her voice sweet.

The disgusting man grinned wickedly bringing his lips to her ear.

"I can be, if you ask.. nicely. I would be happy to strike a bargain with you. I want you little one and I am not a patient man." his hot breath leaving a train against her neck. Clary struggled to keep the bile down in her throat.

"I've never been with a man." Clary replied honestly, adding as much meekness to her voice as possible. The Captain's eyes widened hungrily.

"You will find me to be an excellent teacher." The Captain spoke letting out a growl before leaning forward, cupping her face to kiss her.

The redhead was quicker though and dodged him before pushing him down onto the floor. He hissed as Clary landed on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. Captain Zara lay gasping for breath. By then it was too late of course. Clary smiled as she brought the steel bar, the one he often used to beat peasants into submission, down on his head. Blood gushed from the wound and his body ceased moving. Clary could see that he was still breathing. The Captain was knocked out cold, clearly injured, but not dead. At least not yet. It was more than he deserved but it was not her place to end his life. The king would probably execute him after learning of his failure anyway. She didn't have the time or desire to be a murderer. Getting to her feet Clary grabbed the keys off of his belt loop. She didn't have much time if this was going to work!

Sneaking out the back of the tent proved to be easier than she thought given the dense fog that began to swarm the ground. The night air had grown colder and although abnormal, Clary didn't have time to think about it. Most of the guards were asleep and she was able to make her way towards the group of prisoners without being seen. No doubt, due to the fact she wasn't burdened with those heavy shackles. Gertrude lay wide awake on top of her blanket trying to brush away the mosquitos and flies that swarmed the camp. Waiting for her.

"I've got them," Clary spoke, leaning down beside her.

The old woman smiled and leaned up looking around for the guards. The closest one was a soldier named Manuel and he stood keeping guard far away. He was busy keeping his eyes locked on the road ahead, checking for bandits though he often turned to glance at the Captain's tent. No doubt worried about the small red-head he believed still in it. Clary unlocked the shackles that bound the woman's wrist, quietly handing the spare key to the old woman. They both quietly moved to the next prisoner laying down by them and pretending to sleep. Gertrude had done a good job spreading the word. One by one the prisoners silently crept to the forest. Clary was working on the last pair of shackles when a loud yell sounded through the camp.

"Where is she? Where is the little wrench!" The Captain screamed rushing out of his tent, dried blood covering one side of his face.

Clary shoved the key into the last prisoner's shaky hands and told him to run. He quickly obeyed as she took off in the opposite direction from the others. Manual was the first to approach, but his gaze was set on his injured Captain. Other guards quickly left their tents, bodies bare of armor, and quickly looked to their Captain for guidance.

"Get her! Irine, get her fools!" Captain Zara screamed!

Clary rushed towards the forest, Gertrude in toe when the older woman tumbled forward. The guards rushed forward as one of the senior men leaped out and caught Clary's leg. Tumbling to the ground, she rolled to catch herself. The man who tripped her chuckled and was about to pounce on her when a figure shoved him out of the way. Gertrude landed on top of the man hard, cutting her arm on a sharp rock.

"Run Irine! Run!" she screamed, letting the blood run down her arm.

Clary winced before leaping up and taking off once again. The old woman had sacrificed herself for her; a debt that Clary doubted the woman would live long enough for her to repay. Clary ran through the clearing and finally reached the forest, running frantically through the dense bush. She could hear the guards' armor banging as they ran in pursuit. They must have stopped to suit up, costing them precious time. They were close, too close! Rushing forward, her heart dropped as she came face to face with a giant stone wall. Curse her luck! She looked down and back frantically. She was trapped.

Clary knew the stories of the magical wall that acted as a border to the neighboring area. The king had been trying for years to penetrate it but to no avail. Digging, climbing, and trying to knock it down all proved to be ineffective. It was protected with magic and unlucky for her, proved to be the obstacle of her demise.

"Where are you, little girl? Come out and play! If you give yourself up, I'll be gentle." The Captain's voice called out hauntingly.

Like hell he would be! She knew Captain Zara's reputation and she knew better than to trust a word out of his mouth. Clary would rather die than surrender. Movement shook the bush beside her. She gazed in horror as Manual appeared. Looking flush he appraised her with wide eyes.

"Hide." He whispered, gesturing to the vines behind her. Clary nodded. Looking back up at the wall, she noticed the thick vines that covered it were especially dense in this area. Making a quick decision to trust him, she pushed the greenery aside and climbed behind the thick growth. She was about to look back and kneel down to better camouflage herself when her fingers brushed against something smooth. The wall was heavy brick yet what she was touching felt like wood. Panicking, she quickly felt around. Manual had run in the other direction, calling out to some of the guards to follow but judging by the sounds she knew more were coming. Clangs and the sound of crunching leaves alerted her senses. She was surrounded. Be the sounds of the escaped prisoners or guards, she didn't know. All she knew is that she had to get out of here. Her heart beat faster as she inadvertently pushed against the wood attempting to align her body flush with the wall. To her surprise, the wood moved and she fell backward through the small opening.

Clary gasped as she landed on her back hard, the thick grass doing nothing to ease her landing. She could see torches in the distance, a blur through the dense greenery but there. Running on adrenaline, she got to her feet and quickly grabbed the handle and pushed the heavy door closed. Taking in a deep breath, she looked for a lock; afraid that the guards might follow her. After some frantic searching, she found an old iron lever. Clary quickly pulled it down and was filled with relief when she heard the door lock. Taking a step back she looked at the door in horror, waiting for the guards to begin to ram it but no noise ever came. As if a curtain fell upon the night, the air became peaceful and the only sound that she could hear was the sound of blood pumping through her ears and her own heavy breathing.

After a few moments, her heart finally began to settle back into its normal rhythm. She waited patiently before reaching out to touch the wooden surface again. However, the moment she took a step forward the wall seemed to expand before her eyes. She watched in awe as the door began to fade away before it disappeared completely.

Clary stood there, blinking frantically. Did she really just see that? Was there ever a door in the first place? Of course, there was a door! How else would she have gotten here? She questioned herself not knowing where here was. Turning slowly she took in her surroundings for the first time. Before her, lay a meadow. A lovely green meadow, illuminated in bright moonlight. It was something out of a painting and despite never being here before, the place felt familiar to her. The only sound she could hear was the sound of crickets.

Knowing that she couldn't go back she figured the only thing left to do was to go forward. Walking across the meadow Clary's eyes snapped in every direction, waiting for some kind of attack. The locals never had anything pleasant to say about the wall and if the stories were to be believed she would die a cruel and painful death. Gazing around though, nothing seemed scary and she couldn't help the feeling of calmness that coursed through her body. Clary could feel her energy draining with each step she took, the events of the day finally catching up to her. Fatigue seemed to catch up with her as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Everything was so light, peaceful and warm. The moon's light seemed different yet most welcoming. Its light dancing across the meadow and washing her skin in its glow. Deciding to recuperate her energy, in the event she would need it tomorrow Clary found a calm spot under the tree to sit down. Sleep overcame her the moment her eyes closed, lost in a deep sleep. She was so far gone that she didn't hear the loud howl that echoed through the dark forest.

Had she ventured further she would have seen a village just beyond the next hill. Nestled in between the meadow and a dark, lush forest. Deep in the forest stood someone who had heard the loud howl. A tall young man with dark hair and blue eyes that shined now with worry. The young man knew the howl was that of the forest guardian. The guardian rarely made any noise and the young man couldn't help but worry that something might be wrong. Gathering up his net from the stream he had been fishing in, he set off in a light jog moving deeper into the trees to investigate. Nothing seemed amiss as he climbed through the narrow bush yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

He didn't see anything on fire and it didn't appear as if any of the king's demons had ventured over the wall again. Still, something was off; he could hear it in the sound of the god's voice. A twig snapped under Alec's foot as a loud growl erupted from above. The young man was tall but the god who bore down above him was bigger; much bigger. Large white sharp canines glistened in the bright moonlight as wide golden eyes appraised him. While searching for the guardian, the guardian had found him. The giant white wolf towered over the trees above. Meeting the creature's gaze, Alec placed his drawn arrow back in its case and moved closer to the wolf.

"Alec." The creature spoke. The man in question caught the urgency in the creature's voice.

"What is wrong?" Alec asked curiously. Golden eyes bore down on him as one word escaped from the wolf's jaw. It had come out as more of a snarl than a word and it took Alec a minute to make it out but when he did Alec's eyes grew wide. He quickly took off sprinting back through the night, towards the village.

"Outsider," there was an outsider in the forest. This meant danger for them all. Alec would make his way back to the village after stopping and checking the abondened tunnel routes. They had been abandoned for years but one could never underestimate the King. Magnus and Max were safe and sound in bed and would be sleeping for hours. He might as well make good use of his time and help the guardian locate the trespasser. Yes, he would help him find the man and kill him before any calamity befell them. It was not kind but it was the price of peace. Alec couldn't allow any palace filth coming into their safe haven and spilling blood. No, the man would be found and killed. He took in a deep breath and rushed to search the nearest entrance as the wolf made his way in the other direction.