NEW YORK
The Institute - Main Room
Alec, Clary, Isabelle, Jace, and Hodge were all gathered around a table. Isabelle and Clary were seated on the table while Alec was in a chair, Jace standing behind him, and Hodge walking over with a tablet. They were all staring intently at the screen in front of them as Hodge showed the young Shadowhunters various images.
"Magnus Bane," Hodge said, selecting a photo then began to flick through other photos, showing them pictures of the man from different decades. "He's over 300 years old. And, as you can see, he's not exactly shy when it comes to the pleasures of each century. His tastes are both exquisite and quite excessive."
"He looks like the Downworld's David Guetta." Clary remarked.
"Guetta's already a Downworlder," Izzy said with her ever-present smirk. "Vampire?" she said, arching an eyebrow. "Ever seen him in the daylight?"
"Can you two focus?" Alec said, a scowl on his face. "This is no joke."
"Someone needs to get slayed." Izzy breathed out.
Alec is right," Hodge said seriously. "Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known. He has a deep mistrust of Shadowhunters.
"Well then why did he help my mom remove my memories?" Clary asked, confused. "Isn't she a Shadowhunter?"
"Yes, one of the best." Hodge answered. "But 'help' might not be the most accurate word. Now did Magnus provide service for Jocelyn? Perhaps. But more than likely, your mother paid Magnus handsomely for his magic."
"Warlocks usually require payment before they help anyone with anything." Jace explained.
"Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them," said Alec.
"Valentine must be searching for the warlock, where did Jocelyn-" Hodge began to say. His rune started to sear, cutting him off from speaking as he leaned against the table with a grunt.
"Hodge," Clary said, looking at him worriedly. "Your rune." Hodge nodded slowly, breathing out, silently telling her he was okay.
"Hodge, who is that girl with Magnus?" Jace asked.
"What girl?" Hodge asked. Jace pointed to the picture of Magnus on the screen.
"The one with the dark skin and green eyes sitting on his right," said Jace. "I've noticed her in the last three of Magnus' recent pictures." He said. There was something familiar about the girl to him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It was almost like he'd seen her before somewhere, but there was also something else, something he couldn't figure out. Hodge enlarged the picture to focus on the girl, and Clary gasped softly as she recognized her, but no one else noticed.
Hodge shrugged. "I don't know. There's no record of her. She's probably one of Magnus' numerous friends. She could also be a mundane."
"That's my older sister." Clary said, catching the attention of the other shadowhunters.
"Sister?" Izzy and Jace asked in unison.
"Yeah, her name's Alyssa. She's two years older than me." Clary replied.
"Why didn't you mention her before, and why is she with Magnus Bane?" Jace asked.
"I don't know. We haven't seen her since I was six. Mom said she had gone to some school out of the country. We haven't heard from her since." Clary said.
"Great, just what we need. Another daughter of Valentine running around." Alec said with a scoff, rolling his eyes.
Clary clarified. "We're half-sisters; we only share a mother." She said. "I have no idea how she knows Magnus. I don't even know if she's aware of the Shadow World."
Izzy said, "The only way we can find out is by finding Magnus."
"So how do we find Magnus?" Clary asked.
Jace nodded. "We don't." He answered. "Magnus will find us. We'll set up a meeting, somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding." Isabelle tilted her head with a smirk.
She said, "And I know exactly where we'll find him." She walked around the table and took the tablet from Hodge, then projected a club poster onto the larger screen in front of them.
"A Downworld rave," said Jace. "Nice, Izzy." Izzy smiled at him.
"Where'd you get that?" Alec asked, looking at his sister.
Izzy said with a smirk, "From my surveillance of the downworlders, from what I hear, Magnus likes to party."
"He'll never go for it. Not with Valentine looking for him." Alec said.
"Of course he will," Jace said. "He'll blend in. Hide in plain sight."
"I don't know," said Clary. "It just seems..."
"Trust me. If Magnus is coming out of hiding, he's going to one of the biggest parties of the year."
"Never underestimate Magnus's hedonism," Hodge said with a slight smirk, taking the tablet from Izzy. "Or his greed. Come with me."
He led the four younger shadowhunters to a different part of the training area. Kneeling down, he waved his stele over a rune carved into the floor. Moving the tile aside, he revealed a hidden compartment that held an antique necklace with a red stone in the center of the pendant. Hodge took out the necklace and dangled it from his fingers.
"Is that real?" Izzy asked, he mouth open in shock.
"A 4-karat, unheated Burmese ruby." Hodge said, showing them the necklace. "And this necklace has special meaning to Magnus Bane, as it was a gift from him to his then lover, Camille Belcourt."
"What? Camille and Magnus were lovers?" Clary asked in surprise.
"Warlock gets around." Jace joked with a smirk.
"Magnus had bought it in 1857 for the price of his London townhouse. Now this jewel was enchanted by a spell that would alert the wearer to the presence of demons," Hodge explained. Izzy reached out and touched the ruby, looking at it in awe.
She said, "It's so beautiful."
Hodge said, handing the necklace to Izzy. "Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace. Offer it to him. He might just take the bait."
"I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting. We have to get to him before Valentine does." Jace said then left the room with the rest of them following him, leaving Hodge behind.
Izzy's Room
Izzy was looking in her mirror, holding a dress in front of her when Clary walked in.
"Jace said you wanted to see me." Clary said. Izzy smiled and turned to face them.
"That's right. What are you wearing to the downworlder party?" She asked, walking over to the redhead.
"I don't know. I was just thinking about wearing this." Clary answering. Izzy smiled, playing her hand on her lips to try and not laugh.
"I don't think so. No downworlder will be caught be caught dead in that." Izzy said. "Plus it's a party not a poetry slam." She went to her bed, looking through her dresses on it.
"Well, I don't really have any party clothes with me, so…" Clary said. Izzy picked out a pink dress and turned to face her.
"So you'll have to wear mine." She said, handing the girl the dress in her hand, then walked back to the bed. Clary smiled, looking down at the dress.
"You realize, one of these days you're gonna have to tell me where and when."
"Where and when what?" Isabelle said, putting a scarf around her neck then removing it, walking to her closet. Clary chuckled.
"Where do you get your spending money and when can I go to a store?" she asked, throwing the dress back onto the bed.
"Clary…" Izzy said, walking back over with a black dress. Clary took one look at the dress and shook her head.
"Okay, that dress is way too tight."
"It's stretchy." Clary looked at her with wide eyes. "Put it on." Clary sighed and took the dress.
"Ugh, fine." She went behind the divider and started changing. Izzy took a pair of black heels and handed them to her.
"Try these."
"I don't know, Isabelle. I think I'm more of jeans and T-shirt kind of girl." Clary came from behind the divider a minute later to show Izzy how she looked. Izzy looked her over with a sigh from where she was sitting in her arm charm, playing with the feather scarf in her hand.
"You're so lucky to have such a flat chest; I can never wear that without a bra." Izzy said with a giggle.
"Really?" Clary asked, looking down at her dress and then back up at Isabelle.
"Really." Izzy replied. Clary nodded and looked down again, biting her lip and playing with her fingers. Izzy noticed the look on her face. "Are you okay?" Clary looked up at her, exhaling slowing and nodding.
"Yeah, just thinking about my sister. I haven't seen her in a long time. Until tonight, I didn't even know she was in New York. After she left, Mom barely ever spoke of her."
"Is that why you didn't mention her when you came here?"
"Not exactly. I was kind of focused on finding mom and then Simon went missing. Plus, with her being away for so long, I'd actually forgotten about her. She never called or wrote letters. I thought she'd just cut us off."
"Well, maybe you'll get your answers tonight when we see Magnus." Clary nodded and looked down.
"Someone's looking bad ass." Jace said, as he entered making Clary turn around.
"Oh, thanks." She said with a chuckle.
"She cleans up well." Izzy said, walking over. "I'm gonna go see Alec. He never knows what to wear to these parties either." Izzy said, leaving the room with a smirk on her lips.
"At least you look the part of a Shadowhunter," Jace said, his voice tinged with awkwardness.
"Yeah, well, um…"
"I guess it's pointless for me to ask you to stay behind while I go meet Magnus myself." Clary gave him a look that said, obviously. "Things could get sticky. Magnus is being hunted. You're gonna need a weapon." He took out a blade and gave it to her. "That's a seraph dagger. You remember how to use it, right?" Clary nodded, looking at the glowing blade as she fidgeted with it. "Good." Jace said, with a smile before walking out of the room.
Warlock Lair - Living Room
A girl with dark skin sat on one of the couches, playing with a knife, seemingly oblivious to the people around her. As she looked up, she saw Magnus walk in, carrying a glass, with another man, Elias, who had horns on his head and four small spikes on his lower lip. The girl smiled when she saw him high-five a teenager as he walked past. He looked up at her and smiled, beckoning her over. She put the knife away and got up to walk over.
"Magnus, consider the other warlocks…" Elias began to say but Magnus cut him off.
"When did you become so talkative?" He said. He smiled when the girl walked over and pulled her into a side hug. "Hello, biscuit."
Elias pleaded, "Magnus, I beg you to reconsider."
"Always frowning, Elias." Magnus said with a sigh. "You may be immortal but, mmm…you're not immune to crow's feet." He said, putting a finger to the corner of the other man's eyes. The girl let out a soft chuckle.
"You cannot attend this meeting. No matter what the shadowhunter is offering." Magnus took a sip of his wine. "Valentine is getting close. It is far too dangerous to leave the lair."
Magnus said, "I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling poorly."
"Really? How old are you?" The girl asked teasingly.
"Way older than you, dear," Magnus said, hugging her again and giving her a fond kiss on the forehead. Then he turned back to Elias. "While I value your counsel, so much red brick makes me feel like a caged animal." Elias closed his eyes, then opened them again.
He asked, "Is one necklace really worth the risk?"
"This necklace is." Magnus looked up him with a look that brooked no argument. "This discussion is over. I will meet with Clary Fairchild and the Wayland boy." The girl beside him stiffened at Clary's name. Magnus felt it and inwardly cursed. He and the girl went to walk away then he turned and snapped his fingers. "Mmm! Go to the Spiral Labyrinth and tell Tessa, we need more shields. While I'm gone, have every warlock maintain the protective wards. I may be prepared to take on Valentine…" He turned Elias to face him by the chin. "…but my guests are not." Magnus gave him the glass and walked away with the girl.
The girl waited until Magnus had taken her to her room before she spoke up.
"So when were you going to tell me that you were going to meet with my sister?" Magnus kept silent and went to look through her wardrobe. "Magnus."
"I'm sorry, biscuit. I intended to do so earlier but I got a little busy. Your mo-Jocelyn has gone missing and your sister just found out about the Shadow World." The girl, Alyssa, scoffed.
"Why am I not surprised she didn't tell Clary until now?" Magnus pulled a silver dress from the wardrobe and laid it on the bed. "Anyway, so why did you agree to meet? What did they ask for in return for the necklace?"
"Clary's memories?" Alyssa said in surprise. "But Magnus, you don't have them. You told me you fed them to some demon to keep them safe in case Valentine ever found you and tried to torture it out of you."
"Yes, I did."
"Then…"
"Alyssa, just trust me, alright?" Alyssa sighed and nodded. "Good. Now, get dressed. You're coming with me to the party. I'm not taking no for an answer." Magnus said, lifting a finger to silence her before Alyssa could voice her protest. The girl groaned and fell back onto the bed.
"But Magnus..." The girl whined.
"Get changed, my dear," Magnus said before walking out of the room. Alyssa rolled her eyes and got up to do as he had said.
Later, when they were both ready, Magnus portaled both of them to the bar where the party was already underway. Alyssa sighed and looked around. Parties were not exactly her thing. Magnus noticed her unease.
"Relax, biscuit."
"You know, I'm not really a party person, Magnus. I only came because you asked me to; plus, this way, I can watch your back while you meet with these shadowhunters."
"I will not have you hovering about me like a helicopter parent. That's my job. Go, have fun, dance with someone." Alyssa gave a sarcastic chuckle.
Yes, we both know I'm not going to do any of those things, but just to humor you and give you some space, I'll go get a drink at the bar." She said, kissing his cheek before walking away.
Meanwhile, the four shadowhunters had just entered the bar and were looking around, taking in the flashing lights and the crowds of people dancing to the loud music.
"Blend in, keep your weapons ready," Jace said, then walked forward with Clary when they spotted Magnus sitting on a couch, gazing into a mirror. Just then, someone bumped into him as they walked by. Jace felt his skin spark with electricity, even beneath his clothes, and he felt a tug on his heart from the contact with the person. He turned his head to see who it was, only to catch a glimpse of black hair and dark skin through the crowd.
"Are you okay?" Clary asked him, noticing his distraction. Jace shook his head and looked at her.
"Yeah. It's nothing, come on." He said, walking ahead with Clary following.
Alyssa had been the person who had bumped into him and had felt the same thing he had felt. Unable to understand or make sense of the feeling, she shelved the feeling away for the time being to ask Magnus about it later. She approached the bar and asked for a club soda. She thanked the bartender for the drink when he brought it and he winked at her before turning to attend to someone else. She brought the glass up to her lips to take a sip but caught the scent of something foreign in the drink. Something, she had a feeling would have her inebriated within minutes and that was something she did not need tonight.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you," said Isabelle Lightwood as she walked over to Alyssa. "I think I saw the bartender slip something into it." Alyssa smiled at her as she placed the drink back on the counter.
I figured as much when I felt something off in the way he winked at me," she said, turning to face the Lightwood girl fully. "Been a while since I saw you around, Izzy. You don't visit." Izzy smirked at her and shrugged.
"You know how it is, Lyssa. My job is never finished." Alyssa chuckled and went to hug the girl. She and Izzy had meet when Magnus brought her over to spar with her. While Magnus did not like shadowhunters, he made an exception for Izzy since she was well-liked by some downworlders and because Alyssa had needed someone to spar with to keep her skills sharp. The girls had formed a friendship then and even though they couldn't hang out much due to Izzy's work, they still found time to meet up.
"So what are you doing here?"
"I'm actually here on a mission," Izzy said. Alyssa realized then what that mission was.
"Oh, so you're with the shadowhunters that came to meet Magnus." Izzy nodded. "And let me guess, they don't know you know I'm with Magnus."
"Speaking of which, why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister and that you were Jocelyn Fairchild's daughter?" Alyssa's eyes turned cold at the mention of Jocelyn.
"That woman is not my mother." Izzy was surprised about the amount of venom in the girl's voice. Alyssa looked up and saw Magnus open a portal. "Looks like Magnus is done with negotiations. Time for me to go. See you around, Iz." The girl walked away before Izzy could reply.
With Magnus, Jace and Clary….
Magnus had just opened a portal and held out his hand to Clary.
"Come with me." Clary looked to Jace, who shook his head, making Magnus roll his eyes. "I won't offer again." He said to Clary.
"No." Clary said, resolutely. "I won't hide from my problems and neither should you."
"Look out!" Isabelle shouted from her position. Arrows and throwing spikes flew past their heads and into the chest and neck of a man holding a seraph blade behind them, killing him instantly. As Alec descended the stairs, holding his bow, Jace drew out his own seraph blade, examining the dead body. They both wondered where the second killing weapon had come from, as neither of them nor Isabelle carried such weapons.
Alyssa walked over as Alec walked past them to grab the man's blade.
"Time to go, Magnus," she said, taking the man's arm. As they walked away, both Jace and Clary froze, for different reasons. Clary froze out of shock at seeing her sister in person for the first time in years. Jace froze when he saw her; the images that started to flash through his mind when he laid his eyes on her were more prominent than any other memory. The most prominent were the flashes of a rune and her name.
"Alyssa?" He said, coming out of his shock, yet confused as to why she felt familiar to him. The girl in question to look at him in confusion, only to be bombarded with similar images she couldn't make sense of, with the rune and his name being the more prominent ones.
"Jace?" She asked, also confused as to why he felt familiar and how she knew his name when she didn't recognize him. Both Clary and Alec were looking at them confused, as they knew the two hadn't met each other before. The only one not confused was Magnus, who had a guilty look on his face. He wiped it from his face and grabbed Alyssa's hand, pulling her to the portal. Jace, instinctively, reached out and caught Alyssa's other hand, while Clary grabbed Magnus', pulling him to a stop.
"Magnus, wait." She said. "You're my only hope."
"Valentine found us," Magnus said, pulling his arm away from Clary and pulling Alyssa with him. The action made Jace lose his grip on her. They both disappeared through the portal.
"Wait!" Clary yelled, but they were already gone. Jace looked down at his hand to see one of Alyssa's bracelets, while Clary saw one of Magnus' buttons in hers.
"The area's secure." Izzy said, walking over with her whip. "Looks like he was the only assassin."
"He has a circle rune on the base of his neck," Alec said. "A Circle member."
"They found us. It's not safe here." Jace said. "Clary, we have to go." He and Izzy started walking away then stopped when they noticed she wasn't following. Izzy walked over and looked at the girl.
"Clary." The girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes then got up to follow.
The four of them made their way out of the bar, with Clary and Izzy moving at a slower pace since the redhead was still in shock.
"Jace," Izzy called, making the blonde turn back to look at her.
"Clary," he said, "we need to move."
"I'm catching my breath," Clary said, moving to lean against Izzy a bit as they continued forward.
"You know what? This is great." Alec said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And not only did Magnus not get the girl her memories back, he took the necklace. This is fantastic."
"Alec, the girl's name is Clary, and I highly suggest you keep your voice down," Jace said, growing increasingly irritated with both Alec and the situation.
"Why? What? Are you afraid I'm going to upset her?" Alec retorted, raising his voice. "We have risked our lives again and again for this girl, and where has it gotten us? Nowhere. We're no closer to getting the Mortal Cup. And we've lost the Institute's necklace." Annoyed at being spoken of as if she weren't there, Clary snapped.
"Hey! I'm right here. I don't care about your damn jewelry. I'm sorry you're going to look bad in front of your bosses, okay? But my mother is still missing, and my last chance at finding her just disappeared into thin air. Along with my long-lost older sister."
Jace said, "It's gonna be fine." But Clary wouldn't hear a word of it.
"No, it's not. People are dying because of me. And Magnus? Magnus will never come out of hiding again while Valentine is still after him." She gave a humorless laugh. "We're never gonna find him, and I will...I will never get my memories back." She yelled, throwing away the button in her hand but Jace swiftly caught and placed it in his hand with the bracelet he took from Alyssa. He looked down at the items, clutching them and looking back up at Clary.
"You give up way too easily." The others saw the items in his hands.
"Where'd you get the bracelet?" Izzy asked, recognizing it.
He said, "I took it off Alyssa when Magnus pulled her away."
"Speaking of, how do you know my sister? I know you saw her picture back at the Institute and I mentioned her name, but it looked like you two knew each other already."
"I don't know her; I've never seen her before until today," said Jace.
Then how did she know your name?" Alec asked. "The way she said it, it was like she knew you and you knew her."
"I don't know," Jace growled in frustration. "But I'll find out after this." He said, stepping a little away from them. He took out his stele and drew a rune on the items. Clary looked at him in confusion.
She asked, "What is he doing?"
"He's tracking," Alec said. "Be quiet and keep your distance." Clary turned and glared at him.
"The items belong to Magnus and your sister," Izzy explained to avoid any further arguments between her brother and the girl. Jace closed his fist around the items and closed his eyes. A purple glow overtook his hand as he searched for the location. The glow disappeared when he failed to find it. He shook his head and turned to them.
"No. The signal's not strong enough. Magnus must be blocking the track. Let's do this, Alec." Jace said.
"Do what?" Clary asked as Alec walked over to Jace.
"Parabatai tracking." Izzy answered. Jace held up the hand that held the items and placed them in Alec's hand, both of them clasping their hands over them and placing their other hands on the clasped ones.
"Of course they are." Clary muttered.
"When parabatai track, their power grows stronger," Izzy said. "Jace and Alec are going to track Magnus together." She further explained. A purple mist surrounded their clasped hands as they stared into each other's eyes.
"Yeah, this whole parabatai thing seems oddly intimate, if you ask me," Clary said.
"You don't know the half of it." Izzy said with a sigh.
"Got him," Jace said as the mist cleared and he and Alec separated. The four of them then walked away.
Warlock Lair
Magnus portaled them back into Alyssa's room. Alyssa was about to ask Magnus a question when the door burst open and a man rushed in, looking panicked.
He said, "They found us." Magnus' eyes widened and he hurried out of the room with the man.
He shouted, "Stay here, Alyssa." Then he left before she could protest. She rolled her eyes and opened her purse.
"Like hell I'm staying in here." She pulled out a seraph blade and whispered a name, causing the blade to light up. She then pulled out a thigh strap filled with throwing knives and spikes and strapped it to her thigh, before stepping out of the room, dropping the purse on the bed.
She immediately encountered a Circle member. Without hesitation, she swung her blade across his chest, cutting him, and then plunged the blade through his stomach, killing him instantly. She then ran off.
Warlock Lair – Outside
Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Alec had just arrived at the lair, which looked like a warehouse. They held their weapons ready as they walked forward.
"Magnus' lair is right behind that fence," Jace said, gesturing ahead of them. They all looked around for any threats.
"Magnus lives in a warehouse?" Clary asked confused.
"Not exactly," said Jace. "Warlock glamour." Izzy held her hand up, looking around.
"Something's wrong." She said, her eyes darting around. "It's far too easy to get this close."
"His protective wards must be down." Jace said. Alec then looked at Clary who glared right back.
"You don't get in the way," he said. Their attention was caught when they heard the swish of a blade. They all looked up to see a man stabbing another with his blade.
"Oh my God! Valentine found Magnus." Clary exclaimed, alarmed. The four of them ran forward, catching up to the scene. The man had dropped the dead body and was running away, but he was stopped short when another figure, who appeared to be female, cut him across the back and stabbed him, causing him to drop dead. The figure then ran away. Izzy smiled proudly, but no one seemed to notice. "Was that Alyssa?"
"Judging by the form of the figure, I'd say yes." Alec said as the four split up.
The teenager whom Magnus had high-fived earlier ran over to the man the circle member had killed before Alyssa killed him.
"Daddy," she knelt beside him and shook him gently. "Daddy?" she whispered. "Daddy, get up." A Circle member approached her quietly from the back. Clary watched from behind some shelves as she saw the man raise his blade to kill the girl. Quickly, she ran over and kicked the man in the back, causing him to stumble.
"Watch out!" she shouted. The teenaged girl turned and caught sight of the man. She quickly got up and ran to Clary, who shielded her. The man turned and glared at Clary.
"Clary Fairchild," he said, smiling. "Valentine will be so pleased to meet you." The man went to walk forward, but his hand was caught by Izzy's whip.
"He's gonna have to wait for a while longer." Alyssa's voice came from behind. The man turned to see her standing with Izzy, blade in hand and a smirk on her face, looking up then back at the man. The man raised the blade to cut them, but he yelled out when Jace threw a knife into his back. Alyssa kicked the blade from his hand and stabbed him with her own, killing him. Alyssa pulled her blade from his chest and looked up at Jace, who winked at her. She returned the wink with a smile, and then he walked away. Izzy caught the exchange and smirked.
"Alyssa?" Clary called, pulling her attention back to her sister. Alyssa only nodded at her.
Alyssa asked in a soft voice, "Zoe, are you okay?" The girl nodded sadly, looking down at her father's body. Sighing, she turned to Clary.
"Stay close to Izzy and look after Zoe," Alyssa said, pointing to the girl holding onto Clary. "I'm gonna go find Magnus." She said before running away. Izzy walked closer to Clary.
"Your sister's right; we should stay close. It's safer if we stay together." Clary nodded and looked at the girl.
"It's okay. I won't leave you alone, I promise." She said, leading the girl away and following after Izzy.
In another room, a few people lay dead. Magnus' eyes were now catlike, his warlock mark showing. He used his magic to topple a bookshelf over a man. The man stepped back and dodged it.
"Your magic is strong, warlock." The man said, stepping over the bookshelf. "Much stronger than that horned weakling I killed this morning." He bragged.
"Elias." Magnus said, his fury building as he threw a blue energy towards the circle member but he dodged it.
"That was his name. Well, lucky for us, he sold you out before I took his warlock mark." He went to swing his blade but Magnus used his magic to hold him back, glaring at him. "Cat's eyes. It will be a nice addition to my collection," he said, before yelling out as an arrow flew past Magnus, into his leg. A throwing knife also found its way into his side, and Magnus summoned a big ball of energy and threw it at him to finish the job and kill him.
"Well done." Alec said from behind.
"More like medium rare," Magnus said, not looking at him.
"Magnus, are you alright?" Alyssa asked, walking towards him.
He said, "I'm fine, my dear. Can't get rid of me that easily." Alyssa then turned to Alec with a small smile.
"Thank you, Alec." She said.
"You're welcome. How did you know my name?" Alec asked.
"Izzy. She always talks about her big brother and it's not hard to see that you're him with all the resemblance." Alyssa said.
"And how do you know Izzy?"
She's my friend; we hang out sometimes. Look, I can answer your questions later, but we should get going now.
"Right," Magnus said, making Alec nod and walk away. "This fight is far from over." He said, looking the room over before walking out with Alyssa.
Living Room
Clary and the little girl, Zoe, walked into the room where Alec, Jace, Isabelle, Alyssa, and Magnus were already there, tending to wounds.
"Magnus," Clary called, getting his attention. She walked over with the girl in tow. The girl ran over and hugged him.
"Go join the others, my dear," he said. "This is no place for a little girl. Go." The girl ran away to hug Alyssa and then left. Magnus sighed, looking over at Clary. "Alyssa told me what you did for Zoe. You risked your life without hesitation to save a young warlock child."
"She was just a girl and she was in trouble." Clary said, turning to face him. "I had no choice."
"You always have a choice," Magnus said. "You are not like the others, Clary Fairchild. Most shadowhunters protect Downworlders out of a sense of duty." Alyssa snorted quietly from where she stood.
She murmured to herself, "That's putting it lightly." Since she was near Jace, he heard her.
"But you saved young Zoe because of whatever was inside your heart, much alike your sister. You're both more like our mother than you will ever know." Magnus said to Clary.
"Magnus." Alyssa said in a warning tone, giving the man a glare.
"Magnus, please," she said. "You can't hide from this battle. Look, Valentine, he found you once. He will find you again. We need to work together. Help me." Clary pleaded. Magnus turned to look at Alyssa, who sighed.
"She has a point, Magnus. While I'm not eager, she's right. We can't hide forever. If the bastard found us once, he can find us again. We can't keep running." Alyssa said. Magnus sighed and nodded at her then turned back to Clary.
He looked right into her eyes and said, "I can summon the demon, but you must make the demand." He paused for a moment before continuing, "However, retrieving your memories will not be easy." Clary scoffed lightly, looking back at him with a determined gaze.
"I'll do what I have to do."
Alright. But we're not safe here. The lair's location has been compromised." he said, looking around. "Hold on, everyone. We're about to move." Using his magic, Magnus moved the lair somewhere else in the city, closer to the bridge. The lair now looked bare of the trashed furniture and the dead bodies.
Magnus sighed deeply as he looked outside. "Ah, much better." He then turned to face the rest. "Ugh, it's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate." He said, casting a glance at Alyssa who rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Normally, I love a dirty lair."
"Which I have to clean mostly because you are too lazy to clean it yourself, even though you have magic." Alyssa quipped, standing up from the couch she had been sitting on.
"But this one is just sloppy," Magnus continued, playfully glaring at the girl who just smiled innocently at him before turning to look at Izzy. "I believe in payment for services rendered." He said, holding up the necklace he had taken from her earlier. "Thank you for defending the warlocks."
Izzy gasped in hesitation. "I couldn't."
"Oh, but you could." Magnus said, walking behind her. "And you should. The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years." He said, putting the necklace around Izzy's neck.
"Oh come on, Izzy. You know you want it. Besides, it would just look ridiculous on Alec. Unless, of course, he's secretly a drag queen." Alyssa said, looking at Alec with a teasing smile. Alec rolled his eyes at her, not finding it within himself to be annoyed or angry with her for some reason. Izzy just chuckled.
"So how do I summon the memory demon?" Clary asked.
"Are you sure, Clarissa?" Alyssa asked, turning her sights to her sister. "Summoning a powerful demon, like the one Magnus fed your memories to, isn't exactly a walk in the park." Clary turned to look at her with determination.
"I'll do anything to save mom. Unlike someone I know." Clary said, casting a pointed look at her sister. Alyssa raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say the last part."
"Why, because it's the truth?"
"You don't know anything. So I suggest you shut up and don't make me angry."
"I'm not the one who abandoned her family the moment she got a chance. You left us, Alyssa and you didn't come back. Mom couldn't even bring herself to talk about you because of how much it hurt her." Clary said, raising her voice at her sister.
"She's the reason I wasn't around. And I didn't even leave willingly."
"What are you talking about? You left for that boarding school and…"
"Boarding school?!" Both Magnus and Alyssa asked.
"Is that what Jocelyn told you? That I'd left for some boarding school?" At Clary's nod, Alyssa let out a bitter, humorless laugh.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Clary," Magnus said. "Your sister didn't go to any boarding school." He smiled. "The school would never have survived her." He added, getting a look from Alyssa.
"What?" Clary asked in confusion.
I'm not the one who abandoned you and your mother, Clarissa. She did. She left me stranded in the park 12 years ago. I was eight and I didn't know my way home. She had told me to go pick up a ball you threw and when I turned around, you and mom were gone. I waited till night for her to come back, but she never did. Magnus is the one who found me and took me in. Then he called my dad and he told us that your mother had told him she'd sent me out of the country for school. Dad and Magnus are the ones who took care of me until dad couldn't come around anymore without drawing attention to himself, Magnus or me. So excuse me if I don't have any sympathy that the woman who abandoned me when I was a child, has gone missing, and I'm sorry that you're going through a lot of pain in her absence and dragging others into this matter without a thought for their safety just so you can find her." Alyssa said calmly, never once raising her voice or showing emotion. "So excuse me if I don't have any sympathy that the woman who abandoned me when I was child, has gone missing and I'm sorry that you're going through a lot of pain in her absence and dragging others into this matter without a thought for their safety just so you can find her." She said, then left the room to hers.
"I didn't know. I just thought…" Clary said.
"Of course, you didn't know, Clary. Your mother wouldn't have told you the truth. And isn't that the reason we're all here? Because the things she kept from you." Magnus said, annoyed at Clary for upsetting Alyssa. "Your sister has been through enough with your mother abandoning her. If I hadn't found her that day, she would have been dead.-" Magnus took in a deep breath then let it out. "Now since you're sure, pretty boy, get your team ready." Jace went to walk forward but Magnus put his hand on his chest, rolling his eyes. "I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to you." He said, pointing to Alec then turned back to Jace. "You, I want to check on Alyssa for me. Your siblings will help Clary get ready. Her room is just down the hall." He said, gesturing towards the direction of the room. "Clary, come with me." He said, walking away with Clary. Jace looked at Alec and Izzy who shrugged and motioned for him to do as Magnus had said.
Magnus led Clary into a room and, as they walked, they talked.
"Everyone wants the Mortal Cup." Magnus said. "Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."
"Why should I trust you?" Clary asked, stopping and turning to face him.
Magnus shook his head and said, "You shouldn't." He added, "Only trust yourself. And maybe your older sister."
"How can I trust someone who hates me?" Clary asked, looking down.
"She doesn't hate you," Magnus said, lifting her chin. "If she did, she wouldn't have asked if you were sure about summoning the demon." He paused for a moment before continuing. "She wasn't joking when she said summoning a powerful demon isn't something you just do on a whim. It could attack you if it gets out of control. She cares about you. It's your mother she has the problem with, not you."
"I'm sorry for what I said. It's just…"
"Ah, ah, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, dear. Your sister is. Although I would wait for a while before approaching her."
"If she forgives me."
"She will," Magnus said with a small smile before giving her a leather pouch. Clary took it and opened it to reveal a set of chalks, which captured Clary's attention.
"These chalks are beautiful." She said, running her fingers over them. "What are they for?"
"If a person wants their memories returned," Magnus said, unrolling a parchment and showing her the pentagram, "they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon." He paused, looking at her confidently. "I can walk you through it, if you'd like."
"I got this." She said, then took the parchment from him. Magnus nodded and turned to Alec who stood close to the door way.
"Pretty boy." He called, beckoning him to come closer. "Prepare Clary as best you can." He said, then walked away when Alec walked over.
"The memory demon is a Greater demon," Alec said, taking out his stele. "The rune will be far more powerful than anything you've faced so far."
"Do it." Clary said, confidently.
"This might sting...a lot," Alec said, turning Clary to the side and holding the stele to the back of her arm. As he began to draw the rune, Clary winced in pain. When it became too much, she opened her mouth and screamed.
Alyssa's Room
Alyssa was sitting on her bed, drawing in her sketchbook. She had changed out of the party clothes into something she was more comfortable in.
She looked up when she heard a knock on the door. She knew it couldn't be Magnus; he wouldn't ask for permission to enter her room.
"Come in." She said, going back to her drawing. She heard the door open and close.
"Hey." She heard and looked up in surprise to see Jace standing there. She was expecting Izzy or, at the very least, Clary. She didn't expect him.
"Hey! What brought you here?" she asked.
"I came to see if you were alright." This again surprised her since despite the weird familiarity she felt with him, she didn't even know him.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? Because…"
"I'm fine, Jace. I just hate to talk about Jocelyn. She's always been a sore topic for me." Jace nodded in understanding and silently motioned if he could sit on the bed. She nodded and cleared the art marterials she had placed in the space in front of her. He smiled and sat in front of her.
"I can imagine. Though for what it's worth, I'm sorry, for what you had to go through."
"Don't apologise for something that's not your fault. Jocelyn is who she is and while I'm sorry for Clary that she's missing, I can't bring myself to feel sad. Jocelyn and I never had the best of relationships before she left me. She was always more focused on Clary than she ever was with me. I mean she cared enough to feed me and all that but she always doted on Clary. Always cared more about her than she did me."
"I'm sure that's not true. She loved you."
"No, I don't think she did. Do you want to know when she began having Clary's memory erased and why? The first time was when Clary was, I think 4, give or take a year, I don't know. She and I were playing by the pond and a demon came out of the water and we both saw it. After killing it, she brought both of us to Magnus then asked him to erase Clary's memory of the incident. According to her, she didn't want Clary to know of the Shadow world yet. Magnus had no choice but to agree to do it. When he finished, he moved to me assuming my mother wanted my memories gone but she paid him and then took both of us and left. That wasn't the only time that happened. It happened a few more times and each time, my mom only ever wanted Clary's memories wiped, even the time that I almost got killed by a demon, it was Clary's memory of the incident she wanted erased. I spent years, having nightmares upon nightmares about each incident but my mother did nothing to help even when I told her. I don't hate Clary for being doted on by Jocelyn. It wasn't her fault. It just sucked."
"I'm sorry. Did the nightmares ever stop?" Jace asked, feeling sorry for the girl in front of him.
"Yeah. The first night, I stayed with Magnus; he found out about my nightmares and blocked the memory until I turned 16 when I asked him to remove the block. I was fine then." Jace nodded, then did something uncharacteristic of him by taking her hand in his to give her some comfort. They both gasped when they felt their skin tingle and spark with electricity. This time, the feeling was more than what it had been like at the club. "Whoa. What was that?"
"I don't know," she said. "I felt it back at the club when you bumped into me." She looked up at him. "I saw your hair when I turned to see who it was." He said. Neither one of them let go of the other's hand, and they both realized they quite liked the feeling, even though neither of them understood why.
"Maybe it has to do with why I get this familiar feeling whenever I see you and why I suddenly knew your name at the club when I hadn't seen or met you before."
"I guess I wasn't the only one who felt that."
"No. I was going to ask Magnus about it but then we found out we were being attacked and you know the rest."
"Then let's go and ask him."
"No need to. He's been listening in on our conversation this whole time." Jace looked at her in surprise. "Magnus, you can come in." The door opened to indeed reveal Magnus on the other side. He entered the room with a somewhat sheepish look.
"Hello, biscuit. I was just wondering if you've seen my keys anywhere?"
"Magnus," Alyssa said, cutting him off. Magnus knew he'd been caught. "Magnus, what do you know?"
"Well, I know a lot of things, darling. Being immortal has given me the privilege of living through the different centuries and decades so I've been able to acquire a lot of knowledge. You know…"
"Magnus…you're rambling. And when you ramble like this, it means you're hiding something." Alyssa said, taking her hand from Jace's. Both immediately missed the touch of the other. Their skin went cold fromt the lack of contact.
"You two are missing contact from the other, aren't you?" Magnus asked, causing both their heads to snap to him.
"What do you know, Magnus?" Jace asked.
"You two are no ordinary Shadowhunters. Have either of you ever heard of a Shadowhunter Soul Bond?" Both of them shook their heads. "A Shadowhunter Soul Bond is a bond between two Shadowhunters that connects them in more ways than one—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's deeper than a marriage bond and even that of a parabatai bond, and stronger than any binding spell or rune. The two Shadowhunters are born and fated to be with each other, to become one. It's incredibly rare and was always considered to be a myth, a story told to people wanting to find love, but it's anything but a myth. The last soul bond was discovered over a century ago. The two Shadowhunters were born within a year of each other, and when they finally met, their marks began to show."
"Marks?"
"Runes. Soul bond runes. Ones that were born there, never placed. It binds the bonded pair in love, thoughts and even emotions. To an extent, there are circumstances when they can feel each other's pain but that's in extreme circumstances. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to focus on their work as shadowhunters if they could feel each other's every pain. There is even a stage where the pair share thoughts, as in they become telepathically linked and are able to see each other's thoughts and memories." Alyssa shared a look with Jace then looked at Magnus and asked a question she had a feeling she knew the answer to.
"What does this have to do with me and Jace and what we've been experiencing with each other? Why are you telling us this?" Jace got up from the bed then and stood behind Alyssa. Alyssa felt his warmth and presence and almost leaned into it, wanting to. Magnus saw this and smiled.
"It has everything to do with it and with you two because you, Alyssa are soul bonded with Jace Wayland." The two of them started at Magnus in shock, unable to look at each other.
"What?" Alyssa asked.
"That-that can't be true. We don't have any marks and Alyssa and I have never met each other before today. And even then no marks showed up."
"You have met before, years ago, when you were children. Alyssa, you were with your father that day, at the same park you saw your first demon. It was a month after that incident. You two met and instantly, you formed a connection. You became best friends immediately and that's when the marks began to form. By the time your father took you home to your mother, the mark was done forming." Magnus told them. The two didn't speak, as they were still in shock. "At first she didn't see it because of where it was until that night. She came to me and asked me to remove it. I refused because, not only was it rare, but because if I had tried, I would have killed you and Jace. There isn't much known about soul bonds among Shadowhunters so I don't think she knew the result of attempting to interfere with it like that. So I offered her a different option. I offered to block the memory of you two ever meeting and to conceal the mark. In doing so to you, it would do same to Jace. She asked if I could just erase the memory like I do with Clary but that would be the same as trying to remove the rune so I told her no. She conceded then to just blocking the memory and concealing the mark." Alyssa fell back at this information, into Jace, who steadied her and held onto her.
"Did my dad know about this? Did he agree to her doing this?" Alyssa asked quietly.
"No. He didn't agree to it. He was livid when he found out. He wanted you two to be together, to be happy. But your mother was stubborn. She was adamant that doing this kept your family out of danger and that your being with Jace would just bring trouble to her doorstep. When your father continued to disagree, she threatened to cut him out of your life forever."
"Why would she do that? Why didn't dad just take me away from her?"
"You know why Alyssa." Magnus said then looked at Jace who looked unsure and doubtful. "You don't believe me."
"I'm not saying you're lying, Magnus. But all this a little far-fetched. It's just…"
"When the two of you are together like you are right now, you feel whole, at home, complete. When you touch, you feel your skin spark and tingle with electricity. Am I right?" The two nodded mutely. "You will find that when you fight together, you feel more stronger with the other near. You are equal in strength and even stronger together than apart. All these are signs that you are a bonded couple. But most importantly, Jace, was there ever a spot on your body where you couldn't place a rune, no matter how hard or how many time you tried, it just wouldn't take?" Magnus asked. Jace froze then and all doubts and disbelief were wiped away. "Like there was already a rune in that particular spot." Alyssa turned to look up at Jace but the look on his face said it all. "That's because there is a rune already there, it's just concealed."
"Would you be able to undo all of it if we asked?" Alyssa asked. A sigh left Magnus as he nodded.
"Yes, I am the one who put the block and concealment there in the first place after all."
"Then do it." Jace said, a determined look on his face. Alyssa turned fully to look up at him in surprise.
"Are you sure, Jace?" She asked.
"I want to remember everything." He replied. She looked into his eyes and read the second meaning behind his words. Alyssa nodded and turned back to Magnus with the same look of determination.
"As sweet as this is, I can only do this if you're sleeping or unconscious." Magnus rolled his eyes at the confused look in their eyes. "It will take a lot of energy and strength out of the both of you, both of which you will need for when we summon the demon for Clary. If I undo the enchantment now, they will be a flux of emotions and memories. Not just your old ones but new ones. You were supposed to grow into your bond so that by the time you were this age, you'd be sharing your thoughts and memories. But since that didn't happen, when I remove the block and concealment, everything is going to flood into you in seconds. You will go through each others memories and emotions from after you met till now. The bond is such that you have little to no secret between each other." At this, both Alyssa and Jace's eyes widened. "Your minds would need to accept and readjust to all of these changes. That is why I can't do it now."
After thinking about it, Jace spoke up.
"Then let's do it after we summon the demon. Assuming everything goes according to plan, we can do it after Clary's done." Jace said. At this Alyssa let out a snort.
"It's the Shadow World, handsome. Nothing ever goes according to plan." Alyssa said, not noticing the nickname she'd just used subconsciously. Jace who had, grinned. "If it did, we wouldn't be here right now."
"Point noted, beautiful." It was then that she realized what she had called him, causing her to blush and look down. Just then Izzy opened the door.
"Magnus, Clary's done." Izzy said.
"Very well. We'll continue this later." Magnus said, leaving with Izzy. Alyssa sighed and grabbed her jacket from the bed.
"Let's go get this over with." Jace nodded and together the two walked out of the room.
Room
Clary was sitting on the floor finishing up her drawing as the others walked in and Magnus looked impressed.
"Jocelyn was right, your artistry is beyond compare." He praised her.
"I don't know about that." Clary said, standing up.
"Oh, the only other people I've known who can or could draw this well are your sister and Michelangelo, who was excellent in bed, I might add." Magnus said, rolling his sleeves back, giving Alec a sly look.
"Ew, Magnus, TMI." Alyssa said, scrunching up her face in disgust. Izzy just giggled while Jace had a confused look on his face. Alyssa patted his arm and whispered, "You'll get it eventually."
"Okay, considering there's only enough room for five, Alyssa, I assume you won't be joining in?" Magnus asked the girl.
"No, I'll just hang back and make sure nothing goes wrong."Alyssa said, stepping back and going to the corner but not before Jace squeezed her hand and she smiled back. Something that caught the attention of Izzy and Alec. The siblings shared a confused look then made a mental note to ask their brother later.
"Okay. We're ready. Everyone take your rightful place on the pentagram." Magnus said. Clary stood, looking confused.
"Um…" Alyssa took pity on the girl.
"Clary, stand on the tip of the point of the pentagram facing you." She said. Jace then followed through by pointing out where.
"Here." Clary looked up and thanked her sister then Jace.
"We must intiate a bond. Once the bond is sealed, it cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, we must not let go of each other's hands." Magnus instructed sternly then extending his hand to Alec, begin the chain as they each connected their hands; Magnus to Alec, Alec to Jace, Jace to Clary, Clary to Izzy and then Izzy back to Magnus. Each time a pair of hands were connected, it was like a shockwave went through each of them. "I will lead the ceremony and you must all do exactly as I say." Magnus said sternly once again. "The demon's name is Valak. And at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Clary's memories.
"What kind of payment?" Alec asked.
"We'll see." Magnus said cryptically with a smile which made Clary begin to panic. Jace turned and mouthed something to Clary which had her nodding. Magnus closed his eyes then began to speak in Chthonian. Suddenly the necklace around Isabelle's neck started glowing red.
"The necklace. It's pulsing." Isabelle gasped. Magnus opened his eyes to look at her. The temperature in the room dropped as the wind picked up. A black smoke-like mist appeared in the center of the pentagram, turning into a smoky tornado.
"Valak is among us." Magnus said, speaking loudly over the growling of the demon. "Do not break the bond." The wind became stroger, blowing everyone's hair wildly. Jace turned to Clary who was almost slipping.
"Hold on." He said to her.
"I'm trying."
"It's time." Magnus yelled, catching all their attention. "The demon demands payment."
"What does it want?" Alec yelled.
"We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most." Magnus replied. Izzy gasped right then, as an image of Alec smiling appeared in the fog then disappeared. It was Clary's turn when a memory of Jocelyn smiling appeared before also disappearing. From Alec came a memory of Jace smiling. Alec shook his head in denial when Jace turned to look at him.
"No, it's not true." Alec yelled. "The demon deceived me."
"Do not break the bond." Magnus warned.
"Alec, it's okay." Izzy said.
"Alec, don't let go." Alyssa yelled from behind them.
"No." Alec said, continuing to be in denial.
"Alec!"Jace called but Alec just shook his head and let go of Jace and Magnus' hands, breaking the bond.
"No!"Magnus yelled. The tornado grew and let out a pulse, sending everyone flying to the ground. A pair of red eyes appeared in the tornado where loud growling came from. Magnus used his magic to try and restrain the demon. Alyssa walked closer to stand with the rest, her hand resting on the handle of her blade ready to pull it out. "I cannot contain the demon much longer."
Alec stood up from where he was crouched and walked towards the demon. Jace and Alyssa noticed this and run toward him. Alyssa got to him first and pushed him out of the way but in the process, got grabbed by the demon who tried to pull her to him, dropping her blade. Izzy acted quickly and caught onto her arm.
"Alyssa." Izzy shouted, pulling on the girl. Alyssa screamed in pain as the demon tugged on her, squeezing her from the middle. Jace seeing and hearing her scream, ran over and grabbed onto her other arm, helping Izzy pull on her. Alyssa continued to scream out in pain, the look on her face tearing at Jace's heart. Izzy looked at Alec and called out to him.
"Grab her. Grab her." Alec soon joined in by Jace's side.
"Hold on." He said. He felt guilty and wanted to make things right.,
"I'm trying." Alyssa cried out to the three who were trying to pull her from the demon. Only Clary stood on the side, looking on in shock.
"The demon is growing stronger." Magnus yelled over the growling of the demon and the cries of Alyssa. She was slowly slipping from the grips of Alec, Jace and Izzy. "Alyssa may not be able to hold on much longer." Magnus said, feeling worried for the girl he had taken into his care so long ago.
"She's slipping." Jace yelled in panic, looking over at the girl who was still clinging to the wall in shock and panic. "Clary, help us." Clary looked up and pulled out her seraph dagger.
"Clary, just know. If you kill the demon, your memories will be lost forever." Magnus warned out of sense of duty, not really wanting to. This saw Clary hesitating. Jace however wasn't having any of it.
"Enough of this. Alec!" He yelled. The other boy understood what he was asking him and took a stronger grip of Alyssa. Izzy did same when she saw Jace take out his seraph blade.
"No." Clary said but it was too late. Jace stabbed the demon, making it screech in pain and let go of Alyssa. Alyssa fell to the ground and lay there unconscious having blacked out when the demon let go of her. Alec and Izzy knelt beside her let out sighs of relief but it was brief when they noticed Alyssa wasn't getting up. "Jace, what did you do?" Clary yelled unable to believe her memories were now gone forever.
"I did what needed to be done, what you were hesitating to do." Jace said, glaring at her before he fell to his knees beside Alyssa and placed his hand on her back. "Alyssa." He said. Clary finally registered that her sister was on the floor, unconscious and not breathing.
"Come on, get up." Alec said, wracked with guilt.
"Oh my God. Alyssa?" She knelt down beside her and looked up at Magnus who was standing over them looking worried. "Is she gonna be alright?"
"I don't know. Does she normally just lay down like that without moving?" He said sarcastically. He was worried for the girl he viewed as a daughter. A daughter he would have lost if Jace hadn't acted quickly in Clary's hesitation and killed the demon.
"Come on." Alec said again. They waited a few more minutes before Alyssa suddenly gasped awake, coughing voilently as she lifted herself from the ground onto her knees. The rest all let out breaths of relief, Jace more than the rest as he rubbed her back to at least soothe her and reassure himself that she was still there.
"I'm alright." She said weakly, coughing a few more times. "I'm okay. I just have to learn how to breathe again." She said in a hoarse voice. Alec got up abruptly and went to the entrance. Magnus followed him after assuring himself that his pseudo daughter was fine or was going to be.
"Lyss, why would you put yourself in danger like that?" Izzy said.
"I wasn't gonna let Alec get hurt for a mistake he didn't mean to make. Besides, he's your brother, Iz and he's Jace's parabatai. I didn't want either of you to lose him." Alyssa said weakly, looking up at Izzy then at Jace.
"We can't lose you too either." Jace said softly. Alyssa smiled weakly at him then winced, hunching over and putting a hand to her middle while she placed one hand on the floor, to brace herself.
"Well, thank you to whoever saved me by killing the demon. A moment longer and I would have been gone." She said then grimaced. "Though I think he managed to break a rib or two." It dawned on Clary just then, what her hesitation would have cost her sister if Jace hadn't acted. She got up and walked away.
"I would do it all over again." Jace said. Alyssa nodded and sat up, sitting back on her legs.
"Are you okay to stand?" Izzy asked.
"With help, yeah." Alyssa said. Izzy took her arm as she placed the other over Jace's shoulders, around his neck while his arm went around her waist the support her. With a lot of effort and pain, she stood up, leaning heavily on Jace. "Izzy, go find Alec. Tell him, this is not his fault. I don't blame him."
"Are you sure?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah. Go. Jace is here. I'll be fine." Izzy took one look at them.
"It's okay, Iz. I got her. You go find Alec." Jace said. Izzy nodded and walked away.
"Can you help me to my room, Jace? I left my stele there." Alyssa said, wincing and placing her hand to her side which was aching like hell. Jace nodded and swept her into his arms. "I'm fine. I just…"
"You're in no condition to walk right now. Let's get your side healed and we'll discuss that later." Jace said, walking out of the room, ignoring all the eyes that were on them.
"Magnus, do you know what's going on between those two?" Izzy asked. "They've never met until today but they're already closer than acquintances or friends are."
"Yes, I do." Magnus answered then proceeded to explain to them what he had told Jace and Alyssa.
Alyssa's Room
Jace carried her into the room and put her on her bed, apologizing when she winced in pain.
"It's okay. My stele should be on the nightstand." Jace nodedd and turned to take it but it wasn't on the nightstand as she said.
"It's not there." Alyssa groaned and lay back on the pillow propping her up, then winced when the movement caused her pain.
"I must have lost it when I was fighting. Either that or it must have been left behind when Magnus moved the lair." Jace just took his out of his pocket and asked where her Iratze rune is. "No, give it to me. I'll…"
"Alyssa, I'm more stubborn than you are. Don't try and fight me."
"Somehow I doubt that but I'm too tired to fight you."
"Oh how lucky for me." Jace said sarcastically making Alyssa let out a laugh but then she winced when her side pulled.
"Ow. Don't make me laugh."
"Sorry. So where's the rune?"
"The same place yours is." Jace looked at her, wondering how she knew where his iratze was placed. "I saw you trace it earlier after we took care of the circle members." Jace smirked, then went to lift the bottom part of her shirt so he could trace the healing rune.
"Really, now? Were you staring at me that whole time? Checking me out?"
"No, wipe that grin off your face. I noticed it when I was scanning the room for any latent threats." She said, then sighed when she felt the healing kick in from the rune and sat more upright.
"Mmm…then you must be a very observant person." Jace said, putting his stele back.
"I am. I learnt a long time ago to always take everything into account, even the tiniest detail that seems insignificant."
"Well, then whoever taught you that must have been a very smart person." They both shared a small laugh then Jace's look turned serious again. "So are you really okay?"
"Yes, Jace. I'm fine. You killed the demon just in time before he could do any real damage." Jace nodded and looked down, silently taking her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. Alyssa noticed the look in his eyes before he looked down. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, squeezing the hand in hers.
"I don't know. I just… I've never been scared for anyone the way I was for you today. Actually I've never felt fear like I did today. I felt like I would lose you today and I don't even fully know you yet. That scared the hell out of me more than anything. If I had any doubt about what Magnus told us earlier, the fear I felt earlier cleared it."
"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm not going anywhere. What happened tonight was just one of those times in the Shadow World where nothing goes as planned. It's not anyone's fault, Jace, not even Alec's."
"Nothing in the Shadow World ever goes as planned." Jace said, parroting her words from earlier before the summoning ceremony.
"Damn right." The two shared a laugh. "Hey, you sure about doing this thing? The whole soul bond thing. Are you sure you want this? I mean it's a really big thing and…."Jace silenced her by leaning in and kissing her. It took a second for her to realize what was happening then she melted into the kiss, kissing back.
"Very sure. I wouldn't told Magnus to undo the enchantment otherwise. But it doesn't mean we have to rush into anything. We can take things as slow as you want. Ok?" Jace said, caressing her cheek. Alyssa smiled and nodded.
"Ok. Just not too slow."
"Ok. So when should we tell the others?" Jace asked, leaning back.
"We don't need to. Magnus is telling them right now. Or he was." Alyssa replied.
"How do you know?"
"I could hear them." Jace was confused. He had been with her the entire time and he hadn't see her activate her hearing rune.
"How? I didn't see you activate your hearing rune. The door is closed and they're in the living room across the hall."
"Might as well tell you now. I'm not just a Shadowhunter, I'm also part werewolf from my dad." Jace was stunned.
"Whoa."
"Yeah. But I only have a quarter werewolf blood in me. I can't fully shift into a wolf like my dad or other werewolves. I can only attain a partial shift. In my normal form, I have enhanced senses, agility, durabilty, speed and healing."
"Partial shift, huh? That's cool. You don't think this changes anything, do you?" Alyssa shrugged in answer, making Jace take hold of her hand. "Because it doesn't, not for me. Part werewolf or not, you're still the same Alyssa. Stubborn and fierce as hell and whole lot more that I would like to learn about you in the coming days." Alyssa smiled brightly at this and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. "Let's go join the others and tell Magnus we're ready." Alyssa nodded and together they left the room to the living room.
Living Room
"Here come the happy couple." Izzy said teasingly. Alyssa chuckled as she and Jace entered the living room.
"I'm guessing Magnus spilled and blabbed to you all about Jace and I." Alyssa said. Magnus gave a mock gasp and placed his hand on his chest.
"Why, biscuit, you make it sound like I'm a blabbermouth who can't keep secrets." Alyssa grinned and went to hug the man, knowing he had been worried about her. Magnus softly smiled and hugged her back. He quietly asked if she was fine and she nodded before parting from her. "So are you two ready?" Jace and Alyssa looked at each other then at Magnus and nodded. "Alright, let's get started."
Jace and Alyssa were laying on two separate couches, not too far apart but enough for Magnus to stand between them and both were unconscious. Alec, Izzy and Clary stood behind the couches. Magnus then extended his arms over both of them and began to undo his spell. The two bodies suddenly arched and began to convulse.
"Hold them down." Magnus said to Alec, Izzy and Clary. Alec rushed to hold Jace while Izzy and Clary went to hold Alyssa. This went on till Magnus finished undoing his spell. Jace and Alyssa's bodies relaxed then and settled. "It's done."
"So what happens now?" Clary asked.
"Now we let them sleep. They have to wake up on their own. Any attempt to wake them up will disrupt the bonding process and that could kill them." Magnus said.
"Why is that?" Alec asked.
"The bond was never meant to be staunched. They were supposed to grow into it. But because they didn't, everything that was supposed to happen over the course of the past years till now, will occur as they sleep and any interference will be like trying to destroy the bond which would be killing them so…"
"So we're just supposed to leave them like this until they wake up. But we have to return to the Institute." Izzy voiced.
"I can portal you to the Institute but you'll have to take Alyssa with you. While the bond is still reforming, they can't be more than a few feet apart. Meaning once you take them to the Institute, you'll need to put them in one room and in one bed." Magnus explained.
"Then we'll put them in Jace's room. I'm sure he won't mind and I doubt she will either." Izzy said, her ever present smirk returning to her lips.
The Institute - Clary's Room
Clary was sitting on her bed, ready for bed, flipping through the pages of her sketch book. Izzy entered the room and knocked on the open door making her look up.
"Hey."
"Hey. Can I come in?" Izzy asked. Clary nodded and Izzy walked in and sat on the bed beside her. "How are you doing?" Clary sighed.
"Not great. I mean despite everything we went through tonight, I still don't have my memories and now because the demon is dead, I've lost them forever. And I'm probably never gonna find my mom."
"Hey, we will find your mom. It's just gonna take longer than we'd hoped. But we will." Izzy assured her with a smile. "Besides at least, something good came out of this. You got to see and reunite with your sister again."
"Yeah." Clary scoffed. "A sister that I once thought had abandoned me and my mom. And one that would have died tonight if Jace hadn't been quick enough." Clary shook her head and looked down. "I hesitated, Izzy. When Magnus said that killing the demon mean losing my memories, I hesitated and that hesitation could have killed my sister."
"Hey, no one blames you for that, especially not Lyssa. She understands why you hesitated. It could happen to anyone. Don't dwell in the past, if you do you can never move forward."
"Ok."
"You need to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Izzy said, getting up from the bed.
"Goodnight, Izzy."
"Night, Clary." Izzy smiled, then left the room, closing the door behind him. Clary took her phone and called her best friend, Simon but it went straight to voicemail, making her sigh. She got up from the bed and placed her sketchbook on it. She went to her mirror and began pulling her rings off her fingers. She looked down and noticed her necklace beginning to glow. She touched it and closed her eyes, thinking of her mother. She gets pulled into a vision and sees her mother unconscious and floating midair, surrounded by a green mist. Valentine held a stele to Jocelyn's neck as he stared down at her. He began to speak, sensing Clary's presence.
"Nice to see you, Clary." He said. Clary gasped and opened her eyes, then closed it again. Jocelyn was still as she was. Valentine turned and spoke to Clary, as if she was standing right there. "You want your mother? Give me the Cup."
Clary gasped once again, opening her eyes and pulling out of the vision. She breathed heavily and turned around, tearing the necklace of her neck and throwing it on the bed. She looked round and whispered, "Mom."