Another chapter is here! I hope you like it, please let me know! Those of you who have read the book might notice that I copied a few more lines of dialogue in the beginning and I'm sorry for that, but without it, this chapter just wouldn't have made any sense. Everything happening in between is completely my own doing, though.
The song to this chapter is 'Celestial' by Ed Sheeran.
I don't own the characters or places!
In the ballroom, chaos broke out and no one noticed that Cordelia and Matthew left the games room together. People were stumbling from the dance floor, some even left the room completely. Matthew tried to get through the crowd to where the scream had come from and Cordelia did her best to follow him. However, when they saw what was going on, they both froze.
"STOP!" Tatiana Blackthorn cried, standing on the stage in a faded, bloodstained dress. Her hair was a mess and she was holding a bundle against her chest. "You will stop this instant - stop moving, stop speaking, and drop every weapon - or the child dies."
Cordelia began to feel sick when she realized what Tatiana was holding in her arms. The bundle was a child. And the scream had been Cecily Lightwood's. Tatiana was holding Alexander Lightwood. The blue suit he was wearing was crumpled and there was a knife on his throat.
In an instant, the entire ballroom fell silent. Cordelia noticed that Matthew took half a step back so he was standing right next to her and for half a second, their hands brushed. You're not alone. I'm here, the gesture said. She was grateful for it, considering that she'd never before felt this helpless. All around, everyone seemed to feel the same. The fury and fear on their faces proved it. The only sound in the ballroom was Alexander crying.
"Tatiana!" Will said finally, his voice loud in the silence of the room. "Please! We will listen to whatever you have to say, only put down the child!"
Cordelia's mind was racing. The last news they'd heard of Tatiana Blackthorn had been that she was found in Cornwall a few days ago, bleeding and injured. The Silent Brothers had said that it was too risky to move her, because she was so weak. So how could she be here now, in London? And why didn't she look injured? Yes, her appearance was horrible, but next to the blood on her dress, she looked completely fine.
"None of you have ever listened!" Tatiana now shouted back and Alexander began to cry even harder. "Only by taking something of yours can I even get your attention!"
"Tatiana." Gideon said loudly, but calmly. "We are your brothers. Your friends. We will listen to you now. Whatever it is you need, we can help -"
"Help?" Tatiana shouted. "None of you have ever helped. None of you would ever help me. Here gathered together are Lightwoods, Herondales, Carstairs, none of whom have lifted a hand to help me in my direst times of trouble -"
"That's not true!" Another voice shouted and with surprise, Cordelia realized that it was James who stepped forward now, his golden eyes dark with anger. "You think we haven't read your notes? That we don't know how often help was offered to you? How often you scorned it?"
"It was always poison." Tatiana hissed. "When my son died, I hoped that in recognition of the loss I had sustained, the terrible tragedy of his loss, my fellow Shadowhunters might support me. Might help. But if it had been up to you all, his body would have been burned in days! Before anything could be done!" When the subject turned to Jesse, Cordelia looked around carefully. However, Lucie and Jesse were nowhere to be seen. Maybe it was for the best that Tatiana didn't see her son in this moment.
Unfortunately, Tatiana had even worse plans than just talking about her son and how no one helped her all those years ago. No, she revealed that Tessa's father was Belial, one of the Princes of Hell. She even accused them of being his allies! Luckily, many people stepped in to defend the Herondales. Among them Gideon and Charlotte, Matthew's mother. It didn't keep Tatiana from vanishing in the end, though. And she took Alexander with her.
As soon as Tatiana left, the ballroom filled with a mixture of whispered conversations, shouting and crying. Cordelia exchanged a look with Matthew and together, they continued their walk through the crowd towards where Will, Tessa and James were standing. James didn't even seem to see them coming, his eyes on something in the other direction. The direction where Lucie and Jesse just left the balcony and ran towards them, both incredibly pale.
Cordelia didn't hesitate and rushed towards her best friend, wrapping her arms around Lucie tightly. All around them, the adults began to walk towards the weapons Christmas tree, pulling out blades, but Cordelia barely noticed it. She was too focused on Lucie in her arms. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Jesse saying something to James, but with all the noises surrounding them, it was nearly impossible to understand.
"Go upstairs." Will said suddenly, stepping towards them. "Both of you." The words were directed at Lucie and James. "Take your friends and go upstairs." Cordelia could see in his eyes how worried he was because of the secrets Tatiana had revealed.
Of course James and Lucie tried to convince their father that they could help with the search for Alexander, but Will didn't change his mind. So in the end, James got all the others and together, they made their way upstairs. James and Lucie took the lead on the stairs, followed by Thomas and Alastair. Cordelia and Matthew walked right behind them, pretending not to have noticed Alastair's suspicious look or the way James' eyes had narrowed when he'd seen them together. Then came Anna and Ari, together with Jesse.
On their way, however, Anna began to protest. "I ought to be with my mother."
"I understand." James said. "And if you choose to be there, you should be. But I thought you might want the chance to go after Alexander." He said it so simply, as if it was the most logical fact in the world.
Anna inhaled sharply. "James? What do you mean?"
Cordelia exchanged a look with Matthew, but he only shrugged, just as clueless as she was.
James didn't stop leading them through the Institute. "Jesse, tell them what you told me."
"I think I know where my mother will have taken the child." Jesse said.
"Alexander." Anna interrupted him sharply. "His name is Alexander."
Ariadne placed a hand on her arm. "Anna. Jesse is trying to help." She said gently.
"Then why not tell everyone?" Thomas asked Jesse. He sounded confused. "Why not tell Will, let him spread the word that you know what your mother would have done?"
"Because nobody knows who Jesse really is." Alastair threw in to everyone's surprise. "They think he's Jeremy Blackthorn."
"Indeed." Matthew said. "If Will claims to have knowledge gained from Tatiana's son, it will blow up the whole enterprise."
"It's not only that." Jesse said quickly. "I would sacrifice my identity happily. But I could be wrong. It's a guess, a feeling, not a surety. I cannot send everyone in the Enclave off after a belief I have - what if they all descend on one location, but it's the wrong one? Then who would be looking for Alexander elsewhere?"
"He's right." Cordelia said. "But James" his name felt heavy on her tongue "you did swear to your father that we'd stay here, didn't you?"
James' face was hard when he glanced at her. "I'll have to beg his forgiveness later." Was all he said and then he opened the door of the weapons room, where he'd led them. "Everyone who wants to come, arm yourselves."
Jesse's idea turned out to be right. He'd suspected that Tatiana would have taken Alexander to the Lightwood's house, his home. It was an act of symbolism, considering that with Jesse himself, it had been the same. All the bad things in his life - Tatiana's pact with Belial, his death because of his first rune - had happened in his own home. She wanted to repeat that now.
On their way to the Lightwood house, Cordelia had kept close to Matthew. She'd known that the others were watching them, especially James and Alastair. However, no one had mentioned anything. It hadn't been the right situation and secretly, Cordelia knew that both she and Matthew were glad about it. They would need to talk about it soon, what they would tell the others. But not now. Not in such a situation.
In the end, they managed to save Alexander and capture Tatiana. However, it had seemed too easy. Nearly as if she'd let herself get caught in the end. There was only one question to that. Why?
"It was too easy." Cordelia said in a low voice. They were all sitting in the drawing room at the Institute and right now, Alastair was drawing an iratze on one of Cordelia's hands, where she had been injured by a demon on their way to the house. She could feel Matthew watching them from his seat next to her, but he'd let Alastair heal her without complaints. He's keeping the act up, Cordelia thought to herself. After all, no one knows what happened between us. No one can know.
"I'm not sure I can agree with that." Alastair replied quietly. "It wasn't easy."
"I know. But it nearly feels like she let herself get caught."
"But for what reason?" It was the first time Matthew spoke since they'd entered the Institute. Before, he'd only kept close to Cordelia without attracting too much attention. She knew that he'd been worried for her since she couldn't defend herself without summoning Lilith.
Apparently, someone else had the same questions because suddenly, Thomas began to speak in a loud voice. "But how did she get out? I don't understand what happened. Tatiana was found barely alive on Bodmin Moor. She was awaiting transport at the Cornwall Institute. In the Sanctuary. How did she get to London so quickly, and without any sign of being hurt?"
"It wasn't Tatiana." Tessa said. "I mean, in Cornwall. It was never her."
Will nodded wearily. "We heard from the Silent Brothers, but too late. It was all a trick. The thing Pangborn found on the moors was an Eidolon demon. Brother Silas was sent to retrieve Tatiana but when he arrived at the Cornwall Institute, all he found was a bloodbath. The demon slaughtered everyone in the place before it fled. A reward for its service to Belial, no doubt. It did not spare even the mundane servants."
Cordelia closed her eyes at this story, trying not to imagine the horrors that must have taken place in Cornwall. The others kept talking about the missing wards around the Cornwall Institute, but she only listened with one ear. Suddenly, someone touched her arm softly and when she opened her eyes again, she saw Matthew looking at her with a soft expression on his face. But the moment was over as fast as it had come and then, he already leaned back in his chair and turned to the door which opened in that moment, revealing a distressed looking Christopher.
For a brief moment, Alastair caught Cordelia's eyes and she knew that she would have lots of explaining to do later. But then she focused on the others, who were just telling Christopher what happened and for some time, she listened to the conversation silently, only throwing in a few words once in a while.
In the end, it was Tessa who ended their meeting. Cordelia was surprised to find that it was already in the middle of the night. The day had passed far too fast, with so many things happening. "Cordelia, Alastair, I shall walk you downstairs to your carriage." Tessa announced and Cordelia exchanged a puzzled look with her brother. They didn't need an escort downstairs, they knew their way around well enough. So why did Tessa make the offer? From across the room, Lucie also just shrugged at Cordelia's questioning look.
Matthew stood up with them, announcing that he also wanted to head back to his flat. On their way to the door, James stepped in front of them. "You're right." He said to Cordelia.
"Probably." She said. "But about what, exactly?"
"It was too easy." James explained. "Tatiana wanted to be caught. She snatched Alexander, ran a little distance away, and waited to be arrested. I could not for the life of me say why, however." His eyes wandered to Matthew then and for a brief second, she thought that she could see something like unease on James' face. However, it was gone as fast as it appeared.
"You won't stay the night, Math?"
Matthew shook his head. "Cordelia and Alastair have offered to take me to my flat on their way back to Cornwall Gardens." It wasn't the entire truth, but next to Cordelia, Alastair nodded seriously.
"Then have a good night." James' smile looked somewhat forced, but then Tessa was already there and led them all downstairs. When they arrived at the carriage, both Alastair and Matthew seemed to sense that Tessa wanted to have a moment alone with Cordelia. When they both climbed into the carriage together, Cordelia looked after them in surprise and hoped that both would survive this evening.
"Cordelia, there is something I had to say to you." Tessa said gently and looked at her with a soft smile. "I know it is reasonable that you should be with your mother now. But I am not entirely oblivious. I know it is not only that. Things are not well between you and James."
Cordelia tried to come up with a reasonable answer, but in the end, she could just nod. "I am so sorry. You trusted in me to make James happy, and I am doing exactly the opposite."
"I know people hurt one another. I know relationships are complicated. Believe me. But it's been my experience that, well, that when everyone loves one another enough, there will always be a way for things to come out all right in the end." Tessa was still smiling at her.
"That's a lovely thought." Cordelia said. "I hope you're right."
"I have been so far." Tessa said and hesitated for a short moment. "Matthew looked very happy today. So did you." Her last words weren't more than a whisper. And before Cordelia could get a chance to reply, Tessa was already back in the Institute.
After staring at the door for a few moments, Cordelia got in the carriage. It was strange, to see Alastair and Matthew sitting across from each other, calculating looks on their faces.
"What did Tessa want?" Alastair asked when she sat down next to her brother.
"Nothing of importance." Cordelia said simply. "Are you trying to kill each other with your eyes only?"
"I just told Matthew that he should better not hurt you the way James did." Her brother said to her surprise.
"I promised Alastair that I could never hurt you." Matthew replied seriously.
Cordelia stared at both of them. In the end, her eyes landed on Alastair. "So you know…?"
Her brother sighed. "Layla, I'm not blind. Or stupid." He didn't look very happy when he ran a hand through his hair. "Whatever choice you make, I'll support you." He glanced at Matthew. "Even if you could have surely made a better one."
"Stop insulting him." Cordelia warned her brother softly and smiled at Matthew. Only now did he drop the expressionless mask he'd been wearing and returned her smile. He looked more than a little relieved. "And thank you, Alastair."
"Anything for you." Alastair's lips twitched. "But what are you going to do about James?"
"The marriage has never been real. We agreed on one year." She explained simply. "And after that…" Again, her eyes wandered to Matthew.
"This seems to be a very long story." Alastair muttered with a shake of his head. "Time we don't have know." She could see his inner struggle on his face. "Why don't we meet for tea in the next days, Matthew?"
To her surprise, Matthew nodded with a smile. "You already know where my flat is."
It was unnecessary of him to say it. After all, they stopped in front of that flat in this very moment. Before Matthew exited the carriage, he took Cordelia's hands and squeezed them softly. Then he reached for the door, only to be stopped by Alastair. "If you ruin her reputation by letting anyone know about all this, we won't have a nice chat over tea."
Matthew nodded seriously. "I would never do that to her."
Apparently, Alastair accepted what he saw on his face because he let him go without another word. Only when the carriage was rolling again did he sigh. "What a mess, Layla. What a wonderful mess…"
