The plan is to finish this story until the end of the year. I'm not fully convinced yet that it will work, but I'll try!
I don't own the characters or places!
"Well, I think we can all agree that that's one invitation we should turn down." Matthew said after Tatiana's voice faded. He was still standing by the window with Cordelia and Lucie. Cordelia knew that he was a little too close to her for a normal friend, but she hoped that in this situation, no one would notice. "We should at least wait until Charles gets back with the First Patrol."
"I never thought I'd hear you say we should wait for Charles." Anna said, already holding a seraph blade in her hand.
"Tatiana's a madwoman." Matthew said. "There's no telling what she'll do."
"She'll break the doors down." Jesse threw in. "Those things with her, they're Shadowhunters. Demons in Shadowhunter skin. They can come inside the Institute."
"Jesse's right." Grace, who was shaking again, said. "Mama's only making it an invitation now because it amuses her to force your to do what she wants."
"So if we don't go down there, she and her demon companions will burst in here." Cordelia concluded.
"Then we'll all go and hold her off at the front door." James sounded determined. "The Sanctuary's locked, there's no other way in." He let his gaze wander over their group and took in all the weapons they'd already drawn. Cordelia did the same and noticed that Matthew was also holding a seraph blade, just like Lucie. Next to James and Grace, Cordelia was the only one without a weapon. Her fingers itched for Cortana, but she knew it wouldn't be possible. "I think Jesse and I should go outside and confront her in the yard. The rest of you remain at the entryway, as defense. Keep the false Silent Brothers from trying to creep around and get inside. I'll try to keep her talking, at least until Charles and the First Patrol return –"
"Jesse isn't trained, though." Matthew said, interrupting his parabatai. "Let me go outside with you. She demanded a Fairchild, didn't she?"
James' expression softened a little. "Jesse's the one of us she's least likely to hurt. The only one who might give her pause." The message was clear. I don't want you to get hurt, Matthew. You or anyone else.
"I should confront Tatiana." Cordelia threw in, ignoring Matthew's sharp intake of breath next to her. "I am a paladin. She should fear me. She should fear Lilith."
"But she won't know that unless you start fighting." Lucie protested. "Unless Lilith is summoned. And I can't imagine summoning Lilith will make the situation better."
"There may be a point where it can't make it worse." Cordelia argued quietly. "I promise that I won't lift a weapon unless there's no other choice. But I want to go out there." Her eyes met Matthew's and they looked at each other for a few seconds. He gave a short nod of his head, accepting her decision, even if she could see that it wasn't easy for him.
When she glanced at James, he looked at them as if he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by Tatiana's voice. "Come out!" She shouted. "Come out, Herondales! Come out, Carstairs! Come out, Lightwoods! I will not ask again!"
"I'm going outside." Cordelia repeated firmly, this time her words were directed at James. He didn't get a chance to reply, because they were all heading towards the front door, except for Grace, who watched them go silently.
It was infuriating, listening to Tatiana's and James' conversation. She seemed to be so sure that she was going to win this battle. When she started to tell them her terms for staying back and leaving them alone, Cordelia had to clench her fists tightly to keep herself from lunging at her in the first place.
She wanted Cortana. Something she'd never get. In fact, Cordelia didn't even know herself where Alastair had hidden it.
Jesse should stop pretending to be a Shadowhunter, how she called it. Ridiculous, considering that Jesse had chosen his side willingly.
And she wanted James to surrender to Belial. He should give himself up to him willingly. A horrible idea, considering what it would mean for James. "Give yourself up to Belial willingly. He has given me his word, and I pass it on to you, that he will spare those you love, and let them live, if only you come willingly to him. Even the Carstairs girl he will allow to live, he will gift her to you. She left you once, but she will never be able to leave you again. She will have no choice but to remain at your side."
Cordelia felt sick at her words, glad that Matthew was still waiting inside the Institute, hopefully not able to hear this conversation. Next to her, James looked disgusted as well. "It says much of you, that you think that would tempt me. That you think love is the ability to possess another person, to force them to your side, even if they hate you, even if they can hardly bear it." There was so much hatred in his voice. "You offer me what Grace had of me, not a partner, but a prisoner." He shook his head. "Belial can't understand, nor you, Tatiana. It was Cordelia's choice to leave me, and I could never force her to come back to me. It's all up to her."
The conversation didn't continue for long. James revealed that they knew of Tatiana's and Belial's plan. How she'd stolen the key to the Iron Tombs at the Adamant Citadel and what they wanted to achieve with all the possessed Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters. From that moment on, it was only a matter of time until she'd told her followers to attack.
Cordelia ran, opening the doors to the Institute quickly to call the others outside. They didn't hesitate before they charged into battle and she did the same. The only difference was that while the others carried weapons, Cordelia's hands were bare. She tried to hold back the Watchers as good as possible, trying to grab the staffs they were carrying and using the force of the blows against them. She knew that the tactic wouldn't work forever, but Cordelia didn't care. She couldn't lift a weapon, at least not yet. This wasn't the right time for Lilith to appear.
"Cordelia Carstairs!" Tatiana called at some point, stopping at a close distance to her. "Is this really the great wielder of Cortana? Look at you. Too afraid to even use it in battle, lest my master find you out and take it." She turned to one of the Watchers by her side. "Capture her. We will get the blade."
Then many things happened at once. Two Watchers started towards her, their weapons raised. Tatiana only laughed while Cordelia froze, considering if running away would be the best choice. But then suddenly, someone was in front of her, fighting the Watchers with a seraph blade blazing in his hand. It was Christopher. He moved towards one of them, blocking the blow of the weapon with a skillful move and making the former Silent Brother stumble.
From the corner of her eyes, Cordelia saw Tatiana move, pulling out something small and sharp. A throwing knife. She reacted without thinking about it, grabbing the staff of the Watcher Christopher had attacked and moving with all her strength. With a thud, the knife embedded itself in the wood of the staff, only inches away from Christopher's chest.
"Cordelia!" Someone shouted and then Matthew and James were there, confronting their attackers. Cordelia and Christopher remained standing for a few more seconds, staring at each other.
Then Christopher smiled. "Thank you. And stay close to us." With that, he threw himself into battle once more.
And the chaos continued, until, at some point, Lucie summoned the ghost of Rupert Blackthorn. Who scorned Tatiana more than anyone else. It made her stop the battle and in the end, the Watchers receded. Tatiana also ran away.
With Grace and Cordelia following her.
When she ran back to the Institute, this time alone, her thoughts were racing. Lilith's words kept repeating themselves in her head. It is too bad for her that you refuse to use Cortana. You could have saved her life. A paladin's bonded weapon has the power to heal what it has harmed.
The power to heal. Cordelia knew those legends, had read some of them herself. However, she never thought that it was true. But if Lilith was convinced of it…
When she came back to the Institute, the others were still in the courtyard, waiting for her. Grace was already back, sitting on the steps with a blank expression on her face. Only Alastair and Thomas were still missing and Cordelia felt cold inside. She'd been glad before that her brother was spared from the battle, but where was he now? Most probably, there were other dangers in the city.
It was Matthew who spotted her first and jumped to his feet. He ran towards her, James right on his heels. If it looked odd to the others that it was her husband's parabatai who wrapped his arms around her, no one mentioned it. "Daisy." Matthew whispered, looking relieved. "I was so worried. When you ran away…" He breathed in deeply, only now seeming to notice that James was standing next to them as well.
James' eyes were on Cordelia. "Tatiana. Did she get away?"
"No." Cordelia said. "I killed her. She's gone."
Matthew, who still had one arm wrapped around her shoulders, tensed.
"Good." It was Anna who spoke, rising from the stairs she was sitting on next to Christopher. He had a cut on his face, but otherwise, he looked unharmed. Cordelia refused to think of what Tatiana's blade could have done to him. The vision Lilith had shown her of Christopher, lying motionless on the ground with unseeing eyes. "I hope it was painful."
Suddenly, Grace looked up at her. "You promise?" She whispered. "You promise me she's dead? Belial cannot raise her?" She was shaking again and Christopher walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder carefully.
Cordelia nodded. "There's nothing to raise. She's dust and ashes. I promise that, Grace."
"Oh thank god." Grace whispered and then, to everyone's surprise, she turned to Christopher, hid her face on his chest and began to cry. He placed a hand on her back a little awkwardly, beginning to whisper words of comfort into her ear.
Cordelia noticed that Jesse watched the scene with an unreadable expression on his face.
"I know it isn't easy to take a life." James' quiet voice made Cordelia look at him. "Even such a life as that." His expression was serious and she sighed.
"It doesn't matter." Without really thinking about it, she leaned into Matthew's embrace. "Lilith showed me what could have happened. The blade she threw at Christopher was poisoned."
"You blocked it." Matthew whispered, a slight smile on his lips. "It was pretty impressive, by the way."
"It was the only way I could think of to do anything without a weapon." She said simply.
"I was worried when you fought all on your own." Matthew's voice was quiet and Cordelia was glad that James had turned to Lucie and Jesse now. "I should have been there by your side."
"You can't always protect me, only because I can't raise a weapon. I can take care of myself."
"Better than all of us together." Matthew agreed and then their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of two people.
It were Alastair and Thomas. "What happened here?" Thomas wanted to know. Now that they were complete, they made their way inside, not wanting to stand in the open courtyard longer than necessary. On their way, James explained what happened.
"You need an iratze." Matthew whispered quietly while they followed the others to the Sanctuary. "Your hand…"
Until now, she didn't even realize that the blade with which she'd killed Tatiana had burned her hand. Cordelia stared at it in surprise, but Matthew had his stele ready and began to draw a healing rune.
"Thank you." She whispered with a smile. "I was worried about you too, Matthew. During the battle."
He chuckled. "I can take care of myself, you don't need to worry, Daisy."
"But I do." She argued quietly.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Charles with the First Patrol. Something was definitely wrong in London. Mundanes were walking around as if they were sleeping, not aware of their surroundings. Alastair and Thomas had already mentioned that, but the patrol had seen even more of that during their journey through the city.
When they told them about Tatiana and the battle that had taken place at the Institute, they only stared at them incredulously. Until the Watchers arrived, accompanied by mundanes. Lots of them. It was Belial, having gathered so many mundanes to be able to talk to them. He couldn't possess one person for long. Their bodies couldn't sustain him and they died. But with lots of them, he had enough people so he could continue to talk for a while. A while in which, one by one, they all lost their lives.
He wanted to negotiate. London was cut off from the rest of the world by a sigil of fire. No one could enter the city – or leave it. Nephilim, Downworlders, mundanes, they were all locked inside the borders of London. Every entrance was sealed, portals didn't work… In short, there was no way out.
Belial would only allow the Shadowhunters to leave London if James gave himself up to him. And then, he would come back and rule over London. With all the remaining people inside the city.
Cordelia didn't expect James to agree to this. But in the end, he did. He did it to save his friends. To save all the Shadowhunters still within the city. James only looked resigned about this, as if he'd always known that the day would come when he'd give up control over his body. When he'd surrender.
When Belial was about to take James to Edom, something else happened Cordelia didn't expect. Something she'd have prevented otherwise.
Because when James was surrounded by shadows, ready to be taken away, Matthew sprang into action, running towards his parabatai and grabbing his wrist.
Then Belial was gone. And he'd taken James and Matthew with him.