The Institute – Greenhouse
Alyssa was seated on the spiral staircase with her sketchpad in her lap and a pencil in her hand. But for once, she wasn't sketching or drawing. She was on the phone with Magnus, and she had him on speaker.
'Magnus, I don't think you're understanding what I'm telling you.'
'Oh, I think I do, biscuit. Even though I could have done without all the juicy details. Relax, dear. It was probably the intensity of the moment. All the emotions…' Rolling her eyes, Alyssa cut Magnus off.
'Magnus, I almost killed someone last night while we were sparring. And even when Jace and the others managed to stop me, I still had trouble controlling it. I had to claw my hand to keep myself calm even after. And before all that, I almost shifted while at Hunter's Moon Bar.'
'That is serious, but not something you need to get worked up about. The more you worry, the worse it will get. And if it gets worse….'
'Magnus, I need the modified Wolfsbane Potion you made for me when I was learning control.'
'You what? Alyssa, I'm not even going to start on how bad of an idea that is.'
'Then don't.'
'My answer is no, biscuit.'
'I don't think you understand the severity of my situation here, Magnus…'
'I understand more than you know, Alyssa. But I also remember how addicted you got to the potion. You were acting like Isabelle was with yin fen. You couldn't function without taking a dose of it.' Alyssa sighed at the reminder, running her hands through her hair.
'I know, Magnus, but…'
'But nothing, biscuit. We'll find another way that doesn't involve you becoming an addict again. I'll see you when I come by the Institute.'
'No, no, Magnus.' Alyssa sighed. Magnus had hung up on her.
"Are you okay?" She looked down to see Izzy standing at the foot of the staircase. Letting out another sigh, Alyssa got up and descended the stairs.
"Yeah, Magnus is being stubborn and annoying. What's up?"
"Alec has called for a briefing."
"Okay, let me just drop this off, and then…" Izzy interrupted her.
"Lyssa, what's up with you?"
"I wish I knew. Let's go; we don't want to be late for…"
"What did you need wolfsbane from Magnus for? Last I checked, that's a poison for werewolves."
"Izzy…"
"Is it because of your lack of control lately?" Alyssa let out a breath and nodded.
"When I was still learning to control myself as a teenager, Magnus made a potion with Wolfsbane that dulled my wolf senses and thus my need to shift, even when angry. I was struggling back then because I had to juggle being in high school and being a werewolf. Not a good combination, trust me. Don't get me wrong; I was still hot-tempered and aggressive, but the potion made me less deadly. At the time, it felt like the best thing in the world because then I didn't have to worry about killing someone just because they pissed me off."
"And you got addicted."
"Yeah, I did, but I also got better with Magnus and my dad's help. However, Magnus still doesn't want to take the risk."
"Can't exactly blame him. Look what it took to get me off yin fen."
"What am I supposed to do, Izzy? I'm doing all I can, but nothing seems to be working."
"Maybe try talking to us. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe your not talking to us about what's really going on with you is what's causing this? You've been through a lot, and a lot has happened to you over the years, and even more so recently, but you're doing what you always do, bottling it up and shoving it back."
"Like I said, I'm doing all I can. Nothing seems to be working. If I have to resort to getting addicted to the potion so that I don't end up hurting the ones I love because I lose control, then that's what I'll do."
"There's always another way."
"Well, I don't have much time for us to look for another way, Izzy!" Alyssa yelled, throwing her sketch pad, pencil and phone aside, her eyes glowing bright green, making Izzy step back a bit. "I have to resort to hurting myself just so I won't hurt anyone. Soon, causing myself pain isn't going to help." Izzy stood there helpless, watching her sister in all but blood turn away to try and control herself just so she would hurt her by accident.
She watched sadly as blood dripped from Alyssa's fingers, which had pierced her palm with her claws.
Ops Center
Alec stood on the platform, addressing the gathered Shadowhunters.
"We have lost seven of our own, but we can't allow a single radical Seelie to define the entire Downworld any more than we can allow Valentine to define all Shadowhunters. So, in order to restore unity with our allies, I will be hosting regular cabinet meetings with the Downworld leaders of New York. These meetings will promote…"
As Alec spoke, two Shadowhunters in the gathering expressed their displeasure with the new regime, speaking in low tones.
"I'm all for unity, but does he have to bring them here?" Lindsay, the female Shadowhunter said in a low voice to her fellow Shadowhunter. "It's bad enough that the half-breed lives and works here with us."
"What do you expect? He's dating a warlock." Duncan, the other Shadowhunter replied in a similarly low voice.
"Still can't believe that Alec Lightwood is in charge." Lindsay said, annoyed.
"Just wait. In a week, it'll be someone else." Overhearing them, Izzy spoke up.
"Hey. Show some respect." Alec's voice faded back into their ears.
"Security will be tighter, both here and in the sub-cells. Please, let's make the Downworlders feel welcome." Having finished, Alec nodded to dismiss the crowd and descended the platform. The crowd dispersed, each Shadowhunter going back to work or doing something else.
While Alec, Jace, Isabelle, and Clary gathered around a table, Alyssa walked off in a different direction, catching up with Lindsay and Duncan, who had just happened to be walking together.
"Lindsay, Duncan, hold up." The two in question stopped and faced the Shadowhunter hybrid.
"Alyssa, did you need something?" Lindsay asked politely, knowing not to anger Alyssa Graymark.
"No, but I wanted to give you two something." Alyssa said with a smile on her lips. This piqued the interest of the two, who wondered what Alyssa had to give them, neither noticing that the smile she gave them was fake.
"Oh, okay. What do you want to give us?" Duncan asked.
"A warning." Alyssa replied, dropping the smile and giving them a hard look. The two immediately tensed, thinking she was going to threaten them after hearing them insult Alec. "I couldn't care less what you say about me behind my back, but I will not tolerate you or anyone disrespecting Alec. The next time I hear either of you disrespect Alec like you did at the briefing, I will make sure to find better use for your tongues by ripping them out of your mouths and feeding them to you."
"Is that a threat?" Duncan asked, trying to appear unafraid of her, but Alyssa knew better. She smirked, hearing his heart beat faster as he spoke.
"No." Alyssa drawled, her smirk still in place. "It's a promise, one I fully intend to keep." She said, letting her eyes glow and drawing a gasp from both of them. "Do we understand each other?" Both Lindsey and Duncan nodded their heads. Alyssa smiled at them. "Enjoy your day."
Having said her piece, Alyssa walked away from them and joined Alec and the others, just in time to hear Clary volunteer herself to help. Izzy walked over to join as well.
"Actually, I need you, Jace and Alyssa for a mission. Going to the Seelie Court." Alec said.
"You need me to go where?" Alyssa said, alerting them of her presence but her eyes were on Alec.
He asked, "Where were you?"
"Talking to Lindsay and Duncan." She replied, adopting a faux-innocent look, which Jace and Izzy saw right through.
"Threatening, you mean." Jace said, smirking at her.
"Mm, honey, I don't threaten people." The other four snorted at this.
"Right, and Jace isn't blond." Izzy said sarcastically.
"No, you seem to misunderstand. I don't make threats; I make promises and I always follow through. But let's get back to the matter at hand, Alec. I am not going to the Seelie Court." Alyssa said, bringing them back to the topic.
"Where is that exactly?" Clary asked.
"The nearest entrance is in Central Park. But it's in another realm, where the Seelie Queen lives." Izzy supplied.
"I requested an audience with her to discuss Kaelie's crimes. However, she said she'd only meet with 'Valentine's experiments' and the hybrid." Alec informed.
"Ergo, the three of us." Alyssa said, earning a nod from Alec.
"Wow. Charming nickname. So, you think the Queen is responsible for Kaelie's attacks?" Clary asked.
"That's what I want you to find out." Alec said.
"That would make sense. Those murders weren't exactly Kaelie's style." Jace said, unknowingly digging himself a hole with that statement. He didn't notice the raised eyebrow Alyssa gave him as she turned to face him with her arms crossed.
"How did you know Kaelie?" Clary asked, unaware that she was about to seal Jace's fate.
"Book club." Jace said, not looking at Clary in the eye.
"What…you read?" Clary joked.
"Book club? What book club, Jace? Because while you do in fact read, last time I checked, you said you didn't do book clubs." Alyssa said. The other four went silent. Jace realized his mistake then. "So what kind of book club were you in with Kaelie? Because I'd really like to know."
"I… uh… well… I…"
"Can we focus, please? You two can have your lovers' spat later. We need to find out if she's complicit. An entire faction could be turning against us." Alec said, interrupting them with Jace's relief.
"Well then, here's your answer: she isn't. The Seelies aren't turning against us. At least not yet." Alyssa rolled her eyes.
"You sound so sure." Izzy said, giving her a suspicious look that Alec mirrored.
"Because I am. You're not the only one who was involved with Seelies. I know the Seelie Queen, and in the words of Jace, those murders weren't exactly her style." Alyssa threw a slight glare at Jace.
"Either way, you three still have to meet with her and confirm this. And since you seem to know her so well, Lyssa, you're definitely going on this mission." Alec said, making Alyssa groan.
"That shouldn't be too hard, right? Seelies can't lie." Clary said.
"Technically, yes." Jace said.
"Some Seelies can." Alyssa said at the same time, causing all eyes to be on her. "Not all Seelies are bound by their nature to tell the truth. Half or part Seelies can lie when they want to."
"How is that possible?" Izzy asked.
"It's like how I'm part werewolf. I have all their abilities and little to none of their weaknesses. For instance, unless wolfsbane is modified, it doesn't affect me, and silver can't kill me like it does with normal werewolves. It's the same with part Seelies; they have all the strengths without their major weakness. Anyway, I digress. Like Jace said, technically pureblooded Seelies can't lie."
"But after hundreds of years of practice, they can expertly manipulate the truth and the queen is the master." Jace continued.
"She's dangerous. The entire realm is. More than one Shadowhunter hasn't made it back." Izzy warned.
"Only because they were all egotistical idiots who thought too highly of themselves and didn't think they needed to respect the Seelie customs, which they deemed beneath them." Alyssa said.
"What could go wrong?" Clary said sarcastically. "But we're Valentine's experiments, right? Don't mess with us." She joked.
"Yeah, sure. Well, I'm gonna go take a nap, since someone," Alyssa said, glaring at Jace. "woke me up when he got up to play the piano because he couldn't sleep." She then turned and started to walk away. "Besides, if I'm going to be dealing with the Seelie Queen, I need all the energy I can get." She said, over her shoulder as she walked away.
"You'll be leaving in an hour." Alec yelled out to her, but she just flipped him off.
"Is she really…?" Clary went to ask.
"Yeah, don't ask. It'll just make your head hurt. Go get ready." Jace said before turning and following his wife.
Central Park
Alyssa and Jace leaned against a fence on the bridge, looking at the water as they waited for Clary to show up. She had said she was going to inform Simon of the mission and let him know where she was going.
"How much are you willing to bet that the annoying mundane will invite himself on this mission?" Alyssa asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them after many minutes. It took Jace a moment to realize she was talking about Simon.
"You do realize that he's no longer a mundane, right? He's a vampire now, specifically a Daywalker."
"Something that he has you to thank for, apparently." Jace looked surprised when she knew. "Don't look so surprised; it doesn't take a genius to know that he became a Daylighter after drinking your highly concentrated angel blood. Then there's the plus side of the bond and sharing your memories."
"Yes, well, your sister is the one who begged me to give him my blood to save him." Alyssa flinched, noticing Jace referring to Clary as her sister, something he noticed immediately. "Babe,"
"Yeah, well, you took a big risk." Alyssa said, not wanting him to continue. "You could have turned him into a junkie. Not many vampires can resist Shadowhunter blood after tasting it the first time; some even go crazy and become addicted."
"Sounds like you've met vampires like that."
"No, just one. My brother, Raphael; though he doesn't get crazy, he just gets addicted. Anyway, the point is, Simon could have been one of those vampires."
"Well, what's life without risks?" Jace said with a smirk.
"You're not funny." Alyssa said, though she couldn't help but smile. Just then her ears picked up two voices coming their way, Clary's and Simon's.
"Just be prepared because Jace isn't going to be happy that you're here, and neither will Alyssa." Clary warned Simon, who scoffed.
"When is Jace ever happy to see me?"
"That's true, but…"
"And your sister is the same, though she terrifies me more than anyone else."
"She terrifies us all," Clary replied. Jace turned around at this point, having heard them approaching.
"What is he doing here?", he asked.
"Hello to you. I'm joining the mission."
"Told you he'd invite himself." Alyssa muttered, turning to face the other couple.
"No, you're not. You weren't invited." Jace said.
"I already told him that." Clary said.
"But then I pointed out that you can never have too much backup. And you've seen my fighting skills firsthand." Simon bragged.
"I have. They consist of you shooting your mouth off and then running to hide behind someone else when you piss off the wrong person." Alyssa said in an unamused tone. "You can hardly hold your own in a fight against your own kind. What makes you think you can do much better against other species?"
"There will be no fighting. If you hurt anyone in the Queen's realm, she has every right to hurt you." Jace said to prevent any further exchanges between Simon and Alyssa. "This is a political mission. It takes a certain charm."
"That you just so happen to have plenty of." Alyssa said, giving Jace a sarcastic smile.
"Well, I'll have you know, I was voted vice president in the eighth grade. And you don't win an election without charm. So…"
"Simon, this isn't middle school. This is life or death." Jace scolded.
"Have you been to middle school?" Simon shot back, making Clary chuckle but also aggravating Alyssa even more.
"Have you been to hell? Because that's where you're going if you don't…" Alyssa began to say as she stepped closer to Simon, her eyes beginning to glow. Jace pulled her back before she could hurt him.
"Babe, babe, you'll kill him. Come on, pull it back." Jace pled. Alyssa continued to glare at Simon though she drew her wolf back, making her eyes return to their normal color. Simon, unknown to them, breathed an inaudible sigh of relief when he saw this. "Look, Seelies have the beauty of angles and the viciousness of demons, and those opposing qualities make them unpredictable. A vampire or werewolf, they prefer to attack you head on, but Seelies, they wanna trick you into your own self-destruction." Jace said darkly.
"That's a little dramatic, don't you think? I mean, aren't Seelies like woodland hippies who eat berries and dance?"
"You thought the same about Kaelie." Jace said.
"And who saved Clary from her?" Simon boasted.
"Jace, you're not going to make him change his mind." Clary said.
"Then you don't care about your boyfriend as much as you think you do. This might be difficult to believe, but Jace was actually trying to keep him from getting hurt or worse, killed. Both you and Simon know nothing of the Seelie realm, not to mention Simon has the curiosity of a child, and both of you are bound to do something stupid that will mess things up. It's easy to control one of you, not both." Both Clary and Simon protested, but Alyssa cut in, not giving them a chance. "But since he's so insecure and hell-bent on joining us, let him. What do we care? We have to go. We're already late enough as it is." Alyssa said in a cold tone. Jace sighed but he couldn't disagree with his wife. She was right.
"Ok, so where's the entrance?" Clary asked. Jace nodded towards the edge of the bridge, to the water. Both Simon and Clary looked over the edge of the bridge at the water while Jace backed up to the other side of the bridge.
"The Seelie Court is in a creek?" Simon asked. Unable to take anymore of Simon without lashing out and hurting him, Alyssa flipped over the fence of the bridge and into the water, disappearing before she even hit the water.
"Not in it, through it." Jace replied, before running and leaping over the fence, into the water, where he disappeared before hitting the water.
Seelie Woods
Jace and Alyssa were waiting for Clary and Simon.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Jace asked.
"Yes, Jace I'm fine. Just keep the mundane away from me and I won't be the one to kill him. That honor is probably going to go to the Seelie Queen."
"You still don't like her, do you?" Jace asked with a smirk.
"I don't not like her, doesn't mean I like her either. It's a little complicated. We're not friends and we're not enemies either. If it weren't for Alec, I wouldn't have come on this mission. I'm doing this for him." Jace only smiled and pulled her to him.
"Have I ever told you that you look sexy when you're mad?" He said, brushing hair tendrils back from her face and then resting his palm against her cheek. And just like that, her irritation melted away, making her feel calmer than she had all day.
"Not recently until now." She replied. Jace smirked, dipped his head down, and captured her lips in a kiss; Alyssa responded almost immediately. After a moment, they both heard Clary and Simon land behind them, making them part from their kiss.
"Whoa." Clary expressed in awe of the realm.
"Welcome to the Seelie Realm, where your worst nightmares become a reality." Alyssa said in a sarcastic tone. Both Simon and Clary gave her weird looks.
"After you, Mr. Vice President." Jace said, gesturing for Simon to take the lead. Alyssa rolled her eyes, watching them as they walked ahead, then following with Jace.
As they made their way through the woods, Alyssa looked around, her mind consumed by memories. Memories of her training with Seelie Knights on the Seelie Queen's orders. Jace brought her out of her reverie.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked softly, wrapping an arm around her. She nodded, still looking around.
"Just thinking. I was sixteen when she kidnapped me and made me train with her Seelie Knights. I mean, yeah, learned a lot from them and could fight even better than I could before, but I would have at least liked to have had a say in the matter. She could have made the offer and let me decide."
Jace said nothing, only rubbing her arms in comfort. Alyssa smiled at him and leaned into him. No further words were spoken as they continued to make their way to the Court. The sound of Simon's voice broke the silence.
"You know, for a dangerous mission, the Seelie Court is pretty romantic."
"It's like being dropped into a fairy tale. Which makes sense, faeries do live here." Clary said.
"Oh my God, can you two be any more sappy? It's like watching a sappy Hallmark movie. Sometimes you act like two idiots in love." Alyssa said.
"You're one to talk." Clary shot back.
Alyssa only shrugged back in response. Clary was about to say something else when they both heard Jace yell at Simon to get away from a tree. They looked up to see Jace yank Simon away from a tree, pushing him to the ground.
"Get away from the tree." Jace repeated. Simon got up from the ground as the girls approached, and Clary went to his side.
"What the hell are you doing?" Simon asked.
"Saving you. As usual." Jace replied.
"From a tree?" Simon asked incredulously. Alyssa rolled her eyes and slapped the back of Simon's head, walking to stand beside Jace.
"That's not just any tree; you idiot. That is called a kill tree, and it is so aptly named because it wraps its vines around its victims and tears them limb from limb, killing them. The Seelie Realm is lousy with them to keep ignorant uninvited intruders like yourself out of the realm." She said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Clary asked.
"That tree almost tore Simon's pretty face off." Jace replied sarcastically. Simon smiled, which Alyssa found weird, but she didn't have to wait long to find out why he did so.
"You think I'm pretty?" Annoyed, Alyssa's eyes began to glow as her fangs and claws extended. She took a step closer to Simon, growling at him. This had the Daylighter stumbling back from the irritated werewolf. Only Jace's gentle touch on her arm kept her from pouncing on him and pulled her wolf back.
"Look, in the Seelie realm, it's not just the creatures that are deadly. It's everything. If you want to survive, don't touch, eat, or smell anything. No matter how small." Jace warned.
"Too late for that. He's already touched something, and it wasn't just a tree branch. You can be sure this will bite us in the ass later. Now come on, let's go. We're wasting time." Alyssa said, then turned to walk on with Jace, leaving Clary and Simon to follow.
Soon the group of four reached a point in the woods where they could see the Queen's palace on a hill. While Clary and Simon looked at it in awe, Alyssa and Jace looked on with blank expressions.
"It's so beautiful." Clary said with an awestruck smile.
"Don't let it blind you." Jace said. "Let's go."
The four of them made their way up to the palace, entering an open space that was the throne room upon arrival. The Seelie Queen sat on her throne, surrounded by other Seelies.
Almost immediately, the group, minus Alyssa, found themselves surrounded by Seelies that began to touch and pet them, welcoming them with almost musical and serene voices.
As quickly as they came, the Seelies left them, leaving Clary to realize that besides Alyssa, both she and Jace were currently weaponless.
"Jace, my stele. Our weapons." She whispered, panicking.
"Yeah," was Jace's only reply, with a nod.
"Calm down, Clarissa," Alyssa said.
"You'll get them back when you leave the court." The Queen said as she rose from her throne. Jace immediately bowed and greeted her, and Clary, Simon, and Alyssa followed suit.
"Your Majesty, what a rare honor."
"Wait, that's the..." Simon cried out in pain as Alyssa's claws found their way into his neck, cutting him off.
"Engage your brain before you speak, Simon." She hissed. Clary went to help him, but Jace held her back. "If you can't, then shut your mouth. You're an adult." Deeming her message well received, Alyssa withdrew her claws from Simon's neck, leaving him to clutch at the already-healing wound.
"Why is the vampire here?" The Queen asked, a look of displeasure on her face. "He was not invited."
"He's with me." Clary said, as if that in itself explained Simon's uninvited presence.
"My lady, Simon has proven himself a worthy warrior and a loyal friend." Jace said. Simon looked at Jace in surprise as he spoke. "We insisted he be here with us. Anything you have to say to us, you can say to him." The queen regarded each of them, as if assessing them, her gaze lingering on Alyssa, who was wiping her claws clean of blood with a napkin she'd taken from a passing Seelie. The hybrid in question, feeling she was under scrutiny, looked up and shrugged slightly at the silent question posed by the queen. This exchange went unseen by the others.
"Very well. Even though it would seem my top warrior disagrees with you, the vampire can stay." The Queen said, making Clary and Simon wonder who her top warrior was.
"Your top warrior?" Clary asked. The Queen nodded towards Alyssa, who was still casually cleaning her claws. This surprised Clary, as Alyssa had made it seem like she and the Seelie queen were on bad terms back at the institute.
"You're as generous as you are lovely." Jace said, making Alyssa roll her eyes.
'Are you done sucking up now?' She said to her husband telepathically.
'Alyssa…'
'Don't 'Alyssa' me. Do you have any idea what you just did by vouching for Simon? You just gave Amara something she can use to manipulate either us or Simon.'
'What are you talking about?'
'Oh, don't worry. You'll understand what I mean soon.'
With that said, Alyssa ended the telepathic connection and zoned back in to hear the Queen ask for another seating to be made for Simon. She then called for another Seelie to lead the group to the table but asked Alyssa to wait behind. Alyssa waited till everyone was out of earshot then turned to the Seelie Queen.
"You've been avoiding my invitations, Alyssa." The Queen said.
"Yes, well, I wasn't all too eager to be in your presence again after you basically kidnapped and forced me to train with your knights." Alyssa replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I may have forced you into it, but aren't you the better for it?"
"Maybe, but I wasn't any worse off without it."
"Indeed, but you're here now." The Queen said, a slight smirk on her face.
"Only because Alec asked me."
"I see. Well, I won't apologize for what I did."
"I'm not asking you to."
"Good."
"I do, however, have a question for you. What do you want with the mundane?"
"What mundane?" The Queen asked, confused.
"Simon."
"You mean the Daylighter?" Alyssa nodded. "You don't sound too fond of him."
"Because I'm not."
"Why do you call him a mundane? I thought he is a vampire now."
"A vampire he may be, but he's still every bit the mundane he used to be."
"I think you underestimate him. He might surprise you."
"What game are you playing, Amara? What does Simon have to do with it?"
"Do you know that you are the only person who is allowed to call me by my name? Have you ever wondered why I allow that, even though I've executed others for far less?"
"I'm sure that's a story for another day. You haven't answered my question."
"And I most probably will not, perhaps not directly. I let the vampire stay because I took your husband's words at face value. I simply did not see any harm in letting him stay."
"You forget Amara, I know you well, more than most. You may be telling the truth but you're not telling the whole truth. What aren't you telling me?"
"A lot of things. Now come along. Let us join the others." The Queen said, extending her hand for Alyssa to take. Alyssa sighed internally, knowing she wasn't going to get anything else out of her and took the extended hand, letting the Queen lead her to where the others were seated.
As they approached, Simon could be heard speaking in what he considered to be a low tone. Alyssa rolled her eyes, thinking that Simon was being overly dramatic.
"Genius. She tries to seem all innocent and cute, but really she's…"
"Hungry?" The Seelie Queen cut in, alerting the group to their presence. She sat down on a pillow next to Simon as Alyssa took the last seat, next to Jace.
"That's very kind, but we really should discuss business." Jace said politely.
"Business is boring. That's why I sent a proxy to your Downworlder cabinet meeting." The Queen said. "I'd like to know more about Valentine's children."
"Child, I'm the only one." Clary said, looking down slightly as she spoke.
"Are you sure?" The Queen asked.
"I'm not Valentine's son, despite what everyone thinks." Jace said.
'Sure would have helped if you had believed that months ago when Alec and I were trying to convince you of that.' Alyssa thought. Jace, having heard her, gave her a look and nudged her slightly.
"Yet the same blood runs through both your veins, the blood of the angel. Please show me what it can do." The Queen said. Both Clary and Jace shared a look. "Don't be shy."
"We're still learning how it works." Jace said diplomatically.
"Are you?" Both the queen and Alyssa said, earning Alyssa another look from Jace.
"And you, vampire? Are you still learning how to walk in the sun?" The Queen asked Simon.
"Wow, word travels fast down here." Simon said with a nervous chuckle, making Alyssa roll her eyes.
"It does." The Queen replied. "I hear whispers from the birds, the bees, the trees and the bugs. They're all in my service."
'And here we go.' Alyssa thought, knowing Jace was going to jump at this opening to ask about Kaelie.
"So was Kaelie." Jace said, proving Alyssa's internal prediction. "Were you surprised to hear one of your knights was killing Shadowhunters?"
"Were you?" The Queen countered. "Kaelie was once your lover."
"Book club, huh." Clary said, almost jealously at which Alyssa raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Clary still harbored some feelings for Jace even though she was with Simon.
"I was surprised. Kaelie didn't seem capable of such brutality in the time I knew her." Jace answered the Queen, not paying any mind to Clary's comment.
"Yes, because you knew her so well and she seemed so sweet and innocent." Alyssa said sarcastically.
"Which is precisely why she made a deadly killer." The Seelie Queen replied to Jace, "The sweeter the honey…"
"The deadlier the trap." Alyssa finished with a smirk, which made Clary and Simon uneasy. The Queen nodded at her and briefly shared her smirk.
Though the Queen's smirk was brief, Jace caught a glimpse of it. A shock jolted through him at the sight of the smirk and how familiar it seemed. He masked his shock quickly before anyone could see it, though he kept glancing between the Queen and his wife. 'It couldn't be, could it?' Jace thought to himself. 'It's not possible.'
Clary's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present.
"Did Kaelie kill on her own or was she working with someone else?" She asked the Queen. With the help of one of her maids, the Queen stood from the table and grabbed an apple.
"Another knight helped." The queen replied, throwing the apple up and catching it as it came down. "But I took care of him."
"And by 'took care of', you mean...?"
"Dead, dead, dead." The Queen said with a blank face as Alyssa clicked a drawn claw against the plate in front of her for each word spoken.
The queen bared vicious rows of teeth with a hiss, shocking Clary and Simon with the sight of it. She took a bite out of the apple in her hands then threw it on the table. Alyssa grinned, sensing the unease Clary and Simon felt. She couldn't help but enjoy their unease.
"I'd like a moment with the Daylighter." The Queen said.
"Alone?" Simon asked, nervously.
"With Simon?" Clary voiced, her displeasure with the request evident.
"Easy there, Juliet. No need to get jealous. She's not going to seduce Simon." Alyssa said in a bored tone. "Besides, insecure, skittish, idiot vampires aren't really her type, are they?" She turned to smirk at the Queen. The Seelie Queen this time returned the smirk fully.
"My lady, perhaps you could discuss it here. We prefer not to be separated." Jace said, worried about what the Queen intended with Simon.
"Don't worry. I'll bring him back with all his limbs attached." The Queen assured, though it did nothing to soothe Clary and Jace's worries.
Alyssa, on the other hand, couldn't care less. She'd warned both Jace and Clary of the dangers of letting Simon join and of Jace vouching for him. But she also knew nothing would happen to Simon.
"Okay." Simon said, chuckling nervously and stood up. He turned to look at his worried girlfriend. "It's okay, Clary. I'll be fine."
"Of course you will." Alyssa said, almost sarcastically, before walking away with the Seelie Queen.
"Alyssa, can't you say or do something?" Clary said.
"Like what, Clary?"
"I don't know. Like, following them to make sure Simon is safe or whatever. You seem close with the Queen. How can you not care?" Clary said.
"Jace and I warned you before we came here, didn't we? There's nothing I can do. We're on her turf, and as such, she can do whatever she pleases. Besides, Simon will be fine. The queen knows hurting Simon won't bring her anything but trouble. Vampires and werewolves may not get along very well but vampires and Seelies get along even less." Seeing the fear in Clary's eyes she rolled her eyes.
"He'll be fine. With Simon being a Daylighter now, a lot of vampires sort of like and revere him now and wouldn't hesitate to retaliate if any harm befalls him. So relax." Just as Alyssa finished speaking, a small body ran into hers, hugging her from the side. Looking down, Alyssa grinned, seeing who had run into her.
"Alyssa, you're back!" The little girl said excitedly.
"Arwen, where did you come from?" Alyssa said, hugging her back. She stood up, carrying the girl. Just then, a group of Seelie children all ran in towards Alyssa, surrounding her and hugging her legs. "Whoa, hey, guys," she said.
"Children." A Seelie walked in then, looking apologetically at Alyssa. "I'm sorry. They heard you were in the realm and couldn't wait to see you." Alyssa chuckled.
"It's alright, Elvinia. I'm happy to see them. It's been a year since I last saw these kids, where are the others?"
"In the meadow," Elvinia replied.
"Well then, let's go. Might as well see them while I'm here." The Seelie woman nodded and led Alyssa and the children out.
While they were talking, Jace had been silently watching. He'd smiled at the way all the children seemed to love his wife, something that reminded him sadly of the one they'd lost. But he'd also watched the way the Seelie woman was speaking to Alyssa. It was as if the woman felt as if she were speaking with the Queen or at least someone related to the queen. And he doubted it was because the Queen viewed Alyssa as her top warrior. If anything, the title of top warrior wouldn't have elicited such behavior among the Seelies.
He didn't want to think that what he'd thought previously was true. Because if it was, it would change a lot of things, not for him, but for Alyssa.
It'd been several moments since the Queen left with Simon and Alyssa left with the Seelie children and both parties had yet to return, though Clary was more worried about Simon being with the Seelie Queen. She paced up and down while Jace sat on a fallen tree though he seemed to mask his worry better than Clary.
"We should never have let Simon come." Clary said.
"We? What, are we speaking French now? Because i know I'm not speaking french. i don't even know how to. Look Clary, we...," Jace gestured between himself and Clary. "...didn't let him do anything. That was all you. Alyssa and I didn't want him to come in the first place, remember? And we repeatedly warned you why it was not a good idea to let him. He didn't give us a choice and wasn't ready to listen. And you weren't much help in convincing him not to come. In fact, you were quite almost happy about it."
"Yeah, but I didn't know…"
"Yeah, well now, you know why Alyssa and I didn't want him coming along. But hey, you two are a package deal, right?" Jace said, throwing her words from when he first met Clary and Simon at her. "Where you go, he goes, right? How's that been working out for you guys now?" He said in a sarcastic tone.
"You're not really helping," Clary snapped.
"I wasn't trying to." Jace shot back. Clary was surprised. Jace was never like this with her. She expected it from Alyssa but not from him. Simon chose that moment to return with the queen. He looked skittish, almost flustered. Clary immediately went to him, scanning him to see if he was alright.
"Is everything alright?" She asked.
"Great. We need to go right now." He said hurriedly, then began dragging Clary with him.
"Hey, hey, wait." Jace said as he stopped them. "We can't leave yet; not without Alyssa." Neither of them noticed the vines slithering towards Jace and Simon.
"Leave? But you've only just arrived." The Seelie Queen said. The vines immediately took this as their cue and began to wrap themselves around Jace's and Simon's legs, keeping them from moving. The boys immediately began to struggle, trying to free themselves. "It's futile to struggle. Vitis veritas. Enchanted vines that only obey me." As she spoke, the vines continued to wrap themselves around the boys, moving upward.
"What are you doing? Let them go!" Clary demanded.
"But they killed several of my kind." The queen said calmly.
"What? We didn't kill anyone." Simon protested.
"She can't lie." Jace said, then turned to the queen, while silently trying to contact Alyssa through their bond. "Your Majesty, you must be mistaken."
"I told you, the birds, the bees, the bugs, they're all in my service." It was then that Jace realized what she was talking about and cursed softly. Clary realized it too.
"The gnats at the kill tree." She said.
"What, that bug I killed?" Simon asked incredulously. Jace groaned internally, wishing they'd listened more to Alyssa when she tried to warn them. This is what she meant when she said Simon had already touched something and it would come back to bite them in the ass.
"But that can't seriously mean…" Clary began to say.
"Their deaths require justice. Unless, of course, you'd rather play a game." The queen said, an all too familiar smirk playing on her lips. Jace had seen that same smirk one too many times on Alyssa's lips when she was up to something. There's no doubt now, he knew his suspicions were right. But he filed that thought away for now, focusing on the situation now.
"What kind of game?" He asked the queen.
"Game sounds better." Simon readily agreed.
"Shut up." Jace growled lowly, glaring at him. It was his fault they were in this mess.
"It's simple, really. All I ask is a kiss." The queen said, confusing the two Shadowhunters and the vampire.
"You want one of us to kiss you?" Clary asked incredulously. The queen regarded her in amusement.
"The game isn't for me. It's for you, Clary. The kiss that will set them free is the kiss you most desire." The queen said calmly as though she was just talking about the weather. "I suggest you move quickly. Once the vines reach their necks, the boys will be dead, dead, dead. And I'd hate to see what Alyssa would do when she finds her husband dead. It wouldn't be pretty for anyone." Clary looked at the queen disbelievingly.
"Jace was wrong. This is exactly like middle school," Clary said bitterly, glaring at the queen.
"Clary, just kiss me so we can go home." Simon said. Jace fought the urge to roll his eyes, wanting it all to be over already. Clary glanced at the queen and moved over to Simon, kissing him, only to have the vines wrap around them even tighter.
"Why are the vines still there?" Clary asked the queen.
"Why do you think?"
"I did what you asked." Clary said, almost in tears. The queen smiled.
"Clary?" Simon choked out. Alyssa chose to make her presence known at that moment.
"You can fool yourself and try to fool others, Clary but you can't fool vitis veritas. It's the truth vine, like the Soul-Sword, it only accepts the truth." Clary looked over at her in shock. "However, I think this game is over, Amara. Stop this now." One look at the dark-skinned hybrid made up the queen's mind. The vines immediately stopped and loosened, dropping to the ground.
"I told you, Daylighter. They always choose their own kind." The queen said to Simon. Tears sprang to Clary's eyes, seeing the hurt look in Simon's eyes. She whirled on the queen, anger evident in her expression.
"Why the hell would you do that? It's our lives, not some game!"
"Best to be completely honest, don't you think?" The queen said unrepentantly. As they spoke, neither of them noticed Simon leaving, only Alyssa noticed it.
"I agree. However, it's also best to take the log out of your eye before you point out the speck in someone else's." Alyssa said, glaring at the queen.
"And what do you mean by that?" Alyssa scoffed at the question.
"Oh I think you know. You're a hypocrite, Amara, to tell someone to be honest when you haven't been honest yourself."
"I truly have no idea what you are talking about."
"Oh you will but until then, are we free to go, Your Highness? After all one of us has already left." Alyssa said, almost sneering as she said 'Your Highness'. The queen almost winced at the hostility in Alyssa's voice. Without waiting for a response, Alyssa turned and walked away. Jace and Clary glared at the queen one more time before following after her.
The Institute – Ops Center
Jace, Alyssa, and Alec were all gathered around a table.
"So the Seelie Queen didn't help Kaelie? It was actually a Seelie Knight, who is now dead." Alec asked, wanting to clear on what he had heard.
"Yeah, the queen's hands are technically clean on this one. I think there's more to it, though." Jace said, glancing over at Alyssa, who was silent and seemingly lost in thought.
"What makes you say that?" Alec asked his parabatai.
"I don't know. Call it a gut feeling." Jace replied.
"Okay. Well, I'll have the Clave keep a closer eye on the Seelies."
"Right."
"Speaking of the Clave…" Alec began to say, turning to Alyssa only to see her seemingly zoned out. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, placing a hand on her arm. "You seem distracted."
"I'm fine, Alec. And I heard everything you two just discussed. I just need to get some rest." Alyssa said, making a move to walk away.
"Actually, there's something…"
"Can it wait, Alec?" Alyssa asked, cutting him off. "You can tell me what it is tomorrow." She said, then walked away, leaving the two parabatai to watch her go.
"What's up with her?" Alec asked Jace, who only shrugged in response.
Rooftop
Leaning against the ledge, with her hands on top of it, Alyssa stood on the roof, her mind racing with the events of the day, focusing on the particular event that had, once again, turned her life upside down. She thought about what she'd learned today when she followed the Seelie woman, Elvinia, to the meadow.
Flashback
Alyssa followed Elvinia and the children to the meadow, where she was immediately surrounded by the other children.
"Hey, guys. I've missed you." She led them to sit down in the grass, placing Arwen in her lap. Loving the attention, Arwen snuggled into Alyssa's side, making the hybrid chuckle.
"Will you be staying, Princess Alyssa?" One of the children asked. Alyssa was confused by what the child had called her, but filed it away for later.
"Aww, I'm sorry kids. I only came to see the Queen and to say hi." The sounds and groans of disappointment could be heard from the children, hearing this.
"Can you sing us your song before you go? Please?" Arwen asked, earning sounds of agreement from the other children. Alyssa smiled at them and looked up at their caretakers. The older Seelies nodded at her with amused and knowing smiles. One of them pulled a flute from her belt while another pulled a small Celtic drum from the earth, a Seelie magic skill that always amazed Alyssa. They began to play the song for Alyssa to sing. She smiled and began singing.
Blue as the wings of a heron in the night
Like the rising of the tides on the shores of Isle Skye
They gleam evergreen, winds 'a whistling in the pines
Like a castle-crawling vine, like the grassy Glen of Lyon
And rich as the mud after rain upon the ground
They're a whisky hue of brown, braided river running wild
I fell astray, but in you I have found
That I am ever bound to your hazel eyes
As Alyssa sang, all the children were quiet watching, enjoying her singing, some were even being lulled asleep, including Arwen. By end of her song, almost all the younger children were either sleepy or already asleep. With the help of the older ones who were still awake, two of the older Seelies carried and led the children away from the meadow, taking them back home.
"You, princess, are an angel sent from heaven. They've been so full of energy all morning. We brought them out here, hoping a little running around and use of magic would tire them out but all it seemed to do is increase their energy levels.
"I'm glad I could help, Ilona. I've missed being around them. I forgot what it feels like to be around kids." Alyssa said with a smile.
"We know why you weren't visiting anymore, princess, and we understand." Hearing the Seelie call her princess again brought back her confusion from when Arwen addressed her similarly.
"That's the second time you've called me 'princess', Ilona. Aldon also called me that when he asked if I was staying long. Why?"
"What do you mean? What else should we call you? You are the princess of the Seelies. The queen is your mother after all." Ilona said as if this was no news to her at all. Alyssa, on the other hand, was shocked. And confused
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, she hasn't told you, has she?" Ilona said, realizing Alyssa had no idea of her true maternal parentage. "The Queen is your mother."
"No, that's not possible. My dad told me my mother was a Shadowhunter called Kayla Starkweather. So how can you tell me Amara is my mother?" Ilona was silent, seeing now that she'd just revealed a secret that she had no right to reveal. "Ilona, talk to me. I need answers."
"I'm sorry, Princess, I had no idea you didn't know." Ilona said fearfully.
"Right now, Ilona, I'm not looking for an apology. What I want is for you to explain how Amara can be my mother when I've been told that my mother is someone else." Alyssa said. Ilona remained silent, fidgeting with her fingers. "Ilona, I need answers, now!" The Seelie flinched at her tone of voice. "How can Amara be my mother?"
"Because she is or was Kayla Starkweather. That was her cover years ago when she infiltrated the Circle to collect information on Valentine and his doings. She glamoured herself to look like a Shadowhunter, posing as a long lost cousin to one of Valentine's closest soldiers, Hodge and then faked her death. It isn't exactly news to any Seelie in the realm that you're her daughter and when she brought you to the realm to be trained, we all assumed that she'd told you. I am very sorry, princess. Please forgive me, I didn't know." Ilona's apologies were unheard by Alyssa as she processed this information.
End of Flashback
Alyssa was staring out into the night, thinking about the information she'd learned. The Seelie Queen was her mother. She was part Seelie. She let out a humorless chuckle as she wondered what that made her now.
In the space of a few months, she had gone from being just a Shadowhunter-werewolf hybrid to having a demon side added to what she was, and now she could add being part Seelie to it. She wondered what would happen once everyone found this out as well.
She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her waist from behind. She leaned into Jace and breathed his scent in, relaxing in his embrace.
"I'm here for you. We all are, and we always will be." Jace whispered to her.
"I know. Thank you." Alyssa said, grateful he wasn't pushing her to talk right now.
She tilted her head back and kissed Jace. Jace kissed her back, then kissed her temple when they pulled away as they stared out at the city before them into the night.