Chapter 4: Raising Hell
I paced my room with a picture of Magnus and I when I was fifteen, in my hands, trying hard to find him. He would never tell me where his lair was for my protection, but he's never blocked me out before. Magnus would always tell me when he was going to go there beforehand, that way I wouldn't worry about him. I was so worried about him, that I could only sleep about an hour before waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. I had my long red hair up in a messy bun and I was in a pair of workout leggings, sports bra, and a light jacket over it.
There was a knock at my door, and I spun around to see Jace leaning against the doorframe. "Hey," he greeted. "Can I come in?"
"Hey," I greeted before nodding to him. "Yeah, you can come in."
He walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Walking up to me and standing in my pacing path, he looked curiously at the picture in my hand before narrowing his eyes as my appearance. "Have you slept at all Kali?"
I shrugged my shoulders indifferently as I looked down at the picture in my hands. "I got about an hour."
"Kali," Jace said sternly crossing his arms. "We had a very long night. From your sister and trying to find Dot to saving the Mundie from vampires. And don't think that I didn't notice you haven't been sleeping well the past two days that you were looking for Clary. You need to get some sleep."
"I can't," I whispered as I looked up at him. "I went to Magnus' house that is outside the city, and it was burned down." Jace's eyes widened as his arms slowly lowered. "A part of me knows that it was most likely Magnus that did it himself to keep anyone from tracking him or me. But I can't stop myself from worrying about him. He's never just disappeared without telling me first."
Jace sighed before motioning to the picture in my hands. "So, is that what you're using to try and track him with?" I nodded, holding it out for him to take. Taking it from my hands, he looked the picture over. "This is Magnus?"
I smiled at the memory that was captured in the photo. "Yeah, I went over the day before my fifteenth birthday. He had thrown me a small surprise party of the Downworlders that I know." I laughed a little bit. "Although it was supposed to be small, Magnus had made it this elaborate party. He always had to do things in a grand way. Magnus made a small photo album of the party, that way I would always remember that I had friends in the Downworld."
"Sounds like he really cares about you," Jace commented in a tone that I didn't recognize. "And that you really care about him."
I looked up at him in confusion. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Magnus in my life."
Jace's jaw twitched, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the door burst open. We both turned to look at Clary as she flung the door open in a rush. "Kala! I really need to talk to you about something, it's really—" She cut herself off when she saw Jace standing in front of me. "Oh, Jace, you're here."
She was kind of giving Jace a stare through narrowed eyes, and I raised an eyebrow at the hint of hostility in her tone. I cleared my throat to draw her attention and her eyes snapped to me. "You needed to talk to me?" I asked her. "What's going on?"
"Yeah, um…" she said, glancing briefly at Jace before shaking her head. "It's actually good that you're here Jace. I need you to tell me everything you know about Magnus Bane."
My eyes widened. How did she know that name? I glanced over at Jace to see him giving me a questioning look. "Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Clary. Why?"
"Because that vampire, Camille, practically accused him of stealing my memories," she said in a rush.
"Where did you hear that?" Jace jumped in with a light scoff.
"When Simon told Camille someone took my memories back at the Hotel DuMort, she blamed Magnus Bane," Clary explained to him and then turned to me. "Jace said that you were an ambassador, and you knew Dot was a warlock. Do you know if he might be the one that took my memories?"
I let out a large sigh. "I think that he could be the one. He's the only one that I know that is powerful enough to do so."
Clary looked shocked. "Why didn't you say anything? We could have gone to him first."
"Clary, if we could have avoided everything that has happened, I would have done so in a heartbeat," I told her firmly. "But I can't find him. When I was looking for you, I was also looking for him, and it's like he's disappeared. It's been four days now."
"Well, we have to find him somehow," Clary informed us. "I've been having these dreams where Magnus is with mom, and she tells him to protect me."
"Memory fragments?" Jace inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but…" Clary sighed in frustration. "They're not making sense."
"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked her. "We could have helped you piece them together better."
"Because, Kala, practically a week ago I didn't even know this world existed," she said with more frustration and in an accusatory tone. "Let alone that Magnus is real."
"Magnus' magic is so powerful, he can evade even the Silent Brothers," Jace told her.
"He's even more powerful than that," I muttered, but they both heard me and looked at me in surprise. "I've met a lot of warlocks through Magnus, and I haven't met any that even came close to Magnus' level of magic. He should be the key to everything."
"People are risking their lives to help me get my memories back," Clary lamented as she moved to sit on the arm of the dark red couch in my room. "I might not remember anything that will lead to the Mortal Cup…or mom."
I inhaled a little bit as I walked up to her and took her hand. "Clary, your memories might be the only way for us to find the Mortal Cup. We'll find a way to get your memories back."
"Kali, I need you," Isabelle called as she walked through the open door. She paused, noticing both Jace and Clary in the room as we all looked to her. She seemed to shake herself out of her stupor. "The Mundie's leaving."
"Simon?" Clary asked, standing up with panic. "He can't leave."
"He can and he is," Isabelle said before narrowing her eyes at Clary. "Unless you wanna tie him down and restrain him?"
"I have to stop him," Clary scoffed as she brushed past Isabelle and left the room.
I sighed running after her. I understood her worry about Simon getting hurt, but she needed to realize that she couldn't keep him with her just to keep him safe. However, there was something that was going on with Simon that I didn't understand. Something had happened before we found him and I didn't know what it was, but his scent had changed a little bit. At the same time, now that he knew about the Shadow World, it was even more dangerous for him.
*Roaring Fire*
NO ONE'S POV
As soon as the sisters left the room, Jace turned to Isabelle. "Izzy, go wake Alec, Hodge, and Kyler," he instructed her. "We might have a lead on the Mortal Cup." He then sighed. "How can one mundane be such a pain in the ass?"
He then left the room as well, taking the elevator to get to the front of the Institute. Seeing both Kalavati and Clary trying to convince him of staying, Jace heard the tail end of what Simon was saying. "It's not safe here."
Jace crossed his arms as he stood in the middle of the hallway. "In fact, this is the safest place that they could possibly be," he countered.
"You don't get to talk to me, Captain America," Simon said in a harsh tone, barely even looking at him.
"Considering I'm the guy with the weapons, I pretty much get to say what I want," Jace said in a condescending tone.
That caused Simon to become aggravated even more. He spun around to look at Jace, throwing his arms out. "Okay, come at me, bro!"
"Oh, yeah?" Jace said with a wide smile.
"Okay, that's enough," Kalavati said with a frown, grabbing Simon's arm and pulling him back. He pulled his arm out of her grip roughly, causing her to frown even more.
"What is going on with you?" Clary asked as she moved to stand between Simon and Jace. "You have never acted like this. What is your problem?"
The elevator dinged again, and Kyler stepped out, coming to stand next to Jace. Simon saw him and pointed at him and Jace. "They're my problem!" he shouted, then leaned down to talk softly to Clary. "They're both are just like Kirk Duplesse from high school. Do you remember him? Total jerk with the square jaw, smelled like body spray, always bullying people." His rant kept going as he looked up at Jace and Kyler, who shared a look of disbelief. "Why don't you do your own homework? Just once, yeah?!"
Simon then took a deep breath to calm down. "Feel better?" Kalavati asked.
He turned around to look at her and practically growled in her face. "I can take care of myself."
With that, he stormed past Jace and Kyler leaving Kalavati slightly shocked. Kyler and Jace both turned back to the girls. "I'm not saving his ass a second time…" Kyler trailed off when Clary cut him off.
"Really, Kyler? Jace?" she snapped at them, before running off after Simon, calling his name.
Both boys looked to Kalavati's frown. "Was that really necessary?" she asked in a scolding tone. "Both of you? Simon is a mundane. He's not anywhere near being in this world. And you both antagonize him when he's on edge."
They both frowned with their jaws twitching. Kalavati nodded her head to the ops center, indicating that they move inside. They moved past her without question and made themselves look busy. Kalavati watched as Clary tried to convince Simon to stay, but it didn't work. He left anyway. Clary walked back towards her older sister, looking dejected.
Kalavati opened her arms and Clary immediately fell into the hug. "It's probably safer if he doesn't stay here Clary," she told her and Clary pulled back, ready to argue. "Clary, demons, and others will use him as leverage like the vampires did. It's safer for him to simply not be here. I know that it's not what you want to hear and that you just want to keep him safe."
"I don't want him to be put into danger, like with the vampires," Clary agreed with her sister, but looked worried. "But I'm scared that if I let him out of my sight, that I'll never see him again."
Kalavati smiled softly at her little sister. "You will, but right now it's far too dangerous." She wrapped an arm around Clary's shoulders and began to lead her to the table. "Now, we have to go over how to get to Magnus."
As they got to the table, Clary went to sit on the table on the side where Kyler was sitting. Kalavati took a seat next to Alec, while Isabelle sat on the other end of the table and Jace stood behind Kalavati, leaning his hands on the back of the chair. Hodge walked over with a tablet in his hands as he put up pictures on the large computer screen in front of everyone. "Magnus Bane," he announced. "He's over 300-years-old."
"Actually, he's almost 400," Kalavati announced, and they all looked at her in surprise.
"How do you know that?" Hodge questioned, narrowing his eyes.
"He's a close personal friend," she said simply, as if it was no big deal. When they all looked surprised, she rolled her eyes. "Right now, is not the time to be discussing my personal life. Can we get back to it?"
Hodge shook his head. "We'll get back to that," he said, then turned back around to look at the computer again. "As you can see, he's not exactly shied away from the pleasures of every century. His tastes are both exquisite, and quite excessive."
"He looks like the Downworld's David Guetta," Clary commented.
"Guetta's already a Downworlder," Isabelle told her. When Clary looked at her in surprise, Isabelle elaborated. "Vampire? Ever seen him in the daylight?"
"Can you two focus?" Alec snapped. "This is not a joke."
"Someone needs to get slayed," Isabelle muttered with a smirk.
"Alec's right," Hodge said as he turned to everyone. "Now, Magnus is one of the most powerful warlocks I've ever known. Isn't that right Kali?"
Kalavati nodded while she started at the screen, which had a picture of Magnus in his club. The worry was starting to eat at her. "He's the most powerful warlock in comparison to any other."
Hodge nodded. "He has a deep mistrust of Shadowhunters."
"Well, then why did he help my mom remove my memories?" Clary countered. "Or be friends with my sister? Aren't they both Shadowhunters?"
"Yes, both are some of the best," Hodge said with a proud smile. "But, with your mom, help might not be the most accurate word. Now, did Magnus provide a 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 commented while standing straight and crossing his arms.
"Now, in terms of you sister, you'll have to ask her," Hodge said, and everyone turned their heads to look at Kalavati.
She looked around at everyone's expectant looks and sighed heavily but shared a quick little confirmation with Kyler. "That's kind of a complicated answer. One that we don't really have time for."
Alec decided to take the heat off of her for a minute. "Word from the Clave is that most of the warlocks have gone into hiding since Valentine began hunting them."
"Causing them to go to extremes," Kalavati commented. "Magnus' house on the outside of the city has been burned to the ground. Magnus would only do that to avoid being tracked, and only if he was sure they would be able to get past his wards."
"Valentine must be searching for the warlock, where did Jocelyn—" he got cut off by his rune burning. He turned around to lean against the table to wait for the pain to pass.
Clary, being the concerned person she is, turned to check on him. "You okay?" When Hodge nodded, she turned back to the screen with a sigh. "So, how do we find Magnus? Kala hasn't been able to find him at all."
"We don't," Kyler declared, before looking over to Kalavati, who put her head in her hand when she realized his idea. "If you haven't been able to find him, we let him find us."
"My thoughts exactly," Jace agreed. "We'll set up a meeting, somewhere protected. Lure him out of hiding."
"And I know exactly where we do it," Isabelle smirked as she got down from her seat and snatched the tablet out of Hodges hands. She pressed a few buttons that brings up an VIP invite for a party in the Downworld.
Hodge and Jace both chuckle. "A Downworld rave. Nice, Izzy."
"And where did you get that?" Alec asked in a monotone voice.
"During my surveillance of the Downworlders," she answered with a smug smile. "From what I hear, Magnus likes to party."
"He most certainly does," Kalavati spoke up with a small smile. "If there's a party, you can be sure that Magnus will be there."
"He'll never go for it," Alec disagreed. "Not with Valentine trying to kill him."
"Of course, he will," Jace said. "He'll hide in plain sight."
"I might have to agree with Alec on this one," Kalavati said reluctantly. Alec looked glad that someone was listening to him while the others seemed surprised. "As much as Magnus likes to party, he's the High Warlock of Brooklyn. If the warlocks have gone into hiding, then Magnus is housing them. He won't be wanting to leave them unprotected."
"Well, never underestimate Magnus' hedonism," Hodge announced with a smirk. "Or his greed." He then turned towards the training room and motioned them to follow. "Come with me."
Everyone followed him to the training room, and he knelt to trace his stele over one of the runes on the floor. It opened and he lifted the tile to reveal a necklace underneath. He picked it up and held it up as he stood. Isabelle let out a small gasp. "Is that real?"
The necklace was silver with a large ruby in the center. "A four-karat, unheated Burmese ruby," Hodge confirmed. "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 inquired.
"Unfortunately," Kalavati growled. "That bitch broke his heart."
Everyone looked shocked at her expression of anger, surprised that she was that defensive of the warlock. Hodge decided to move on. "Magnus bought it in 1857 for the price of his London townhouse. Now, the jewel is enchanted by a spell that alerts the wearer to the presence of demons."
Isabelle was almost entranced by the necklace and its beauty as she reached out to hold it gingerly in her hand. "It's so beautiful."
"Magnus has longed to reunite with this necklace," Hodge informed them. "Offer it to him. He might just take the bait."
Everyone looked to Kalavati to confirm if he would truly take the bait. Nodding in confirmation, Jace nodded back before he started to leave the room. "I'll send Magnus a fire message to arrange the meeting," he announced.
Before he could leave, Kalavati grabbed his arm to stop him. When he looked at her in confusion, she looked nervous. "Put in the message that I'll be there as well," she told him. "He'll be more willing to talk to me than anyone else."
"You are going to have to explain how you know him," Jace informed her.
She smiled but nodded. "Later. Right now, we have to get to Magnus before Valentine does. If that happens, then we won't be able to ever get to him."
With that, she left the room, and everyone watched her go before turning to Kyler for an explanation. He sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "How Kali met Magnus isn't a really happy memory for her," he told them. "That and add in how worried she is over not being able to get in contact with him, she's on edge. Just let her breath."
*Roaring Fire*
Kalavati POV
I was standing in front of my full-length mirror in my party dress making slight adjustments. The dress was one that Magnus actually bought me. He was always buying me party clothes and normal clothes. I had had some at his house, where he had a room for me if I ever needed to get away from everything. Magnus' place was the one place where I could freely be myself. There were a few Downworlders who knew of the truth, and I could be myself around them as well, but Magnus' was the main one.
The dress was tight, black, and fell to mid-thigh. It had long, off the shoulder sleeves and spaghetti straps. The top of the dress and sleeves had white lace all the way around. I paired it with a pair of black, high heeled boots that went slightly over my knees. Leaving my waist length, wavy red hair down, I lined my eyes in black and put on black mascara. I did a bold red lip to compliment my eyes.
I was tucking my stele and seraph blade into my boots when there was a knock at my door. I spun around to see Jace standing in the doorway. He wore a dark wash pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt tucked into the jeans. His blue eyes looked me over and I had to force down a blush that threatened to come up. I was still slightly angry with him about earlier with Simon.
"Wow," he whispered. "I don't think that I have ever seen that dress before."
I looked down at the dress and then looked back up with a chuckle. "Yeah, Magnus bought it for me," I told him, to his surprise. "Magnus always said that I should have a good party dress and he's always buying me too many clothes anyway." I then cleared my throat. "So, do you need something?"
Jace took a few steps into the room and fidgeting with his hands nervously. I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head when I saw his ears turning red. "I wanted to apologize about before," he said. "I shouldn't have antagonized Simon. I know how you see him as a brother, and I also didn't mean to upset you."
I was slightly shocked to say the least. Jace had never been one to apologize to anyone. "Okay," I said slowly. "Who are you and what have you done with Jace Wayland?" We both chuckled at my joke, but Jace still looked at me in concern. I smiled at him. "I accept your apology."
He let out a breath that I didn't know he was holding, and I smiled at him. "Will you tell me how you know Magnus?" he asked after a moment of comfortable silence.
"I don't want to remember it right now when Magnus could be in trouble," I sighed and Jace went to argue with me. However, I cut him off by holding my hand up and he closed his mouth to listen. "But I will say that Magnus was there at a time in my life that I needed someone to keep me on the right path. Magnus helped me to become the person I am today."
Jace simply stared at me before nodding. "I should send him a thank you card."
I looked at him in confusion, but before he could say anything else, there was another knock on the door. He turned around to reveal Clary and Kyler, both dressed for the party. Kyler wore a dark blue button-down shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. Clary wore a skintight black dress with a low v neck and pair of black heeled ankle boots. Her red hair was down in waves, and she had light make-up with the purple stone necklace around her neck.
"Wow Clary," I said in shock. This was the first time that I really saw that she had grown up into a beautiful young woman. "I'm glad that Izzy was able to find a dress that fit you."
"Yeah, a little too well," Clary grumbled, and I laughed lightly at her. "We're ready to go whenever you are."
"Go on ahead, and we'll meet you at the entrance," I instructed them. Kyler and Clary both nodded at me as Kyler led Clary toward the front of the Institute. I then turned to Jace, who looked at little put out. "What were you going to say?"
Jace looked startled and shook his head. "Maybe later," he muttered. "As you said before, we have to stay on task. And right now, that task is getting Clary's memories back."
I nodded at him before he offered me his arm. Smiling at him, I took his arm and let him walk me out to the front of the Institute. We all decided to take my car with me driving, while Kyler took his motorcycle. After loading up, I pulled out and onto the road.
*Roaring Fire*
NO ONE'S POV
At Magnus' lair, he gave a young warlock girl a high five as he walked past with another warlock following him. The other warlock, Elias, was trying to convince Magnus not to go to the meeting. "Magnus, consider the other warlocks—"
"When did you become so talkative?" Mangus cut him off, slowly turning to look at him. It felt as if he couldn't get the usually quiet Elias to shut up since he got the fire message. Magnus was determined to meet with the Shadowhunters in order to get the necklace back, but also to make sure that Kalavati was doing alright. As well as making sure that nothing would be able to hurt her.
Elias stopped and put his hands together, practically begging at this point. "Magnus, I beg you to reconsider."
"Always frowning, Elias," Magnus chided lightly with a sigh. "You may be immortal but, hmm…you're not immune to crow's feet."
He pointed out the lines on the sides of his eyes, but Elias would not be deterred. "You cannot attend this meeting," he said determined. "No matter what the Shadowhunter is offering. Valentine is getting close. It is far too dangerous for you to leave the lair."
"I was alive when the Dead Sea was just a lake that was feeling a little poorly," Magnus commented as he looked at the glass of wine in his hands. He turned his attention to Elias. "While I value your counsel, so much red brick makes me feel like a caged animal."
"Is one necklace really worth the risk?" Elias countered.
"This necklace is," Magnus told him with a slight glare. "Not only that, but Vati will be there. Her powers rival mine, and if Valentine gets his hands on her it could be detrimental to all of us. I will not allow her to be put in anymore danger than she is in already." He then waved his hand when Elias was going to argue again. "This discussion is over. I will meet with Clary Fairchild and the Wayland boy."
He went to walk away but inhaled and turned back to Elias as he realized something. "Hmm! Go to the Spiral Labyrinth and tell Tessa that we need more shields," he instructed. "While I'm gone, have every warlock maintain the protective wards. I may be prepared to take on Valentine, but my guests are not." He then handed his drink to Elias. "Drink up."
He then walked away. "Soon, you'll be safe Kal. I promised to always be there to protect you, and I will always do that. Even if that means you direct your anger to me."
*Roaring Fire*
Kalavati's POV
"Alec, Izzy and Kyler are securing the perimeter," Jace announced as he, Clary and I walked up to the bar Hardtail.
We walked into line and Clary looked unsure. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. "Last time we were here, this place was crawling with vampires."
"Why were you here on vampire night?" I asked in an accusatory voice as I stood between them. Both Jace and Clary looked away from me, not meeting my eyes. I sighed and moved on. "Don't worry Clary. All Downworlders hang out here. It's run by Downworlders for that very reason."
"Right," she said slowly. "And when is all this gonna sound normal to me?"
"I don't know," Jace sassed with a smirk.
Suddenly, there were three pairs of footsteps that came up to us. Isabelle came up on Clary's other side and linked her arm with hers as Alec reported in. "All clear."
"Do you think red's my color?" Isabelle asked Clary as she touched Magnus' necklace that she wore with her silver sequin dress.
"Iz, with a body like yours, everything's your color," Clary told her with a smile.
"Good point," Isabelle giggled, and I rolled my eyes playfully at her. "Damn, I make this necklace look so good."
"Will you take it off?" Alec demanded as he still looked around for any threats. "I'm certain Magnus Bane doesn't want drool on his ruby when we make the exchange."
"You know, I wouldn't be so sure," Isabelle countered with a smug smirk. "Most men like it when I admire their jewels."
I exchanged an amused look with Jace and tried not to laugh at her comment. "Can you just give it to Jace?" Alec asked desperately.
Isabelle giggled as she took the necklace off and held it up for Jace to take. "You're such a buzzkill."
As we got into the bar, there were Downworlders everywhere, dancing and getting drinks from the bar. It had been decided that Clary, Jace and I would meet with Magnus while Alec, Isabelle and Kyler would be stationed around the room, just in case. I looked around the crowd for Magnus, and Jace gave out orders. "Blend in but keep your weapons ready."
I spotted Magnus at a small table, seeming to fix his makeup in a little compact mirror. I smiled at seeing that he was okay. "Magnus!" I called before rushing through the crowd to get to him. Jace called out for me to hold on, but I didn't listen. "Magnus!"
Magnus looked up, saw me, and stood up. He smiled and opened his arms, catching me as I almost tackled him in a fierce hug. "I'm so glad that you're okay," I whispered as we held each other tightly. I then pulled back to give him a punch to the arm, and he jumped with a frown. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when you wouldn't answer my messages?"
"Well, I was a little bit busy getting my people to safety," he defended himself sheepishly. "I didn't mean to worry you."
"Well, next time, send a message or at least reply to one before you disappear like that," I growled at him.
"Of course, adik," he agreed and then looked over my shoulder. I turned around to see Clary and Jace, who were both frowning. "With that out of the way, it's time to get to business." I stepped to the side and motioned for Clary to come forward. "Clary Fairchild," he greeted. "You've grown into a beautiful young woman."
"Magnus Bane," Clary said with venom in her voice. "So, you're the one who stole my memories."
"Clary," I scolded with a frown.
"It's quite alright sweetheart," Magnus cut me off from scolding my sister. I turned towards him to see him giving me a small smile. "I can understand her anger." He then turned back to Clary. "I did so at your mother's request. She knew the risk." He then held out his hand towards Jace. "Show me the jewelry, Shadowhunter."
Jace held up his hand and dangled the necklace from one of his fingers. When Magnus went to reach for it, he pulled it out of his reach. "Ooh…" Jace said. "Give Clary back her memories, and you get the jewelry."
Magnus looked almost angry at what he said before smirking. "I have to confirm its authenticity," he said. "While I trust Kal here, I however don't trust you."
He wiggled his fingers and Jace glanced at me. I nodded to Magnus and Jace reluctantly put the necklace in his hand. Magnus immediately turned it over to reveal the word on the back. Amor. "Amor verus numquam moritur," he said. "True love cannot die." Sighing, he rubbed the ruby with his thumb. "Oh, how I've missed this jewel."
"Now, it's your turn to pay up," Clary demanded.
Magnus then froze before glancing at me in worry. "I wish I could retrieve your memories, but I no longer have them."
"Magnus," I said in a warning tone as I narrowed my eyes at him. "Where are they?"
"I fed them to a memory demon for safekeeping," he answered looking nervous about angering me.
"And why the hell would you do that?" Jace demanded in frustration.
"To protect Clary, Kal, and the Cup," Magnus snapped, turning a glare towards Jace. "If Valentine ever captured me, he could torture Clary's memories out of me. Just like he tortured Dot."
"Tortured?" Clary echoed in worry. "Wait, is Dot okay?"
"You don't know?" Magnus asked in confusion with a glance to me. "Dot is dead."
"What?" Clary asked in horror, looking between Magnus and I. "How do you know?"
"I can't feel her magic anymore," Magnus explained, causing Clary to look down in shock. "Valentine killed her because she would not betray your mother."
"Oh, my God," Clary whispered. I put my hand on her shoulder in comfort. Dot and I had a little different relationship than Clary did.
"Come with me, Clary," Magnus offered, putting a hand on her arm. "My lair can offer you protection no Shadowhunter ever could."
He said this while looking to Jace, who scoffed in response. "No!" she said, moving her arm from his hand. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Don't be a fool," Magnus chided. "Your mother would want you to live."
"Then help me get my memories back from whatever demon you gave them to," Clary begged.
"Valentine is hunting you, too," Magnus warned her firmly. "And every moment we're outside my lair's protection, is a moment Valentine gets closer to finding us." He turned around and summoned his magic, making a portal. Turning back around, he held out his hand to Clary. "Come with me." When she didn't take his hand, he rolled his eyes. "I won't offer again."
"No," Clary declared. "No, I won't hide from my problems, and neither should you."
"So, be it," he said before he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the portal.
I stumbled, not expecting it but pulled him to stop. He looked at me with a fear in his eyes that I had never seen before. "What are you doing Magnus?"
"You're coming with me," he declared with a tone that demanded no exception. I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off. "Your magic rivals mine. If Valentine got a hold of you, then he could torture you to help him as well. And I will not let that happen."
"Magic?" both Clary and Jace echoed as they looked at me in confusion.
I looked between them, not knowing what to say, but before I could say anything, Magnus pulled me again. However, then Isabelle's voice called out to us. "Look out!"
Suddenly an arrow went rushing past my head, we turned to see a man in a black suit with a seraph dagger in his hands, and an arrow in his chest on the ground. Alec came rushing over to the body to check around the area. "Who are you?" Mangus wondered aloud in an airy tone as he looked at Alec.
But then he shook himself out of it and pulled me towards the portal, causing me to stumble again, but stopped when Clary rushed over to him. She grabbed his wrist that held my arm. "Magnus, wait! You're my only hope. And you can't take my sister, she's all I've got left."
"Valentine found us," Magnus growled. "I warned your mother this might happen. And I will not risk my adik." With that, he pushed me though the portal and everything went black.
*Roaring Fire*
NO ONE'S POV
After both Magnus and Kalavati disappeared along with the portal, Kyler and Isabelle came walking over with her whip in hand and his sword out. "The area's secure," she reported.
"Looks like he was the only assassin," Kyler said as he walked over to where Clary was leaning against the table that Magnus had been sitting at, placing a hand on her lower back. He was worried about Kalavati, but he knew that she could protect herself especially with Magnus around. However, he didn't know what affect losing her sister would have on Clary and her mental state.
"He has a Circle rune on the base of his neck," Alec announced as he looked over the body.
"They found us," Jace concluded with frustration. He needed to get to Kalavati. "It's not safe here. Clary, we have to go."
He turned to Clary when she didn't move, and Kyler gently took her by the arm and pulled her along behind them. Kyler felt bad about rushing her, but there was no choice in the matter. "I'm sorry Clary, but we have to go."
They all made it outside and Isabelle noticed that Clary was moving slowly. "Jace," she called out to get the three boys to stop.
The boys turned around and noticed that she was still in shock from Magnus leaving and from losing her sister. "Clary, we have to move," Jace insisted.
"I'm catching my breath," she snapped back as Isabelle put an arm around her waist to hold her up.
"You know what?" Alec said with annoyance, raising his voice slightly. "This is great. And not only did Magnus not get the girl her memories back, but he also took the necklace and Kali. This is fantastic."
"Alec, the girl…" Kyler said through gritted teeth. He was getting really aggravated with how Alec was acting towards Clary. "Her name is Clary and I highly recommend that you keep your voice down."
"Why?" Alec asked, raising his voice more. "What, are you afraid I'm going to upset her? We have risked our lives again and again for this girl, and where has it gotten us? All right? Nowhere. We're no closer to getting the Mortal Cup. And we've lost the Institute's necklace as well as one of our own."
"Hey, I am right here," Clary cut in with an angry tone. The boys slowly turned to the redhead, who glared at Alec. "I don't care about your damn jewelry. I'm sorry you're gonna 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 sister!"
"Clary, it's gonna be fine," Kyler tried to calm her down.
"No, it's not!" she shouted as she looked to him. "People are dying because of me. And Magnus? Magnus will never come out of hiding again while Valentine is still after him." She let out an angry laugh. "We're never gonna find him or Kala! And I will…I will never get my memories back."
She went to throw the button in her hand, but Jace caught it. "You give up way too easy," he told her as he walked a short distance away.
"What is he doing?" she asked in frustration.
"He's tracking Magnus," Alec explained with a sigh as Jace traced a rune over the button in his hand. "Be quiet and keep your distance."
"The button belonged to Magnus," Isabelle elaborated. "Jace can pinpoint the location using that."
Jace let out a frustrated sigh and turned around to look at them. "No," he said. "The signal's not strong enough. Magnus must be blocking the track."
"Kyler, can't you feel Kala somehow?" Clary suddenly asked. When Kyler looked at her startled, she let out a frustrated breath. "I don't care about your secrets Kyler! She's my sister and your Parabatai. Please."
Kyler sighed as everyone looked at him. "Magnus must be blocking our connection as well. I can't feel her or hear her at all."
"Then let's do this, Alec," Jace said. He would figure out what connection that Kyler was talking about later, right now he needed to get to Kalavati and Magnus. Alec walked over to Jace, who drew the rune again on his hand. They clasped hands and stared into each other's eyes as their hands began to glow.
"Do what?" Clary asked.
"Parabatai tracking," Kyler told her as they watched.
"Of course, they are," Clary said bitterly.
"When Parabatai tack, their power grows stronger," he explained. "Jace and Alec are gonna track Magnus together."
"Yeah, this whole Parabatai thing seems oddly intimate, if you ask me," Clary said, giving the two boys an odd look.
"You don't know the half of it," Isabelle sighed.
Suddenly, Jace shook his head and smiled. "Got him."
*Roaring Fire*
They made it into what looked like a warehouse carefully, each of them had their weapons out. Jace pointed to a fence that was high up. "Magnus' lair is right behind that fence."
"Magnus lives in a warehouse?" Clary voiced in confusion.
"Not exactly," Kyler said. "Magnus wouldn't be caught dead living in one of those. This is warlock glamour."
Isabelle lifted her hand to stop everyone. "Something's wrong. It's far too easy to get this close."
"His protective wards must be down," Jace said, worry starting to creep up. It wouldn't make sense that Magnus would bring Kalavati here to protect her and then leave his wards down.
"You," Alec said to Clary, who turned around to look at him. "Don't get in the way. We don't need you to put Kali in more danger."
Clary only glared at Alec, but turned back around when they all heard the sounds of a fight. They watched a man with a seraph blade cutting down another one. "Oh, God! Valentine found Magnus!"
They all spread out towards the entry and Clary hid behind a few pallets. She saw a young girl call out the warlock that fell, calling him dad. She assumed that the girl was also a warlock and watched the same man coming up behind the girl. He raised his blade to cut down the girl, but Clary jumped out and kicked him away. "Watch out!"
As the guy caught his balance and turned around, Clary pulled the warlock girl behind her. She held the seraph dagger in front of her in defense.
"Clary Fairchild," the man said with a wide smile. "Valentine will be so please to meet you."
Before he could do anything though, a fireball came out of nowhere and set him on fire. As he screamed, the others all gathered around Clary and the girl. The man dropped to the ground, dead, and revealed Kalavati standing a few feet behind him. She looked unharmed, but her eyes were a glowing serpent-like purple. This shocked everyone but Clary and Kyler.
"Damn dragon!" another voice called out. Another man appeared on top of some crates. Kalavati raised her hand with a silver mist that appeared around her hand, and the man froze.
"Circle scum," she said in a deep voice. She then twisted her hand and his head twisted to the side, snapping his neck. The body fell as the mist disappeared as did the purple in her eyes, and she knelt down with her hands out. The warlock girl ran into her arms and Kalavati held her close. Pulling back, she looked the warlock over. "You okay? You're not hurt?"
The warlock shook her head with a tearful smile. "Good," Kalavati said, then turned to her team, but spoke to the warlock. "Stay with Clary, and don't leave her side, okay?" The girl nodded and ran back to Clary's side, who pulled her in for a side hug. "Stay with Zoe and stay together."
Her eyes lit up purple again before striding into the lair. Jace and Alec immediately followed her while Kyler turned to Clary and Isabelle. "She's right. Stick close. It's safest if we stay together."
Clary and Isabelle nodded before following him into the lair.
*Roaring Fire*
After the fight was over, Clary led Zoe into the main room of the lair with an arm around her shoulders. "Magnus," she called.
Magnus came forward and gave Zoe a hug. When they pulled back, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Go join the others, my dear. This is no place for a little girl. Go." She nodded and left out on the side doors. Magnus sighed as he turns to Clary. "I heard 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, trying to brush it off since she did it on instinct. "I had no choice."
"You always have a choice," Magnus corrected her. "You're not like the others, Clary Fairchild. Most Shadowhunters protect Downworlders out of a sense of duty, but you saved young Zoe because of what was inside your heart. You're more like your mother and sister than you will ever know."
"Magnus, please, you can't hide from this battle," Clary pleaded. "Look, Valentine, he found you once, he will find you again. We need to work together. Help me."
Magnus looked into her green eyes for a moment, thinking about what Kalavati would say. "I can summon the demon, but you must make the demand," he told her, making his decision. "Now, I warn you, retrieving your memories will not be easy."
"I will do what I have to do," Clary declared.
"I hate to interrupt," Jace said as he came up next to Clary and looked at Magnus. "But where is Kali? I haven't seen her since we came in here."
"Oh, she's looking after the injured," Magnus answered, but then paused. "Which reminds me, I will need her to move the lair." Everyone looked confused. "The lair's location has been compromised and we are no longer safe here. Follow me."
Everyone followed Magnus out one of the side doors and came to a large second living room. There were warlocks everywhere, helping each other heal and bandaging wounds. Magnus pointed and they followed his finger to see Kalavati kneeling in front of a warlock while bandaging his arm. She had put her long hair up in a ponytail and had pushed the sleeves of her dress up past her elbows. They watched as Zoe approached her, Kalavati smiling at her when she looked up.
Kalavati motioned for Zoe to join her and began to speak to her. Zoe tried to follow what she was saying and used her powers to cool down the burn on the warlock in front of her. She praised Zoe for what she was doing but turned when someone called for her. She said something to Zoe before standing and moving to the next warlock. The group watched in silence as Kalavati went from warlock to warlock and used magic to help them. Jace, Alec and Isabelle all looked shocked while Kyler just looked worried. Clary had a small smile on her face as she watched her older sister help others, and Magnus had a proud smile on his face.
"She's amazing, isn't she?" he asked the group, obvious pride in his voice.
"So, Kali has magic?" Alec asked for clarification.
"Dragon magic, not warlock magic," Magnus corrected, and their heads snapped to him. When Magnus turned to look at them when they were silent, he nearly jumped at their stunned looks. "What? She never told you?"
"No, she didn't," Isabelle whispered in a disgruntled tone. She then turned to Kyler. "Did you know?"
Kyler closed his eyes and let out a breath, bracing himself for their reactions. "Yeah, I knew, both of us are half dragon," he answered. Jace, Alec, and Isabelle were stunned. "But you have to understand, we were scared that you three wouldn't want to be our friends when you found out. The Clave knows, as do the heads of the Institutes, and they all treat us like dirt for not being pure Shadowhunter."
The three Shadowhunters looked back at Kalavati as she smiled at one of the warlocks as they thanked her. Alec couldn't believe that the young woman he thought of as another sister was also half dragon. Isabelle was putting all of the pieces together and it made so much sense. Jace was feeling as though he was finally seeing the real Kalavati, and she was so beautiful to him.
"Can you do magic, Kyler?" Clary asked as she turned to her sister's Parabatai.
Kyler looked down at Clary and gave her a small smile at her curiosity. "No," he chuckled. "Every dragon has their own specific powers, and they're always different to each dragon. Kali's is being able to use magic."
"What about you?" Isabelle asked, turning to look at him with the other two boys. "What can you do?"
"Well, every dragon, including us, can control fire," he explained. "But mine is being able to control electricity."
Magnus then cut in, looking a little bored. "While this Q&A is fascinating, we need to move the lair. Kal!"
Kalavati looked up from the warlock she was helping and saw Magnus motioning for her to come to him. She smiled and patted the warlock on the shoulder before standing and walking around warlocks to reach the group by the door. From the looks on their faces, she could tell that they were told about what she was. She met Kyler's eyes and he looked at her sadly. Nodding to him, she focused her attention on Magnus. "What's up?"
"We aren't safe where the lair is," Magnus cut to the chase. "I need your help to move the lair to another location."
He then took her hand and led her back to the main room. They parted and Magnus went to the windows while Kalavati moved to the opposite side of the room. The others had followed them and moved to the middle of the room. Magnus rubbed his hands together. "Hold tight, everyone, we're about to move," he announced.
Jace, Clary, Kyler and the Lightwood siblings were all looking at Kalavati as her hands lit up with a silver mist, her eyes lighting up purple, and they could feel the pulse of magic that came off of her. The magic pulse got stronger as she put her hands together, and it peaked as both Magnus and Kalavati threw their arms out.
*Roaring Fire*
Kalavati's POV
Once I pulled the magic back after moving the lair, I blinked my eyes as they returned to normal. Everyone was spread around the room. Clary was sitting on the back of the couch with Kyler sitting on the couch in front of her. I walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me and gave me a half smile. I knew that she was still worried about getting her memories back and getting our mom back.
Looking around, Jace was standing to the right of the windows twirling his stele and staring at me with intense blue eyes. Isabelle and Alec stood to the left, across from Jace, and they were also staring at me. Magnus on the other hand was staring out the windows in satisfaction.
He took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh of relief, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Ah, much better." Spinning around, he looked around the room and his smile turned into a slight frown. "Ugh, it's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate. Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this one is just sloppy."
Flipping the coffee table to an upright position, I noticed that he was staring at Alec. Alec looked confused as to why he was speaking to him but moved to stand with Jace. The look in Magnus' eyes was interesting. I recognized him trying to flirt but there was a light that I hadn't seen before. It made me smile a little bit.
Magnus turned to Isabelle next to him and pulled the ruby necklace from his pocket. "I believe in payment for services rendered," he commented. Isabelle looked shocked as he let the necklace dangle between them. "Thank you for defending the warlocks."
"I couldn't," she said with an airy tone to try and brush it off.
"Oh, but you could," Magnus insisted, and he moved behind her to put it on her. "And you should. The Lightwoods have been wearing this for years." He then leaned in and whispered in her ear, which I still heard. "Besides, this would look silly on your brother." Isabelle chuckled. "About Alec, is he more of a flower or cologne man?"
I chuckled and he looked up at me with a smile. It seemed as though Clary's patience had run out at that point. She stood up with a huff. "Okay, so how do we summon the memory demon?"
Magnus snapped his eyes over to her and fixed her with a look. "Are you certain?" he asked to make sure, while he walked out from behind Isabelle. "Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."
"I'll do anything to save my mother," she declared. "Where is the demon?"
"Okay," Magnus agreed, then motioned to the side where the boys were. "Pretty boy, get your team ready."
"You know what to do," Jace said as he went to walk past Magnus.
Magnus put his arm out and pushed Jace back with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not talking to you." He then pointed to Alec. "I'm talking to…you."
Alec smiled a little bit while Jace just looked at him in disbelief. I tried to keep my laughter in, but it came out in giggles. Magnus walked around to Clary and I, stopping in front of me. "I managed to move your things from the house to here, so if you need anything from there, it's in the room down the hall, second door on the right. I will help set up your sister, but you may go there if you want to get anything from the room while you wait adik."
"Thank you adikku," I said with a smile and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I appreciate it." With that, I gave Clary a tight hug and let her follow Magnus as I went down the hallway and to the second door on the right.
*Roaring Fire*
NO ONE'S POV
Clary walked with Magnus as he led her to a large concrete room as he spoke. "Everyone wants the Mortal Cup," he was saying. "Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."
"Then why should I trust you?" Clary countered.
"You shouldn't," he replied casually. "Only trust yourself, your sister and Kyler." When she looked confused, he simply smiled at her and explained. "Dragons are fiercely loyal, and for most it's to family. Kyler is essentially a brother to Kal, and he would never betray her, just as she would never betray you as her little sister."
"Magnus," Clary said. "My sister trusts you and you trust her?"
Magnus nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. "She's like a little sister to me."
"Then I trust you," Clary smiled at him. Magnus gave her a small smile before he held up a leather pouch. Clary opened it and looked at the set of chalks that were in the pouch. "These chalks are beautiful. What are they for?"
Magnus unrolled a parchment as he spoke. "If a person wants their memories returned, they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon. I can walk you through it if you like."
Clary smirked at him. "I got this."
Magnus wanted to smile at her confidence, he continued to look at her as he motioned for Kyler to come in. "Kyler, prepare Clary the best you can."
Kyler nodded as he passed Magnus, who was leaving the room. He looked worried as he stood facing Clary. "The memory demon is a Greater Demon," he told her. "The rune will be far more powerful than anything you've faced so far."
"Do it," she declared.
Kyler sighed quietly, not wanting to hurt her. He took out his stele but didn't want to do this. "This is going to sting, a lot," he warned her. He began to rune her skin and Clary let out a scream.
*Roaring Fire*
Kalavati's POV
When I opened the door, I had to laugh a little bit. There was a four-poster bed with royal purple satin sheets and a black comforter on top. The dresser was a rich mahogany and there was a door on one side that when I opened it, led to a full bathroom. Then the other door led to a large walk-in closet.
I grabbed one of the suitcases from the floor of the closet and opened it on the bed. I then started to go through the drawers of the dresser to get out mainly undergarments and night clothes. Then, I started to go through the closet. I had only put a few clothes in the suitcase when the door opened. Being in the closet, I took a quiet breath and took in the smell of a rainfall. "Can I help you Jace?" I called.
Turning to walk out of the closet, I found him standing next to the bed and his eyes were narrowed at me. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked.
I tapped my nose after putting the clothes in my hands on the bed and began to fold them to put them in the suitcase. "I could smell you. Everyone has a scent that is all their own."
It was silent for a moment before Jace broke it. "What are you doing?"
I glanced over at him to see that he was holding back his anger. His jaw was twitching again. "Packing some of the clothes here. Most of my clothes were turned to ash when my mom torched my room at the loft, and Magnus always gets me way too many clothes. So, I figured that I would take advantage of that. Shouldn't you be getting Clary ready for the demon? It's a Greater Demon, she'll have to have a more powerful rune."
"Kyler has it covered," he commented.
After putting the last item in the suitcase, I turned to Jace and motioned for him to come at me. "All right. Come on. Yell at me."
Jace looked confused for a minute but sighed. "I'm not going to yell at you," he told me, and I looked at him in shock. "But it hurt that you wouldn't trust me enough to tell me about being half dragon or having magic."
"And what would you have said if you had known before hand?" I countered with a frown. "Not to mention, everyone who knows already treats us like we're inferior. I didn't want the three of you to treat Kyler and I the same way."
"If that was true then the Clave wouldn't have made you an ambassador," Jace said harshly with a roll of his eyes.
I scoffed and he looked at me in confusion. "Do you want to know why they made me an ambassador? The Dragon Elder absolutely refused to work with anyone else but me or Kyler. The Clave had to keep up the alliance and they had no other choice. That was the only reason." I sat down on the bed with a sigh, and he came around me to sit on my left side. "I didn't want to lose any of you, so I kept quiet. You all were the only ones that didn't treat us differently and I wanted to keep you in my life for as long as possible. However, I knew that it was only a matter of time before you found out."
"Why is that?" he inquired with furrowed eyebrows.
"I knew that someone would have said something eventually," I told him with an annoyed tone. "Whether it was the Clave or someone else, but sooner or later you would find out and I just wanted you in my life."
"Who else would have said something?" Jace inquired. "You said that not everyone knew about you and Kyler."
"Jace, every head of every Institute knows about Kyler and me," I reminded him. "That includes Maryse and Robert."
Jace looked shocked. "And they never said anything?"
"The Clave doesn't want everyone to know that some of their Shadowhunters had kids with someone else that wasn't another Shadowhunter," I told him. "They weren't allowed to say anything. If it wasn't for you and the others constantly insisting that we train with you, they would have never let us around you three in the first place. But I didn't know how long they would keep quiet about it."
Jace looked down at that but took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He raised his head to look at me before taking my hand and lacing our fingers together. "I told you before," he started looking into my eyes. "You can tell me anything, and I'm here however you need me."
I slowly smiled at him, feeling relief flood my body. "You don't think that I'm a freak?"
"What?" he huffed out a laugh. "No, of course not. But that doesn't explain how you know Magnus?"
I smiled. "Magnus was my mentor. When I was a child, my magic was stronger than me. I was always blowing things up or setting things on fire. I had a bad dream once when I was two, and the whole house shook. When my mom left the Shadow World and found out she was pregnant, she knew she had to get my powers under control, so she brought me to Magnus." I laughed a little bit at the memory. "He didn't want to do it at first. In fact, he tried to scare me with his eyes. But, to me, they were beautiful. I then showed him my eyes, and he agreed to train me.
"I lived with him for a year before I could come back around my family again. Even after that, I was going to him for a few months at a time to train how to control my magic as I got older. It's gotten easier as the years go on, but Magnus says that I could use some extensive training and I would be much better with it. But I'm only able to get to him every few months, with my family, the Institute, and the meetings with the dragons."
"So, when you weren't at the Institute, you were either with Magnus or your family," Jace concluded, and I nodded at him. "Well, you certainly seem to have control over it now. What did he mean that you could rival him?"
I let out a light laugh. "Like I said Magnus says that I could still use some more training, but that my raw talent and abilities could rival his centuries of training. We figured out early on that if I tried to keep my magic in, it would build up and overflow. Which would result in things blowing up if I got angry. It can still happen if I get angry enough though. However, if I can expel some of the magic, even if it's just a little bit, then it's easier to control when I can't use it."
Jace was quiet as he processed what I said, and I let him in silence. When he narrowed his eyes, he asked a question that I wasn't expecting. "So, when did your relationship with him change?"
I looked at him in confusion and rose an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you both call each other those pet names," he clarified with some annoyance in his expression. "You've known him for almost your entire life. I'm just asking at what point did that relationship change."
"Pet names?" I muttered in confusion as I tilted my head. "You mean when I called him adikku?"
"And when he called you that other name," Jace added with a nod.
It was then that a light went off in my head, and I let out a laugh. Jace looked as if I had just insulted him but looked confused on why I was laughing. I tried to calm down, taking deep breaths to slow down my laughter. "Oh, I'm sorry," I breathed. "You think that Magnus and I are together?" Jace's ears started to turn red when I laughed again. "That's ridiculous."
"Really?" Jace asked in a defensive tone. I managed to calm down enough to breath evenly. "Why is that so ridiculous? You both are too close to be anything else."
"Magnus has only ever seen me as a little sister," I told him quickly when he went to continue. Jace looked shocked once again and narrowed his eyes, searching for a lie. I smiled at that. "Magnus didn't just teach me magic. He taught me Indonesian and most of the languages that I know. Adikku means brother, while he calls me adik, which means younger sister. That's all we will ever see each other as."
Jace had this look on his face that I hadn't really seen before. It was a mix between debating and determination. I squeezed his hand when he didn't say anything and turned my body to face him more. "Is that what's been bothering you?" I asked in concern.
Jace lifted his other hand to cup my cheek in his hand, lightly stroking it with his thumb. I was confused at what was happening and opened my mouth to ask him. However, the moment that I did, Jace leaned forward and kissed me. It took a second before I melted and kissed him back. After a moment longer, we pulled back and I opened my eyes to see his bright blue eyes staring at me with a look of devotion.
"I've been wanting to do that for years," he whispered to me.
"And why didn't you?" I whispered back, a slow smile coming to my face.
Jace chuckled as he put his forehead to mine. "I didn't think that you would want me. I still feel as if you are out of my league. Badass Shadowhunter, half dragon, magic, and an ambassador, you have a lot more going for you than I do."
I let out a breathless laugh. "Jace Wayland being humble. Who knew?"
"Jokester," he teased, and I let out another laugh. He smiled as he pulled back a little bit. "You're not the only one that was scared. I've wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I was worried that you would say no."
"Now, why would I say that?" I teased him with a smile.
He smiled back before kissing me again with more force this time. A knock at the door made us pull apart and catch our breaths. I called for them to come in and Alec was the one that opened the door. Alec's eyebrow rose when he saw us as close as we were but didn't comment. "Clary's done," he told us.
"We'll be right there," Jace said. Alec nodded and then left the room. Once the door closed, Jace looked back to me, smiling. "Just to confirm, you agreed to be my girlfriend?"
I leaned in to give him a soft kiss and when I pulled back, giving him a smile. "I would love to be your girlfriend."
"Then let's go help your sister," he said as he stood up. He still held onto my hand and pulled me to stand before giving me one last kiss.
When we pulled back, I let go of his hand to wave my hand with the silver mist surrounding my hand. My suitcase closed before it zipped up and then disappeared. Jace looked shocked and I laughed. "Sending things to another place was one of the first things that I learned," I told him. "However, there are some things that we are going to have to talk about later." Jace smiled as he nodded to me, and I smiled back at him. "But right now, let's go."
I retook his hand and led him from the room, meeting up with Kyler, Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus. Both Kyler and Isabelle smirked when they saw us holding hands, I just gave a playful glare for them not to say anything. Thankfully, Magnus didn't comment, but gave Jace an unreadable look before walking towards the room he left Clary in. We all followed him into the room to see a large well-done pentagram for a memory demon.
"Jocelyn was right, your artistry is beyond compare," Magnus complimented as we walked in.
"I don't know about that," Clary brushed off as she stood up. She brushed her hands together to get rid of the chalk, but glanced at Kyler, who gave her a small smile. Clary looked away bashfully.
"Oh, there are only two people I've known who could draw as well, one being your sister," Magnus told her, motioning to me. I rolled my eyes at his compliment while he smirked at me. "The other was Michelangelo, who was excellent in bed, I might add."
When he said that he leaned over to look at Alec again. I let out a laugh along with Isabelle when he said that. Alec shrugged at Jace when he looked at him in disbelief. So, I was right. Magnus was trying to flirt with Alec. "We didn't need to know that Magnus," I said, and Magnus waved me off as he began to roll up his sleeves.
"Okay, we're ready," he announced. He walked around to the far end of the pentagram. "Everyone take your rightful place on the pentagram." Clary looked confused and Kyler helped to move her in the right spot. She smiled at him and thanked him. Kyler smiled back at her before stepping back a few steps. "Kal, Kyler, the two of you will stand back and be our support just in case. Kal, if I ever need you to, jump in with your magic to help contain the demon."
I nodded in agreement, and he nodded in confirmation before continuing. "We must initiate a bond. Once this 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 held out his hand to Alec, who slowly took his hand. It then went around the circle. Alec to Jace to Clary to Isabelle and then back to Magnus. When the circle was complete Magnus looked around at everyone. "I will lead the ceremony, and you all must do exactly as I say. The demon's name is Valak. And at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Clary's memories."
"What do you mean?" Jace asked in worry. "What kind of payment?"
"We will see," Magnus told him. "Let us begin."
He began to speak in Chthonian, that was one language at which I wasn't as good. As soon as he stopped speaking, the necklace that Isabelle wore began to pulse and glow red. The wind began to blow in the room and a dark cloudy tornado came descending into the middle of the circle. There was a loud growl that signified that the demon was with us. "Valak is among us," Magnus shouted over the wind. "Do not break the bond."
"Hold on!" Jace shouted at Clary, who I noticed was struggling to hold onto his hand.
"I'm trying!" she shouted back.
Valak made a noise that I was barely able to hear over the wind. Apparently, Magnus heard it though. "It is time, the demon demands payment."
"What does it want?" Alec asked.
"We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most," Magnus translated.
Without much warning, a memory was ripped away from Isabelle first and it was shown to be a memory of Alec smiling and laughing. Next was Clary, whose memory was of both me and our mom smiling at her on her birthday. Jace was next, and to the surprise of all of us, it was of me. I was smiling and laughing a little bit in the memory, despite the obvious tear tracks.
Kyler looked over at me in surprise, while I tried to keep the blush down, but smiled softly at the image. I remembered that. It was a month after my breakup and I thought that everyone was asleep, crying to myself. Apparently, Jace was walking past my room and heard me crying. Without asking what was wrong, he held me as I cried. After my tears had subsided, he told me about his latest training session with Hodge. Jace had said something that made me smile and laugh, calming me down enough to go to sleep and not have any nightmares.
Alec was after Jace, and the memory that came out of him was a memory of Jace. I wasn't surprised at this. I had always suspected that Alec was in love with Jace. But that didn't make me love Alec like a brother any less. Alec on the other hand looked like he was going to have a panic attack.
"No, it's not true!" he shouted. "The demon deceived me!"
"Do not break the bond!" Magnus reminded him as Alec tried to pull away from both him and Jace.
"Alec, it's okay!" I called out to him, but he wouldn't listen.
Alec ripped his hands away from the two and a shockwave erupted through the room, knocking everyone back to the walls as the demon broke free. I immediately jumped up and summoned my magic, the silver mist surrounding both my hands. Magnus was doing the same thing, and we were both straining against the strength of the demon. "We cannot contain the demon much longer!" Magnus warned.
I continued to try to contain the demon as Alec rushed past to get to the door when Kyler came out of nowhere and pushed Alec out of the way. In the process, he got grabbed by the demon. He yelled out in pain as the demon lifted him from the floor, trying to pull him within the cloud.
"Kyler!" Isabelle and Jace shouted. They both jumped up and grabbed his arms to try and pull him back.
"Hold on!" Alec shouted as he joined Jace.
"The demon's growing stronger!" I shouted, struggling against the strength of the demon. I had never had to use my magic like this. When it came to demons, I always just used my seraph blades to fight them. I had used my magic to enhance a little bit, but never to contain a demon before. "I can't hold it much longer!"
"He's slipping!" Alec shouted.
"Clary!" Isabelle called. "Help us!"
I glanced over to see Clary pull out her seraph dagger with determination before closing my eyes against the strain of my magic. "Clary, if you kill the demon, your memories will be lost forever!" Magnus warned her.
"Help us!" Isabelle called again.
Suddenly, the power that I was straining against disappeared and I opened my eyes to see Clary with her dagger stabbing into the demon. It roared as it disintegrated into ash and the wind disappeared. Kyler was dropped to the floor, and I dropped to my knees from the strain of my magic. Clary, Isabelle, and Alec knelt next to Kyler while Jace came over to kneel next to me. He put a hand on my shoulder with worry in his eyes at my heavy breathing. Before I could say anything, Clary was speaking to Magnus as he walked up to us. "Is he gonna be all right?"
"I don't know," he replied with sarcasm in his voice. "Does he normally just lay like that without moving?"
"Magnus," I scolded breathlessly with narrowed eyes as he turned to look at me. "Now is not the time for sarcasm."
Walking over to me, Magnus knelt in front of me with concern in his eyes. "Are you doing alright sweetheart? That was a lot of magic that you expelled."
"We needed it, didn't we?" I countered with a smirk. "I'll be okay. I just need to relax a little bit and to recharge."
Suddenly, Kyler gasped awake and lifted himself onto his knees. He held his ribs with his left hand as he coughed and breathed heavily. "I'm all right," he reassured everyone weakly. "I'm all right. I just need to catch my breath. I'll be good to go in a second."
I smiled a little bit at his attempt to act as if nothing happened. Magnus kissed my forehead, bringing my eyes to him. I smiled at him as he cupped my cheek in his hand. I felt a pulse of magic go through me when his hand touched me. Magnus smiled at me before he stood and followed Alec to the door. My smile softened as I watched Clary and Kyler. Jace squeezing my shoulder brought my attention back to him.
"Are you sure that you're all right?" he asked in a worried tone.
I gave him a tired smile. "I'll be okay Jace. I'm just tired and drained, but I'll be okay." I went to stand up slowly but stumbled a little bit. Jace quickly steadied me and let me lean on him. He gave me a look and I chuckled weakly at him. "I told you I felt drained, don't look at me like that. I just need to get my bearings again."
"Well, you're not driving back to the Institute," he said firmly. "There's no arguing with that. Clary can drive the car back."
"Well, it's a good thing that I can portal you all back," Magnus' voice sounded. Jace and I looked in front of us to see Kyler on his feet with his arm around Clary's shoulders. Alec and Isabelle stood by the door, and Alec looked like he was still beating himself up about what happened. "I'll make sure that the car and motorcycle are put in their proper places. All I need you to do is picture where in the Institute you want to go."
"We'll got to Kali's room," Jace declared before I could say anything. "She needs to rest the most."
"I'll be fine," I scoffed at that and tried to pull away from him to stand on my own. My head swam before being caught again by Jace when I almost fell.
"I agree with Jace," Clary and Kyler said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise before looking away with a small blush on their cheeks.
"You need your rest Kala," Clary said. "Kyler is doing better with his healing rune. Can't you use yours?"
Kyler shook his head. "The Iratze rune is only for physical wounds. Her magic, while still apart of her, can't be regenerated with it."
"Some sleep will do you some good," Jace suggested with a smug smirk, glad that the others were backing him up on this. "Considering you haven't gotten much in the past four days."
I rolled my eyes when several voices asked why. "Can we just go? I would like to get that sleep now if you don't mind."
Magnus smirked at me before creating a portal in the doorway. "I would still prefer that you stay here where it's safe," he tried.
Isabelle and Alec went through the portal first and Clary led Kyler into the portal next. "As sweet as that is adikku, I have to protect my sister," I told him moving to give him a hug. "I need to keep going, no matter how dangerous it is." I pulled back from the hug and smiled at him. "But I need you to also stay safe and to keep in contact with me this time."
"Of course, adik," he agreed with a smile. He then turned a hard stare to Jace. "You take care of her Shadowhunter, and don't you mistreat her."
"I would never do that," Jace said determined as he came over to pull me into his arms. "I promise that I will always take care of her."
Magnus nodded before motioning to the portal. Jace led me to the portal, and we came to my room in the Institute. Alec and Isabelle weren't in the room, but I assumed that they went to their rooms to get some rest as well. Kyler was standing on his own and Clary stood next to him. When the portal closed behind Jace and I, Clary came over to give me a hug.
"I'm so glad that you're okay," she whispered to me. "I don't know what I would do if you weren't here with me."
When she pulled back, I smiled at her. "I'm not gonna leave you alone."
"We won't leave you alone," Kyler corrected as he walked up to give me a hug next. He squeezed my shoulders when he pulled back with a smile on his face. "Try to actually get some sleep this time Kali."
I nodded as they both left the room. Jace helped me to get some nightclothes to get ready for bed and waited for me to get changed. He helped me to the bed, and I got under the covers. I grabbed his hand to stop him as he went to leave. Jace looked at me in curiosity and I had to fight down the blush came up, but I could feel my ears turn red.
"Do you want to maybe stay?" I asked him nervously.
I looked up at him and saw that he was giving me a soft smile. "I'll be right back," he whispered as he leaned down to give me a soft kiss. "I just have to grab something more comfortable. Try to get to sleep in the meantime."
I smiled at him and gave him a quick peck before nodding. I let him go and he left the room, closing the door behind him. Scooting down under the covers, I put my head on the pillow and was out almost immediately.
*Roaring Fire*
NO ONE'S POV
Clary was flipping through her sketch book that was filled with demons and runes, just lost in her thoughts. There was a knock on the door that made her look up. Standing in the doorway was Kyler dressed in a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," she greeted back softly.
"How you doin'?" he asked her quietly.
"I'm fine," she brushed off.
Kyler sighed a little bit. "Can I come in?" When she agreed, he walked over to her side of the bed and sat down next to her. "Listen, Clary, you killed a Greater Demon. Not to mention that you saved my life." When she looked shocked, he gently laid his hand over hers on the bed. "Another few minutes more I wouldn't have made it. You made the right decision."
"I didn't even know what I was doing," Clary admitted to him. "I just acted. And in killing that demon, I lost my memories forever."
Kyler looked down at that. He felt bad that she had to kill the demon to save him. Kyler didn't know how to help her feel better about that.
"I can't believe that…" she trailed off, not knowing how to voice what she was feeling. "I'm never gonna find my mother, am I?"
"Hey!" Kyler said gripping her hand. "We will find her. I promise." When she still looked down, he sighed. "Get some sleep, okay?"
He stood and left the room. Clary looked down at her phone and called Simon, desperate for some comfort. The line kept ringing and then went to voicemail. She sighed heavily before getting up and taking off her rings. Her eyes went to the purple stone on the necklace her mom gave her. Putting her hand on the stone, Clary closed her eyes and thought about her mom. She didn't notice the stone glowing, and she was pulled into a vision again.
This time, she saw her mother, unconscious and surrounded by a green mist. A man was standing over her with a stele to her neck. She realized that this must be Valentine. "Nice to see you, Clary," he said.
She gasped and opened her eyes. Looking around the room a little, Clary put her hand back on the stone and closed her eyes again. This time, Valentine was looking right at her. "You want your mother? Give me the Cup!"
Clary gasped and pulled off the necklace, throwing it onto her bed. Breathing heavily, she thought about what she saw. "Mom," she whispered.