Chapter 83 – Let's Talk Strategy
- 1 day before the start of the war. -
After a few fights in which Isabelle and I had practiced the Shadowhunters' close combat techniques with a group of vampires, Luke joined us. He and Magnus had prepared a lesson in Demonology for anyone who was interested. And it seemed that all the Shadowworlders were interested, because the usually large areas between the city and the border were so full that you could hardly see the green meadows anymore.
Magnus stood on the wall of the ruins where Isabelle and I had been sitting earlier and only had to raise a sparking hand to silence the huge crowd. After days of working side by side with the Shadowworlders, the strange feeling in my chest that had whispered warnings to me had finally disappeared. The remnants of my father's upbringing, slowly but surely replaced and overwritten by my own experience.
To brave the wind, Magnus wore a long, dark purple coat. It was the first time I had ever seen him in any kind of jacket. But it didn't detract from the impact of his outfit in the slightest. By now I had gotten used to the fact that he always strived for the wow factor. A golden velvet shirt peeked out from under the coat, tight and trimmed with black cufflinks. His black hair was adorned with purple streaks today and his eye makeup matched his coat. He had perfected the art of drawing the attention of any room. Something he would manage even without his reputation that preceded him, that much was certain.
The Shadowworlders were hanging on his every word before he even began to speak. This was true of both his supporters and those who were not all well-disposed towards him. I only had to cast my eyes over the people present to notice it. They all respected him, personal opinions or not. Not many Shadowworlders had had such a strangely close relationship with the Shadowhunters over the centuries as he had, or so it was rumored.
Magnus wasted no time on formalities but nodded once around the group and then conjured up the image of a Ravener demon with a snap of his fingers. "Demons are very easy to distinguish from human life," his voice echoed over the assembly without actually raising his voice. It had to be a spell. "Even the few shapeshifters among them are easy to unmask. They're always surrounded by a dark aura, an uneasy feeling that you'll sense when you're near them. Apart from that, they're usually incredibly ugly and are accompanied by a pungent stench. And if, despite everything, you still don't recognize that you're dealing with a demon, then you're lost anyway."
And so, Magnus introduced the Shadowworlders to the different types of demons. He introduced the most common species along with their strengths and weaknesses and, thanks to his magic, always had a suitable image ready. Luke, who only listened for the first part of the lecture, took the lead in the second part and introduced them to effective fighting techniques. The aim of this lesson was that everyone on the battlefield would know who they were dealing with tomorrow evening.
Afterwards, the crowd split into small groups to put Magnus's and Luke's knowledge into practice. Given that we were running out of time, we had no other choice. We had been concentrating so much on the Shadowhunters in the past few days, but we would mainly be encountering demons. This reconnaissance was more than necessary.
Since we as Shadowhunters were very familiar with demons, we split up into groups. Luke led me to his pack, including Maia, who I had already fought against once in a training battle. Maia grinned when she saw me. They were all eager to take on demons. None of the wolves seemed, at least outwardly, to expect defeat in this war. When I asked her about it, Maia replied, mischievously and proudly at the same time, that they would all rather die than watch Shadowhunters destroy this world.
Since we didn't have any real demons to practice with, I instead asked them riddles about various demons that Magnus had introduced. Like a doctor, they bombarded me, the sick patient, with questions about my appearance and my abilities. Only here I wasn't playing a patient, but a demon, and they tried to guess the exact species based on my statements and devise a plan of attack that would kill me.
There were so many demons that we could have continued this game forever. After about three hours, it was early afternoon, I received a Fire-message from the Inquisitor, who summoned Isabelle and me to her.
And so, several exhausting hours later, I found myself standing in Imogen's office again. This time accompanied by the Council, consisting of Luke, Magnus and Raphael for the Shadowworlders, and Alec for us Nephilim. The room had been transformed in my absence. The sofa had disappeared and, in its place, a large wooden table dominated the space. As we approached, I realized that this was no ordinary table. It was neither square nor round but traced the exact shape of Idris. This table was a single, scaled-down map of Idris. A row of carved miniature figures stood in the Alicante area. Ready to be placed like chess pieces.
I could barely hide my amazement as I stood between Luke and Isabelle. Alec gave his sister a searching glance. "What are you doing here?"
Isabelle raised her eyebrows theatrically, insulted. "You should probably ask why Jace isn't here," she replied coolly, throwing her hair over her right shoulder.
Alec sighed to himself. "I'll ask again: Shouldn't you be preparing for your party?" A party for which I still couldn't muster a spark of enthusiasm.
"I'll send Jace a Fire-message and tell him to start preparing," she said, shrugging and walking away from the table.
"What are we doing here?" I asked Alec through my hand, simultaneously following the exchange between the Inquisitor and Raphael on the other side of the table.
"Strategy meeting," Alec replied shortly. "It's time we decided how to defend the city."
"Isabelle is right. Jace is missing. Why isn't he here?"
Alec's ocean blue eyes darted over to me, and I could see that this fact was bothering him too. His thin lips were pressed together thoughtfully. "I don't know. It definitely doesn't mean anything good."
The doors to the office were slammed shut. More Shadowhunters had joined us. Jia Penhallow, the new Consul, and other high-ranking members of the Clave, probably from the war committee. I didn't recognize any of them.
"Thanks to new information, we now know that Lake Lyn is the Mortal Mirror," Imogen opened the meeting as soon as Jia stood next to her. Isabelle's boots clicked across the wooden floor as she hastily squeezed back between Alec and me. When our eyes met, I could see the excited tension in hers. Probably because we were in the most exclusive of all Shadowhunter circles, as if we belonged there. I, on the other hand, was bored by everything about this, now that I knew what the topic of this meeting was. "I have already spoken to some of those present about possible strategies. This large group is here to determine a final plan together with all parties involved." She leaned over the table, grabbed two of the figures and placed one on Lake Lyn and one on the city limits of Alicante. A white angel with raised arms and outstretched wings. A black Shadowhunter with a sword bent for battle. "We will divide our operation. On the one hand, of course, the defense of the city against Valentine's demon army. On the other hand, we must return the Mortal Instruments to our possession before Raziel is summoned. General Highsmith will explain this in more detail." She nodded to one of her advisors, who immediately spoke up.
"Our troops must hold the city for as long as possible," Highsmith continued mechanically. He was a tall man. Close-cropped black hair, a faint hint of gray. Probably in his forties. His immaculate Shadowhunter uniform bore a series of emblems and medals that clearly identified him as one of the highest in the ranks of the Nephilim army. The hardness of his earth-brown eyes was reminiscent of Imogen's own. One thing was certain: she did not choose her employees based on sympathy. Hardly anyone other than herself would voluntarily be alone in a room with this man. "Given the circumstances, the demon army will hardly allow us the opportunity to do more than defend ourselves. It is conceivable that Valentine will order a single attack on our front line. In such a scenario, our chances of success are minimal. However, if he were to pursue a staggered attack strategy, we could maintain our defense for a longer period of time."
"It's not entirely clear whether the Infernal Conversion has a physical effect on its bearer," Magnus noted when the General paused for breath. "It takes a lot of strength to summon the demons. It's possible that Valentine can't summon and control them all at once. However, since it's only one of my theories, we shouldn't rely on it."
"I think it's more than a theory," I said before Highsmith could cut us off. The room's attention shifted to me, like a magnet exerting its attraction. "I have held the sword twice since it was turned. It drains your life force as soon as you touch it. Not much, but noticeable enough. And that's without using its power. Like an anchor pulling you down."
"With the total number of warriors ready to fight, we can only hope that this effect will be amplified when summoning demons. If Valentine does decide to unleash his army in a single, concentrated offensive, we must be aware that our troops are no match for this immense power. In this scenario, we are talking about a resistance that would only last for hours." General Highsmith didn't look around. His eyes rested on the white angel on the map. "The second, far more crucial aspect of our strategic planning relates to our own offensive. It is of the utmost importance to eliminate Valentine before he has a chance to summon the Archangel. The Angel Sword is the central object of our desire. Once we can obtain it, we will have the means to both contain the demonic threat and thwart Valentine's plans to create a new race of Shadowhunters."
The fact that we were talking about killing my father made my throat tighten. For all his mistakes, for all his misguided ideology, I still saw him as my father. But it wouldn't stop me from stopping him. The list of his crimes was too long for negotiations with him to be an option. I knew he had to die. Just as I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that Jonathan would have to die too. At this point, I didn't even want to think about it.
Today's focus was on our defense. The Inquisitor and her General went through various situation analyses with us. The weakest and strongest points of the city borders. Where near the border the most fighters should be stationed. Which streets and buildings would benefit the various types of our defense – long-range fighters like many of the warlocks, gathering places for the wounded and, in the worst case, evacuation routes.
Luke, Raphael and Magnus assured Highsmith of the exact number of fighters they had available and together they set up defensive positions. Many of the warlocks were part of the second line and were stationed on rooftops, while the vampires and werewolves formed the front line. The Shadowhunters were in the first line, with a few exceptions.
For each line, smaller teams were created that acted as a unit and had a leader. Each leader received orders from a higher-ranking leader who was responsible for the entire line. They, in turn, received orders directly from a leader in this room. Since they wanted to keep the hierarchy as flat as possible, this translated to Alec being directly below Imogen and Jia in the hierarchy, on the same level as Highsmith. He took the news with as little interest as all the other information in that meeting. For me, it confirmed that he was really cut out for this role.
Raphael suggested putting up obstacles in the streets to slow down the demons who couldn't fly. Jia added that a barrier could also be put up at the city's borders so that the front lines wouldn't be directly exposed to the demons. The majority of the Council voted in favor.
While they discussed evacuation plans and siege preparations, I pondered the demon towers. One thing that no one anywhere mentioned was that the towers protected us from any kind of demon attack. As long as the towers were active, no demon would step beyond the invisible city border. That's why there were no physical city walls – because there had never been any need for one. At the beginning, in their imaginary discussions about the impending war, I had been surprised that they had even taken it seriously. After all, only demon blood could deactivate the towers from within the city. And since no demon could enter the city, this was actually impossible. I would have expected Imogen and the Clave to ignore Valentine's plans in all their arrogance. But one important pawn that was completely ignored in today's meeting was my brother. Jonathan had demon blood in him and had already entered the city twice. He would have to deactivate the demon towers – Imogen seemed to have considered this from the beginning, unlike me.
When I asked about it, the General confirmed that they would also assign guards to the towers. But somehow no one seemed too confident that this would be enough to stop him. So they all preferred to focus on the battle itself. And I understood why: Even if we could keep the towers up, it would only delay everything.
The world beyond the tall windows told me that the sun was already quite far to the west. Not long now before it would bend towards the horizon for a kiss and then disappear. This time tomorrow, the fifth day would be drawing to a close. When the last rays of sun would disappear behind the horizon. I wondered why Imogen had even invited me to this meeting when they finally finalized the defensive strategy.
"This means that the important issues for the start of the war have been decided. I ask all representatives of the Council present, with the exception of our Nephilim member, to spread our decisions to their peoples." Jia Penhallow handed Luke, Magnus and Raphael a piece of paper each. "It's within the power of the Council to jointly determine the groups per line. In today's Clave meeting, we'll inform the Shadowhunters together with Alexander."
"That brings us to our real offensive next," Imogen said, her dark, inscrutable pupils slowly moving to me. "I have invited you to this meeting, Clarissa, because we need a unit whose sole goal is the return of the Mortal Instruments. You presented your first plans to me this morning and my advisors are fond of them. For that reason, and because you know our enemies better than anyone else, you should be the first member of this unit."
I nodded silently in confirmation, as there was really nothing more to say. Of course, I would participate in my own plans – I had hoped they would even consider them.
"Past interactions with Valentine and Jonathan have proven that simply invading his camps will not suffice," the Inquisitor continued. "This is about maneuvering with cunning and ingenuity. A layer of planning they don't see coming. Psychological warfare." She stole a glance at Highsmith from the corner of her eye. "My advisors were actually quite impressed with your eye for detail ."
Seeing Imogen's obvious dissatisfaction, I could barely suppress my grin. Instead, I had to pull all my muscles together and force myself to bow slightly. "I assume the plans have been expanded?"
Imogen's grinding of her teeth caused a wave of suppressed laughter; not just from me. Alec, to Isabelle's right, suddenly fell victim to a small coughing fit. I could hear Luke's body vibrating to my left. Isabelle didn't even hide her grin. "A little," the Inquisitor observed, then nodded back to Highsmith.
"We will not go into detail about this plan today. Since we still have spies among us who report to Valentine, only a few are allowed to know the exact content of this mission. You already know everything you need to know. Exact information will follow tomorrow morning. Right now, it is just a matter of setting up the rest of the unit. We have already made a first list." The General pulled a folded piece of paper from the inside of his coat and pushed it across the table to me.
"As I honor our agreement regarding your Parabatai ceremony, I have added Isabelle Lightwood to the list as well," Imogen noted, not even considering her as she spoke of her. Typical Herondale. But Isabelle didn't seem hurt in the least, and instead beamed even more broadly.
I unfolded the sheet of paper and stared at a collection of names, most of which were familiar to me.
1. Aaron Wrayburn
2. Alexander Lightwood
…
5. Clarissa Morgenstern
…
8. Magnus Bane
9. Maia Roberts
10. Isabelle Lightwood
…
15. Adam Demonhunter
There was no sign of Jace anywhere. Part of me was relieved, and part of me was upset. I wanted to fight this battle with Jace. But then again ... right now I didn't even know where we stood. Maybe he would be relieved by this twist of fate if he wasn't there. Maybe it would be better if we put whatever was between us on ice. If we both survived the war, we could pick up where we left off. If that was what would get rid of his conflict, I was willing to take that risk. Even if it would make the battle a thousand times worse for me.
You can handle this, the confident voice in my head said. You can handle anything.
Alec frowned, shifting his weight on his feet to read the names. Of course, I knew immediately why. Jace was his Parabatai. It was an unspoken rule that Parabatai never went into battle separately.
"May I ask a question?"
Imogen looked around her office, a calculating glint in her cool eyes. "Thank you all for coming. You are dismissed. Only Clarissa, Alexander, Isabelle and Mr. Bane remain, please."
My eyes tore away from the inconspicuous piece of paper in my hands. The meeting immediately broke up, as if they couldn't wait to get out of the room. Everything important had been said. Now the members of the Council had to inform their people and get the ball rolling. Footsteps echoed dully across the carpet as the first people left the office.
Inevitably, my attention was drawn to the carpet. So free of blood. So free of adamas. I wondered how Imogen had managed to clean this office at all. Looking around, you would never guess that three days earlier there had been a dozen bleeding corpses lying here, or that an entire wall made of adamas had melted and buried the floor like a tidal wave.
Luke patted me on the shoulder, and before I could raise my chin to return the gesture, Imogen appeared behind him. Her icy blue, reserved irises fixed on the Lightwoods and me, who stood on either side of me like bodyguards surrounding their ruler. Before she could open her mouth, Magnus sneaked around the table to join us – quiet and graceful as a cat – with an expression that was half amused and half scrutinizing.
"Continue," the Inquisitor demanded as soon as the massive wooden doors had slammed shut.
"Why is Adam Demonhunter on this list?" I finally asked. Isabelle grabbed the piece of paper and studied it with intense curiosity. Magnus, whose tall figure leaned over her and Alec's shoulders, seemed to want to do the same.
"He has proven himself to be valuable," Imogen replied shortly, following Isabelle and Magnus with her mouth turned down, as if they were not entitled to the information, even though they were both on the list. "He is currently interrogating his parents, and if he can extract confessions from them, it will be beneficial to the mission. We suspect that the Demonhunters are sitting on a goldmine of information through their extensive connections."
If I was honest with myself, I was glad that Adam would be joining us tomorrow. Despite his actions, I had reached a point where I understood his motives. Even if I wished he had confessed the truth to me of his own free will. I believed that Adam was on our side. Imogen had had him confirm his information under a truth rune, so that any doubts about his loyalty had been eradicated since last night. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my heart. I wanted to believe with every fiber of my being that Adam really was my friend. Our beginnings, whether they were lies or not, meant something to me. I couldn't forget that he had been there for me in those first hours. And even if he had lied to get closer to me, I was sure that a part of the real Adam had already spoken to me then. Just as he had admitted during the interrogation before the Clave. But none of that meant that I could forgive him. For Blake's actions.
"And why is Jace not on this list?" Isabelle now challenged her, and the look she gave Jace's grandmother communicated nothing but accusation and condemnation.
"Jace is not on this list because he is not needed on this mission." Judging by Imogen's stern tone, Imogen didn't seem to like Isabelle very much either. "The unit was selected by General Highsmith and me based on your precise skills. Aaron Wrayburn has already proven himself to be an excellent leader under stressful conditions on several occasions. Alexander, with his archery skills, is a talented sniper. Clarissa is the strategist and can put herself in her father's shoes and change the plan accordingly when unexpected difficulties arise. Mr. Bane, as a warlock, has mastered the skills of distraction and camouflage, but can also cause damage in close combat. Maia Roberts, as a werewolf, has a highly developed sense of smell and is supposed to lead you unnoticed around Valentine's patrols in the Brocelind forest. The remaining Nephilim and Shadowworlders serve as reinforcement for the team in close combat as well as providing an enhancement of special abilities. Due to the time of day, we were unable to take the vampires into account."
"With all due respect, but Jace is the best fighter I know. Except for Jonathan and me." I just mumbled the second sentence.
"Jace is needed in Alicante," Imogen stated unperturbed, fixing us all in turn with a hard stare that made it clear that the matter was closed. "None of you have the rank to question our plan."
"Maybe not the rank, but certainly the right," said Alec, and the controlled emphasis in his voice made me sit up and take notice. An authority free of arrogance or self-confidence, nourished only by mental acuity and significant calm. The voice of a leader. "Jace is my Parabatai, and Parabatai never go into battle alone, unless one of them has already fallen in battle."
Imogen's pupils darkened, but no counterargument emerged from her mouth. Because there was none. Aside from the tenseness of her jaw, she showed no reaction to Alec's statement. It was always her eyes that deceived her. Always the eyes that gave away her true state of mind.
"You want to protect him," I blurted out, and I didn't miss the split second of something that looked suspiciously like anger reflected in her eyes. "You don't want to send Jace to the front lines because the chances of any of us coming back alive are pretty slim. Our mission, no matter how quietly we sneak near Valentine, is a suicide mission. I know that because it's my plan. It was never meant to get everyone out alive. My father is too good a strategist for that."
When the Inquisitor avoided my searching eyes, I knew I was right.
"Jace will never let us go. You would have to put him in chains to stop him from coming with us," Isabelle added in a whisper. My statement about the plan didn't seem to come as a negative surprise to her or the others present.
Imogen silently exhaled a gush of used oxygen from her nose, as if she had been holding her breath until now. At the same time, her body seemed to shrink; to collapse like a deflated balloon. As if she were admitting defeat. I almost felt sorry for her. She was afraid that my father would take away the last bit of her family from her. Her Jace, to whom – despite all the love she felt for him – she usually didn't even pay much attention. And yet she would have betrayed the entire city, her sworn office, to save him. To love means to be destroyed. How much this fear had to keep her awake at night.
"I will think about it until tomorrow. I cannot promise you anything more." Finally, she fixed her gaze on each of us, a silent but unmistakable appeal to the seriousness of her next statement. "Until then, not a word about this list. To anyone."
The sentence seeped slowly into my brain like thick water between pebbles. "If you say nobody, then you mean–"
"Nobody," she interrupted. "Nobody who isn't on this list. Understood?"
This woman knew exactly how to cause me problems. Whether intentionally or not. Since she was clearly waiting for a reaction from us, I nodded briefly. Alec next to me did the same – with a slight delay. Imogen turned on her heel, her robe fluttering like a flag in the wind. She gestured expansively towards the open double doors. "Then you are now dismissed."
Hi guys!
Early update since this week has been intense but pretty good! I finished my last exam on Monday and with that, my Bachelor studies are over now! On top of that, I started a new job as intern yesterday! Since tomorrow is a holiday in Germany and I'm in a good mood, there will be two updates this week!
I hope you liked this chapter!
Skyllen :)
