A/N: Another quick chapter. One part from the past, and the other from the present.
Kellan's father had always encouraged him and his brother to attend all the important Clave meetings, after they had begun their training. It was good for them to meet Shadowhunters from other Institutes, and to learn about the issues affecting them, and the various systems in place, he always told them. His brother often complained that they were boring affairs – especially at their age – but Kellan never complained, finding he learnt a great deal about the Clave's future plans.
The meeting scheduled for that day had not yet started yet, and Kellan and his brother slipped into some seats between the middle and the back of the room. Their sister was not yet old enough to attend, and Kellan thought that she wouldn't yet understand the half of what they talked about, anyway. There was always a lot of politics and Shadowhunter phrases involved.
As they sat down, there was some whispers, as some Shadowhunters sitting around them turned to look at him. His bright red hair was like a beacon attracting their gaze, and the points to his ears were like magnets, keeping their sharp gazes on him. Used to such looks, he didn't bother trying to hide the point to his ears anymore. They would always judge him more harshly, no matter what he did.
Their whispers grew louder, as they hardly tried to disguise them anymore. There had been some recent conflict with the Hunt faeries, and to some of the naive Shadowhunters, they equated these sins to all with faerie blood.
"I'm surprised they still let half breeds – especially those corrupted with faerie blood - in here," someone snickered.
Kellan sighed, feeling his brother tense beside him. While Kellan had always vowed to protect his younger siblings, sometimes his brother felt the need to defend him from the crude insults hurled at him and their family in general.
"Kellan's a Shadowhunter," his brother retorted, eyeing the Shadowhunters with clear distaste. "Shadowhunter blood dominates. Or have you forgotten your teachings?"
"Still… he shows faerie features," a young Shadowhunter replied, nodding towards Kellan's ears. "I bet you're a better fighter than him, right? He definitely looks weaker. You should have been the first born."
Feeling like his brother might stand up and start a scene, Kellan quickly put a reassuring hand on his brother's arm, keeping him in place. People around the room were being quietened, as the Consul was ready to address the crowd. However, a few Shadowhunters were still looking for a reply.
"You have nothing to worry about then, do you? I'm hardly a threat," Kellan replied mildly, not about to raise to their baiting.
While he was used to it, it was exhausting sometimes, always feeling like he had to prove himself. It was as if he was never good enough, in their eyes.
As he tried to concentrate his thoughts on the speech, he resisted the urge to sink down in his seat, not wanting to let them think they could get to him.
On his way back to Jai's house, Finn felt uneasy as he started to hear multiple sets of footsteps behind him. The Towns were always shady, and he ducked down another street quickly, trying to see whether they would follow. When the footsteps continued, he increased his pace, a little more nervous this time. Jai's house was still a couple of blocks away, but if he just made it there-...
His thoughts were interrupted when someone jumped out from the shadows and put their leg out, tripping him over. Stumbling to the ground, he caught himself with his hands, the gravel digging into them.
"Finn, Finn, Finn," a voice admonished, clicking their tongue. "Trying to run away, are you?"
Swallowing, Finn tried to stand up quickly, his instinct always to flee, but a sword aimed at his throat kept him kneeling on the ground. His eyes flicked over to the leader of the little group, nervously.
"I didn't know who it was," he replied quickly. "I'm not going anywhere."
"No, you're not," the werewolf replied, smugly. "We've come to teach you a lesson. One of our gang members says you cheated them out of a lot of money."
Finn's eyes went to a Downworlder nearby, who he vaguely recognised as one of his opponents in the back rooms of a tavern one night. "I didn't cheat," he protested. "I just had a lot of luck that night. I-... I swear!"
At a signal, one of the others kicked out at his stomach with their foot, and he doubled over, coughing as the air was knocked from him.
The werewolf chuckled, shaking his head. "We know you can lie. You're a half faerie. Do you think we believe a word you say?"
"I-... I have a bit of money on me. You can have that if you want," Finn said, trying to hide the fear from his eyes.
Quickly, he felt hands roughly shaking out his pockets, and he kept carefully still. They pulled out some notes, showing it to the leader. "Hmm... that's not enough, I'm afraid. You'll have to be punished."
This time, the hands grabbed his arms, hauling him to his feet. "Wait- wait, I'll pay you back, I promise," Finn begged, his breath quickening.
When they ignored him, he managed to reach for the dagger hidden in a sheath at his side, which Aspen had given him at his request a long time ago. Trying to swipe out with it, it was useless as they easily pulled it from his hand. He was disheartened that he hadn't managed to wound them at all.
At the leader's nod, they forced him over to a dim street lamp nearby, tying his hands tightly to it with rope. He winced as the rope dug into his wrists, and a piece of cloth was tied around his eyes, so we couldn't see. All he could hear was snickering as he struggled, unable to see where they were.
Paling, Finn felt them step away. "Wait! You can't leave me here like this. I'll be dead by morning!"
He continued to struggle as the leader replied, "This is your punishment. If you die here, consider what you owe paid in full... Or if you manage to survive, we expect the rest of your debt paid by the next full moon."
With that, he heard their footsteps fade away, and he slumped against the lamp post. Anyone could come along and kill him or do what they liked, and he'd be even more defenceless than usual.
Keeping alert, Finn listened carefully for footsteps. His voice was certainly all that could save him now.