Song inspiration: I'm Odd (Instrumental) – Mac lethal, Goth (Sped Up Reverb) – Sidewalks and Skeletons

Chapter 89 – Fate Always Catches Up With You

- 16 hours before sunset. -

"Even though I think you're a genius, you must have gotten that from someone," Jace remarked as we walked back to the party side by side. Slowly but surely, my eyes were drooping, but I was leaning against his chest, his arm around my waist as we approached our friends.

"Valentine is the true mastermind." The garden had emptied considerably. A few figures were standing in small groups, but the loudspeakers had gone silent. Alec, Isabelle and Adam were running around disposing of bottles, glasses and leftover food, while Magnus entertained the last remaining people with his antics. Watching them go about their tasks brought a smile to my face. This could be our everyday life, our future. "He always thought three steps ahead. I just picked up the little bit of strategy he shared with us."

"How is your plan supposed to work if you don't believe in it yourself?" Jace had stopped at the transition from gravel path to lawn, out of earshot of the others. He rested his cheek against my hairline, sending a breathtaking tingle down my neck. This could be my future.

"I think it all comes down to who's the better strategist. It's like chess. You can guess which piece your opponent might move and how. But when time is of the essence, the winner is the one who can predict and counter all the other player's possible moves before the pieces even start moving around the board."

"I see it a little differently." Jace's words were laced with unease. "The one who can adapt the fastest wins, I agree with you there. But what if I don't want to play chess? What if I just change the rules?"

"So, you mean do something my father wouldn't predict?" I raised an eyebrow in doubt. "He sees through the cleverest diversions and the best lies. Nothing surprises him because he doesn't miscalculate. He doesn't overestimate himself or his followers; he's too persistent when it comes to the details. His plans are like choreographies: timed from start to finish. No room for surprises. If his defense is too weak, he wants to let us through. If his warriors retreat, he wants us to follow them. If the sword is within reach, he wants us to fall into the trap."

"Then why even try to take back Mellartach if we can't win anyway?"

"Because everyone makes mistakes," I whispered into the crisp night. A blink of an eye later, the witchlights lost their luminosity and we were plunged into darkness. "Because no game is perfect. We're going on this mission because we have to find the mistake in his plan. It won't be obvious, but it will be there. Because no one is infallible, no matter how foresighted and calculating. We must change a rule he didn't even know existed."

"You two must start helping us clean up already!" Isabelle called from the terrace at that moment and ordered us over with a wave of her finger.

Thanks to Magnus's magic, restoring order to the garden was quick. A short time later, the rubbish was neatly placed in one corner, while the rest of the area was spotlessly clean. Except for the broken gutter, which Magnus had intentionally not healed, the entire garden looked as it had before the party.

"Magnus Bane, savior of my sleep," trilled Isabelle, giving the warlock a warm hug.

Magnus patted Isabelle's head helplessly and his eyes searched for Alec, as if he could rescue him from this situation. "More like savior of the day," he replied, pressing his mouth into a line in a state of mental overload. "I like to cuddle with my cats, but with Nephilim? I don't know if that would do my reputation any good."

"Shut up," Isabelle shot back imperiously. Without letting go of him, she turned her head and motioned for us to come closer. "We could all use one last hug before we save the world tomorrow."

Alec rolled his eyes, but didn't hesitate as he wrapped his strong arms around Isabelle and Magnus and snuggled up to them. Jace widened his eyes a little – probably because he wasn't used to this openness from his Parabatai. Who was, really? Isabelle and I exchanged a knowing look. With a slight smile, I imitated Alec and wrapped my arms around the three of them.

"I forgot what unusual Nephilim you are," Magnus said after Jace had followed our example. He no longer sounded overwhelmed, but almost exuberant, as if he were complimenting us.

"Alcoholized Nephilim," Isabelle whispered in my ear, and we giggled.

"Come on, Adam," Jace said behind me.

Adam hesitated. I caught sight of his face through Jace's arm and smiled in a way I hoped was encouraging. Adam's eyes gleamed as he finally joined us in jerky movements, wrapping his arms tentatively, then firmly, around our shoulders.

For a while we just stood there, hugging each other, listening to our balanced breathing and concentrating our thoughts on what would come in a few hours. I had already come to terms with the fact that these could be my last beautiful moments. But how would I feel about it later? Would I still be so calm, considering the eternal torment that Jonathan had promised me if he won?

I squeezed my eyes shut and conjured up the image of my mother in my mind. How she had looked when we had ridden across the snowy fields of Alicante more than two months ago. It seemed as if those images had been in another life; as if they had happened years ago.

I was no longer the same person who had fled at Jocelyn's side. She had opened my eyes but died before she could witness what that truth had made of me — what kind of person it had shaped. A path in the sparse light — a forest trail where the trees let the light in yet cast shadows.

For the first time in a long while, I felt like my mother would have been proud of me; that I had become the person she had always seen in me — the one I had long failed to see. Were she standing here now, she would probably be smiling. Not because of the trial ahead of us, but because, no matter what would happen, I knew what it meant to have truly lived. To have truly loved.

I loved all these people, and tomorrow I would either bring my family's dynasty to its knees or die trying.

oOo

- 12 hours before sunset. -

The fatigue pulled at my limbs with such force that I couldn't lift my eyelids. Yet, I knew the sun was about to rise behind the mountains because I had deliberately left the curtains open before going to bed. To make getting up easier. Despite my efforts, it would still prove to be one of the hardest challenges I would face today. At least that was how it felt right now.

Maryse's wake-up call echoed through the house a second time, and behind me, Jace groaned in frustration. He tried to turn away from the window — I could feel his muscles shifting — but his arm was trapped by my body.

"I curse Isabelle for the rest of my days," he growled, probably trying to sound frustrated. Sleep had such a strong hold on him that I could barely make out the words. Or maybe my hearing was just failing me, since I had buried my head under my pillow since dusk.

I didn't bother replying and simply waited for the next wave of exhaustion to pull me back into the darkness. I was sure that the world could get by without me for another hour. What could they possibly want from me anyway? Our mission didn't start until late noon and there was nothing on my–

"Isabelle, Clary!" My body flinched at the bizarre volume of Maryse's voice. In my back, Jace jumped in shock, which gave me another scare. Maryse must have amplified her voice with a rune. Couldn't she just knock on our doors like a normal person? "Imogen Herondale is calling you in for the Parabatai ceremony in an hour. If you don't show up on time, there will be no ceremony!"

"Oh, how I hate your grandmother," I mumbled sleepily, turning to Jace without opening my eyes. Thankfully, only sleep spoke from the disjointed rhythm of my words, since an Iratze before bed had spared me any kind of hangover. "I'm going to kill her as soon as I see her. I'm going to–" A banging at our door drew a muffled exclamation from me. "By the Angel, what on earth is going on this morning?!"

Someone kicked the door open, nearly knocking it off its hinges. Jace let loose a wave of curses that under normal circumstances would have drained the color from my cheeks. I didn't move. If they were coming to kill me, I definitely wasn't going to resist, and right now I didn't care.

"I hope you're wearing something underneath," came Isabelle's grumpy voice, making it clear that even if we were completely naked, she couldn't have cared less. She yanked the down blanket away so forcefully that Jace jumped again, nearly crushing me in the process as he scrambled to follow the blanket.

"You should be grateful that I'm so tired, annoying sister. Otherwise, you'd be the first to die today."

"Shut up," was all she replied. "Open your eyes, Clary, now!"

"What do you want?" Knowing Isabelle well enough to know that she wasn't going to just disappear, I fought against the weight of my eyelids. When they finally cracked open a sliver, I burst out laughing at the sight of a true scarecrow in front of me.

"Serves you right," Jace remarked gleefully behind me.

Isabelle's hair was standing on end, knotted like a bird's nest. Her cheeks flushed from sleep and her eyes puffy, she stood at the edge of my bed, tugging on my arm. From the way she looked, Maryse must have personally woken her up. Suddenly I was thankful her mother hadn't stopped by our room, especially when Isabelle now looked like that.

Impatiently, she pressed a stele between my fingers. "You need to create a rune that wakes me up," she demanded bluntly and with such seriousness that I couldn't help but laugh.

"The last time I had to create a rune, we almost died," I grumbled and was about to let go of the stele. Finally, I thought better of it. I would need this rune myself in order to be able to face today with full strength. "Very well then but let me get up first."

"You two can't be serious." Jace narrowed his eyes at us reproachfully. He looked as sleepy as we probably felt.

"I'm completely serious, brother," Isabelle snapped, pulling the pillow out from under my head and throwing it in his face. "I've never been more serious."

I paid no further attention to them but sat up and tried to see through the spongy soup of my mind; to find an ounce of concentration and hold on to it. Without falling over again in the grip of dizziness. After the rune that had opened a gate to Heaven for us and had consumed almost all of my strength, this now seemed like a piece of cake.

I was filled with unexpected pride when, less than a minute later, I applied the rune that I had effortlessly conjured up in my mind to the inside of my forearm. Like a lake on the face of the moon, it glowed for a second in the most beautiful silver before it penetrated my skin and manifested itself in the darkest of all black tones. Its effect set in immediately, passing through me like a supernova, reviving every last inch of my cells, evaporating the fog around my head.

After showing the rune to Isabelle so she could trace it, I leaned over a sleeping Jace and inscribed him with the rune. His eyelashes fluttered as the power passed through him and I felt a small piece of my own energy being lost to him. Our eyes met over his shoulder and Jace's fingers slid into the crook of my neck before he pulled me down to him.

I didn't notice Isabelle leaving the room – not even when she closed the door. The heat from Jace's body set me on fire and suddenly I was on top of him, my arms resting on his shoulders. The kiss reached to the very core of my soul, seemed to disconnect me from this world.

Our mouths slid over each other, trying to capture the other's face with every touch, although neither of us could have resisted this desire. Desperate, like people dying of thirst in the middle of an endless desert, we held each other. Greedy, like desperate people who had been given a meager glimpse of what could be, we stole another, perhaps final, moment. In the hope of more. In the hope that we would be left with more than just a glimpse.

Jace kissed my cheeks, ran his tongue caressingly over my lips and finally demanded entry. Our tongues touched in a feather-light embrace and a shiver ran through my bones like a lightning bolt. If he hadn't dug his fingers so tightly into the scanty shirt, I would have thought I was melting before his eyes.

"Clary." It was a hoarse sound from deep in Jace's throat. Full of unspoken words and unspoken needs. With a passion that could have dug trenches and split mountains. "I love you."

This time I didn't flinch from the words. This time I didn't shy away from their meaning. This time I didn't fear that this love would destroy me. My voice didn't tremble as I answered, "I will always love you. Until my last breath, and even in the life that comes after this, I will find you and love you." Despite the intensity of my emotions that seemed to burn me up, I held my vocal cords firm and insistent. I would never fear this feeling again; would never refuse that hand again, when I could instead take it and hold on to it forever, merging in its excellence. As if I could win the war single-handedly. As if I could save the world from all evil. As if I could defy the Gods themselves.

"I'm eagerly awaiting that eternity," Jace murmured, his mouth sliding over my wrist and covering it with kisses. "Even though it will be a pleasure to live this life with you. And when we're old and gray, we will look back and laugh at this war, at what a fool your father was for thinking he could stand in our way." He leaned back on the pillows. Our eyes locked – it felt like I was stumbling and falling into his soul. The only abyss I was willingly leaning towards. "Because together we're unbeatable, you and I. And by the time Valentine realizes that, it will already be too late for him."

A smile appeared on his perfect lips, and I leaned down to kiss it away. Jace's fingers slid under my shirt and set my skin on fire like a red-hot poker. There was no agony. Only a feeling of complete inviolability racing through my veins, opening my cells to more of the addictive pleasure his touch triggered in me.

To love meant to destroy, and to be loved meant to be the one who was destroyed.

The only thing that could destroy me was the remaining love I had for my family. No other love – not for Jace or for my friends – would ever crush me in such a cruel way. No, they would never betray me like that.

Because true love wasn't deceitful and didn't hurt. Even the love for Jonathan, however connected we had once been, was in truth nothing but an illusion of my naive hope. It could destroy me if I allowed it. If I wasn't prepared to cut this last rotten thread of my past before it poisoned my future.

"The pain will be worth it," I whispered against his mouth, not wanting to live for even a heartbeat in a world where his no longer existed. "For the blood of those who stand together will nourish the ground and create a world according to their desires."

oOo

- 11 hours before sunset. -

Despite the astonishingly strong sunlight at the start of this fate-altering day, the Inquisitor's office was shrouded in darkness. Long, finger-thin candles flickered on the ebony furniture, giving the room a mysterious, nerve-wracking sense of anticipation – reminding me of the all-encompassing significance of this ceremony for me and for the Nephilim community as a whole.

The windows were tightly closed and the view of the ochre roofs of Alicante was blocked by heavy, pine-green curtains, at the ends of which silver runes intertwined. The lonely Silent Brother at the far end of the room seemed to merge with the wall behind him, as if he were nothing more than an imposing, detailed sculpture – he obscured the vast, carefully crafted tapestry that depicted Alicante and the four demon towers. A flawless night, the likes of which one rarely experienced: with the full moon in the sky, its favor clearly directed toward the city at its feet and under the watchful eyes of the thousands of stars.

However, the first thing I registered as I lightly stepped over the threshold was none of that. It was the finely balanced scent of incense — perfectly tuned. Not too strong to cause a headache, nor too faint to go unnoticed.

The Lightwoods had already gathered in the office. Robert had a proud expression in his topaz eyes. Maryse to his right had her shoulders pulled back with dignity and wore a solemn smile – in that moment she reminded me more than ever of Isabelle. Little Max was rocking from one foot to the other between Alec and Jace and his eyes went wide as the Inquisitor entered the room in her ceremonial robes in front of us.

Isabelle and I walked side by side, in step, it being more coincidentally than anything. When Imogen reached her seat, she turned to us, her ceremonial robe of dark blacks and greens flapping around her combat boots. I was surprised that she had bothered to change for this. Her ice-blue irises swept over our faces before she motioned for us to take our places in the prepared circle in the middle of the room. Only her eyes no longer radiated the icy coldness I had associated with them for far too long. Although no warmth had dispelled the frost, it would be a lie to say that something had not begun to melt in her expression. Whoever that emotion was now directed at.

Even though I couldn't help but notice the gazes of all the adults which were on me since I had walked in. Different than usual – without the thoughtfulness or the distrust or the distance. Something different lingered in Robert's, Maryse's and Imogen's features as soon as their eyes fell on me. At first, I thought it was melancholy, but it didn't make sense. At least I hoped that Isabelle's decision to take me as her Parabatai didn't repel them. Even though Isabelle had made it clear to me several times that she didn't care about the rest of the world's opinion, I didn't want to condemn her to the fate of eternal judgment.

I turned my head to Isabelle and, with my chin, pointed to the side with her family. It was customary for the families of the uniting warriors to line up behind them to witness the ceremony. And as I stood in my semicircle, marked by midnight-black runes, I stared not only into Isabelle's face, but into that of her family as well. While Isabelle had the wonderful view of the nothingness behind my figure.

The thought should have made me sad. Instead, my smile grew as Isabelle took her place across from me and turned to me. No one in my family who should have been here today was still alive. So I carried them in my heart, and in my mind I knew that they would have been happy with me at that moment.

A strange relaxation lay over the muscles in my face. As if nothing that would happen in the next few hours would have any impact on the here and now. As if I were free of all the shackles that usually chained me. I stood straighter, calmer, and could feel the joy pulsing through my blood like a surge of adrenaline. I felt less like the old Clarissa Morgenstern than ever before, and for the first time I felt relief about it. Because it meant that my future might not be crushed by guilt, as I had feared for so long.

Isabelle winked at me when she saw my smile. We had both dressed up for the ceremony. Our black battle gear fitted perfectly, our boots polished, and our hair in matching braids. When I had looked at myself in the mirror at home, I had felt like I was looking at my mother's face instead of my own. The fact that I could carry on her legacy instead of my father's filled me with a rush of pride.

The only legacy of my father that I would ever accept was strapped to my back at that moment. Eosphoros rested in its black scabbard embroidered with silver stars, and only its cross hilt of gold and obsidian was visible behind my head. It was more my sword than it had ever been Valentine's. I would lead it into this final battle to restore the peace that the Morgensterns had disturbed. The rune of Heavenly Fire that I had inscribed on the hilt when I had woken up radiated a warmth into my back. The rune of Heavenly Fire that I would use to stop the demon and grant my brother his well-deserved final rest. It would restore the balance that Valentine had carelessly taken from this family.

Imogen stepped to the side of the circle Isabelle and I stood in, and as soon as she began to murmur quiet words, the flames of another fire shot up around us. The rune circle had begun to burn; dark red, licking flames licked heatlessly upwards, shielding us from the rest of the room.

Isabelle grinned and grabbed my hand before the Inquisitor could ask us to. The red flames were reflected by the shine of her velvet black hair, while mine swallowed their glow.

"Isabelle Sophia Lightwood and Clarissa Adele Morgenstern," the Inquisitor's voice boomed through to us. "Like Jonathan and David and many other Nephilim pairs after them, you too wish to enter into the Parabatai bond today. A bond closer than any blood or love, stronger than any trust of ordinary warriors and only separable by death. A promise to follow one another to the ends of the earth, to stand against the final unbeatable demon, and to remain steadfastly loyal. To put this trust to the test, you have mastered the greatest of all challenges side by side, stood together in the eye of death and proved yourselves to be sisters in spirit."

I was sure that my face had never been more radiant in my life than it was at that moment. Isabelle's eyes sparkled with pride and joy in equal measure, and mine were no less so. This, the euphoria that shot through my body confirmed it, had to be the best day of my life. It was the first time that Imogen Herondale's words evoked such an unstoppable feeling of happiness in me. Factually, it was incorrect that only death could separate the Parabatai bond, but I understood why only this honorable end was mentioned in ceremonies. And unlike usual, I didn't care how the Inquisitor twisted things. All that mattered was Isabelle and I, and my fingers were already itching with the desire to hold my stele in my hand.

"Speak your oath and inscribe the Parabatai runes," Imogen demanded in a low voice.

In sync like sunflowers turning toward the brilliant light, Isabelle and I began to move: her fingers hooked onto the collar of her gear and pushed it down so that I had a clear view of the skin above her heart; my fingers clenched around my stele. An electric shiver ran through my body at the touch of the adamas. The grip of our interlocked hands tightened. We looked neither at our hands nor at any point beyond the fire – the focus of our pupils rested solely on those of the other. Here, only she and I existed.

And as the pulsation of my heart grew so loud that it danced in unison with the fire, our lips parted just as unanimously to take the oath:

"Entreat me not to leave thee

Or return from following after thee–

For whither thou goest, I will go,

And where thou lodgest, I will lodge."

When it was finally time to apply my rune, I could only stare, as if bewitched, at my completed rune, which now disappeared beneath the collar of her gear. Seconds later, the tip of her stele glided over my skin, as soft as the caress of a feather, leaving behind a series of silvery lines whose curves and edges took my breath away.

"Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried.

The Angel do so to me, and more also.

If aught but death part thee and me!"

The red flames shot toward the ceiling one last time as soon as Isabelle finished the rune. Then it manifested, becoming a part of me. It felt like someone had pushed a hand through my chest and reached for my heart – not to rip it out, but to squeeze it tightly; as if it were whispering reassurance and safety. The pressure disappeared as quickly as it had come, and an overwhelmed gasp escaped my throat as I felt the bond appear between Isabelle and me. A thin thread that could have been made of adamas, as strong as it felt. Invisible and yet no less tangible than her hand between my fingers. The warmth that emanated from the bond was overwhelming. Familial like a hug, intimate like a friendship.

The fire around us had already dissipated, but neither she nor I could move. I saw the storm of emotions in Isabelle's eyes, where a part of my own emotions was now reflected – just as she must have recognized a fragment of herself in me. As if from far away, I heard the clapping of her family.

"I hope you don't regret it," I said over the noise.

Isabelle showed me her teeth and shook her head vehemently. "Not for a second, Morgenstern."

The bond wasn't a lie detector. It didn't transmit her thoughts or the full extent of her feelings in real time. It seemed to work more like an amplification, so I had an idea of what state she was in. Like a slight premonition of how she would behave, as if she were part of my own consciousness. An extension of myself.

We didn't have much time to grasp this new connection before Jace and Alec rushed towards us. It was unmistakable jubilation, which we soon joined in. A moment that I wanted to hold on to so that I could live in it forever. Jubilation that I sucked into my lungs like oxygen because I wanted to end this day with just that.

oOo

- 10.5 hours before sunset. -

Beaming like two honey cake horses, Isabelle and I stood in Imogen's office shortly after the end of our Parabatai ceremony. The dark ambiance of the room was replaced by the bright, cool morning, and we now looked down once more at the table shaped like Idris. Surrounded by high-ranking Nephilim and Shadowworlders, the Inquisitor and Consul went over the plans and tasks for the day one last time. It was still morning, but a lot needed to be accomplished before the coming twilight.

The only thing on my agenda before we began our mission was to avoid being stabbed by Imogen's piercing gaze, which she occasionally hurled at our little troop like accurate knives. Not that I blamed her, considering her grandson had remained in the room uninvited, as if the meeting that was taking place had not been kept secret from 99% of the population – including him.

Oh yes, Imogen Herondale was furious and if we didn't die today, she would make us feel that anger tomorrow. Isabelle and I had told Jace about the secret mission to my father's base and since Adam, Alec and Magnus had joined us during that talk, they couldn't talk their way out of it either.

Jace didn't even bat an eyelid at his grandmother's looks. He had already made his decision to go on the mission – regardless of what she would have decided in the end. He would accompany us to Valentine's camp and there was nothing she could do about it. And if he died, we would all be in deep trouble. If we weren't dead ourselves by then.

The meeting didn't last long. Everyone knew their contribution to the great battle. The strategy had already been discussed several times. Only the content of our mission – that this mission even existed – was something that very few people knew. And so, like yesterday, we had to stay until the end of the meeting – listening to them talk about a battle in which not we, but only our families and friends, would take part – until Imogen finally turned her attention to us.

After most of the members of the war council were dismissed and only our unit remained, the Inquisitor stopped pretending to be emotionless. The door had barely closed when she attacked us like a hungry predator waiting to tear its prey to pieces at the right moment. There was talk of insubordination, of a potential war crime, of a lack of loyalty, until Jace finally cut her off, seething with anger, and let loose his own tirade, which was in no way inferior to hers. It was unmistakable that they were related.

When Jace had made it clear to his grandmother that the only way she could stop him from joining our mission was to kill him, Imogen finally gave up. Which didn't mean she didn't continue to blame the rest of us for Jace's possible death – that much was certain. The way she stared at him and then at us, it was clear that Jace could set the Gard on fire, and she would still find someone else to blame.

Soon after, I found myself the center of attention in the office, everyone's eyes on me and the table in front of us as I explained my plan to them – just like I had explained it to Jace the night before. I was glad that Aaron Wrayburn, who had been listening to the discussion between the Herondales in silence, arms folded, was now diligently taking notes. He was the leader of the unit – he had to understand the plan better than anyone else, maybe even better than me. But I needn't have worried. I realized pretty quickly why Imogen and Jia had chosen him to lead the way. The way he asked questions and his tone, as if he already knew every detail of what I was saying, reminded me of my father's way of thinking.

The others were also fully focused. Except for Jace and the Clave leadership, no one had known the full extent of the plan. And if we were to master it and survive, everyone had to know it as well as if they had designed it themselves.

I lost track of time, lost in the movement of the figures across the Brocelind Forest area as I revealed and explained phase after phase of the plan. Before their eyes and in view of their questions, I analyzed the steps that built upon each other, tried to make clear how different stages flowed together and reminded them all of their strengths and weaknesses. Because that was my strength: assessing the abilities of others and assigning them to a task accordingly. No boasting on my part, just a simple fact.

When my flow of words finally stopped, I raised my head and curiously looked around. My eyes briefly slid to the clock and back to their faces. Apart from their questions, the room had been dead silent for the last three quarters of an hour. Even now, the concentrated calm didn't leave the room. From the strained expressions on my friends and allies' faces, I could tell that their minds were still on the battlefield. How they felt about the chances that I had repeatedly rubbed in their faces remained questionable.

"Well, if we don't win with this, then we truly deserve to die," said Adam. The Inquisitor pursed her lips in response, as if she had to hold back from saying something.

Aaron Wrayburn looked up from his notes, nodding. He and I had exchanged the most words during my presentation and, judging by his somewhat confident expression, he seemed pleased with our results. "It won't be an easy task, but if we stick to the plan and work together, we can succeed in bringing Mellartach home."

Home. My cheek muscles twitched, but I forced the corners of my mouth to politely turn upwards.

Jace, who was closest to me, brushed one of my braids from my shoulder. Longing filled his eyes as they ran over my face. "Can you adjust the plan if we encounter any surprises?"

The nod of my chin had taken on a life of its own over the past hour. I tried to play the optimistic one. Not to hide my concerns. A group united by hope would reach its full potential. "For every blow there is a counterblow, but every change requires domino analysis. As soon as Valentine can predict our moves, we're lost."

"We have to be able to put ourselves in Valentine's shoes. We have to think of the best possible plan for his goals and then beat it with a better one of our own," Magnus noted, raising his voice for the first time. His thoughtful eyes rested on the figure of the angel in the middle of Lake Lyn. "Every one of us has to be able to do that. It may be Clary's plan, but we can't rely on her."

The meaning of his words slowly sank into the others' minds, and to my surprise, I could see discomfort on all of their faces except Aaron. To my left, Jace hunched forward ever so slightly, as if Magnus had hit him.

"Magnus is right," I said before losing the others. As soon as they started fantasizing about death, their concentration would be gone. "I've told you how the odds are for each of us surviving. In the event that I don't make it to the end, you all need to be able to carry on with the plan without me. That goes for everyone here."

"Lucky for us that you're the strongest of us," Isabelle joked, but no one batted an eyelid. "If they get you, the rest of us are already dead anyway."

"You cannot think like that," Imogen interjected. Her cool expression passed over each of us. "I have seen the strongest worriers fall first. Nothing beats strategy, but ultimately the outcome of a battle is nothing but a mixture of coincidence, luck and surprise. A plan helps immensely to shift the balance in your favor, but it is no guarantee."

"It's important to always be alert and able to adapt one's plan in a matter of seconds," Aaron confirmed seriously. "Everyone in this unit was chosen for their strengths. One of us will be the first to lose their life. It's important to keep in mind that no number of strengths can compensate for the weaknesses that come with them. We rely on the unit as a whole, on Clary and Magnus and everyone else. The failure of one is the failure of all and always weighs equally heavily. Because everyone has their own special task to fulfill."

"What motivating words," Jace whispered in my ear. A smile lit up his face as I looked up at him. I had no idea who he was trying to convince, but it certainly wasn't me. I shot him a withering look. In return, his hand ran up my back as if he wanted to hold on to me at all costs.

Since the plan was set and there was still time before our official departure, we too were dismissed. The Inquisitor would personally escort us to the portal at the Gard, which would drop us off at our starting point near Brocelind Forest. Aaron was the first to say goodbye and hurried away, as did Magnus and Alec, who were both entangled in Council affairs.

Isabelle had volunteered to join a crew preparing the Accords Hall for the minors. She waved to us with a grin before strolling off across Angel's Square, her long black braids blowing in the morning breeze.

"Do you think we can sneak out of town to the Cemetery of the Disgraced before we depart?" I asked Jace when it was just the two of us left. We also had tasks that needed to be completed first, but this conversation would cost us nothing.

Out of the corner of my eye I felt Jace's golden gaze on my cheeks. The rather strong sun had given them a slightly rosy tone. "Of course."

I grabbed his fingers and laced them with mine. He returned the pressure immediately, and when my body turned toward me, he had already leaned down to connect our lips in a fleeting kiss. My gasp sounded as unexpected as I felt. I felt my pupils dilate as a warmth spread through my veins that had no place here and now.

Jace's angelic face darkened the color in my cheeks, bringing out an almost cocky grin on his part. "I'm the happiest man on the planet," he blurted out, his fingers digging into the pit of my neck as he entered my private space. "You could ask me anything and I would say yes."

I forgot the people around us as soon as our eyes met a second time. The fingers of my free hand slid up to his chest, lingering over his heart. For a while I just enjoyed the pulsing of his heartbeat; I breathed the fresh spring air deep into my lungs and told myself that we could do it. That we could successfully complete our mission and live a carefree life together. I wanted nothing more than that.

"I want to introduce you to my mother," I whispered so that the words didn't carry further than his ears. "I want her to know that I'm doing well in this world. That I'm happy. I want her to know that her dreams have come true. That she was right."

"Then we'll tell her just that," Jace replied, his features as soft as butter. When he looked at me like he was now, I wanted nothing more than to surrender to his strong arms and lose myself in his warmth. I wanted him to wrap his hands around my waist, pull me close and never let go.

"The construction of the barricades I'm helping with shouldn't take more than two hours," he added after a while.

"Then we'll meet back here in two hours," I suggested and Jace nodded.

I squeezed his hand one last time before I parted from him with a heavy heart. But my smile was genuine and excited. No thought of the coming war and our mission could diminish my anticipation of seeing my mother, even if it was only her grave. Her spirit would be there to welcome me.

Things are slowly getting serious. The final preparations are being made, the last things are being completed. Clary and Isabelle are finally Parabatai! How did you like the ceremony? Hopefully I lived up to your expectations.

Skyllen