I Am Ruined (TDA Lord of Shadows Sequel)

[ XXVI ] Corruption and Expectation

Before Helen had a chance to say anything, Mark had already wrapped her in his arms. After Livvy's funeral she was forced to leave and he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye, not knowing when the next time they would see each other would be. Helen's blue eyes were glistening with tears, her arms tightening around her brother. When her eyes met the Consul's, she pulled back gently. Mark stood by her side as Helen addressed Jia.

"Consul Penhallow, I was summoned?" Her voice was strong but bright, like silver bells during Christmas season. Just as Julian remembered his older sister. Just seeing her here brought back familiar memories; her helping Julian paint, attacking his unruly Blackthorn curls with a hairbrush, helping him calm down Emma after she had lost her parents. Those memories were lost in a blur as he looked at her now, she looked different. When he saw her before the Council Meeting, there had been so much going on, he barely had a chance to look at her. Now, standing in a quiet room with her, he noticed she was less fragile than she used to be. She was taller, her white blonde hair still soft curls, but hanging just past her shoulders now. Her face was more angular, muscles more defined as she stood confidently in the room. Just like a Shadowhunter, the trials she had been put through only made her stronger.

"Helen, dear, please have a seat." Jia motioned to the chair she had been sitting in only moments ago and shifted her gaze pointedly at Mark. They both sat, Mark in his chair and Helen in Jia's as the Consul herself perched herself on the side of her desk. Jia and Helen were close due to her marriage to Aline Penhallow, but it was hard to be the doting mother-in-law when you had to uphold the cruel punishments dealt by the Clave. "In your time at Wrangel Island, have you heard about what has been happening here?"

Helen shook her head hesitantly, "I- I can't say I've been very up to date on political dealings of the Clave during my exile."

Jia nodded, her bottom lip between her teeth as the words stung. Further reminders of what Jia had done to her. What the Clave had done to her. Nonetheless, Jia swallowed the pain and spoke – telling Helen of everything that had transpired in the past few months since Livvy's death. The Warlock's worsening state, the blights in Faerie, the possibility of Shadowhunter's losing runic ability, and everything in between.

"With all due respect, Jia, what does this have to do with me?" Helen asked during a lull in the conversation.

"The Unseelie King is behind the blight, he is spreading it throughout Faerie and we believe he plans to bring it to the human realm next. He has Anabel Blackthorn, who is in possession of the Black Volume. We think he is going to use it to bring the blight here, and we need to stop him. In the Unseelie Realm, Shadowhunters do not have the power of their runes and he is almost too powerful to be stopped – almost. If we have the element of surprise, if he doesn't have time to prepare forces or any traps, we may have a chance. As King of the Unseelie Realm, he can sense anyone entering, but we need the element of surprise."

Helen raised her eyebrows, "So how do we go about that?"

"An heirloom. There is a ring enchanted by the fae that allows entrance to the Faerie realms without detection. And we are to believe you are in possession of this heirloom." Jia finished, Helen's mouth dropping open.

"I- I don't have it. I wouldn't steal anything, especially not from the fae." She was looking at Mark who watched her with hopeful eyes.

Jia placed a comforting hand on hers, "We know you didn't steal it, we are not accusing you of anything. We believe you were gifted it without your knowledge."

Mark smiled at her now, "The ring you had when we were brought to the Blackthorns. It was a gift from Nene, our aunt. The one you always wore around your neck on a chain." Mark lifted the golden chain from around her neck now to find no ring. His expression fell, Julian and Ty's as well. Jace and Clary shared a worried expression. "Where is your ring Helen?"