A Broken Future

Chapter Twenty-Four: Guardian Angel

Clary could see nothing, nothing but black. she knew an excruciating pain for what seemed like ages. Then she saw something, a tunnel in the dark, and though it was looming and mysterious, she could find no other way to go.

Jace rushed to Clary's side, falling to the floor where she lay unconscious. Her skin was pale,all color gone, and the freshly made marks on her arm and chest were already draining to thin outlines. He was distantly aware of everyone else's presence, but in the foreground of his mind was only Clary.
He took her limp, frail body in his arms, cradling her head with his arm as he knelt beside her. "Clary," he whispered. His voice was weak and strained to his own ears. Jace pressed an ear to the place over her heart, smelling the lingering burn of the rune there. He held his breath, searching for her heartbeat. It was faint and stuttering in her chest.
"Warlock!" He called, pushing aside the use of first names. Magnus was nearby, leaning heavily on Alec with weakness, and though he was close, Jace yelled for him out of panic. "Come here! She needs your help!"
He shuffled quickly to the other side of Clary, dropping to the ground on his knees. A shuddering breath rattled suddenly from the body of Sebastian, startling them all. Jocelyn made her way to him hesitantly, then crashed to the ground and cradled his body. Though bewildered by this change of events, Jace snapped his attention back to the dying girl in his arms. Clary.
Magnus began to form a spell out of thin air, chanting as blue sparks knit together between his hands. He brought sapphire web to Clary's chest, meaning to somehow penetrate her alarming stillness, but the charm vanished on contact. The warlock's cat-eyes darkened.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Jace asked frantically.
"She's bad, very bad... Sebastian, he had protective charms on her. To keep her healthy. But when he died, they did too, and she can't hold up much longer without them."
"But you can help her, cant you?"
Magnus sighed heavily. "I'll try, but I'm weaker right now. My father-" he seemed to choke on the words, lapsing into silence before beginning another charm.
He tried again and again, trying to bring more life to Clary's form with each spell, but there was no visible progression. Jace held her tight, hoping for a miracle, hoping that she would not leave him, because he could not go on without Clary. She was his everything, the person who saw exactly who he was and loved him for it, who fought without a second thought for the ones she loved, who had owned his heart from the moment he had met her. This was Clary, and he couldn't bear to loose her.
Magnus sat back, obviously pained and now lacking energy. "There's nothing I can do. She's beyond my help. maybe if I was well, but now..."
"No. There has to be something you can do, anything," Jace pleaded, clutching onto her body. He looked hard into Magnus's eyes. "Please. You have to."
"Jace, if I could, believe me, I would. But she can't be saved."
"No. No..." He said unbelievably. "Clary, stay with me, hold on..."
He heard Jocelyn and Luke returning, but they were a thousand miles away. He listened again for her heart beat.
Clary, please, keep your heart beating, stay with me, I love you, please don't go, he willed her. He strained his ears for a beat, a simple rhythm to give him hope. There was none.
"No, no, no," he whispered. He felt her throat for a pulse with shaky hands. Again, nothing. Tears escaped his eyes.
"Jace..." Alec said, laying a hand on his parabatai's shoulder. Jace hugged her body, limp and losing warmth, to his, as if the embrace could bring her back to life.

Clary made her way through the dark tunnel, surrounded by walls of black. I'm dead, she thought, knowing it was true. But she didn't think of the world or the people she was leaving behind; she felt as if she was in a trance, floating through time and space.
A pinprick of light marked what seemed to be the end of the tunnel. White beams, like the arms of a star, stretched out toward her, beckoning her. She tried to hold back, but the light drew her toward itself.
Suddenly the light was gone, as if a dark and ominous door had shut the opening off from sight. Her eyes searched for something, anything in the darkness, and were blinded by the brilliant figure of a girl.
There, behind her, was a childlike angel. She was pure; made of gold and silver; metallic light her features with a radiant brightness, her light, sharp features glowing with heavenly glory. She had wings with a span that dwarfed her delicate body, each plush feather gleaming with silver. A simple, white dress like blindingly new snow in sunlight fell to her ankles, and she hovered like an image of unworldly brightness in front of Clary.
"Who are you?" She asked, astonished that she could speak in the presence of such a glorious being.
You have already known me, the girl replied, her tone like a thousand singing children that composed a single voice. But now is not the time for you to know who I am once again. You will know me now as simply, your guardian angel. Not many have one, but you do.
"What is happening?" Clary asked, bewildered by this strange reply.
You have died, the angel answered factually. But now is not your time. You are needed by many that are left behind.
"I know that I'm dead, but how can I go back?"
I told you I was your guardian angel, she replied. I have come to bring you back. She held out her small hand to Clary. Take it.
Clary obediently grasped the girl's hand. It was light and comforting, despite its fiery appearance. The angel girl began to lead her out of the tunnel.