The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 17 - Under Surveillance

Chapter 17 - Under Surveillance

I jumped up with a start. The blood was pounding loudly in my ears and my vision blurred for a moment as I tried to sit up. My hands gripped the tight hem of the bed covers and I lifted my head to take in the room.

There was an impatient knock from the door, and someone called my name. For a split second I wondered if that was the throbbing that had just gone through my bones. Before calling the person behind the door in, I looked down at myself to make sure everything was still in place. The dream had left me with a terrible sense of unawareness, and my body felt completely different than usual.

Since I was only scantily clad, I pulled the covers up to my chin and then called "Come in" to finally stop the goddamn knocking. Not a second later the door was flung open, and Isabelle stuck her head through the frame. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight braid and her dark eyes sparkled with irritation. But when she saw me lying in bed, a touch of surprise crossed her face.

"Clary- I didn't know you were asleep. Sorry. In any case, I'm supposed to let you know that the Inquisitor wants you for questioning. They're expecting you downstairs, so hurry up," she said hastily, and not a moment later pulled the door shut again. I had just opened my mouth to reply and now closed it again with a sigh.

Tired, I let myself sink back into the pillows. I wasn't sure how long I had slept, but I didn't feel the least bit recovered. If not even more exhausted than before. I stared sadly at the ceiling, wondering how long I would have to lie here before the guards would burst into my room and drag me to the Gard in my underwear. I didn't want to take a chance.

I sat up in bed a second time, but this time overcame the urge to lie down again. In one awkward movement, I swung my legs out of the soft blankets. I dug my toes into the floor and let them brush the carpet, then slowly got to my feet.

With great displeasure, I stared at the white dress which lay crumpled in my bag. Either the dress or my Shadowhunter outfit, I had no other choice. Of course, I had more clothes with me, not much more, but something. However, they were more casual wear and none of them suited my current situation. Finally I decided on the dress. While it wrinkled and didn't smell as nice as it did the first day I wore it, I had hope that the Council members might not be entirely negative about it. White spoke for sadness and if they saw my sadness, they might remember that I was just a Shadowhunter too. A recently-come-of-age Shadowhunter.

oOo

Down the hall, two Shadowhunters were waiting, clad in riot gear with a black winter cloak over them. It were the two who had followed me and Luke all the way here, it had to be them. However, I hadn't been able to see their faces then, but they wore the same clothes and the build also matched.

When they saw me coming down the stairs, they straightened up. The hand of the guard on the right, clad in a thick black leather glove, slid to the hilt of his sword. I immediately stopped dead on the landing and stared at his hand with deliberate conspicuity. The guard raised his bright green eyes and his dark brows narrowed in a cold grimace.

I didn't move an inch and mimicked his gaze. My advantage was that they didn't know how strong I was. The Inquisitor had said it herself: They didn't know what my father had trained us to do, what skills we actually possessed. And it was this unawareness that the Shadowhunters feared. They feared things they couldn't control.

The guard was about to open his mouth when his neighbor forestalled him. He lifted his right arm and put it in front of his colleague's chest as if he could hold him back that way. Only now that I was paying attention to the other Shadowhunter did I notice their resemblance. Both had the same dark hair and light green eyes. "Miss Morgenstern," the one on the left began to speak with an American accent. "My name's Malik, this," he pointed to the man next to him, "is my brother Kadir. We've been commissioned by the Inquisitor to escort you to the Gard."