The Morning Star (TMI City of Lost Souls AU)

Chapter 16 - Fire and Flame

"Sebastian, no! No. You cannot hurt them." Her eyes were pleading and Simon could almost see vulnerability in the blackness of his.

"Clarissa, I'm sorry." He pushed her behind him and he stalked towards Simon with a determined grin spread across his face. Fear spread through Simon's body as he approached. And then an arrow whirred by his head, nearly burying itself in Sebastian's shoulder, but he caught it in his hand and snapped it in half. Sebastian grabbed Simon around the throat and lifted him off his feet into the air, "Do you really think you could win this, boy? You're not protected by the heavens any longer. I am your god now and you will bow to me or you will die." He threw Simon across the rocky plain, Glorious sliding out of his hand across the ground.

"Sebastian!" Clary cried out, tears welling up. Alec ran over to her, kicking Glorious towards Simon on the way and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Clary! Look at me, we need to stop him. Where is Jace?" She looked at him with empty eyes, as if she wasn't entirely aware of what was going on.

"We can't stop him, Alec. We've worked so hard for this. Besides," She scoffed, "It's already done. There is nothing to stop, all that's left to do is win the war." Alec stepped back from her as if he had been slapped across the face when Jace came running up.

"Alec! What are you doing here?" He took in his surroundings- Alec looking at Clary in bewilderment, Simon propped up on his elbows on the hard stone and Sebastian hovering over him, Phaesphoros in his hand, "Please you need to leave. I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't. Come with us, Jace he's controlling you, this isn't you!" He was shouting now, his blue eyes burning. Sebastian whirled on him, rage boiling in his blood.

"Do not speak about things you do not understand, Lightwood. I killed your brother I wouldn't hesitate to kill you either. Or that sister of yours, I know she is here somewhere."

He began walking towards him when Jace shouted, "Simon, no!"
Sebastian turned quickly and jumped back, but not far enough. The blade of Glorious ran into his stomach, but not deep enough for a fatal blow. He tried to pull the sword out by the blade, but it turned to ash in his hands. The blood in his veins began burning as if it was full of fire. Simon had scrambled backwards, Izzy running up behind him to help him up. Jace cried out in pain, crumpling over and holding his chest. Clary ran over to him and tried to unfasten his tunic with her burning fingers, revealing the rune on his chest that was now disintegrating into ash. Her fingers were burning, from adrenaline she thought, but they continued burning as if they were on fire. Or at least one of them was. She looked down to see the faerie ring glowing a bright red as if it were a branding iron. She fell back and fumbled to pull it off, throwing it onto the ground, a dark mark burned on her skin where it had been. She felt dizzy and struggled to refocus, and when she did her mind was clearer than it had been in weeks. The ring. All of the conflicting thoughts and feelings she had was because of that. She scrambled forward and picked it up gingerly, there was a demonic rune scrawled on the inside, smaller than she thought possible to draw runes. The same rune that was on Jace's chest. She threw it down in horror and crushed it into dust with her boot. He had been controlling her mind, how could she not see it. She looked around in horror at the scene around her. This is my fault. I did this.

Sebastian was looking at his stomach in confusion, breathing heavily as he felt fire surround him, flames licking at his skin. He cried out and fell to his knees, clenching his eyes shut tightly. Alec had run to Izzy and Simon's side while Jace wrapped Clary in his arms, shielding her from the blaze in front of them. Black flames rose in with the golden ones, swirling up 20 feet high and billowing smoke from the top. There was the faint scream of a woman, the scream of Lilith followed by a low chuckle while the black flames grew within the golden ones. And then it subsided. The flames dying down, leaving a charred burn on the stone ground. Sebastian kneeling in the center of it, hands placed firmly on the ground with his head hung. But he was alive, very obviously alive. Sweat dripped from his face and arms and he was trembling. No one dared to move, they didn't have a weapon of heavenly fire any longer, it had deteriorated after it stabbed Sebastian- but it didn't stab him in the heart. Simon was shaking, Isabelle taking his hand in hers. He knew he messed up, perhaps messed up their one chance at defeating him. He looked over at Jace and Clary, tears and dirt streaking her face. Jace's tunic was open and the demonic rune was gone. Relief momentarily flooded through his veins, Jace was free. But what had become of Sebastian? The roar of the battle had subsided, a handful of Nephilim were still standing while the rest of the Endarkened had retreated when they saw the flames rage. Although to where they fled, he didn't know. Clary was the first to move, Jace trying to hold her back. Sebastian was still despite the shaking of his body as Clary slowly moved in front of him, a blade in her hand, when he looked up.

And his eyes were green.