The Morning Star (TMI City of Lost Souls AU)

Chapter 27 - Return to Edom

"Good," Clary said strongly, "Now who is going to be the tether?"

"Well, I need at least one on each side. Those on the Edom side must be prepared to protect the portal and kill anything attempting to pass through. I suggest one or two of you do that." He answered.

"And for the other side, here in New York?" Jace asked, raising his eyebrow at the Warlock.

"I will be here to do that." The voice rang like familiar bells in Clary's ears, the voice she had grown up with. In a flurry of red waves, Jocelyn walked out of the hallway and stood beside Magnus.

They all returned to the New York Institute, although most of their own weapons were still in Idris, there was always a massive arsenal in the weapons room here. They all outfitted themselves with gear and an array of seraph blades, chakrams, daggers, and bows. They all convened in the training room of the Institute; being the largest open room in the Institute with high ceilings, it was the best place for the portal. They all circled around the place Magnus was chanting, discussing the final details of the plan. Clary was speaking to Jace when she looked sidelong at her mother and saw tears welling in her eyes as her gaze was fixed on something. Johnathon. How could you not think about this, Clary. Jocelyn had mourned the death of her child and the loss of his humanity for years and now, here he was, alive and human just before her eyes. Johnathon must have just looked up because he met her gaze and gave a rueful smile.

"Jocelyn," He said airily, "I am so sorry for everything." She opened her mouth to speak but could not say any words. Instead she bit down on her lip to still their quivering.

"There, it is ready. Are you all?" Magnus turned around, the portal coalescing into a shape, but instead of the normal purple color most portals had, this one glowed orange and red as if a fire was burning right before their eyes. With a nod, they stepped forward into the portal one by one. It started with the Commander, followed by Izzy and Simon and after a longing glance at Magnus, Alec went next. Johnathon moved to enter it, but before he could step through Jocelyn grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. After a second's hesitation, he softened and returned the embrace.

His face was buried into Jocelyn's shoulder, but Clary could just make out his whisper, "You would have been a great mother." And with that, he stepped away and pushed through into the tempest of flame. Clary walked towards her mother and tightly embraced her.

"Please, be careful. You need to come back. You are a Shadowhunter. I may have hidden it from you for years, but it is in your blood and this is your destiny." Clary could feel tears burn her cheeks as she pressed against her mother, "I love you, Clary."

"Let's go, we haven't got long. Clary, Jace, I can keep this open for 5, maybe 6, hours so you need to come back. Even if you can't finish the job, come back to the portal or you may very well be stuck there forever." Magnus called, and at that Clary and her mother broke apart. Taking Jace's hand, Clary smiled at them and turned toward the portal door. Closing her eyes, she let the blackness overtake her. And then she stepped in.

***

The demon world hit her like a train. The air was polluted and hot, and there was not even the slightest breeze that might relieve them of the uncomfortable environment. She opened her eyes and took in the scene around her. They were under an outcropping of rocks, just outside of a city in shambles. The city almost perfectly resembled Alicante, only the spires were shattered and the building now sat in ruin all about with the exception of what looked like the Hall of Accords. All around them the world looked nothing more than red stone and sand, a polluting haze hanging in the sky.

"Let's go, we can't waste time." It was Jace who spoke, breaking her train of thought. The group had freshly marked runes and were all covered in the swirling black ink with the exception of Simon, of course. The Commander volunteered to stay and guard the portal since she was perhaps one of the more experienced Shadowhunters and could protect it best on her own. Jace, Clary, Johnathon, Alec, Izzy and Simon made their way towards the deserted mirror of the City of Glass. Each drawing weapons, they made their way into the city ruins, taking in their surroundings. It took nearly an hour to even reach the city center which made Clary uneasy, knowing they were on a strict time crunch. A rustle sounded behind them and suddenly all of them circled around; names of angels being called out from all corners. A black figure rose up from the ground in front of them. At first it was no bigger than a small dog, but its form began to rise and swirl about until it became a beast the size of a 7 foot human with claws protruding from its arms. It did not have a solid shape, but rather floated as if it were a ghost, wispy yet dense. It stunk of burning garbage and it bared sharp teeth the length of fingers. Its eyes were glowing orange holes, focusing on each one of them simultaneously.

"Well, this hardly seems like a very fair fight," Jace taunted. With a swift motion, he was behind it, slashing away with a seraph blade while Alec notched an arrow and sent it flying towards its glowing eyes. It swiftly dodged Jace's slash but the arrow plunged itself deep into its head. It reached its claws, or better describes as talons, and snapped the arrow in half, dropping the splintered pieces onto the floor. It swung around to face Alec and the rest and opened its mouth to release the most startling and horrifying of screeches. The sounds echoed throughout the world and sent daggers of ice through Clary's veins. In an instant, black clouds of mist began to drift all across the ground at their feet and suddenly, at least a dozen more of the demons were forming in front of them, all releasing the same petrifying shriek as the first. And suddenly, the battle went from 6 Shadowhunters against 1 demon to nearly 15 against them. Jace's face whitened and they all stiffened.

"I swear by the Angel, Jace. You have a death wish," Alec muttered as he notched another arrow in preparation for the ensuing battle.

Jace let out an unamused chuckle, "With odds like these, I hardly need to wish it."