City of Heavenly Fire

Revealed

"Get down!" Clary heard Jace shout, feeling the sensation of something moving above them. Then light blazed, emanating off his and Alec's sword, Isabelle's whip crackling viciously from behind Simon.

Clary felt suddenly useless and utterly terrified when a sickly voice appeared from the darkness, cloaked in the shadows. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a nice surprise," one of the creatures said, the sound like grating daggers, sending Clary's stomach churning. She was aware of Jace's arm shielding her from the hybrid.

"He said you'd come to us," a different voice came, close to the other but their exact location was still unknown to Clary. "He'll be delighted that this is working out so nicely."

"Get back!" Simon yelled, a snarl ripping its way up his throat and out his mouth.

"You cannot overpower us," the first one said, a gleeful tone in its hideous voice. "And we must follow orders."

"What are your orders?" Alec asked. Surprisingly, he didn't look as frightened as one should when crossing an enormous beast they were unfamiliar with.

"We are to retrieve that one," the second replied. "The self-absorbed Shadowhunter."

Clary felt Jace's hands tighten. "I prefer the term 'self-infatuated.' And hate to break it to you, but I'm not going to follow you merrily down a black tunnel to my impending doom without a fight."

Then he charged.

Clary heard the sound of metal slicing through the air, making out the silhouette of Jace going against one of the beasts. Simon and Alec had the other, Vampire and Shadowhunter fighting side by side with Isabelle who was lashing out at it with her whip.

Clary reached for her dagger that she normally kept in her boot but it was not there. Had it fallen out as they'd been walking? Had it even been there or had someone removed it? She felt helpless. Then she had an idea.

"Jace!" she called. Clary could hear him, trying to make his way over to her, blocking her from the hybrids. "I'm a little preoccupied at the moment!"

"Your stele!" she said. "I need you! I have an idea!"

He continued to keep the hybrids at bay, slowly creeping back until he was near her. He dug around in his pocket until he pulled out a thin cylinder. "Hold out your hand," she ordered. He did and she drew something across his palm.

"What's this?" he asked. But she didn't have time to answer. "Just touch it to one of them."

He looked at her for a moment before he nodded and rejoined with the others.

Please work, Clary thought. Please work, please work, please work. She didn't know why she hadn't though of this before. Heavenly Fire burns through anything evil and Jace still had it in him. If she'd successfully figured out how to leak some through so that he could use it to defend them-

Something bright suddenly bursted, making Clary shield her eyes away.

The sound of wailing came next; agonizing cries from one of the beasts, and Clary squinted, just able to catch sight of the beast, its side's fur seared away, rivers of dark red making its way into the tiny stream of water, changing its color.

Then her eyes switched to Jace, insuring that he was alright. Other than appearing dazed and a little nauseous, he seemed fine.

"Where'd the other go?" Alec asked, still staring at Jace in bewilderment.

"I don't know," Isabelle replied, turning to look down the tunnel. "I think it ran away."

"Well let's not wait around for it," Alec said. "This way!" he called, leading them down back the way they'd come until they reached down to the branch off. But there were no longer two tunnels, but three now.

"Wait," Clary said. "Where'd that tunnel come from?"

"It's a quicker exit, I think. It's probably the one Sebastian uses to get out of here," Alec answered, pursing his lip. "That is...if Sebastian even leaves this place."

Clary looked down it apprehensively. "I don't know."

"We don't have time," Alec said, a frantic look on his face. "I'd rather face another tunnel then those creatures again."

Clary thought about it another moment before nodding. This was Alec and she trusted him.

They made their way down the tunnel, Alec and Jace in the lead, Simon, Isabelle, and Clary in the back. This tunnel was more narrow with even less water, the ground practically dry except for the damp residue line that ran down the tunnel, a little bit over Clary's head. She swallowed. Waters apparently got pretty high here.

"Are you sure we shouldn't have followed the other one?" Simon asked, glancing at Alec ahead of him who shook his head. "We didn't even see where it went, how could we have followed it?"

Clary grinded her teeth, feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the small tunnel. If the thing had run away...why were the hairs on Clary's neck still standing on end?

She continued walking, pausing once to inspect the tunnel to insure that they were not being pursued.

And that's when she saw it.

"Isabelle, WATCH OUT!" Clary screamed, watching as a dark patch above them disappeared and landed...with one clawed paw grasping Isabelle around the waist, securing her. She gave out a cry of pain, her eyes widening as she looked down.

Simon shot forward, but Clary grabbed his arm, knowing that if he stepped out of bounds, the thing would kill her.

All the color drained from Alec's face. "Let her go!" he said, holding his blade aloft, aimed at the hybrid's throat.

"You almost backed out," the creature hissed. "I could see it in your eyes."

Confusion muddled Clary's brain. Jace just stared at Alec.

"I wasn't!" Alec whispered, looking suddenly ashamed.

Clary looked back at Jace, her breath stopping when she saw his expression. It was full of pain, of the brutal truth that had cut him to the core, as if it had literally left a scar-which it would, just not one visible to the eye. He clenched his jaw. "This was a trap," Jace spat the words at Alec, the betrayal apprearing as if it were weighing him down. "You cut a deal."

"This wasn't part of the deal!" Alec yelled, not taking his eyes from his sister's horrific expression. "He said none of you would be harmed."

"He just poisoned Clary, his own sister, just hours ago! She died, Alec! How is THAT not harming us?!" Jace shouted, his voice boiling with anger and...pain. "You honestly think he needs Isabelle? Or Simon? He will kill them! Do you want to be responsible for their death? Do you want to lose another sibling to the hands of THAT MAN?!" he continued to scream.

Clary saw Alec flinch, glaring at Jace's words. "I spoke to him," he said. "He gave me his word that all he wanted was-"

"Wake up, Alec! Sebastian's word is as good as dirt. He won't follow through. You just led us to the slaughter-house."

"Enough chit-chat," the hybrid suddenly rasped. It gave out some weird, squealing noise and two more hybrids surrounded them. Clary vaguely wondered how many there were total.

"Walk," the thing demanded. But Clary's focus was on Isabelle who was being led the other way. "Where are you taking her?" Simon shouted.

"Alexander's loyalty seems to be a little shaken. She will be used as...leverage."

Alec turned to his sister. "Iz, I'm sorry. I won't let them hurt you," he promised.

The look Isabelle gave him could only be explained as broken. "They aren't the ones who will hurt me, Alec," she said as one of the hybrids led her away.

Alec looked back at the others, Simon still trying to get through the hybrids, calling out for Isabelle.

Jace couldn't even look at Alec, it seemed, as they were forced down the tunnel. But he turned to Alec as they passed, Jace giving him a look that was crafted from stone; emotionless and cold. "We're done."

And they were led back into darkness.