ꜰʀᴀʏᴇᴅ |ᴀ.ʟ.| ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ {ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍɪʟʟᴇ ꜰᴀɪʀᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ #1}

{𝔻𝕒𝕕𝕕𝕪'𝕤 ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕖}

21k? Omg guys! Thank you so much!

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"Dad?"

Jace's voice echoes through the silent room, ringing on the metal, bouncing off the walls, the note of hesitation and disbelief ringing through the air

"Son." he says, grabbing Jace in a tight, tearful hug, "Oh, Jace. I can't believe it."

Clary and I exchange wary looks. We come to the place Valentine is supposed to be but instead are met with Jace's long-presumed dead father?

Too coincidental.

"Son, you're hurt. How did you find me?"

"You're dead...Valentine killed you" Jace whispers, "Valentine's...Valentine's here."

"No, Jace. It's me!" Mr Wayland says and I frown at the urgency of his voice...it was too urgent, too frantic. Something about this isn't right. He turns to us, introducing himself, "I'm Michael Wayland. I'm Jace's father."

Clary and I, again, exchange doubtful looks.

"I know what Jace has told you, but I've been here for 10 years. Valentine took off and left me." he explains but it doesn't settle my doubts. I may not know my father well but if he took the care to hide this man for 10 years, why would he up and leave him behind now?

It was careless, sloppy.

People like my father don't get to where they are by being sloppy.

"And Jocelyn Fairchild?" Clary asks, seeming more convinced than me

"He took her with him" he sighs, "Who are the two of you, anyhow?"

"I'm Clary and this is Camille" Clary gestures to me, I scowl, "We're her daughters. Meliorn, the Seelie, told me that he was here with her."

Without warning, I feel my legs give out from under me, the previously subdued pain breaking through the floodgate as my wound worsens, the effect of the iratze rune fading.

"Cami, no!" Clary screams but Jace catches me before I fall to the ground, "Jace. Jace, look, her rune....it's already fading! It never faded this quickly before! Is this place surrounded by runic energy or something?!"

"No..." Jace ponders, slightly distracted, "No, I think it's the Ravener venom that's doing it. The runes wouldn't be strong enough for anybody. Magnus was right. They should be lasting longer though..."

"Remember what Magnus said about her, though?" Clary persists, eye wide, "That especially for her kind she'd need more than runes?"

"Her kind?" Michael questions, helping Jace in supporting me, standing me back up, "Isn't she just a Shadowhunter?"

"It's a long story" Jace dismisses but I spot the maliciously curious gleam in Michael's eye. He certainly wasn't making me want to trust him, "Clary, the rune's too weak. Ravener venom must be spreading...we have to get her to help but we closed the portal..."

"Valentine's got a standing portal" Michael suggests and I groan in pain, unable to trap it in, "Let's go."

As we set off for the portal, Michael lapses into stories about Jace and his past as children and, despite Jace's apparent knowledge of everything he says, I still feel suspicious. Why bring this up now? Whilst I was struggling not to die?

Unless you really wanted to prove that you're the person who say you are.

***

"We need help!"