Swan Song - The Infernal Devices

Chapter One

ENGLAND

london
1878

—

Evelyn flung open her eyes, breathing as if resurfacing from deep water. She gasped and sucked in as much air as she could. A stinging pain struck through her haze of confusion and Evelyn scanned her body, the skin of her arms and legs specked with little burns. She struggled up, shaking her heavy skirts. This wasn't her own dress, unfamiliar. Her head swam - maybe it was her mother's and she'd borrowed it. Her stele was already in her hand, and she shakily drew a iratze on her top of her thigh, the pain only slightly searing.

Evelyn surveyed her surroundings. It was dark, clearly late in the night, perhaps midnight or the early hours of the morning. Her eyes barely adjusted, and it was difficult to make out anything at all, except black shadows. There was nothing. Maybe a demon burned her. That seemed plausible.

It was only when she began to see the burns being covered by new skin, that she managed to breathe steadily again. Evelyn peered at her surroundings trying to make sense of the murky darkness. She stretched her fingers out until she felt walls beneath them. A narrow alleyway. The walls felt like brick, though slippery. It hadn't rained in Hanoi for days. Perhaps she was on a mission, away from the Institute, and was knocked cold. That seemed most likely. The events previous to appearing on pavement, were blurry, at least. By the dim light of a small gas lamp, Evelyn could only make out a long alleyway. Her burns were pink and newly healed but she stood up anyway, feeling sharp, shooting pains through her legs.

Breathing heavily, she stumbled a few steps forward, feeling her way across the wall. There was no light, only dark. In the distance she could hear shouting and the sound of drunken laughter, getting closer and closer until she could feel it behind her. Evelyn picked up her pace, feeling a rush of panic.

Until she collided with something solid.

She was pushed against a wall with great force, a knife pressed against her neck. Evelyn let out a strangled yell of pain. A light, stark and bright, illuminated a face. It was a boy, with dark hair and dark blue eyes that ran over her skin like insects.

"Who are you?" He said, slowly, in an accent Evelyn couldn't quite recognise, "A Shadowhunter?"

Evelyn glanced down at the boys arm, where she saw a tattoo of black against his wrist. Her heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears.

"Let me go," she hissed, though it sounded less threatening and more desperate.

The boy rolled his eyes, "Goodness, are you unintelligent? No, I shan't let you go. Who are you?"

Evelyn struggled against his grip, "Look at me. Do I really look like a threat to you?"

The boy narrowed his eyes at her. Finally snapping back to her senses, Evelyn swung her knee into his stomach. He doubled over and let his arm slide away from her neck with a cry of anger and anguish.

A white blade shot out from the darkness. Evelyn ducked out off the way, fumbling for some sort of shield. Her blood flung itself through her veins. The soft fabric of her dress stuck to her skin and she felt her hair tumble down her back, hot against her neck. Had the boy hit her? Evelyn dropped to the ground, her muscles quickly giving up, feverishly checking her body for stab wounds. She couldn't breath. Her vision blackened in be corners. The blade appeared again, and Evelyn covered her head with both hands...

"Will! Get away from her! Go down there!"

The voice cut though Evelyn's blind panic. Hands pressed against her shoulders, holding her tightly. She didn't try to pull away, still struggling to breath at all. Eventually, Evelyn took away her hands, and in front of her was a boy. His hair was so blond it was almost silver, and his eyes shone over his pale skin.