City of Heavenly Fire

Shattered

I'm curious as to what people will think of this. *Nervous glance*

Jace saw the house miles before he reached it. He'd lagged behind a sufficient amount so his scent couldn't be traced, but was sure to keep the direction Sebastian was headed in audible. Howoever, Sebastian had seemed to disappear earlier, the sound of his footsteps fading until Jace faced the rolling green hills alone, with nothing but the river to go by.

Back at the house a few miles out, Jace stared at it, built on one of the hills. Jace almost expected an outward sign that Clary was there, but there was none. It stood like a tomb in front of him; silent and resolute.

Jace's thoughts reverted back to the other person that had been with Sebastian. The second voice had stopped awhile back and when it had gone silent, Jace had dragged himself out of the river, his black clothes clinging to him in the chilled wind. He ignored the cold, though, and pushed on, trying to stifle the urge to catch up with Sebastian and demand to know what he meant about Clary.

So he wasn't after her to kill her? Jace already knew that but after the hundreds of elicited threats thrown back and forth between the three of them, he had been anticipated to save Clary's life.

But if Sebastian wasn't after her to kill her, he must've only wished to recruit her.

Jace almost scoffed out loud. That plan of his had crashed and burned, elight with the flame of Clary's anger towards Sebastian for doing all that he had. Now this was Clary's vendetta against him and Jace didn't doubt that if Sebastian saw her as a threat, all bets were off.

But he still ached to know what that cryptic phrase meant; "Because I won't have to," but he had no idea. Couldn't even conjure up a guess. This was Sebastian after all. When did the guy make sense?

Jace finally reached the house, just as night was falling again, his clothes having dried in the daylight.

he rubbed his hands over his eyes, ignoring the exhaustion that threatened to overtake him. On instinct, he grabbed for his blade, but it wasn't there. He swallowed back his irritation as he stepped to the front door.

He hadn't even formed a proper plan before he was crashing through the door. It was rathered to be captured and placed with Clary than lose all traces of her together, for the sake of propriety.

He eased his way into the entrance, feet aware of disturbed wood before his mind was. Jace's eyes roved over the house, on the dust-riddled drapes and the coated furniture, over the mantel above the fireplace and down the hall that disappeared to his right.

His fingers gently skimmed the surface of things as he passed, their tips coming up colored with dust.

"C'mon, Clary, where are you?" he asked under his breath, gaze still searching. They fell upon two chairs in the room, their colors more visible, cushions wiped with grime. Jace didn't need to look closer to know that someone-two people-had been sitting there and walked past, towards the hall.

Nothing. Empty. The basement was empty. The rooms were empty, askew with bits of personal belongings, things made secret in themselves. Jace left the rooms and walked back, his meager energy leaving him in a rush.

Jace was sick of making death threats. Sick of streaming them along as if Sebastian or anyone else would see them as anything but a bland string of words devoid of uncertainty. He felt that anger well up inside again, roaring. "Clary?!?"

Silence.

Jace slammed his fists against the wall, feeling the jarring pain course through his muscles. A sharp ache filled his hands and he scowled at the wall for showing nothing of that pain.