The three spun around to see a man standing at the edge of the path, holding a sword.
Jace dashed forward to disarm the man, whilst Alec stepped in front of Jonas to protect him. Jonas was silent as he watched the ensuing fight, and Alec kept one eye on him as Jace fought with the Circle member.
"Jonas, what's going on?" Simon asked.
"If you give us the boy, I'll let you live," the Circle member said.
Jace, who had the man in a chokehold, replied, "You're in no position to be making rules."
In response, the Circle member headbutted Jace and broke free. Alec watched with a sharp gaze as the two struggled against each other. It didn't surprise him when Jace got the upperhand and managed to stab the Circle member with the man's own seraph blade.
"We'll never stop hunting him," the guy rasped out, his last words.
I'd like to see you try, Alec thought, surprising himself with the sense of protectiveness he felt for Jonas.
"This is for my father," Jace replied and shoved the blade in deeper.
"He dead?" Jonas asked, voice low but no longer accented in any obvious way.
Simon stepped towards Jonas and asked, "Is who dead?"
With perfect timing the glamour on the dead Circle member faded, and Simon stepped back in shock as he saw it. "What the..."
Jonas looked at Simon for a while, before glancing between Jace and Alec. His fists were clenched, lips twisted in an almost snarl. "Take your glamour off."
Alec shot a look at Jace, and found that his parabatai was already deactivating the rune. Alec didn't want to have to deal with another mundane, but he took his glamour off anyway. The sooner this was over with, the better
"Um... what is happening?" Simon asked as Alec and Jace appeared in front of him.
"Yeah, we don't have the luxury right now, kid." Jace turned and started walking back to the Institute. "Everyone back inside."
"Jonas, who is this?" the mundane questioned. "Did he take Clary?"
Jonas shot Simon a bored look and said nothing as he followed after Jace.
"What? Where are you going?" Simon called after him.
Jonas huffed, seeming annoyed. He turned and faced Simon. "These two" —He jerked a thumb in Jace and Alec's direction— "are our only shot at getting your best friend back, so if I were you, I'd shut your mouth and try not to piss them off."
With that said, Jonas headed back up the steps, taking them two at a time.
Alec shot the man a wry look as he neared. "Nicely handled."
Jonas ignored his taunt and entered the church whilst Jace held the door open. Alec followed after, staring curiously at the enigma in front of him.
Simon, unsurprisingly, started speaking again. "How do we know this Mick Jagger-looking guy and this Abercrombie & Fitch model wannabe are even gonna try–"
"Mundane," Jace interrupted. "We do not have the time."
Jonas sighed and yanked the boy inside. The four stood just within the entrance of the church, and stared ahead. Jace glanced at Alec. "No way, don't look at me," Alec told him.
With an exasperated look, Jace brought up his left arm and rolled up the sleeve. Alec watched Jonas study the blonde intensely as he drew a rune on himself with his stele.
