Valentine's Arrow

4: No Rest for the Wicked

Sebastian, meanwhile, had made his way towards the counter at the back of the store, behind which stood an old man with a face as wrinkled as an old bedsheet. The counter itself was glass-fronted and held heaps of what looked like dusty jewelry and small glass bottles.

Sebastian said something in Czech, and the man nodded and jerked his head towards the others with a suspicious look. His eyes were a dark red color. The glamour began to slip away, and Rebecca could finally see the old man for what he was - a Vetis demon, complete with grey skin and ruby-red eyes, a mouth full of pointed teeth that jutted every which way, and long, serpentine arms that ended in heads like an eel's - narrow, evil-looking, and toothy.

Sebastian was looking at them over his shoulder. "They're with me," he said firmly in English. "They are entirely to be trusted, Mirek."

Mirek's mouth puckered. "I don't like this," he began, in a raspy voice. "We agreed you'd come alone."

Instead of replying, Sebastian pulled out a pouch, tied at the top, from his pocket. Loosening the string, he upended the entire contents of the pouch on the counter. Bronze coins rolled in every direction. "Pennies from dead men's eyes," Sebastian explained triumphantly. "Exactly one hundred of them. Now, do you have what we agreed on?"

One toothed hand felt its way across the counter and bit gently at a coin. The demon's red eyes flickered over the pile. "That is all very well, but it is not enough to buy what you seek." He gestured with an undulating arm, and above it appeared a shining, luminous chunk of adamas. It was more than Rebecca had ever seen in a lifetime.

"Pure adamas," Mirek said, as if to emphasize the point. "The stuff of heaven. Priceless."

Anger crackled across Sebastian's face like lightning. However, it was gone almost as soon as it had come. "But we agreed on a price."

"We also agreed you'd come alone." Mirek's red eyes roamed over the four of them, pausing on Clary before flickering over to Rebecca. "I'll tell you what else you can give me," he rasped. "A lock of this young woman's pretty hair."

Before Rebecca could protest, Sebastian, who had followed Mirek's gaze, whirled around to face him. "Absolutely not."

The demon blinked a slow lizard-like blink. "Absolutely not?"

Rebecca was almost as surprised as the demon. Though she knew perfectly well what Mirek could do with a lock of her hair, she was astonished that Sebastian had refused. If a bit of her hair was all that was stopping him from getting the adamas, why not just give it?

"You will not touch a hair on her head," Sebastian repeated, again in that slow, menacing voice. "Nor will you renege on our bargain. No one cheats Valentine Morgenstern's son. The agreed upon price, or-"

"Or what?" Mirek snarled. "Or I'll be sorry? You are not Valentine, little boy. Now, that was a man who inspired loyalty-"

"No," said Sebastian, sliding a seraph blade from the belt at his waist. "I am not Valentine. I do not intend to deal with demons as Valentine did. If I cannot have your loyalty, I will have your fear. Know that I am more powerful than my father ever was, and if you do not deal fairly with me, I will take your life, and have what I came for." He raised the blade he held. "Dumah," he whispered, and the blade sprang to life.

The demon recoiled, snapping out several words in some demon language. Rebecca slipped her own seraph blade out of her pocket - the one Sebastian had given her before they had left. "Sanvi." The seraph blade sprang to life in her hand.

Then, out of nowhere, something slammed into her shoulder with the force of a sledgehammer, and she was knocked to the ground. Looming over her was a massive snake-like creature, its head flat and shiny like a cobra, its body jointed and insectile. An Elapid demon.

Rebecca rolled to the side as the Elapid struck again, and its head went straight through the cement wall, bits of cement and brick flying everywhere. The demon screeched in irritation - a sound that sent chills up her spine. Before it could pull its head out and launch another attack, she sliced upwards with her blade, neatly separating the head from the rest of the body. Demon ichor spewed from the severed head, hissing as it came in contact with her shoes.

Sebastian was fighting another of the Elapids by the door of the shop; Jace was fending off two next to a display of antique ceramics. Behind the counter, Clary stabbed an Elapid demon and watched it disintegrate under her hands.

Clary looked up, her gaze shifting to something behind Rebecca - she whirled around and saw that an Elapid had sneaked up on Sebastian, whose full attention was on the demon in front of him. Another was dead at his feet, its body slowly dissolving into ashes.

Clary screamed something, quite possibly, Look out! but it was fruitless. Either Sebastian hadn't heard, or he was too busy fighting the Elapid in front of him - either way, it couldn't end well.

On instinct, Rebecca took aim with her seraph blade, and let it fly. It sank into the demon behind Sebastian, which let out a howl of agony. Whirling around, Sebastian skillfully decapitated the monster, and it thumped to the ground, its body already beginning to disintegrate.

Sebastian looked up and met Rebecca's eyes, and opened his mouth as if to say something - then his eyes widened as he glanced past Clary. "Clary! Stop him!"

Rebecca whirled around to see what he was talking about, and saw Mirek, his hands fumbling at a door set into the back of the shop. Clary yanked a seraph blade from her belt. "Nakir!" she cried, vaulting up onto the counter, and she flung herself from the top of it as her weapon exploded into brightness. She landed on the Vetis demon, knocking him to the ground. One of his eel-like arms snapped at her, and she sliced it off with a sawing motion of her blade. More black blood sprayed. The demon looked at her with red, frightened eyes. "Stop," he wheezed. "I could give you whatever you want-"

But Clary simply drove her seraph blade down. It plunged into the demon's chest, and Mirek disappeared with a hollow cry. Clary thumped to her knees on the carpet.

Breathing heavily, she stood up, a triumphant look on her face. Jace, having finished off his own adversary, was looking at Clary, coming to terms with what had just happened. "Name of the angel, Clary..." he breathed.

"The adamas," Sebastian cut him off sharply. "Where's the adamas?"

"Here." Rebecca gestured, reaching down below the counter, and scrabbling around until she felt something hard and smooth. She pulled out the luminous chunk and handed it to Sebastian, becoming aware of a stinging sensation in her feet as she did so. Now that the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, she realized just how much her body hurt. Her shoulder was throbbing. Something warm and wet was running down the side of her face.

Groaning slightly, she bent and inspected her shoes, most of which had melted away because of the ichor, leaving her toes exposed. Some of the ichor had seeped inside too, which explained the sting she felt.

"Alright, you three," Sebastian said. He was grinning widely, lazily spinning the adamas in one hand. "Tomorrow, we use this," he said, gesturing to it. "But tonight, we celebrate."