redamancy | jace herondale

31

"Sorry I'm late, I've been looking everywhere for Max." Isabelle joined us in the Ops Center, "Has anyone seen him?"

"Have you tried the armory?" asked Jace, "He's probably sharpening his blades for his first assignment."

Isabelle sighs, "I checked."

"We have more pressing matters." Alec reminds us, "Thanks to Dot's help, we now have the Mortal Mirror."

Sebastian asks, "And you have it at the Institute, and it's well-guarded, I presume?"

"The Elite Guards are the only ones who know its location." Alec replies, "It's safest that way."

Clary mentions, "Jonathan went after Elliot and Dot to get the mirror-"

"Right." I looked at her, "Now- that he knows we have it, he's going to come back for it."

"Agreed." Alec instructs, "Report back with any possible scenarios by which Jonathan and Valentine could attempt a breach."

-

"What happened?-" Alec immediately asked when he and I rushed into the room, Max surrounded by two medics and Isabelle; unconscious.

"I don't know-" Isabelle sniffled, "I found him like this in my room-"

"Oh, Max-" Concern burned in my chest at the sight of him, putting my hand on Alec's back.

"We should send him to Idris-" Alec said, "See what they can do-"

Isabelle replies, "The medics said that in his condition, he won't be able to survive the transfer."

"Max-" Jace rushed in with Clary and Sebastian, "We checked the Institute's security camera footage- whoever attacked him is somehow covering their tracks."

Sebastian asked, "Has he been able to talk?"

"Not yet." Isabelle denies, "He's unconscious."

"I don't understand." Clary thought out loud, "Who would want to hurt him?"

"I don't know." Alec began to turn, "But- I'm going to find out-"

"Alec!" I stopped him, grabbing his arms, "Let's her Robert and Maryse here first- okay? Then, we'll find out who did this-"

"Yeah, I'll stay with Max." nodded Sebastian, "If he regains consciousness, perhaps he can ID his attacker."

-

"From the traces of blood outside the door, it seems Max was- attacked somewhere else, and then he came here." Jace slowly walked into Isabelle's room, as I followed him, small tears in his eyes.

"He was probably looking for help-" I breathed out slow, feeling sorrow in my chest, "Poor kid-"

Jace slowly crouched by the huge spot of blood, as I did the same, my eyes glued to him as I could tell he wasn't okay.

He looked at me, his eyes slightly red, trying to hold the tears in his eyes back from falling.

I sighed lightly through my nose and reached, hugging onto him tightly, laying my head on his shoulder.

That was until I noticed something under the bed.

I let go of him, grabbing the box, noticing it was the one who had Jonathan's keepsakes, "Jace-"

-

Sebastian asks when Jace and I joined them in the Ops Center, "What did you find?"

"The box Jocelyn used for Jonathan's keepsakes." I set it down, "It was right where Izzy found Max."