The Hunter and His Dragon

Cave of Truth

****Clary's POV****

Clary clung to Jace the further into the cave they went. The darkness wasn't impossible to see through, yet the chilling cold was bone reaching, causing small tremors to wrack her frame. So Jace kept her close to his furnacing body heat, gold scales dimmed with the lack of light here.

Well, lack of light wasn't exactly the best descriptor.

Small sconces lit in the upper corners of the tunnel. Family crests were emblazoned under several. She didn't recognize any of them aside from the ones Jace had shone her earlier. The torch for the Lightwoods, the heron for the Herondales, the fairy for the Fairchilds, the horseshoe for the Waylands, and so on. She tried asking why the dragons had crests in the first place —it seemed like something only humans were interested in— but he didn't give a sufficient response other than 'dragons mingling with their human counterparts'.

"How much longer? My feet are getting sore." It was a real good thing she wore her boots to the valley. Any of her flats would have been ruined with all the mud, grass and grit of the terrain they had been in recently. The feeling of his tail tapping her back in reassurance elicited a tired sigh from her.

"Not much longer. I promise. You can ride on my back the rest of the way if you'd like."

"Nah, I'm fine."

All the gemstones from earlier had vanished like the warm temperature at the mouth of the cave. She willed herself to keep going. The stubborn part of her was all that kept her from accepting his offer. The ground crunched under her boots, pebbles scratching against each other. Her bare feet were lucky to be protected, otherwise they'd be screaming in agony from the rough stones. Jace seemed oblivious to the sharpness, his scales likely protecting him from the human vulnerabilities she held within.

But then there was this other feeling stemming inside of her.

It settled close in her chest, making the world seem too small for her body. A flicker of heat here and there as they passed the sconces. One in particular garnered this reaction the most, her green eyes drawn to the pattern of a fairy. So intricately drawn . . . a work of art if there ever was one. The best art pieces back home were in Malcolm's gallery. She would have to remember to tell Jace about it if the chance ever came. If things were different then maybe they would stand a chance of being together. But as things were now a relationship of secrecy was all they'd likely have.

"Now be ready. We're about to take a steep drop." Jace warned.

"Okay. When are we— agh!"

The ground fell away with her next step, sending her plummeting to the abyss below.

****Alec's POV****

The world was nothing but darkness.

Alec opened his eyes, surprised by the lack of light. There was something going on here. Not quite right but not quite wrong. The stripes along his chest lit up to give off some clarity. Unfortunately, the blue beams did nothing to reveal his surroundings, giving him the impression there were none to begin with.

"Where am I?" He asked to seemingly no one in particular.

"Alec! Alexander!"

"Huh?" He swung his head around, searching for the owner of that voice.

A pinprick of light shined in his vision. He squinted at the sudden burst, a strike of pain in his skull as he adjusted to the sudden change. The vision before him hardly made any sense at all. But yet it was there . . . And he could hardly believe it.