The alarm of the institute blared alarming all of the Shadowhunters of yet another attack on one of their own. It had been chaos all day, Shadowhunters were dropping dead with their runes carved out.
"What happened?" Sarah wondered, walking to where Clary, Jace, and Alec were, Clary sighed answering the brunette, "We found Rosegreen and Penmount dead in the Bowery. Runes carved out."
Shadowhunters wheeled the dead bodies on the stretchers hurrying to examine the dead for a sign to know who their killers were, Sarah frowned as she watched the bodies that were bloodied from having the runes on their body removed, it looked like it was some type of revenge, "Penmount's been drained by a vampire." Alec said pulling Sarah out of her thoughts.
"And Rosegreen was lanced by a Seelie knight." Jace added crossing his arms in front of his chest looking at his friends trying to make sense of the killings, "It's not just a lone wolf. It's multiple Downworlders."
"Luke was right all along. These Downworlders want revenge. This could be the start of an uprising." Clary started glancing at the Shadowhunters with a wistful gaze.
Imogen stood on the speaking loudly for all the Shadowhunter that gathered in the OPs center, "Another Shadowhunter was found dead last night in Williamsburg. This time, murdered by a warlock. In this time of crisis, it is essential that we maintain strong leadership. That is why I am naming Jace Herondale head of the Institute, effective upon my departure to Idris. Dismissed."
Jace clenched his jaw while Alec was restraining himself from saying a remark about the Inquisitor's decision, Imogen glanced at the brunette waving her hand to get her attention, "Sarah, I need to talk to you alone." She announced before walking straight to her office.
Sarah shared a look with her friends before hurrying to the Inquisitor's office with a frown on her face, "Yes." she said putting her hands together in front of her, Imogen handed the brunette a file, "Your first assignment."
Sarah's face creased, she opened the file slowly skimming over it quickly before looking up at Imogen, "You want me to get a sample of Magnus' hair?"
Imogen rested her back on the chair not taking her eyes off of the brunette who looked at her with a questioning gaze, "With what's going on with our people out there, The downworlders could leading another Uprising."
Sarah rolled her eyes, she didn't believe the Inquisitor who always had it out for her since the beginning, "Well, there's no need to test Magnus. He didn't do it." Sarah said throwing the file on the desk dejectedly
"Is that his girlfriend talking or the Clave's soldier?"
The brunette scowled, "Does it matter? He was tortured, do you think he has time to attack Shadowhunters and carve their runes out?"
Imogen shrugged as if she could care less about Sarah's opinion in the matter, "If he's innocent then you should have no problem proving it. And do us all a favor and separate your emotions from work, they're after all nothing but a distraction."
Sarah laughed humorlessly, Imogen had the audacity to accuse the brunette of being controlled by her emotions when the former was about to kill Valentine out of vengeance, "Says the woman who was so blinded by vengeance she was ready to execute Valentine off the records. At least I'm not a hypocrite."She said before walking out of the office in a hurry.
"Is everything alright?" Alec asked the brunette once he saw the scowl she wore on her face after leaving Imogen's office, "The inquisitor would like us to reach out to our allies to see what they know. At this point, she considers all Downworlders suspects."
"That's casting a pretty broad net."The Older Lightwood stated with a frown on his face, Clary nodded backing the Lightwood up, "She can't possibly think any of our friends did this."
"And well, we'll prove that to her. Since Luke's DNA cleared him, we should collect samples from all of our friends to clear them as well. I'll make an Institute-wide announcement." Jace announced glancing at everyone, in turn, Sarah sighed, "I'll talk to Magnus." She said before turning around ready to leave.
Alec caught up to the brunette before she could leave the institute, "Hey." She stopped in her tracks turning to him with a questioning gaze, "If you want, I can talk to Magnus." He looked at her pointedly knowing that if the brunette were to ask the warlock that it would put their relationship in a jeopardy.
Sarah sighed letting a small smile creep on her face at the black-haired understatement, "It's fine I'll take care of it." She was about to leave when she turned to Alec with a grateful nod.
"Sarah." Magnus greeted the brunette as soon as she knocked on his door, she had noticed his ravishing look that was different than usual, it was like he had put extra work to look more handsome, she didn't deny that she liked how he looked but she understood that after what he endured he was taking extra care of himself or perhaps hiding what he was feeling.
Realizing that if Magnus wanted to talk about what happened he probably would have, "Wow. You look very..." She was lost for the right words letting her eyes trail over his figure, He smiled adjusting his already perfect hair, "I was bored, needed a change."
She walked into the apartment, Magnus closed the door behind her before the brunette whirled around kissing the warlock briefly on the lips, she pulled away staring intently at him, "Is everything okay?" She couldn't help her concern for the warlock.
He nodded, "Yeah, I've been worried sick. With all these attacks, you shouldn't be out on your own." He advised, She tilted her head, "Aside from that they have no chance against me, I'm not on my own. I'm here with you. High Warlock of Brooklyn." Sarah said with an amused smile walking into the living room trying to think of a way to ask Magnus for a strand of his hair.
"Have you heard anything about who's orchestrating those attacks?"
"No, but warlocks don't report their misdeeds to me. If they did, my phone would never stop ringing." Sarah spun around to look at the warlock, "I need your hair. It's just a strand for a DNA test to clear you."
"I didn't realize there was anything I needed to be cleared off. Do you not trust my word?" He asked dejectedly taking a few steps back, away from the brunette who shook her head quickly, "You know I do, but It's Clave orders."
"I don't even understand why you want to be one of them?"
"Because they have a purpose, Magnus. And I have gone so long without one, I'm a warrior I know nothing aside from fighting"
"I see. So you're just blindly carrying out orders?" He wondered with a hint of disdain in his question, Sarah sighed, "I'm just asking for a strand of hair. It's not a big deal."
"Well, I wouldn't want to be overdramatic." Magnus' eyes stared at the brunette who realized a second too late she had been harsh with the warlock, he pulled out a hair of his head, Sarah held a small paper envelope in her hand for Magnus to put the hair.
Sarah stared at the warlock for a few seconds knowing that she had messed up, deciding against saying anything, She walked out of the apartment in a rush.
"Everything ok?" Jace asked the brunette who just walked up to him and the Inquisitor with a grim look on her face, she nodded swiftly turning to Imogen who took an open tin with five syringes from one of her guards.
"These are from the R&D team in Alicante. We've always been able to track Shadowhunters through their runes. Now we can track Downworlders through GPS chips." Imogen explained as a deep frown was etched on Sarah's face who scoffed as soon as the woman finished.
"What are you saying? That we round up the Downworlders and involuntarily chip them?"
"Mrs......" She trailed off, raising her eyebrows mockingly, "Right, you still don't have a last name." The brunette scowled but refrained from making a remark which would definitely amuse the Inquisitor, "Sarah, perhaps your personal relationships are clouding your objectivity."
"And what if they are? What difference does it make? If the Downwrolders were to be subjected to such treatment by the Clave, there will definitely be an uprising what you're doing is just plain wrong."
"No." She said sharply, "Downworlders preying on Shadowhunters, that is what's wrong."
"You sound just like Valentine. What's next? You'll kill them all?" Sarah questioned with agitation.
"I am trying to help those people.
"Those people"? The brunette turned to Jace who was uncharacteristically silent, "Why in the hell are you silent?"
"Sarah, look at this. Too many Shadowhunters are dying." Jace excused glancing at the dead bodies.
Sarah shook her head in disappointment before walking out of the institute, She roamed the streets lost in her thoughts, she wasn't scared of the attacks she knew she could protect herself she was thinking about Magnus about how she handled the situation not so gracefully as she thought she would.
Deciding that she should probably go to Magnus, she walked to his apartment, she frowned when she saw the door wide open, panic fled her face before she heard laughing coming from the balcony, a woman's laugh particularly.
She hid behind the wall of the living room raising her sleeve to activate the hearing rune, "So that's why you dragged me to all those Queen concerts. "We will Rock You", indeed." She frowned realizing that the sound belonged to none other than Dot.
Many thoughts were running through the brunette's head, "Oh, don't be crude. I fall in love with the soul before the sex."
"Was it my soul you fell in love with?" Sarah clenched her jaw she didn't know what to think perhaps Magnus realized that he deserved much more than Sarah. "What we had was wonderful. That was... Wow. That was almost a century ago. But that's not what I mean."
Her heart broke just a little bit at the words, she was supposed to leave the apartment, not eavesdrop on her boyfriend and his ex, perhaps she wanted him to do or say something so she would know for sure that this was a mistake.
But how could she think that when every second she spent with Magnus was nothing short of magical, she had missed most of their conversation watching the couple dance together on the balcony in their own bubble, they looked so good together that she wondered if she looked like that when she and Magnus were together
"My life would be a boring tragedy without you." Dot stated a little out of breath as she looked up at the warlock who was getting out of his high, "It would, indeed."
Sarah peeked at the couple, glimpsing Dot's hands on the warlock's chest, she grimaced at their close proximity before Dot leaned in for a kiss. Sarah held her breath watching Magnus for his reaction but the warlock flinched away from Dot who was embarrassed for her boldness, "I'm sorry." Magnus apologized making Dot take a step back.
"Don't be." Dot assured not taking her eyes off of Magnus who sighed, "I'm in love with Sarah." He said. Sarah's eyes widened at hearing those words, she didn't know how to feel about it, It wasn't like Magnus had said the words to her face but it had the same effect nonetheless.
"Does she know?"
Magnus shook his head, Dot nodded in understanding, "I've seen the look in her eyes, Magnus. She's a woman who had seen a lot of pain and not a second of love. Be careful with your heart, she's definitely lucky to have you."
Sarah sneaked out of the apartment in silence trying to calm her fast beating hard as she walked yet again in the cold air, she wandered aimlessly around trying to take a break from all the drama that was happening around her, she sighed pulling her phone out of her pocket when it rang with a few texts from Jace updating her about the situation.
Sarah went back to the institute after finding out that they had got the Seelie who was responsible for the killings of the Shadowhunter, "Where were you?" Alec wondered walking beside the Shadowhunter who was MIA all day, "Clearing my head."
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He wasn't really satisfied by the brunette's answer but he came to realize that Sarah wasn't big in the feelings department, "I am the new head of the institute."
"So I've heard. Congratulations!" She said trying to smile at the Older Lightwood who definitely deserved that position, Alec stopped in his tracks clearing his throat, Sarah frowned now noticing the file in Alec's hand
He handed the file to her making the brunette frown deepen, "What is this?" She inquired opening it slowly. Sarah skimmed over the file in her hands that had her name age and all the available information about her, she noticed that the place where her last name was supposed to be was blank.
"You're officially one of us." Sarah looked up at the Shadowhunter with wide eyes and a mouth gaped open, she released a breath, "I don't even have a second name, Alec."
He shrugged as if he didn't care about what her name was, "It doesn't matter. You're Sarah, I think this is enough, don't you?"
The brunette let a smile creep on her face, "Thank you." The couple shared a small smile.
"Are you here to apologize?" Magnus asked as his back was turned to the brunette who just entered the apartment, she was glad that Dot was gone. Sarah had realized that she never wanted to lose Magnus probably because she knew that he is definitely the best thing to happen to her and perhaps Dot was right Sarah was indeed lucky.
"I don't want to make a habit of it." The warlock turned around a glass of bourbon in his hand, Sarah approached him slowly, biting her lips "But I'm sorry."
Magnus sighed setting the glass down on the table, Sarah crossed the living room to him in two long strides now inches were barely between them, she let her eyes trail to his lips, not wasting time, she claimed his lips, surprising him and herself with her boldness but Magnus kissed her back the weight of his earlier words about his love for her finally downing on him, this brunette who had found her way into his heart, she pulled away resting her forehead on his, "I trust you, Magnus. Always. Never doubt that."
Those were the words she managed to utter, she wasn't sure about the word Love just yet but she knew that this warlock standing in front of her was all she needed and she wanted him desperately, she wanted to feel every tittle of his skin on hers. The brunette was sure that the warlock was feeling the same judging by the intensity of his gaze.
Sarah flung herself on Magnus' lips, her hands trailing over his chest, desperate to feel his skin, she raised his shirt sightly, her cold icy fingers trailing over his hot scorching skin. Magnus pulled away suddenly struggling to catch his breath, "Wait! wait!" Sarah cleared her throat embarrassed, with her face flushed, "What is it? Am I doing something wrong?"
"No, no. You're not. It's perfect. It's just......." He looked at her swallowing heavily, "Are you sure?" Sarah smiled at him, "I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She rested her hands on his chest nodding at him, "I want you. You got nothing to worry about." Without wasting time the couple moved to Magnus' bedroom where they spent the night.
The next day, Sarah walked into the institute smiling to herself, as she walked through the hallways, "You look radiant." Someone remarked making the brunette turn around to the person.
Realizing it was Sebastian, She scowled turning back and walking away from the Shadowhunter, he sighed running to the brunette, "Sarah! Look! I'm sorry. I crossed a line, alright?" He apologized.
Sarah stopped in her tracks crossing her arms in front of her chest, "Oh, you definitely did."
"I just wanted to help you."
She frowned, the shadowhunter didn't even know her, he was in the institute for about three days and he already thought that he can just do and say whatever he wanted, "A help I never even asked for."
"But needed. You can't possibly tell me you don't feel lighter."
Once again, the Shadowhunter was assuming things about her, but how could she deny that after he forced her to feel what she was bottling that she definitely felt better, sighing she answered, "I'll admit it did help, but if you do that again, you'll really know what my anger feels like." She remarked before heading away from Sebastian who smiled to himself in satisfaction.
"I need you, Clary, and Jace for a mission," Alec announced glancing at Sarah then at Clary and Jace, walking to the three ex-siblings, the three glanced at each other before Alec continued, "Going to the Seelie Court."
Clary frowned that was the first time she ever heard about the Seelie Court, "Where is that?"
Isabelle shrugged answering the redhead, "The nearest entrance is in Central Park. But it's in another realm. Where the Seelie Queen lives."
"I requested an audience with her to discuss Kaelie's crimes. However, she said she'll only meet with "Valentine's experiments"." Alec explained, Clary tilted her head at the given nicknames, "Wow. Charming nickname." She remarked. "So you think the Seelie Queen is responsible for Kaelie's attacks?"
"That's what I want you to find out."
"That would make sense. Those murders weren't exactly Kaelie's style." Jace added with a nod which made Clary's face crease in confusion at the relationship between the couple, "How did you know Kaelie?"
"Bookclub." He answered shortly, Sarah and Alec stifled a laugh at the hidden innuendo behind his answer, "What... you read?" Clary questioned slowly the words weird on her tongue.
"Define read," Sarah remarked with a grin. Jace pulled a face at his sister who caught him in the act of 'reading' before, he was about to say something when Alec cut him off, "Look, focus. We need to find out if she's complicit. An entire faction could be turning against us."
"That shouldn't be too hard, right? Seelies can't lie."
"Technically, yes," Jace answered. "But after hundreds of years of practice, they can expertly manipulate the truth, and the queen's the master," Sarah added.
Isabelle nodded agreeing with the couple, "She's very dangerous. The entire realm is. More than one Shadowhunter hasn't made it back."
Clary shrugged as if this can't be more dangerous than what she had been through, "What could go wrong? But we're, uh, "Valentine's experiments", right? Don't mess with us."
Jace and Sarah stood side by side at the bridge looking at the water, they were waiting for Clary to show up. The siblings scowled once their eyes settled on the vampire who was walking beside the redhead, "What is he doing here?
"Hello to you. I'm joining the mission." Simon said with a broad smile
"You can't. You weren't invited." Sarah stated with a bite in her words, agitated at the vampire who always seemed to find himself in situations that don't concern him, "I already told him that." Clary pointed out half-heartedly.
"But then I pointed out that you can never have too much backup. And you've seen my fighting skills firsthand."
Sarah and Jace shared a scowl at the vampire's naivety, "There will be no fighting. If you hurt anyone in the queen's realm, she has every right to hurt you. This is a sensitive political mission. It takes a certain charm."
"Well, I'll have you know, I was voted vice president in the eighth grade. And you do not win an election without charm. So..." Simon shrugged
"Simon, this isn't middle school. This is life or death." Jace interjected getting agitated at the daywalker, "Have you been to middle school?"
Sarah rolled her eyes, sighing heavily there would be no way to convince the vampire to go away, "Okay, enough you two. We don't want to make the queen wait."
"Where's the entrance?" Clary questioned, agreeing with the brunette. Sarah looked over the edge of the bridge pointing at the stream of water, "There."
"The Seelie Court is in a creek?" Simon chimed with a frown on his face, "Not in it. Through it." Jace and Sarah nodded at each other before leaping together into the water disappearing through it into a portal.