A/N: good day, nice people! It's been a while since I've written some Author's Nonsense (what did you think the sophisticated 'A/N:' stands for?)
So, now that they've reached Edom, I'm promising some twists in the epic ending about 'how we killed bad Sebby'.
Also, don't be such boring people. If you've got roses / tomatoes to throw at my works, pls do. Comment a little more. Please tell me if you thought there was so far any sentence(s) worthy of being called a 'Quote'. I might make a quotation art of that.
Also, If you have made any kind of an edit, fanart, quote-art, tumblr trash, absolutely anything!, don't hesitate to PM it to me. I'd love to see any of Leah Ravenscar's admirer's works. I'll even post it in one of the upcoming chapters (and you'll be given the credits, of course). Imagine.......le fame. (It's a delightful thing, my son).
Anyways, in case anyone fails to visualise Leah's dress in this chapter, here are the pictures. Feast your eyes!
So, . . . . bye now. Enough ranting nonsense for today!
~Lila Wayne
Leah opened her eyes to find herself standing in an oddly familiar place. Yes, she recognised it - the London Institute. She looked down at herself and noticed that she was wearing an exotic crimson gown, who's skirts flared elegantly at the hips and brushed the floor in delicate textures when she moved around.
"Nice outfit, Leah." A man's British - no, Welsh - accent hit her from behind. Leah spun back to stare at the handsome face of Will Herondale, no less than eighteen years of age. "Dear me, I thought women these days had enough senses to mutter a polite 'thank you' or 'I am graced by thy words', when flattered with a genuine compliment about their sense of dressing."
"Thank you." Leah replied, still confused. "Uncle Will."
"There. I really liked the last part." He smiled. "May I" Will offered his arm courteously. "Have the privilege of escorting you to your seventeenth birthday party?"
"This is my birthday party?" Leah laughed.
"Now, that is quite rude. I asked you a question first." Will pouted. "But to answer to your enquiry, indeed, this is your birthday party."
"Oh! Sure, then." She replied. "You may escort me to my birthday party."
Will Herondale elegantly took his niece by the arm, and then led her to the dining hall of the Institute - which was set up in the most impressive manner. A 3-tiered cake was placed in the middle of the table, with further delicacies adorning the rest of the table surface.
Tessa stood with a smiling face, wearing a traditional gothic evening dress, and Jem was there too - with dark hair instead of his yin fin-induced pale, silvery hair. They were both smiling at Leah.
James Herondale - a 17-year old James Herondale - was also present in the ceremony, hiding a leather-bound copy of Wuthering Heights under his coat. Ah, his books were indeed something he couldn't imagine his life without. Magnus Bane had also decided to delight the party with his presence.
Surprisingly, Emma Carstairs was also there - a person from a completely different generation. She popped up from under the table, and handed Leah a small gift box. "Happy birthday, sis! This is from me, and though it is nothing much, I hope you like it." Emma piped.
"Thank you Emma. I'm very sure I would like it." Leah replied sweetly.
Will picked up a chocolate ball from the cake and put his in his mouth. "Mm, pretty good." He approved, and reached for another, when Jem slapped his hand.
"William, you seem to forget that the dessert is actually meant for my daughter." He reminded.
"I did not forget that, Jem. I was merely testing it for Leah's sake, you see in case the cake seemed to have any signs of . . . .demon pox." And Tessa and Jem together smacked their foreheads at the last 2 words Will had said, and Leah laughed at the fond memories about demon pox the three had used to share together.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Jem protested. "The only things that have chances of demon pox are demons."
"And Benedict Lightworm." Will made it a point to add.
"If you are done quarrelling over topics as petty as demon pox," Tessa smiled. "I'd like Leah to cut her cake."
"Demon pox is not a petty topic, Tess." Will argued. "It is a lethal di -"
"I think we are done talking about demon pox, William. Leah dear, do the honours." Jem smiled at his daughter, and Leah stepped forward to cut the cake, blushing while everyone around her started singing Happy Birthday.
It was a rather childish tradition for someone of seventeen to cut such an elaborate chocolate cake, while all around her sang the same old "Happy Birthday", but Leah found herself enjoying it - in a very nostalgic and longing manner. Her knife went through the cake, and Leah immediately felt an abrupt and shocking pain everywhere in her body.
Leah collapsed on the floor, bringing down a few clattering plates along with her. She seemed to zoom in and out of her body - of her current situation in the London Institute, celebrating her 17th birthday. Her head was bursting with the migraine, and her body was shivering involuntarily.
Leah could make out James Herondale leaning over her, trying to penetrate deep inside her eyes, and she yelled for help. "It's Oskino." James said after his observation. "You have reached Edom, and from now, the demon will never stop troubling you."
And it was only when James had said so, that Leah's eyes rolled inside out and she came back to the real world, away from the hallucinations. A deadly, bloodcurdling scream was heard, and that jerked everyone away from their personal hallucinations.
The 5 looked around their surroundings. Everywhere around, the land was bare with not a living thing in sight, no signs of vegetation - only rocks, dust, caves and dunes, stretching endlessly.
And at their feet was Leah, practically going insane, beating her forehead at the ground, spitting blood and emitting earsplitting screams. "Leah! Leah!" Isabelle went for her, and Alec and Jace joint her, leaning down to Leah's level. "Leah. Stay calm. Please, please. Stay calm Leah." Isabelle pleaded.
"She was sensitive to Oskino blood." Alec stated, looking like he might go sick. "Just the presence of Oskino's blood or cult would make her go mad with fits and vomit. And Magnus told me, demonic children or warlocks always have a bad time in the demonic dimensions, because that is where their demon parents reside. Leah . . . . Oskino shall now trouble her even more now that she is in his dimension," Alec completed, pale and white-faced.
Jace, Clary and Simon felt Alec's words like a slap on their faces. Everybody suddenly felt sick and horror-struck for never having thought about how the visit to Edom could have had its direct impact on Leah. Isabelle gasped and slapped her hand on top of her mouth in terror. "Leah . . . Leah, no!" She cried.
"Izzzz-z-z...bblewh." Leah said with some difficulty, holding her sister's hand in her frail one.
"Leah." Alec crouched down in front of his sister. "Leah, look at me. You knew this would happen?" Leah's face expression told them that she did. "Why did you come with us? Why did you?"
"You would never have managed to find Sebastian here all by yourselves." Leah spoke with obvious agony, grimacing, her teeth clattering and her entire body shaking with epilepsy. "In Edom, one can't find his way. It is like a desert; all things here look the same from every angle. You start hallucinating and seeing mirages here. People go mad!" Leah cried. "I . . . .here I can sense Sebastian much better. I can take you to him."
"Leah, you are risking your own health - your sanity - by coming here. You didn't have to do this for us." Jace explained with pitiful gentleness.
"I had to. One person's sacrifice is worth five persons' triumph." She murmured and then groaned painfully.
"How will you come with us?" Simon questioned, genuinely worried.
Leah grumbled something like "I can manage that" and to prove her words, stood up abruptly - but got dizzy and off-balance, so she had linger for some time under the support of Jace's strong arm. Still holding Jace's arm, Leah took weak and groggy steps.
"See, I can walk!" Leah exclaimed like a child, before her eyes began rolling to her head, and the girl's knees buckled. Simon was in time to save Leah from falling face-forth on the stone floor (thanks to his vampiric speed and strength), but Leah had fainted as soon as she had landed in his arms, before pointing at a seemingly-random spot on the horizon, and claiming that that was where Sebastian was residing.
Simon decided that he would carry Leah (being the vampire), and the 5 - along with the unconscious girl - started walking up to where Leah had pointed.