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L E G I O N
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Willa had never been more distracted and confused in her entire life. The events of the previous evening just kept playing over and over in her head, the feeling of Matthew's lips pressing against hers while his hands had lit her skin on fire was something she never thought she would get to experience yet she had.
She hadn't even touched much on the fact that had been her first kiss. Willa had always seen her parents kissing or seen the occasional couple here and there, but being kissed was a whole different story. She now knew what it was like, had tasted the addictive drink that was kissing Matthew Fairchild. And she feared she may never recover.
Matthew had done a pretty good job of avoiding her the best that he could even going as far as to stand on the opposite side of the group that very afternoon when the Merry Thieves, their Maid Marian, and Lucie were all in the ballroom. The young Herondale girl only noticed it for a second before she began getting lost in her own thoughts, barely listening to the words being exchanged between her friends as her gaze drifted towards the window while her thoughts ran wild.
Willa was sure she would have thought about Matthew for the rest of the day if it weren't for the sudden arrival of Cordelia Carstairs, the red haired girl hurriedly walking into the ballroom which was filled with furniture hidden by white sheets. The group was very fortunate that Will and Tessa were out on day patrol, so the ballroom had become their designated meeting place to figure out the Pyxis Anna had handed to them the night before.
"Cordelia," Willa greeted, that having been the first word she had spoke since they entered the room. She could feel Matthew glance her way as if he hadn't been expecting her to speak, but her eyes only locked with those of Thomas who stared at her for a moment as if he were trying to figure her out before settling for reaching out and gently squeezing her hand to let her know that whatever it is that was plaguing her thoughts, she wasn't alone.
"Cordelia!" Lucie exclaimed upon hearing her sister's greeting. She had turned from the circle the group found themselves in around the Pyxis box and smiled widely at her future parabatai. "We were just exchanging information. We learned a great deal that was important at the Enclave meeting last night, and it sounds as if you did something or other at the Hell Ruelle. Nothing that compelling, no doubt, but we cannot all be spies."
"I heard about the meeting from my brother this morning," Cordelia informed them, joining their makeshift circle. She was wearing her gear much like everyone else was and Willa momentarily saw the red head glance at James before quickly looking away. "The quarantine and—all the rest."
Willa hesitated a little at that, knowing that Cordelia was referring to Oliver Hayward who had been Barbara's boyfriend and who had also passed away very suddenly from the same thing that killed Barbara. Thomas was tense and seeing as he was still holding onto Willa's hand in comfort, the girl squeezed it a little tighter which made him subconsciously lean towards her a bit.
"It seems even more urgent to find and trap the demon responsible for this contagion now, before it attacks anyone else," Cordelia told them.
"I wholeheartedly agree with you, Cordelia," Willa said before looking towards Christopher. "Kit, why don't you show her what you were telling us about earlier."
Christopher's face lit up a bit at that and he flashed a grin in Willa's direction before enthusiastically waving an enormous book, his glasses balancing on the top of his nice. The words On the Uses of Pyxides and Other Phylacteries were stamped across the front in gold. "It appears that this generation of Pyxis is fairly simple. When you wish to trap a demon, you first wound or weaken it. Then you place the Pyxis on the ground nearby and speak the words 'Thaam Tholach Thechembaor," and the demon will be sucked into the box."
As if the mere mention of it was enough to startle it, the Pyxis box wobbled sharply making everyone jump about a foot back. Thomas and Willa both went to take a protective step in front of the other with their hands already falling upon their seraph blades, but realized what they were doing and instead just shared a small look before getting into a stance side by side.
"It's alive," Thomas commented, his eyes focused on the box. "Not the Pyxis, I mean—well, you know what I mean."
"Indeed," James muttered. "I see a flaw in our plan."
"Really?" Willa questioned with a teasing grin. "I call this more of a gift than a flaw. Not only do we get to capture a demon, but we now have the possibility of killing one."
"Sometimes I really see why my parents refer to you as Mini Will," Thomas muttered with a small shake of his head and the beginnings of a smile appearing on his face. "I must admit though, it does sound rather exciting. I think you're starting to rub off of me, Willa." Willa winked at the boy who merely chuckled in response.
"What if the Pyxis has an occupant? There was no real reason to assume the box at Hypatia's was empty. It could have had a demon it it all these years," Matthew pointed out.
"What would happen if we tried to put another demon in there?" Cordelia asked. "Could they both fit?"
"It isn't a good idea," Christopher replied as his eyes flickered over the words within the book. "Since we don't know what kind of demon is already on there, we don't know if there will be enough space. Pyxides are bigger inside than they appear, but still finite."
"Well, then we have to empty this Pyxis out and fight it like Willa said," Lucie told them. "Anything could be in there. It could be a Greater Demon."
"What ho," Christopher muttered sadly.
"Lighten up, Kit. This could be fun," Willa said.
"I'm sure it isn't a Greater Demon," James countered. "Still—let's relocate to the Sanctuary. No matter what happens, we can at least keep it contained until help arrives."
"Why not?" Matthew questioned. "Surely there's no way this plan can go wrong."
Willa hummed in disagreement and turned her attention to the blonde for the first time that night. "I don't know, Matthew. You know as well as I that something unpredictable can happen in the blink of an eye,"she told him, her words making his green eyes flicker her way. For a moment she was reminded of the kiss again and the sparkling green eyes staring intently at her were not helping one bit.
"Have you got another idea?" James asked, causing the two to break their stare.
"I think we should do it," Thomas suggested, "it's ridiculous to come this far and turn back."
Lucie sniffed, "Well, you'd all better hope it works. Especially you two, James and Willa, because if Mam and Papa find out you released a demon in the Sanctuary, they will feed you to it."
The twins shot their sister a glare and Cordelia giggled. "Papa would never," Willa replied. "Mama on the other hand. . .well, like Papa always says—Americans can be heartless." James rolled his eyes at that and Lucie chuckled while Willa smiled softly.
The group relocated themselves to the Sanctuary after that, James carrying the Pyxis box carefully while Willa hovered beside him. She gulped as she stared at the box before reaching out to place a hand upon her brother's shoulder. James glanced her way, the twins sharing a small look of understanding for they both were feeling a little uneasy about opening a Pyxis box because of what had happened with their father.
"Don't worry," Lucie told them. "It won't be like it was with Papa."
"What do you mean?" Cordelia asked.
"When he was a child, our father opened a Pyxis with tragic consequences. Our aunt Ella was killed," James explained.
Cordelia's face confronted in horror. "Maybe we shouldn't—" she began, but Lucie was quick to wave her concern away.
"This will be different," Lucie insisted. "We know what we're getting into. Papa didn't."
Willa let out a shaky breath. "Luce is right," she muttered. She squeezed James' shoulder once before taking a step back by Thomas' side and pulling out her seraph blade. She smirked slightly and nodded her head at her brother. "Go ahead, Jamie."
James set the box on the floor, directly on top of a rune of angelic power. Willa's grip on her seraph blade tightened and she had to remind herself that the Sanctuary was the best place to do this. After all, it was warded all around with spells preventing Downworlders from entering the main body of the Insitutie. James knelt down by the box and after a moment, took out an unlit seepage blade from inside his coat.
"Arm yourselves, everyone," he said.
Cordelia unsheathed Cortana while the others all pulled out their seraph blades like the twins had. Thomas stood on one side of Willa and she felt a presence on her other side, yet didn't need to turn to know that it was Matthew who stood beside her.
She hesitated before looking his way, her eyes locking with his green ones before he gave her a small nod of reassurance. Willa returned it before they looked back at James who twisted the handle sideways. There was a loud click as the Pyxis popped open. All through the Sanctuary, the white candles Thomas had lit spat and guttered. James sprang back, his blade raised.
There was a sound like a train whistle and smoke pouring from the open Pyxis which brought forth a foul smell that made Willa want to gag. "Sanvi," Willa said, her seraph blade lighting up almost instantly in response.
Something was rising through the smoke—something like a massive caterpillar, greenish in color, with a segmented, undulating body and a smooth head slashed across by a lipless mouth. The mouth cracked open, showing row upon tow of blackened teeth.
"I feel like I'm staring at a monster version of Absalom from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Willa shuddered, her words making Thomas crack a smile while Matthew chuckled softly beside her. The sound made her glance the blonde's way and for the first time since the previous evening, he offered her a kind smile which she didn't hesitate to return.
"At last I am free," the demon hissed. "I, Agaliarept, am free to recover the domain of my master, stolen from him by a demon of great cunning, I shall retrieve his lost world and flood this one with blood and death." Its blind head was turned their way. "Those who have freed me, what is thy bidding? Speak! I am commanded to do anything you ask."
"Anything?" Matthew questioned with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
However, before the demon could reply there was a flash of light as James' seraph blade aced through the smoke and plunged into the demon's middle. Black ichor sprayed as the demon shrieked in a high voice. The candles sputtered and went out as James pulled his blade free; he was splattered with black fluid, his jaw set, his eyes glittering.
The demon howled and vanished, leaving only smoke and stink behind, Lucie staggered back with a cough, her expression one of disgust.
Willa sighed in disappointment. "Jamie," she complained. "I told you only moments before how much I wanted to kill a demon and you go ahead and do it without me. I have never felt more betrayed in my life. I think I may have to go fight the Greater Demon on my own in order to make up for this devastating blow."
James rolled his eyes, his lips turning up slightly while Matthew frowned. "But it would have done our bidding!" he protested.
"It seemed untrustworthy," James told him, wiping ichor from his face with his sleeve. His seraph blade had gone dark.
"I thought he seemed all right, for a demon," Christopher shrugged. "You know."
"What is going on here?" a loud voice asked. The group spun around in an instant and Willa's eyes widened in surprise while she heard Matthew suck in a breath sharply beside her.
There in the doorway stood a very tall man with a shock of black hair. His skin was brown, a shade darker than Cordelia's, his eyes gold-green and slit-pupilled like a cat's. He was dressed as if for a summer wedding, in a gray frock coat and trousers, with gray suede gloves and boots. The outfit was topped off by a magnificent waistcoat of gray-and-magenta brocade, a walking stick, and a bright magenta spats.
Magnus Bane.
"Magnus Bane?" Matthew questioned in both horror and amazement.
Willa watched as the warlock walked into the Sanctuary, shaking his head as he studied the scene before him. "I want to know what you're doing, but I must confess I'm afraid to find out," he said. "A spot of demon-summoning, I gather."
"It's our favorite pastime," Willa replied almost instantly, flashing her Herondale smile at the warlock as his eyes flickered over to her. "You should've seen the Hellhound I summoned yesterday."
"She's kidding," James insisted, shooting a small glare at his twin which only made her shrug in response. Magnus' lips had twitched up a bit at the girl's remark, but he remained silent as he turned his gaze to James. "It's a bit complicated. Hello, Magnus. It's good to see you."
"Last time I saw you, you were faced on in the Serpentine," Magnus said cheerfully. "Now you're fiddling with a Pyxis with your twin sister who reminds me a little too much of your father. I see you have decided to follow in the long Herondale tradition of poor decision-making."
"So have I!" Lucie exclaimed, determined not to be left out.
"How else is one supposed to live a life full of adventure if there wasn't a little danger every now and then?" Willa questioned.
Magnus' eyes sparkled a bit as he studied the girl before smiling just a bit. "Indeed," he muttered. "I came all the way from Jakarta to have a meeting with Tessa and Will about this whole daylight demon plague business. Yet when I knocked on the front door, no one answered. Thus I was forced to come in through the Sanctuary."
"It's odd they would have asked you to come here now," Thomas stated. "Everyone over eighteen is out searching for the demons responsible for the attacks."
Magnus furrowed his eyebrows at that before lifting his hand to stare at the expensive-looking watch on his wrist. He let out a small groan, "It seems that I forgot to turn my watch backward and therefore have arrived six hours early. Bloody hell."
"We could have tea!" Matthew suggested, his face lighting up in excitement. Willa couldn't help but look his way, a smile taking over her features as she watched the excited boy. "I am a true enthusiast of your work, Mr. Bane. Also, your personal style. Your waistcoats alone. . ."
"Matthew, do shut up," Thomas told him. "Mr. Bane doesn't want to talk about waistcoats."
"Untrue," Magnus said. "I always want to talk about waistcoats. But I admit I'm more curious about this Pyxis." He drew closer and poked at the box with his walking stick. "Am I correct in deducing that you opened the box on purpose and let a Palpis demon out?"
James and Willa both shared a look before turning to Magnus and saying in unison, "Yes."
Magnus blinked and let his eyes flicker between the twins, ". . .Why?"
"We need to be able to use the Pyxis," Matthew blurted out. "To trap a demon. So it had to be empty. We were just—clearing it out."
Willa facepalmed herself while Matthew winced a little at his words. She shot him a look and an amused smile and he just nervously returned it.
James let out a sigh, "Matthew, you would be a terrible spy. You might not break under torture, but you'd tell someone anything they wanted to know in exchange for a nice pair of trousers."
"Oh, for goodness' sake," Cordelia muttered before turning to Magnus. "You want this demon business over, right? You don't want any more Shadowhunters to die?"
Magnus looked startled at her abruptness. "I am generally not on the side of murderous demons, no," he told her.
"Then perhaps you could help us," James suggested before proceeding to explain their plan to the warlock or at least as much as he could without breaking their promise to Ragnor. Magnus looked more and more curious by the second and soon enough he was sitting on the edge of the fountain with his long legs stretched out in front of him.
"This is quite a collection of suppositions," he finally said once James was done. "But I must ask, especially you, Lucie, James, and Willa—why do you not seek your parents' assistance with this? Why the secrecy?"
"Because we made a promise," Willa replied as if it were simple.
"Willa's right," Matthew agreed. "To the person who gave us the key that unlocked a great deal of this information. And we can't break it."
Magnus smiled an odd sideways smile. "Ragnor told me that he trusted you with some information, and it appears that you have not betrayed his trust. Not many Shadowhunters would honor such a vow made to a Downworlders. Since I am Ragnor's best friend, or at least the only person who can tolerate him for long stretches, I will keep your secret." He glanced between the Herondale siblings. "In days past, when I knew your parents well, they probably would have been spearheading this plan." He stood up. "But now they are no longer children. They are parents, and thus devoted to something they love more than their own lives. So indeed, perhaps they should not be told."
"We only wish to keep them and everyone else safe," Willa said once no one replied. "The least amount of blood that can be shed, the better."
Magnus looked to her with a thoughtful gaze. "You certainly are the daughter of Tessa and Will. I see much of both of them within you," he told her.
"I only hope to live up to their legacy," Willa admitted. "To do as much good in the world as they were able to when they were my age."
Magnus was silent for a moment, his lips turning up into a small smile before he nodded. "Well, good luck," he said, picking up his walking stick. "I suppose I shall go to Hatchards for a few hours. There is no better distraction in this world than losing oneself in books for a while."
Cordelia stepped forward almost instantly, her hands held out as if to prevent him from leaving. "Mr. Bane," she said. "I know it is a great deal to ask, especially when you have promised to keep our secrets. But would you help us out?"
Magnus tapped his gloved fingers against the head of his cane. "You're a Carstairs, right? Cordelia Carstairs?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm Jem's cousin," Cordelia told him. "Look—we know this is a wild plan, but it could save many lives. You needn't help us directly, or get involved in the fighting. I understand you feel loyalty to our parents. But you could help us very much just by casting a spell to keep mundanes off Tower Bridge while we venture onto it. It would be safer for them, too."
Magnus hesitated at that and Willa couldn't suppress the small grin making its way onto her face. Yet another reason why she adored Cordelia.
At last the warlock shrugged. "Very well," he told them. "Even though that green bastard Ragnor has hared off to Capri, I don't think he would have wanted you to put yourselves in danger because of a promise to him. I'll keep an eye on you, but remember—if I see anything I think Will and Tessa need to know, I will tell them about it posthaste."
- - -
Gathering what they needed from the weapons room hadn't taken long, so before she knew it, Willa and the others were on their way down Ludgate Hill and Cannon Street. The raven-haired girl walked silently beside Thomas who was listening to Christopher ramble on about his latest ideas for a new round of inventions.
A little ways ahead of them were Lucie and Cordelia who were deep in conversation, Matthew trailing along behind them with his flask in hand while his gaze flickered from the scenery around them to the girl herself. Their eyes locked every once in a while, but Matthew wouldn't hold the gaze long before he was already looking away and taking another swig from his flask.
Willa had to remind herself that it was merely a kiss, that if it hadn't meant anything to Matthew then she shouldn't work herself up over it so much. She wasn't about to lose one of her best friends because of a silly heat of the moment thing and she knew the only reason Matthew was acting the way that he was had to be because he was beating himself up for kissing her. They would need to talk about what had happened and soon, but she didn't want to make him any more on edge than he already was right when they were about to go fight a Greater Demon.
Instead, Willa tore her gaze away from the blonde and looked back at James who was obviously lost in his thoughts. Frowning slightly, the girl gently squeezed Thomas' arm before falling back to walk beside her twin.
James looked up in surprise before his face softened at the sight of her and a small smile graced his face. "Willa," he greeted with a small nod.
"Jamie," Willa replied before reaching over to lock her arm with his own. James leaned against her a little and she could already tell he was relaxing just by being at her side. "Are you alright?"
"I'm just fine," James assured her before his eyes locked with her own. "Are you?"
"Me?" Willa questioned.
James sighed and let his gaze flicker over to Matthew. "I don't know what happened, but you and Matthew aren't acting the same. He won't seem to open up to me, so I was wondering if everything was alright?" he asked, a mixture of concern and worry flashing through his eyes.
Willa softened a bit and smiled at her twin, "Matthew and I will be fine. There was just a small misunderstanding is all and we haven't been able to talk about it since. Everything will be alright once this demon stuff is over."
James was silent as he studied his sister and he looked as if he were on the verge of saying something when the twins were interrupted by a soft voice from behind them as Magnus Bane joined by their side. "I have to admit," Magnus said as he glanced towards the twins before looking back ahead of them, "I had been hoping to talk to you two tonight, so perhaps this development is fortuitous."
"Why would you be hoping to talk to us?" James asked, stuffing his hands into his pocket before taking a closer step to his twin so she could continue to hold his arm. "If you aren't concerned that I have continued my career of shooting chandeliers and pulled Willa into the messy you will be relieved to know that according to the Clave, I have moved on to vandalizing greenhouses."
Magnus raised an eyebrow at that. "Henry," he told them. "Before he went to Idris, he sent me a vial of dirt to analyze. Said he couldn't make head or tail of it. He also said you gave it to him."
"And?" James asked cautiously.
"It's strange stuff," Magnus said. "In fact, it isn't from this world."
Willa tensed a little at that, but didn't allow her facade to break. She held onto James a little bit tighter and he glanced towards her before looking back to Magnus. They had reached the bottom of Great Tower Street by now and were nearing the Tower of London. Magnus avoided groups of tourists and steered the twins down Tower Hill, a hand on their shoulders. James lowered his voice despite the others being a ways away. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"You know that there are other realms," Magnus told them. "Other worlds than this."
"That's where demons come from, yes," Willa agreed. "They travel through dimensions to reach other worlds including our own."
Magnus nodded, "There are some worlds ruled by demons, usually Greater Demons. Those worlds can be imbued with the very essence of those creatures. The dirt you gave Henry comes from one such place. A dimension under the power of the demon Belphegor."
"Belphegor?" James said while Willa let out a shaky breath of disbelief.
"He's one of the Princes of Hell," she whispered before looking towards Magnus. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the warlock beat her to it.
"I know what you're thinking about," Magnus said while tapping his walking stick against the cobblestones. "Jem also contacted me about you two. All roads lead to the Herondale twins these days, it seems."
The wind off the river was sharp as it blew through Willa's hair. She huddled closer to her brother and shot her grey-blue eyes in Magnus' direction. "Uncle Jem contacted you?" she questioned.
"About your grandfather," Magnus explained. "He told me that he was a Prince of Hell." He glanced at the darkening sky. "You are wondering now if it might be Belphegor because the realm James visits belongs to him."
"Wouldn't that make a kind of sense?" James asked.
"It might. It might mean nothing at all. I can tell you that there is no record of anyone sighting Belphegor in more than a century," Magnus hesitated. "Jem told me you were desperate to know who your grandfather is. My own father is a Prince of Hell. They are dark angels, James and Willa. Intelligent and cunning and manipulative. They bear the knowledge of thousands of years of life. Like angels, they have seen the face of the divine, but they turned away from it. They have chosen darkness, and that choice has reverberated through eternity. They cannot be killed, only wounded, and no good can come from knowing a Prince of Hell. They can never cause you anything but sorrow."
"But wouldn't it be better for us to know—" James began.
"I summoned my father once," Magnus interrupted. "It was the worst mistake of my life. James, Willa, you two are not defined by this—by the blood in you. I have found no trace, no hint of who your grandfather is, and I advised Jem to cease looking. It does not matter. You are who you are, made by the sum of your choices and actions. Not a teaspoon of demon's blood."
"This isn't about just the blood," Willa replied. "This is our family, our ancestry. But what U gather from all of this is that you don't think our grandfather is Belphegor."
"What about Sammael?" James asked.
Magnus snorted, "Good Lord, you two are determined. I recall seeking a demon for your father, once. He was equally stubborn." He pointed with his walking stick. "Look. Here we are."
They were now in front of the bridge, but it was quite dark outside and the gas lamps were lit. There was a good bit of traffic out, even the occasional motorcar purring along Tower Bridge Approach. They had all gathered around and the twins reluctantly let the topic of their grandfather drop.
"So, do you think you can do it?" James questioned Magnus. "Create a distraction? Or should we come back later, when there are fewer mundanes about?"
"No need for that," Magnus assured him, his eyes sparkling. He stepped to the railing along the river's edge where a high wall dropped to a stony beach that ran beside and below the bridge. He drew his gloves off and tucked them into his waistcoat pocket. Then he held out his hands and Willa watched with a small smile and wide eyes full of wonder as blue fire sparked at his fingertips. Something about watching a warlock use magic has always intrigued her.
Light arced over the Thames, bright as a thousand stars as it formed a glimmering path laid from bank to bank of the Thames. Willa let out a breath of amazement, leaning back slightly against her brother while she heard similar reactions coming from the others. The light rose and twined, forming the ghostly shape of a shimmering Tower Bridge made of light. It was perfect down to the smallest detail, from the towers to the spiderweb cables and gleaming chains. Magnus lowered his hands, breathing hard.
"It's spectacular," Thomas whispered, a look of real wonder on his face that he quickly shot in Willa's direction as the two best friends beamed at each other. "But—"
"It will not appear to mundanes as it does to you," Magnus explained. "They will not see the real bridge. They will see this instead. Look."
He gestured towards an oncoming cab with a wave of his hand. The Shadowhunters watched agape as it swung toward the glimmering illusion of Tower Bridge and onto the bridge deck. The wheels of the cab rattled over the glimmering tarmac.
"Oh, good, I was afraid the bridge was going to collapse," Lucie said while more carriages followed the cab.
"That would be a sight," Willa mused, imagining what the mundanes would do if one moment they were on the bridge and the next they were flying through the air with the bridge no where in sight.
"Magnus would never create a bridge that would collapse," Matthew insisted and Willa couldn't help but look his way. Her eyes instantly locked onto the way his green eyes seemed to shine. She knew he was as entranced with the magic as she was and her heart bubbled with joy at getting to see him as happy as he was.
"Thank you," Magnus said dryly. "If you're going to capture that demon, you'd better get to it. I can only keep this illusion going for so long."
Willa turned to Magnus at that, offering him that charming Herondale smile of hers as she whispered, "Thank you."
The corners of the warlock's lips twitched up a bit, "Good luck. Don't get killed."
Willa went to reply, but James was already pulling away from her and hurrying off towards the bridge. She momentarily frowned at that before she felt someone grabbing ahold of her wrist. She turned to see Thomas giving her a reassuring smile and she instantly relaxed before staying by his side as they made their way over to the bridge as well.
They had all pulled out their seraph blades by the time they walked through the archway that led to the steps of the bridge. All except for Cordelia who had Cortana shimmering in her hand.
As they walked up the stairs, someone fell into step beside her and she glanced away from Thomas and towards the newcomer, hesitating slightly at the sight of Matthew. His green eyes were already locking with her own and it seemed like then and there that the two made a silent agreement to not discuss what had happened the night before. All that mattered was that the killings stopped and they weren't about to go into a demon fight such as this without acknowledging each other in some way.
Matthew reached out, his fingers dancing across her hand before he carefully gripped her hand and gave it a small squeeze. He only touched her for a moment, but it was enough to make Willa feel as if she could do anything. She gave her a small nod and a smile and Matthew stared at her for a moment before his infamous smile made its way onto his face.
Willa's smile fell from her face before she could even blink, a sensation coming over her body that made her tense so suddenly that Matthew quickly grabbed ahold of her arm as if he were afraid she might fall. "Mon coeur, what's wrong?" he asked, unsure as to what was happening.
The Herondale girl didn't reply, instead looking in front of them where James stood. Willa was rushing pass the others and to her brother's side in an instant, her hand flying to his arm and causing the boy to look to her, his eyes wide.
"Jamie. Are you all right? What's wrong?" she questioned while James let out a shaky breath and reached his hand up to clamp it on his sister's shoulder.
"I can see the shadow realm," he whispered, the tone of his voice making Willa grow cold. "It's all around me, Willy. The bridge is splintering—"
Willa's breath caught in her throat, especially as she listened to James call her by her nickname that he hadn't used since their times at the Academy. "Jamie, there's nothing wrong with the bridge. We're okay. Everything's all right," she tried to tell him, but James merely looked away while his grip on her tightened ever so slightly as if he were afraid he would disappear completely if he let her go,
James looked around like he didn't understand what was occurring around him. The others had moved to check out the bridge, Matthew glancing their way every so often with a look of concern flashing through his eyes.
"Willa," James suddenly said, inhaling sharply while he stared up at the sky.
"What is it, Jamie?" she whispered, but she never got a response. Willa was barely even able to blink before her brother was pushing her away and suddenly flinging his seraph blade up into the air.
That was when all hell seemed to break loose and Willa was pulling herself up onto her feet so fast that she almost ran right into Thomas who was on his way to help her up. She steadied herself against her friend, the two looking up towards the sky as a loud screeching voice filled the air.
It came screaming towards them like a diving hawk—a demon the size of an omnibus, its yellowish coat streaked with dried blood. "By the Angel," Thomas muttered in surprise as the demon shot for James. It was a blur of black teeth and red talons with a mark of gold where the hilt of James' knife protruded from its shoulder.
James flung another blade while Willa scrambled to pick up her own. The demon ducked out of the way of the second blade, instead landing on the bridge with it's talked feet splayed. It moved towards them and all of the Shadowhunters got into their stances.
Cordelia raised Cortana while everyone else began to name their blades which blazed to life: "Eleleth!" "Adamiel!" "Jophiel!"
The demon bared its teeth at them and Willa scoffed, lunging forward at a speed so intense that she would've disappeared in the eyes of a mundane. She could see it more clearly as she ran towards it, the demon's mangy lion body with elongated legs being lit up by the gas lamps around her. Each leg ended in a massive, taloned paw while its head was snakelike and scaled. Its glittering red eyes turned towards her and it bared its triple row of serrated teeth at her, but that didn't made the Herondale girl back down.
She lunged over the paw it swung her way, sliding under its webbed feet and jumping up behind it. She threw herself up off the ground and past its scorpion tail and she slashed at the demon's face as she leapt over it.
The demon howled in anger and went to lash its tail at her, but Thomas was already by her side, his bolas grabbing the scorpion tail and moving it away before the two spun out of the way. The demon instead barreled towards James and Willa shared a nod of thanks with Thomas before the two threw themselves back into the fight.
By now Willa knew the demon was a Mandikhor. They had been right, but she couldn't help but wish that they hadn't.
James dodged the demon in time and Willa managed to see Matthew drop the Pyxis before running forward to flank James. The tip sliced the demon's shoulder as it leaped back, causing it to howl. It reared up, and Willa heard her sister cry out as a grotesque lump swelled under the skin of its side—swelled and swelled and then burst into a sticky black. . .thing.
The thing peeled away from the Mandikhor and Willa gagged at the sight before her eyes widened as it began to rise. She recognized it almost instantly as one of the creatures that had attacked them in Regent's Park—a Khora demon.
It shot toward Matthew, but Willa was quick and threw herself in front of the blonde so that she could slash at the demon with her seraph blade. Matthew quickly joined her before slashing at the demon's face so that Willa could run to the side of the bridge and catapult herself off of the side and at the Khora demon. Her seraph blade sunk into its head and it vanished before their eyes, splattering ash and ichor.
The blonde and dark haired girl shared a small look, but were suddenly pulled away as each of them heard the sound of James and Thomas crying out. Matthew ran in the direction of his parabatai almost instantly, Willa doing the same with Thomas.
She could see two Khora demons attacking the boy and she didn't hesitate to come up from behind and kick one of the demons to the side before plunging her seraph blade into the other one. Thomas dove his blade into the demon Willa had kicked aside before the two let out heavy breaths and got themselves ready to fight again, now standing side by side.
"Kit!" Willa yelled as she noticed the boy who was now surrounded by Khora demons. They were all beginning to create a tight circle around Christopher and Willa growled in anger before racing towards her friend with Thomas by her side.
Lucie, Matthew, and James were joining them in an instant and all six Shadowhunters began fighting off the Khora, Willa only glancing towards Cordelia for a moment in order for it to click that the red head had gone towards the source of the Khora demons—the Mandikhor.
Cortana sunk deep into the demon's torso, ichor spilling everywhere while the world tilted around them. The color rushed out of it like blood from a wound, but the Shadowhunters kept their focus long enough to finish off the rest of the Khora demons and race to Cordelia's side.
Cordelia had fallen to her knees, but Willa and Matthew were there to help her up. "Cordelia—" Willa began, her eyes searching the young girl for any wounds that might be in need of a quick iratze.
"She's all right!" Lucie insisted, spattered with blood and ichor as she clutched the Pyxis box. The Mandikhor howled and bled behind them and the bridge was now completely empty of Khora.
Willa held her ground as she turned to the Mandikhor which was already beginning to create another swelling lump on its back. "Now!" Lucie cried. "We must get it into the Pyxis!"
"Put the box on the ground!" Thomas exclaimed, vaulting up onto the railing with his bolas now in hand. "Christopher, say the words!"
Christopher stepped towards the Pyxis and the Mandikhor, realizing what was happening, charged. It was too late, for the boy was already yelling, "Thaam Tholach Thechembaor!"
The alchemical symbols carved on the Pyxis box lit as if the lines were on fire and seemed to bloom on the wood like coal. A spear of light shot from the Pyxis, and then another, and another. The beams of light arrowed along the bridge, wrapping around the Mandikhor in a bright cage. It gave a howl—the cage of light flared up one last time and was sucked back into the Pyxis, the Mandikhor vanishing with is.
There was a long silence and Willa let out a small breath despite still being in alert. Matthew had sometime ago rested his hand upon Willa's arm and it continued to stay there while they all looked around.
"I don't mean to put a damper on things," Thomas said, "but—did that work? Because it seems rather—"
He didn't get to finish his statement before the Pyxis exploded. The Shadowhunters all yelled and dove out of the way as wooden shrapnel blew in all directions. Wind tore across the bridge and Willa closed her eyes as she flattened her body against the bridge the best that she could, a howling hurricane surrounding her with fire-scented air.
At last the howling died down and the bridge was empty and silent, only the wind blowing a bit of discarded refuse back and forth across the roadway. Willa pulled herself up into her feet, her hand falling down to the extra seraph blade she had. Ahead, she could still see the glimmering light of Magnus' bridge, mundane traffic still making its way across it.
"—too easy," Thomas finished, his face smeared with soot. Willa cracked a small smile at that, not being able to help herself.
"Bloody hell," James muttered, reaching for a knife right as the world exploded around them.
Out of the wind and air came the Mandikhor once again. "By the Angel! Can't you just let us kill you? It would make this all a lot simpler!" Willa yelled in exasperation, her blade by her side.
The Mandikhor roared and almost seemed to double in size, now clothed in ragged darkness. It rose above them like a shadow drawn in blood, its head thrown back while each of its talons gleamed like a dagger.
Both James and Willa flung their daggers at the Mandikhor, but it just sprang towards the boy. Willa cried out, reaching for the only other seraph blade she had and slashing it through the darkness that began to consumer her. She couldn't see anything anymore and her breathing became ragged as she desperately slashed all around.
Then, through the darkness, she heard her brother cry out before a hissing voice said, "Come with me. Come with me, child of demons, to where you will be honored. You see the same world I do and you sister will in time. You see the world as it really is. I know who your mother is, and who your grandfather is. Come with me."
Willa's breath was shaky as she stumbled through the darkness, the need to find her brother pushing her forward to the point where she had grown cold.
"I am a Shadowhunter," she heard James insist. "I will not listen to your lies."
"You know I speak the truth. I swear on the names of Asmodeus, of Bella, of Belphegor and Sammael, that I can end this scourge if you will come with me. No more need to die," the demon said.
"No!" Willa cried out, although she had a sickening feeling that her brother could not hear her.
"No," James said, his voice shaking.
Willa heard the Mandikhor hiss, "So ungrateful." The Herondale girl cried out in anger and pushed past the darkness, letting the invisible line she felt surround her pull her towards her brother. All she could think about was how no one was with him, how his parabatai was not by his side like he should've been. She had to help James. She had to keep him safe.
That's all she's ever had to do.
"You alone can walk between the world of Earth and the dark kingdom," the Mandikhor hissed. "Only you can help to unlock your sister's potential."
"Do you mean the kingdom of Belphegor?" James asked. "And what do you mean of my sister?"
The Mandikhor made an awful voice which Willa realized had to be its way of chuckling. Closing her eyes, the girl tried to focus herself the best that she could, not noticing the way the shadows seemed to envelope her before she forced herself forward. When her eyes opened, she found herself running towards where the Mandikhor was holding onto her brother.
"So like a human," it said, "to know so much, and yet know so little."
James opened his mouth to respond, but Willa was already leaping through the air, a scream escaping her lips as her seraph blade shone through the darkness. "Leave him alone!" another voice cried out as Cordelia joined her, the two girls flying through the darkness as they threw themselves at the demon.
James jerked free and rolled away while Cordelia slashed Cortana through the demon over and over while Willa took all she had in her to dove her seraph blade into the eye of the Mandikhor. The demon cried out in pain, its paw slamming into the two girls and sending them flying in opposite directions.
Willa cried out as she felt the air swirl around her, the darkness falling away before she was flying over the side of the bridge and into the water of the Thames below. The water surrounded her in an instant, the coldness seeping into her bones while the current pulled her further and further into the depths of the river.
Her dark hair was a mess around her, blocking her view while she tried to claw her way through the water and to safety. The closer she grew to the bottom, the more pressure that seemed to pull on her. Her chest felt like it was on fire, so tight that it was like the air was being pushed out of her lungs.
She would've cried out if she could've, but Willa had enough sense to use the air while she could. Her vision was growing blurred with every passing second and she could feel the dirt from the bottom of the river every time she moved her hands. The current pulled her further down stream and she could already feel her body beginning to give up.
She could only think of one thing as she sunk further into the darkness: Don't let this be it. Please.
Willa's eyes closed at that, the fight beginning to drain from her as her body floated into the shadows of the depth where the stars light couldn't touch her.
She didn't know how it happened, but suddenly the Herondale girl was sitting up and gasping for air, her hands digging into the grass underneath her while the night sky shined above. Willa was gasping for air as she looked around, her eyes taking in her surroundings as she noticed the tree that was right behind her, the shade that the stars lights were creating surrounding her.
Willa closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree as she attempted to catch her breath. She was soaked, the coldness of the water still seeping into her bones. Once she was able to breath once again, the girl opened her eyes and went to thank the person who had saved her only for no one to be there.
It was simply Willa and the tree she found herself under.
The Herondale girl was more confused than ever, but she pushed her thoughts aside as she forced herself up onto her feet. Her whole body ached as she stumbled forward, but she knew she had to get back to the others. They would be worried and she couldn't let them be in that state when she was able to get out of the Thames.
It took a little bit for her to be able to walk normally once again, but even then her whole body seemed to shake and she had to hold onto her arms in order to keep herself somewhat warm as the wind sharply blew around her.
Willa was finally able to see her friends a little ways up the shore and she let out a sigh of relief before beginning to walk a little faster. However, she stopped at the sight of James and Matthew fussing over the drenched and unconscious Cordelia as well as her seemingly unconscious sister.
Hesitating, Willa leaned against the tree closest to her, her eyes flickering over the two boys who were muttering to each other about fixing up the two young girls without even seeming to care about what had happened to herself.
Willa's heart broke at the sight and she couldn't help the tears that had begun to fill her eyes as she stared directly at her twin, at her brother who had forgotten about her.
This wasn't real. There was no way this was real.
James wouldn't just forget about her like that.
He wouldn't.
The sounds of shouts drew her tear filled eyes away from her twin and over to where Thomas was currently running over the hill faster than she had ever seen him run before. Christopher was on his heels and she even saw Magnus not too far behind them, a look of concern and confusion upon his face.
Thomas was by the shore in an instant. His eyes flickering over Cordelia and Lucie before he began to look around frantically while asking, "Where's Willa?"
Matthew tensed at that and Willa couldn't help but notice the action. The blonde was on his feet in an instant, his eyes wide as he looked at Thomas. "I thought she was with you," he insisted and hearing those words seemed to ease her aching heart ever so slightly.
At least Matthew hadn't forgotten her.
James on the other hand. . .
"No," James suddenly whispered, his face growing deathly pale. He looked as if he suddenly didn't know how to function, as if everything he had ever known had shattered before his very eyes. Willa didn't have the heart to care.
Everyone else seemed to notice James' state and Matthew glance at his parabatai, softly shaking his head while his eyes glossed over. "James," he whispered in slight hesitation, obviously not knowing if he wanted to hear what the boy had to say.
"She—" James began, but he couldn't finish his thoughts and merely stared off at the Thames hopelessly.
Willa could see everyone's faces as they all seemed to register what James was trying to tell them. Matthew was the first to break, the blonde stumbling back until he tripped over his own feet and ended up kneeling on the ground. His face was as pale as the moonlight, the color seeming to drain from his whole being as he gently shook his head.
Magnus' mouth fell open a bit in shock, his eyes flickering to the Thames in disbelief. Christopher had gone deathly still, his eyes glossing over slightly while his hands shook in fists by his side.
As for Thomas, the boy was shaking with anger. "Where is she, James? Where is she?" he yelled, storming over to the boy and grabbing onto his shoulder roughly. "If you're messing with me, if this is some sort of sick joke, it's not funny, James. Where is Willa?"
"Tom," James whispered helplessly, his eyes flickering to his parabatai for help but only noticing that Matthew was staring at the Thames as if he were going to be sick.
"Don't 'Tom' me! You cannot be serious right now, James. This is Willa we are talking about!" Thomas yelled.
James grew even paler than before as he whispered to Thomas, "I didn't know. I—"
"How could you forget your own sister like that?" Thomas finally asked, appalled at his friend's behavior. "How could you—?"
Thomas trailed off as he looked towards the river before shaking his head. He was walking to the shore in an instant, already throwing his bolas to the ground and beginning to drop his other belongings as well.
Willa noticed Matthew glance his way and the blonde spoke barely above a whisper, "Tom. What are you doing?"
"She's in there," Thomas said as if it were obvious. "We need to save her. We can't just leave her there. We have to try."
Having enough, Willa walked the rest of the way to the group, her eyes stinging with hot tears that were beginning to roll down her face. "No need, Thomas. I managed on my own," Willa called out, her voice bitter.
The whole group turned to her at that, relief obviously flooding over all of them while Thomas ran towards her as fast as he could. He had her swooped up in his arms in an instant, a shaky breath escaping his lips before he was setting her back down and already pulling out a stele to draw an iratze on her arm.
"By the Angel," he muttered, his gaze flickering up to her eyes before back down to her arm. "I'm so glad you're okay. I don't know what I would do without you, Willy. Please, please don't do that to me ever again."
"It's okay, Tom," she whispered, gently pressing her hand to the side of his face in a loving way. "I'm here. I'm okay. We're okay."
Thomas was still shaking, but that was enough to relax him long enough to finish the iratze. Matthew was there next, pulling the girl into his arms and making Thomas groan in protest since he wanted to give her another iratze.
"Willa," Matthew whispered ever so softly as he cupped her face against his chest. "Mon coeur. You're okay."
Willa closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the boy's intoxicating scent and allowing it to calm her down just a bit. However, the moment she opened her eyes and saw James walking towards her, all rationality was thrown out the window.
Willa tore out of Matthew's grasp and stepped away from them all, her eyes wide as she stared at her brother in disbelief. A look of pure hurt flashed across her face and the hot tears were back as she glared at her brother.
"Willa," James pleaded, his voice straining as he attempted to hold his hand out for her to take.
"Don't say my name like you actually care," Willa spat, shaking her head while the tears became worse. "Don't pretend like you hadn't forgotten about me up until Thomas said something. I saw the whole thing, James, and you didn't even think about me once. Not even when I was trying to save your tail because your parabatai wasn't there to help. But why should I even be surprised or hurt when you've barely even glanced my way since you got expelled from the Academy?"
"Willa," James whispered, his eyes filling with tears while his face paled.
"Don't, James," Willa spat, no hint of remorse crossing her face as she noticed her brother wince from her use of his real name and not 'Jamie' like she always did.
She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head and turning to walk away. However, the moment she did, Matthew was grabbing ahold of her wrist. "Mon coeur, please," he whispered, but Willa was fueled with so much anger towards her brother that all the pent up feelings she had been holding in were suddenly bursting out.
She turned to Matthew so fast, tears streaming down her face as she exclaimed, "And you!" Matthew blinked in surprise, his hand falling from her wrist while Willa shook before them. "Why weren't you there? Why weren't you fighting by his side like a parabatai is supposed to do? Why weren't you there protecting his life with your own? Why did I have to step in and save him? Where were you?"
Matthew couldn't find it in himself to reply, but Willa didn't care. She was already staring at his wrist while her hands were balled together in fists by her side. She shook her head before grabbing ahold of Matthew's left wrist and holding it out for everyone to see the parabatai rune, a sharp black against his pale skin.
"That was supposed to be me," Willa said making Matthew blink in confusion while everyone else fell quiet.
"Willa," Thomas whispered, taking a step forward in an attempt to stop her before she could do something she would regret, but it was too late.
"That was supposed to be me!" Willa yelled, dropping Matthew's arm before looking to Thomas in the most heartbroken way he had ever seen her look at him.
Letting out a shaky breath, Willa looked to the ground as she said, "I should be the one fighting by James' side. I should still be my twin's best friend. I should be someone he cares about."
"I was the one who was supposed to be his parabatai."
Matthew stilled at that and Willa looked to him with a heartbroken expression as she whispered, "I was going to ask him during the time at the Academy, you know. I had been working up the courage to ask him for years he was my best friend and I loved him more than anything in the world. I still do. All I wanted to do was have him by my side in battle as well. But then you took him from me. You. . .you—" Willa's whole body was shaking as she finally let out the words that had been consuming her thoughts for years now.
The Herondale girl managed to pull herself together long enough to flicker her watery eyes over to James who was frozen in place, tears rolling down his face. She felt the urge to sob, to break down right then and there and just cry like she had never cried before, but she forced it down and merely offered her brother a sad smile as she whispered, "I wanted to be your parabatai, Jamie. So let me ask you this. Why should I still want that when you never wanted the same?"
A stunned silence fell over them all as Willa turned on her heels and began to leave. Thomas went to walk after her, but Willa only sighed and gave the boy an appreciated look before whispering, "I need to be alone." She walked away without another word, everyone staring after her until she had disappeared before turning their gazes towards James who was already sinking to his knees as the realization of what he had done began to fully set in.
Willa Herondale was finally broken and her own twin had been the one to do it.