Stronger Than Heaven

Chapter 13

"Clary?" Jace whispered into the darkness. He could still feel her hand in his. "This... is your hand right?"

"No Jace, the rest of my body got left behind," Clary whispered back.

"Oh, we're making jokes I see."

"I learn from the best."

"Where are we?"

They both jumped as the flicker of a flame ignited across the room. It was Isabelle and Simon holding two lanterns in front of them. Clary breathed a sigh of relief.

"You know, that time travel wasn't too bad," Simon said with a grin as the couple approached them. "I was expecting like... a time warp where we slide down a psychedelic slide and get dizzy."

"Magnus and Alec aren't here," Jace said, ignoring Simon and looking around at their surroundings. It looked like a cellar of some sort with a tiny window in one corner letting in a small amount of sunlight. An old wood table sat against a wall on one of end of the room with a matching chair. A set of stairs led up to a cellar door. The rest of the room was empty.

"It's Magnus. I'm sure everyone in this era knows of him," Isabelle replied. "I wouldn't worry about those two. What we need to do right now is figure out where we are."

Taking charge, she made her way to the stairs and indicated for the group to stay quiet. Jace took this as an opportunity to squeeze Clary's hand. "You alright?" he asked softly as Isabelle unlatched the door.

Clary nodded. "I'm in 1889. Couldn't be better." Jace laughed. "How about you?"

"I'm here with you... couldn't be better." She smiled at him and Simon rolled his eyes at them.

"I did not miss this."

Before Jace could reply, Isabelle had pushed the door open slightly. She took a peak and motioned for them to stop talking. "It's daylight outside, maybe mid-afternoon," she whispered. "I see a horse stable and two women in gowns walking across a field. We are definitely in 1889." She closed the door, taking a moment to think. "We need to look a little less... 21st century and blend in a little more." She pushed the door open slightly again. "There's a house about a 15-second sprint away. We need to somehow get there undetected."

"I could use my lightning-speed vampire skills," Simon suggested.

"Great idea!" Jace spoke up, making his way to the top of the stairs. "I knew you'd come in handy."

"Thanks Jace," Simon replied sarcastically. "I'll go into the house undetected and try to find us a change of clothes."

"Ok, be careful," Isabelle whispered and, at that, Simon disappeared in a blink of an eye and a gust of air.

Clary shook her head. "I don't think I could ever get used to this world."

As soon as he was gone, Simon was back with a suitcase. "That was quick, babe!"

He winked at Isabelle. "No one was home." He made his way down the stairs and placed the suitcase gently on the ground. It was a brown leather case with gold handles. On one of the handles was the name 'Montclair' engraved in cursive lettering.

"Montclair is an old Shadowhunter last name," Jace told Clary. "One of the originals, along with Lightwood and Herondale."

Simon bent down to unlock the gold latches. "I found these, which we'll have to return before we head back of course." He opened the suitcase to reveal two gowns for Isabelle and Clary and two long-tail suits for himself and Jace.