Stronger Than Heaven

Chapter 16

Clary felt her body being pulled into the abyss before landing on her feet on solid concrete. The force made her take a few steps forward and she caught her dress in time before tripping. "I thought portals only allowed you to go to a place you already know of?" she said, turning to 21st century Magnus who had come through right after her.

"Not if the person who made the portals come through with you," he replied as he observed the quiet streets. "Or if you're trained enough... which you were, at a point."

Just then, Jace appeared through the portal and Magnus quickly closed it with a snap of his finger. "Where is he? Where's Alec?" Jace said urgently, looking around. They must have been on a different side of town. The buildings were run down; the windows and doors all boarded up. It was quiet and empty... completely empty.

"Where are we?" Simon asked warily, his eyes scanning up and down the streets.

"We're still in Royal Tunbridge... just... in an area where we shouldn't be in," Magnus replied with a warning tone in his voice. "Alec is in that building over there," he motioned towards a large brick building, a significant chunk of it demolished. A sign hanging by a hinge read 'Institute' in faded letters.

"Why is he in that building?" Isabelle asked reluctantly.

Magnus sighed. "You'll see." With that, he walked forwards, leading them towards the large oak doors.

As Clary followed, she looked over at Jace and gave him a curious look. "Are you alright?" she asked softly. Jace, his jaw set and his eyes forward, nodded.

"We gotta get Alec and get back in time," was all he said.

At this, Clary felt her heart drop. She recalled the conversation with Harold. It felt impossible. She knew, deep down, that Jace could never give up the Shadow World. It was all he knew. He was a part of it and it a part of him. She studied the contours of his face just a few seconds longer, embedding it into her memory before she lost it again. Her heart ached for him... for the love they had shared. She was pushed out of her reverie at the sound of the heavy oak doors opening.

Once inside, they were instantly met with the strong smell of burning incense. The first look at the inside of the building and Clary realized exactly why it was so run down on the outside... to hide the immaculate interior of polished marble floors, dark grey brick walls, and a grand staircase with gold finishings. On the walls were larger-than-life oil paintings, the windows adorned with tall red velvet curtains and gold tassels. In the middle of the foyer was a limestone statue of a man in Shadowhunter gear and angel wings, against a backdrop of a running water fountain. It was...

"Incredible," Isabelle breathed, looking up at the high ceilings and the sight before them.

"Magnus, what is this?" Simon asked incredulously.

"This is what a Shadowhunter institute looked like in the 1800s," Magnus replied. "Welcome to one of the first."

"By the angel," Isabelle sighed, still awestruck from the beauty of it all.

Clary was silently studying an oil painting of a woman with bright red hair, her green eyes staring down at her as if she was alive. "Delores Fairchild," Magnus said behind her. "Your ancestor."

Clary's heart skipped a beat and she felt a sense of pride stir up in the pit of her stomach. Shadowhunter blood ran through her veins. Beside her, Jace was studying the painting with an unreadable look on his face.

"Uncanny," he murmured. "The resemblance."

Before she could reply, they heard a commotion and a strong male voice speaking. It was coming from another set of doors by the grand staircase. "Is that... is that Alec talking?" Isabelle asked, taking a step forward. Magnus placed a hand in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.