Overwhelmed [3] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Thirty

The prisoner's shouts rang out in the minds of all three soldiers as they secured the cell at a rapid pace. Andina hardly managed to request for the clear glass to be frosted over before she lost her restraint. Alec stood back and could only watch as she balled up her fists and moved worryingly close to the reinforced brick wall. Her clenched fingers came up towards her head, before she redirected them and slammed her hands forward. The impact jarred the edge of her palm with a sting. Her forehead followed, but with much less force, as she let herself lay against the frozen brick. She uttered harsh but muffled curses; at herself or the world? No one would know.

She was defeated. It did not take Alec's near-decade of knowing her to understand that, but he was in no position to offer solace. A numbness had washed over his face. His chest had clenched past its usual propensity for constant-anxiety. Once the final passcode had been entered into the cell's keypad to seal up the last lock, Neil found the Head of the Institute staring at the chiseled stone statue not far ahead of them.

The elite guard glanced between the two and made an executive decision that neither of his bosses would have endorsed. "You both know about the Mortal Cup's other purpose, don't you?" The question was rhetorical, though he did gain a heavy sigh from Alec Lightwood as his second-in-command dared to peer out from underneath her leather-clad arms. None of their fear left the pair, but they did find some reprieve in the idea that they were not alone in their knowledge.

Andina surprised her partner when she admitted, voice courser than sand, "We found out a month ago." She took her best attempt at a steadying breath before she dared to escape the shell of her forearms against the stone. She stepped back and her hands dropped to her sides, limp, as she addressed the elite soldier directly. "It was Valentine's plan with the Cup all along."

Neil blinked, eyes of mossy green conflicted with whether or not to believe this woman that had lied to his commanders repeatedly. "How do you know that?"

Not many were oblivious to the familial and genetic histories of the Herondale siblings any longer. Gossip had spread like a global wildfire when the Clave made public that the "Michael Wayland" who had raised Jace and Andina had truly been the wicked founder of the Circle underneath a glamour. 

As such, Andy found it safe to assume that Neil did not need an entire recounting of her past, and she kept it brief. "Because when my brother and I betrayed the Clave to join him, he tried to make me drink his blood from it." Her blunt words were filled with an impact she had failed to bury. Alec could infer that she had not allowed herself more than a few moments of thought on the trauma of that event.

Neil stared between them for a moment as he took her words in. It was genuine news to him that Valentine had already begun to dabble with that side of the Mortal Cup's supposed magic. Alec jolted them back to the growing urgency of the moment. "We need to tell your bosses," The Lightwood said to the elite soldier. Neil agreed, and all three began a fervent pace towards the elevator.

They awaited the old machine as it took them up to the ground floor. Soon, a bell went off and they were freed to leave the metal cage for the front hallway. Alec and Andy helped Neil gain quick bearings of his surroundings and they directed him towards the room that held their center of operations.

The space was as busy as ever, taken over with the presence of many elite guards. Camera feeds were on display across multiple large monitors to keep a constant eye on the Institute's exterior. Andy was relieved when she noticed a few screens held the pages of their programs that were used for simple demon-hunting; their city was not left unguarded, even if the Heads of the New York Institute had a more-than-noteworthy distraction.

Through the crowd, Alec and Andina were able to find the red-torch of Clary's head beside Isabelle's cascading, chestnut hair, Simon fidgeting nervously at their side. Neil found one of his commanders not far away, and was surprised that Liv Longford was not leading alone. Kyler was already back on his feet, although the wooden crutches he was forced to rely upon made the toll his injury had taken on him obvious.