Scars of her Blood • Shadowhunters

Chapter 17: Family Meeting

Celia was hiding near the entrance with Clary, watching the three men approach the building slowly. She could hear them talking, but her focus shifted quickly when three Circle members walked through the front door of the abandoned hospital. Celia quickly made sure that the others were taking care of them, then she signaled Clary to get moving.

Together they entered the building unseen and started making their way through the corridors bit by bit.

"Where could she be?", Clary asked nervously.

Celia just pressed a finger to her lips and whispered back:

"Watch the surroundings!"

Then she closed her eyes, focused her senses and searched for any sign of life in the building. She heard Clary next to her, shifting from one foot to the other, as well as the sound of the fight outside. But then she smelled it: Human blood... A body...

"This way!", Celia abruptly opened her eyes and pointed down the corridor.

At the end of it, they turned to the right and came to a stop in front of a closed door. Clary pushed open both wings and entered the room. Can something please jump at her? Just for karma...? Celia followed her slowly, but checked every corner of the huge room before setting a second foot inside it. Then she heard the clattering sound of Clary's blade hitting the ground. Oh, for god's sake...

"Clary!", if she got herself killed with this kind of behavior, the others would blame it on Celia for sure.

Clary stood next to a body floating in the middle of the room in a pale green, translucent bubble.

"Mum...", she whispered, "Mum, please wake up!"

"It's some kind of spell, Clary. She won't wake up here and now.", Celia picked up Clary's blade, "maybe rather think of how we can get her out of here."

Celia walked around the room, checking for any possible traps, when Jace and Michael came dashing in, closing and locking the doors behind them. Immediately Celia heard the sound of bodies bumping against them: demons had surrounded the room on every side.

"Where is Luke?", Clary asked them.

"He told us to leave him to fight Blackwell", Jace was panting as he answered her.

"But we can't shut him out!", Clary seemed to panic, making her way to the door. But Jace held her back:

"There is not enough time".

Michael nodded:

"We need to secure the room. Luke might not even be alive anymore...", he started drawing deflecting runes on the walls, "pull yourself together!"

"Yes, please!", murmured Celia at the other end of the room, pulling out her stele as well.

Jace was still trying to talk sense into Clary:

"We need you to use the Mortal Cup, otherwise none of us survive. Do you understand? We will get you mother home and we will wake her up, okay?"

Celia watched the demons slowly breaking their way through the walls and was losing her patience:

"Can you just do it already?! Otherwise none of us get to wake up ever again."

Clary looked at all of them for a second and then she pulled the cup out of the bag she had been carrying with her the entire time:

"Demons, I command you to fight Valentine!", Clary held the cup in front of her while saying the words. But nothing happened. Jace pulled out his blade, Celia positioned herself on Michael's right hand side, mentally preparing for a very long fight.