Fool For You [2]

Chapter Fourteen

The following morning, Rosalie awoke with the dawn. But more than that, she awoke with a smile on her face. It was a strange thing, she realized. There had been little reason to smile as of late. Balancing her training schedule, searching for Mortmain, and protecting Tessa had left her with scarcely any time to find the time for things like joy. But today was different, she could simply feel it- she could feel that today would be a good one. A happy one.
It seemed things had taken a turn in not only her life, but her sister's as well. Rosalie had run to see her sister the moment Will left her room; she couldn't wait to tell Tessa the news. She had listened the entire time, smiling from ear to ear- yet Rosalie could have sworn she detected a hint of sadness in her sister's eyes. But then Tessa had told her of Jem's proposal, which had Rosalie thinking she had imagined that sad look.
Her sister found herself engaged, and Rosalie found herself in love. What a strange turn their lives had taken. Tessa had asked Rosalie to keep the news to herself, seeing as she and Jem planned on announcing the news after the Council meeting. This was a secret she would gladly keep, as was Will's. She had said nothing of the curse to Tessa, she spoke only of his love proclamation. It still felt so strange and at times she worried she had imagined the whole thing, that it had been nothing more than a fevered dream. Or perhaps another cruel joke. She hoped it wasn't. Her heart would surely shatter if it was.

Shortly after breakfast, the carriage was brought to the front of the Institute. Charlotte held her head high the entire drive, despite how nervous she surely felt. Henry, who was seated at her side, murmured words of comfort and encouragement the whole way. Rosalie couldn't help but smile as she peered at them. She wanted what they had, and she hoped that she could someday share something similar with Will. Unable to stop herself, she tore her eyes from Charlotte and Henry to glance at Will, who was seated next to her. His head was resting upon the back of the carriage with his eyes closed. For the first time in months, he didn't appear tired. The dark circles had left his eyes, his hair was neat, and his clothes hadn't been slept in.
As if feeling her stare, Will's eye cracked open a fraction to peak down at her. He grinned and knocked his knee lightly against hers. It was such a silly gesture, but it made her want to laugh. Instead, she merely nudged him with her elbow.
Rosalie decided that even if Charlotte and Henry lost the Institute, they would all be okay. They would find a way to go on living... as a family. That's what these people felt like to her. They didn't need the Institute in order to be happy, all they truly needed was each other. But still, Rosalie prayed things would rule in their favor during the meeting.

Watching Charlotte being questioned under the Mortal Sword felt like torture. The Inquisitor was quite displeased to learn of Jessamine's betrayal, as were countless other members of the Council. Charlotte's aunt, Callida, could be heard saying she knew the girl's family. But despite everything, things seemed to be going rather well. Benedict Lightwood had renounced his claim and declared Charlotte should maintain her position. Both Tessa and Rosalie let out quiet sighs of relief upon hearing that. With his claim revoked, it was time for the vote. Rosalie watched as a small vial was passed around the room. She didn't quite understand how the process worked until it had reached Jem; he whispered Charlotte's name into it before passing it along to Henry. Tessa seemed rather put out that she wasn't permitted to vote, which was to be expected. She hated being left out and she always had. She had hated when she was too young to play with her elder siblings, who had taken a fondness to roughhousing in the living room. She hated when Rosalie had taken up playing piano and demanded that she be allowed to try. That was an endeavor she quickly abandoned upon realizing she had no musical talent.
Rosalie gripped Will's hand tightly under the skirts of her dress and leaned forward, her eyes glued to the vial in the Inquisitor's hand. It let out a screech that greatly resembled a tea kettle before a series of letters came spilling out. The large letters were beginning to form into a name. A very familiar name that has Rosalie leaping from her seat. It read:
CHARLOTTE BRANWELL.
Charlotte sagged, her hands falling away from the sword. She sent Henry a proud smile when he began whooping excitedly.
A scream pierced the air, ceasing the celebration. Tessa, leaping to her feet, scanned the room quickly. Following her gaze, Rosalie recoiled at the sight of a bug-like machine. In the place of eyes, it had only a thick sheet of glass. Its coppery wings buzzed quietly as it hovered in front of Charlotte's aunt, who appeared to be on the verge of fainting.
There were dozens, perhaps more, buzzing around. One of them came soaring toward Tessa. It stopped in front of her, watching her. Snatching her hat from her head, Tessa brought it down on the metal creature and slammed it into her seat. "Henry!" she yelled, "Henry I caught one!"
Rosalie moved to peer over her sister's shoulder, watching curiously as the beetle attempted to tear through the hat. Henry brought his fist down on it, breaking it apart. "Was it listening to us?" she asked.
Lifting the hat up, Henry examined the parts. He gathered a handful of pieces in his hands, turning them over. "It's a sort of camera." he murmured, talking more so to himself than anyone else. He continued talking, but it sounded nonsensical to Rosalie's ears. The one thing she understood was that it would require further examination.
"Perhaps it's a good thing Mortmain sent these things." Jem said thoughtfully.
"How do you figure?" Will asked, his brows raising quizzically.
"It's one thing to know Mortmain is building an army, but it's entirely different seeing it." Jem explained. It was a fair point. Up until now, the Council had only heard rumors of Mortmain's inventions. But now they had witnessed just a fraction of what he was capable of. And perhaps that would be enough for the Council to do something about it, to finally find him.
"Do you think this will be enough for them to take action against him?" Tessa asked.
Will and Jem both shook their heads. "It's unlikely." Will said. "This was nothing but an invasion of privacy. For the Council to actually send any sort of force out, something drastic would have to happen. They'll think it's in their best interest to let him be."
Rosalie's hands curled into fists at her side. Surely the Council would realize how foolish that would be. To sit idly by would be a death sentence, she was sure of that much. Without his spies doing his dirty work, Mortmain would be relying on his creations to gather intel. Mortmain may be just a man, but his creations are ones of destruction... and they would kill anything that got in their way. How could the Council allow such a thing? Surely they knew how wrong that was. But perhaps they didn't. If they made the mistake of underestimating him, which it already seemed that they had, lives would be lost.