𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝒊.𝒗𝒊𝒊𝒊. 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
━━ 𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆

"Somehow, I thought it would be bigger." Jace was the first one that dared to speak after a few seconds of complete silence.

"For something that has caused a shit load of trouble," Aria pointed out, "it is certainly... not impressive."

"It's a perfectly nice size," Clary said, looking at the artefact in her hand. It was the size of a normal wine glass, nothing more, nothing less.

"It's the Mortal Cup, you two, not the Mortal Toilet Bowl. Are we done now? Can we go?"

Alec nodded, but Madame Dorothea stopped them before they could take a step, claiming that the Cup was damaged. It looked fine to all of them, but the woman claimed that she could show them and advanced towards Clary. Jace, however, was quicker and put herself between the two, his hand instinctively moving to the sword at his waist.

"No offence, but nobody touches the Mortal Cup except us." His voice was calm and steady, but his fingers were inching closer and closer to his weapon.

"Now," Madame Dorothea whispered, "let's not be hasty. Valentine would be very displeased if anything were to happen to the Cup."

Jace put out his sword at the same time that Aria took her dagger out. In the same manner, both Isabelle and Alec reached for their weapons but did not take them out yet. Jace spoke calmly and slowly, telling Madame Dorothea that they were leaving, but the woman had other plans for them. She chuckled and, so quick that they barely had time to register her movement, jerked down the curtains hanging along the wall, revealing a portal. The sight beyond it was terrifying, almost apocalyptic, but they didn't have time to dwell on it.

    Jace shouted for them to get down, yanking Clary with him in the process. From the floor, they saw a dark mass strike Madame Dorothea, engulfing her as if she were a mere biscuit. Her bracelets fell on the floor before them, but Aria did not care to look at them.

    "You said there wasn't much demonic activity –you said the levels were low!" Alec whispered to Jace, who had an expression of disbelief on his face.

    "They were low."

    "Your version of low must be different from ours!" Alec shouted.

    All of them got to their feet as the dark mass continued to play with Madame Dorothea. Jace pushed Clary towards the door of the apartment as the rest of them gripped and activated their weapons. Isabelle urged for all of them to step out of that room, claiming that it wasn't big enough to fight.

    "Where the hell is my stele–?" Jace fumbled in his jacket as they all stepped into the foyer.

    "Take mine," Aria replied as she threw him her stele. Jace caught it in the air but did not have time to thank her. The building was on the brink of collapse: the floor heaved under their feet, the foyer had become detached from Dorothea's apartment and an enormous hole had opened on the wall.

    "Alec!" Jace shouted, grabbing the dark-haired boy and pulling him towards him just as an awful creature crept outside the hole and into the foyer.

    For a second, they all stopped breathing. The creature was probably one of the ugliest ones they had ever seen, with filthy bones, skeletal fingers... and all that remained of Madame Dorothea's clothes tangled on his body. It looked down at them and, in a grave voice that could have come from the depths of Hell itself, ordered them to give them the Cup.

    All of them stayed silent and, as always, it was Jace the one that spoke. "What are you?"

    "I am Abbadon. I am the Demon of the Abyss. Mine are the empty places between the worlds. Mine is the wind and the howling darkness. I am as unlike those mewling things you call demons as an eagle is unlike a fly. You cannot hope to defeat me. Give me the Cup or die."