"EVEN EVIL AND EVIL-DOING CAN BE OVERCOME BY SUGGESTION."
-ÉMILE COUÉ
Jonathan never really understood the prejudice against downworlders. Sure, he'd heard the stories about the failed accords, the tales about the massacre. But that was years ago. Perhaps the were different now. There was no guarantee that all downworlders were like that.
He'd never seen a downworlder up close before, but he'd seen them from afar, peering at him from between the trees of Brocelind Forest. They'd never appeared particularly bloodthirsty. If anything, they looked rather sad and regretful. It was hard to believe that they'd armed themselves for the accord in the hopes of bringing down the Clave.
Unfortunately, the Clave seemed to believe otherwise. They'd added a new subject for young shadowhunters to learn: The Dangers of Downworlders. Jonathan and his sister were home-schooled, so their father taught them himself. This subject was a particular favourite of his. Even before it had been added to the curriculum, their father was constantly drilling into them that downworlders were never to be trusted.
Clarissa seemed to enjoy this subject more than Jonathan. She was sat, back straight, giving their father her undivided attention, which was a first. She tended to have the attention span of a butterfly with most things. In fact, more than once Jonathan had caught her nodding off while learning, or plucking spiders from under the desk to torture. Their father never said anything when he caught her doing it, but Jonathan could have sworn his mouth twisted into a grimace ever so slightly.
Today though, she was paying full attention, offering opinions and debating whether or not the downworlders should have all been executed rather than just left alone.
"They're too dangerous to be alive." She insisted. She may have been only eight, but she could argue like the devil himself. "They tried to kill us, so we should kill them. It's the only way to deal with filthy beasts like them."
Father raised an eyebrow. "And how would we do that? They're scattered all across the world. It would be nearly impossible to kill every last one, not to mention dangerous for those doing the killing. Too many shadowhunters have died already at the hands of downworlders."
"If they're stupid enough to get killed, then they aren't worthy of being called shadowhunters." Clarissa sulked. "I don't want to be living in a world of cowards anyway." Even Father looked shocked at that.
It was the first time Jonathan had seen him show fear.
YOU ARE READING
As Black As Hell
FanfictionWHAT IF JONATHAN HAD ANGEL BLOOD? Aged 13, Jonathan Fairchild is moved to the New York Institute. His sister, Clarissa, is nowhere to be found. And she wont be found unless she wants to be. 4 years later, Jonathan is still plagued with nightmares o...
