Shadowveil

The News

Not again, was all Clary could think. 

For her, it had been just a little less than five years since Sebastian had bled his life out on the floor of a Kingdom of Hell, and a little less than five years since the first Shadowhunter civil war and the negotiation of the Cold Peace. Clary wasn't ready for another battle. 

Ian looked first at Jace, who was pacing deftly around the piles on the floor, swearing quietly while Ellie clung to his ankle and giggled like it was a game, then at Clary. "Why would any Shadowhunter want the wards down?" he asked, his golden eyes filled with all of the heartbreaking innocence of his ten short years. 

She looked down at him, filled with the sad certainty that he would lose his unshakeable faith in the good of humanity all too soon, despite whatever attempts anyone made to preserve it. "Lots of reasons, sweetie," she said softly, taking his hand. He gripped her fingers, looking more confused than afraid. "But if the demons get through, it hurts everyone," he said. "The Shadowhunters too." 

Clary tried to think of a kind way to explain the situation to him. A ridiculously out-of-context thought came to her, and she found herself blurting it out. "I watched a movie, once, where a man said 'Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.'"

Ian frowned at her. "Alfred Pennyworth said that," he provided. "Batman's butler." Clary blinked at him. "You know Batman?" He shrugged. "Uncle Simon likes superheroes. When he comes over to babysit, he brings his laptop, and we watch Marvel or DC movies. The fight sequences are really unrealistic."

Clary didn't quite know what to say to that. "Marvel?" she said weakly. "Like X-men?" Ian nodded cheerfully. "I've watched the original trilogy, and two of the backstory ones. Mum thinks they're a little bloody for my age, but Dad says I'm a Shadowhunter and the Angel meant for me to make a living off of blood and violence one day, so we've been watching them in secret even when Uncle Simon isn't there. I think maybe Dad likes the movies too."

Clary looked around for help. Magnus just shook his head at her. "Don't involve me in your spouse's questionable parenting choices." 

Jace, meanwhile, clearly hadn't heard a word of the bizarre conversation. "Maybe they're punishing the Clave and the other Shadowhunters for something they did," he suggested grimly. "There's definitely enough people whose lives have been ruined by them. Or is the saboteur working for a Downworlder? The fairies have a clear motive, or any other race really. The Clave didn't give them half the rewards or freedoms they promised after the Endarkened War. We're still sorting that out in our time."

He paused midstep. "Obviously, if the runes were tampered with on Wrangel Island, that means it was definitely an inside job. It's not possible to sneak into the rune system from outside, even if the wards were down--there's too much security and magical recording that we had the warlocks do years and years ago. So that means whoever did it is stationed in Wrangel Island."

"Is Helen still stationed there?" Clary asked Magnus, troubled. The half-fairy girl was a friend of hers who'd faced too many hardships in her life, most of them for things that were out of her control. Knowing the Clave, some arse-headed traditionalist member would find a way to blame this whole disaster on her.

The warlock shook his head. "She took a very remote posting at an Institute in Finland a few years back and moved there with Aline. I heard they adopted a little girl a while ago. I always meant to visit, but somehow never found the time, what with the twins and all."

Ian shifted uneasily next to Clary, glancing upwards. "Speaking of the twins. . .I don't mean to derail the conversation, but doesn't it seem a little quiet?" He was right. Clary hadn't heard a sound in the last ten minutes from either Alec or the two troublemakers. 

Magnus made a very unique expression that seemed to say he would be angry, worried, or some combination of both if he wasn't so exhausted. "Alexander!" he called up the stairs. "Is everybody still alive up there?" A kind of groan drifted down the stairs in reply, almost drowned out by a spurt of evil-sounding giggles. "Magnus, help," Alec pleaded. "They found the kitchen scissors and a roll of duct tape. My hair--" 

"Quiet, daddy!" One of the twin's voices cut in. Clary thought it might be Amy's. "Your hair appointment isn't finished yet." Alec yelped in protest. "Mike, please keep the scissors away from Daddy's eyes. Your bapak keeps them very sharp. And what do you mean I'm not finished yet? I'm going to be bald if you keep going." The twins started to sing Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" and ignored him. 

Magnus got up gracefully. "Do excuse me. My beloved Alexander losing all of his hair is something I must prevent." As he ducked through a doorway, he turned over his shoulder.

 "And oh, I nearly forgot to mention. Future Jace sent a fire-message from the Gard earlier-- apparently, the Nephilim are preparing for another attack. The smaller Institutes are being evacuated to their state or prefecture's main Institutes, the warlocks are on standby for portal creation, and Future Jace and Clary are being sent to Rome temporarily, along with Isabelle. I suppose that means you're going with them, so you'd better pack your bags."

"What the--how could you wait until now to mention that?" Jace bellowed after him. "That's important! Seriously! We just got here, and now we're being booted off to Rome? Isn't Wrangel Island more important?" No reply came. Jace looked around in exasperation. "Well, I guess that's all we're going to get out of him. Ian, do you know why Rome was the hardest hit in the first place?"

The little boy hopped off the couch and collected his younger sister, looking surprisingly calm despite hearing that he was expected to jet off halfway around the world in a matter of hours. He's probably used to it, Clary thought sourly. "Rome is directly on the ley line that leads from Wrangel Island," he explained. "That one's a funny line--it hits Singapore too, but less directly. Also, Singapore had a warlock on hand who was able to close the rifts before they got too big, so only a few demons came through there."

As Jace continued to drill his future son with questions, Clary looked at her dazed reflection in a slime strand. Less than twenty-four hours after arriving in the future, they were off to Rome. She felt a hysterical laugh welling up. 

What was I thinking, bringing us here? she wondered. Now the whole world is messed up. 

"Clary, are you ready?" Jace broke into her thoughts, already standing by the doorless doorway. She nodded and forced her face into as normal of a smile as she could manage. "Of course. This'll be a cakewalk. Rome, here we come!"

"That's the spirit," Jace said approvingly. "Since we're here anyway, we might as well help out, right?"

"Of course," Clary said. Not. 

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I know I LITERALLY just said I'd only post once a day, but my teacher forgot to assign homework (heh 😈) so I took the brain cells that should have died doing that and put them to work on this chapter.

So, our two sets of Clarys and Jaces, plus Ian, Ellie, and Isabelle, are headed to Rome to. . .Give a pep talk? Kill some demons? Clary isn't exactly sure. 

What are you hoping for in Rome? A battle? Some sightseeing? Gelato? Let me know!