Distractions

Fifty-Two: The Malachi Configuration

Trigger Warnings: Severe injury

"Jace!" Clary called out as they caught up with the blonde.

Jace turned, his face blanker than should be possible. He made eye contact with Everest and she watched to see if something in his gaze would flicker. Nothing changed.

He charged her without warning, knocking her gun to the ground easily. Before she could blink, he was holding her over the edge of the building by her throat.

"Come on, Dye Blonde. You're better than this," she choked out.

"I'm not your Dye Blonde anymore," he spat before letting go.

She fell for what felt like an eternity before she hit the pavement. She screamed as her body bent unnaturally, as her bones cracked and her mouth filled with blood. She turned her head as she coughed up what had to be blood. She couldn't see it through the dark spots that filled her vision, but it was thick enough to be blood.

Movement caught her attention. Clary was being held over the edge now. Jace tossed her over the edge moments later. Clary, the lucky duck, landed on the car instead of the pavement.

"Ev..." Clary choked out.

She tried to answer, she did, but her vision went completely dark before she could even begin to utter her sister's name.

...

Everest's body ached despite the numerous times her Iratze had been activated. She sighed into her large mauve travel mug. She would probably be sore for a while, given the numerous bones that had been broken when the Owl—when Jace threw her off the roof. She grimaced at the thought and rolled her previously broken shoulder. Clary and Simon shot her concerned looks from across the table but she waved them off. She was fine enough to work.

"Jace is the Owl? How is that even possible?" Izzy asked, looking incredibly stressed as she leaned against Everest.

"This whole time, it wasn't his mental health. He was possessed," Alec mumbled. Everest's free hand rubbed his back. He leaned into the touch.

Magnus sighed. "By an extremely powerful Greater Demon, who gave him the ability to turn mundanes into demonic killers."

Alec straightened up. "We defeated Greater Demons before. We'll do it again and free Jace."

"This is not just any Greater Demon. Clary was able to draw an image of the beast," Magnus said. He pulled up an image of the most humanoid demon she had ever seen. "And it matches this image from the Silent City archives. The demon is Lilith. Queen of Edom. Adam's first wife."

Everest raised her eyebrows. "Adam, as in Garden of Eden Adam?"

"The one and only."

"So, what does that mean?" Simon asked.

"She's the mother of all demons," Magnus said as if that explained everything.

"It makes her more powerful than anything we've ever encountered. Of all people, why Jace?" Alec asked.

Everest raised her eyebrows again, this time at her twin. Was she going to fess up?

"Alec..." Clary began, "what you felt that night, when your Parabatai rune disappeared... you were right. Jace did die. Valentine killed him."

"I knew it."

Simon frowned. "But if he died, how did he come back?"

Clary began to cry. "Because I made a wish to Raziel."

"You made the wish?" Izzy asked, baffled.

"I had to. I had to. It was the only way to bring him back. But it... it made him vulnerable. To Lilith. To...this beast that's powerful enough to murder Ithuriel."