Middle School of Bones - A Mortal Instruments Story

Chapter 13

The meal was the best I'd ever had. Simon traded me a section of his waffle for one of my pancakes, and Jace recounted some of his most epic battles. Alec and Isabelle corrected his tales when they got too far from the truth. Finally, we finished and got up from the table. It was darker through the windows, and it was time to see the Silent Brothers. As we left the diner, we passed the table the Warlocks had left. On one of the seats was a fancy piece of paper with gold writing. I picked it up and read it. 

Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, invites you to a magnificent night beyond your wildest imaginings. All are welcome except Shadowhunters. Bring cake. There was an address and tomorrow's date at the bottom.

Jace and Alec were already outside, but I caught Isabelle before she went too far ahead. I showed her the invitation, but she waved it away.

"Just leave it. Magnus throws a ton of parties, and they aren't that good. Too many vampires, and his cat is evil."

"Oh." I was about to drop it back into the booth, but I decided to take it. The paper was nice and thick, and I thought I could use it for watercoloring. I folded it gently and tucked it in my skirt pocket. Then I ran to catch up with the others.

"Are we going back to the school basement?" I asked.

"The Institute?" Isabelle asked. She shook her head. "No. We're going to the City of Bones."

--

We had to get a taxi to take us there since supposedly it was too far to walk. The driver looked confused when Alec asked for us to be dropped off at a cemetery. 

"Tweens these days," he muttered as he came to a stop.

"For the record, Alec's fifteen," Jace said. Alec rolled his eyes as he paid the driver and we got out.

"Wait, really?" Simon asked.

Alec nodded. "I started school a year late because my dad wanted me to work on training first."

Isabelle smirked. "And he wanted to be in the same class as Jace."

"Guys are we going or not?" Jace was on the other end of the graveyard in front of a large stone. When I got closer, I could see there was an image of a cup engraved into it and the words 1234 Nephilim: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Jace grinned. "Shadowhunters: Looking better in black than the widows of our enemies since twelve thirty-four."

I looked to Isabelle to see if he was telling the truth. She laughed. "We have fun sayings."

Jace pressed the image, and the stone shifted to reveal a staircase. Only the first few stairs were visible before the shadows swallowed them. Jace stepped in first and waved for us to follow behind. I let Alec and Isabelle go before me, and Simon and I went in last. 

At the bottom of the stairwell were dim hallways lit with nightlights. Jace led us down to the end of the hall into a large, circular room. In the back was what I almost would have described as an altar in a church before I realized it looked more similar to a podium you'd see in a school. Scattered around the room were textbooks and pre-algebra worksheets, and the walls were decorated with tapestries dating years of success in various sports. Some went back as far as the thirteenth century.

Clarissa Fray. The words didn't sound spoken, but I heard them all the same. I turned around, searching to see where it came from. A figure stood in the entryway across from us in complete shadow. It wasn't until they approached that I realized they were wearing a thick black cloak with a hood pulled low over their face. They stopped at the podium and lowered the hood, and I almost fell back in shock and fear. Where their eyes should have been was only indents in a pale, bald head, and black thread laced through their lips and pinned them flat. 

I am Brother Zachariah. I could tell it was the Silent Brother who spoke even though he was completely still. The way the words filled my brain made me dizzy. You have come looking for my help. Step forward.

I didn't know how I did it, but I did as he asked. My legs were trembling so much I thought I'd fall.

Try to relax as I look into your memories. It shouldn't take more than an hour.

I couldn't do this. It was too much. I wanted to back out. I looked desperately for Simon to tell him I couldn't do it, that we'd figure something else out. But instead, I saw Jace. His gold eyes shone, reflecting the torches and glow-in-the-dark stars on the walls. He looked like he could read the fear in my face, and he gave me a small nod. It wasn't much, but if Jace Wayland believed in me, I could, too. Before I had the chance to do anything else, my mind exploded into light. \

My vision blurred, my ears rang. I barely processed feeling my knees crumple, feeling the floor beneath me. Every thought I tried to think hurt, like straining against gravity. I stopped thinking, and as soon as I did, a flood of thoughts rushed in. None of them connected, and I felt like I was being tossed in a tornado as I went from one to another in milliseconds. There was my sixth birthday party, my math test two weeks ago, Simon's house, my mom's artwork. I saw things I didn't even knew I remembered. I was five at the park, I was reading a picture book to myself, I was eating a cheese sandwich at a restaurant. The memories seemed to go by quicker, and I felt like I was reliving my whole life. I wondered if I was dying.

Then it all stopped, and all my senses came rushing back at the same time. I coughed as I became conscious of the air in my lungs, of my stomach gurgling, of the blood in my veins. Everything I hadn't noticed until I'd stopped feeling it. Someone was touching me, and it took me a few moments to realize it was Simon.

"Clary? Clary can you hear me?" I was still on the ground, but Simon was sitting beside me. He'd moved me from the podium. When I looked back at where I had been standing, I saw not just Brother Zachariah but four other Silent Brothers.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Brother Zachariah said there was something blocking your memories," Jace said. He'd approached quietly, or maybe he'd been there the whole time. "He got the other Silent Brothers to help him."

My head hurt more than anything I'd ever felt before.

"Did they find out anything about my mom?" I asked.

Jace grimaced. 

Nothing. Nothing, except this.

I saw an image projected into my mind. It looked like a blurry wall. Behind it looked like flashes of light and color, and I realized those were my memories. The only clear thing about the image was the signature in the bottom right corner. It took me only a second to make out. I'd seen it before. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the invitation I'd kept from the diner.

"Magnus Bane."