Middle School of Bones - A Mortal Instruments Story

Chapter 19

Jace, Raphael, and I crept into the hotel. There didn't seem to be anyone around or any traps, but I still kept close behind Jace. Maybe Raphael was secretly super strong or something, but it wasn't a tough call who would win in a fight between the two.

"The vampires are probably at the top," Jace said. We'd come to a stop, and I looked up to see half of a broken staircase overhead. The bottom steps had been destroyed so it would be impossible to get up without a really, really tall ladder. Jace was pretty tall, but even he looked like he'd have trouble getting to the next floor.

"We can pile the furniture," I suggested. There were couches and tables around the room that were covered in dust. They didn't look the most stable, but it was the best option. Jace nodded, and the three of us worked together to drag everything we could find beneath the stairs.

I went first since I was the smallest. Jace and I climbed up our tower, and Jace lifted me until I could reach the first step. I pulled myself the rest of the way up.

I grabbed the banister with one hand and held the other out to Jace. He jumped and caught my hand then lifted himself onto the stairs beside me. I'd already thought Jace was impressive before, but I was impressed more-so.

Jace leaned over the edge. "Are you coming?"

Raphael shook his head. "I'll wait for you here," he called up. 

Jace and I continued down the halls. The other staircases hadn't been destroyed as badly, and we climbed up them easily. Finally, we made it to the very top.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"We sneak in and find the rat," Jace said. "Then we run."

That seemed like the worst plan I'd ever heard, but Jace had survived this long, so I decided to trust him. I followed him inside.

It was dark and cold in the room, and I searched the floor for Simon. I didn't know how I'd recognize him when I found him, but I decided not to think about that.

"Simon?" I whispered. "Simon, it's Clary."

"Mundane," Jace called lazily. "We're here to save you."

"Looking for someone?" A boy had appeared in front of me, and I stumbled back. He looked like an eighth grader, but something about his tone made me believe he could actually be older than a high schooler. He held out a hand with a small rat curled up inside. The rat twitched and came to the edge of the boy's fingertips towards me. I reached towards him, but at the last second the boy snatched his hand back.

"Give him to me," I demanded.

The vampire boy circled the room. "We knew he wasn't one of ours as soon as we got back," he said. "We could tell he was human, and he seemed like he'd be a nice snack once he turned. Of course, we hadn't realized he belonged to the Nephilim."

I knew I wasn't good at looking threatening, but thankfully I had someone who was. "Jace will stab you," I warned. "He's very good at it."

The vampire smirked. "I'm sure." He came to a stop in front of me. "But so are we."

I took a step back and looked around. For the first time, I realized that the darkness around us was moving. Jace and I were completely surrounded by vampires.

"Jace?" I asked. "What do we do?"

"You answer our questions, and we give you your friend." I turned to see another vampire approaching. Raphael. He hadn't been a mundane after all.

"All you have to do is tell us where our Queen is," he continued. "We know you Shadowhunters have something to do with her disappearance."

I stared at Jace. When he didn't speak, I elbowed him. He shrugged. "I have no idea who your queen is."

I heard dozens of voices above us protesting. "Silence!" Raphael demanded. He stepped closer to Jace. Raphael was much shorter, but almost as scary. This close, I could see his fangs. I should have seen them before. "Then you find out. We're keeping the rat until Queen Camille is free."

"What! No!" I argued. "Simon didn't do anything wrong!" 

Raphael grabbed Simon from the other vampire's hands and held on tight as Simon tried to squirm away. There was a cage on the floor four feet high I hadn't noticed before, or maybe it had appeared on its own. They were planning to keep Simon locked up even once he'd changed back.

Raphael yelled, and all at once the vampires were yelling out and rushing down toward us. It wasn't until I heard Raphael say, "The thing bit me!" that I understood what had happened. I dropped to the ground, and in a moment, Simon appeared at my feet. I scooped him up, found Jace, and together we ran.