Entrusted [1]《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Four

The five Nephilim trudged into the Institute after a long night of dead ends and failures. It took a lot of convincing to get Clary Fray not to run after her little mundane friend and into the death trap of a vampire nest.

"I don't understand," said the redhead, her hair flying behind her as she took wide strides through the entryway. "How can–can Shadowhunters be any more important than what you people call mundanes?"

"Because we protect humans," Isabelle said, trying to intimidate Clary. The redhead was stepping out of line, in the younger Lightwood's opinion.

"Humans. Right, you protect humans. You left Simon all alone in the van." Izzy huffed and turned away, Andina able to see the guilt on her face. "Great job guys, you rock."

Alec stared blankly at Clary, his voice monotone. "There is some truth to the idea that humans should have some common sense."

Isabelle had begun staring at him as soon as he started speaking, and as soon as he finished she snapped, "Alec," lowly, scolding her brother. "Not now." She looked back at Clary with anger clear in her gaze.

Andina held back, especially when she watched her younger brother leap forward like a puppy to console the new Shadowhunter. "Look, they took Simon to draw you out. They want the Cup and they think you have it."

"But why do they think that?" She was exasperated. "Why does everyone think that? What, my mom lies to me my whole life except, 'oh hey, here's a Cup that I hid on, like, the planet Bongo. Don't tell anyone'?" 

Andy had to admit she did have a point. Jocelyn Fairchild hadn't told her daughter about her being half angel–what reason would she have to trust such a clueless girl with that valuable of information?

Clary let out a breath. "What do we do now?"

"We have to report this to the Clave," Alec said without skipping a beat, beginning to walk. The four followed behind him. "They have to know what we've learned about Valentine."

Clary stopped and scoffed. "What, that he's my father? Great. What good does that do Simon?"

"She's got a point," Andy spoke up for the first time since they entered the building. "By the time the Clave does anything, the mundie could be vamp food."

Jace, surprisingly, backed up his parabatai. Andina was half convinced her brother had outright ignored her. "Clary, it's all connected. The vamps want the Cup–"

"Why? It makes new Shadowhunters."

"Nobody wants Valentine with a loyal army backing him up," Alec explained.

Izzy added, "Plus, it controls demons."

"And we've seen what he's done without either of those things before," Andy couldn't help but mutter. She felt haunted by facts she didn't want to accept about herself. She wasn't allowing herself to think about what she had discovered last week in Idris, but all of this Circle talk was making it hard not to.

My real parents, the Circle, it was all connected. It was a passing thought but one that made her gulp as she realized it made it all feel so much more real.

"They're not going to kill him." Jace said suddenly. "They'll propose a trade. Simon for the Cup."

"So vampires want to trade Simon for the Cup and Valentine has my mother for the Cup. Either way I lose someone I love," Clary fretted.

Andy frowned and looked up to see the same expression on everyone's face. Defeat. She was about to drop in and give her squad a pep talk when Clary said something that felt like a stab to the gut.