7
With Friends Like These
Simon heard a clamor behind him and felt as Jace pushed him to the side, the normally-sarcastic and close-hearted boy falling to his knees beside Maia and Clary.
"Clary," Jace said, as if she were an angel; his long lost angel that had been returned to him. His eyes shot up to Maia. "What happened?" he demanded.
"She was there when I opened the door," Maia breathed, the shock still apparent on her face. "I don't know how she got here. I just opened the door and saw her and she looked like was going to pass out so I reached out to help her steady and she just collapsed."
Jordan crouched down beside Maia, holding her shoulders. "It's not your fault. It's okay. Maia, look at me. Focus." But Maia's eyes had glazed over and Jordan pulled her gently away from Clary while Jace pulled the latter off the ground and into his lap.
"Clary? Can you hear me?" Jace's face was full of concern as cupped Clary's face in his hands.
Clary didn't respond—she was out cold.
"Jace," Alec began, having finally, along with Magnus, caught up and appeared in the Institute doorway. "Jace, is she okay?"
"She's not waking up," Jace replied, his eyes wide, "and she's barely breathing."
"Put an iratze on her," Isabelle suggested, slightly breathless, as she too joined the group of people in the foyer.
Jace reached into his pocket, careful not to jostle Clary too much, and pulled out his stele, drawing the healing rune on her upper arm. As soon as the mark had been drawn, it began to fade, only healing a couple of the smaller cuts and bruises on Clary's pale skin.
"Why isn't it working?" Simon asked anxiously.
"I don't know," Jace put his fingers on Clary's throat, and Simon, after watching his mother take care of his father for so long, recognized that he was taking her pulse. Jace removed his hand and sighed. "She must have demon blood in her system or something. The rune isn't working. It doesn't make sense, though. Her pulse is strong. So why won't she just wake up?"
"Jace," Magnus piped in, "get her to the infirmary. I'll take care of the rest."
Jace didn't move at first.
"Jace," Alec said, kneeling down and putting a hand on his parabatai's shoulder. "Jace, he can help her. Come on. She's going to be alright, but we have to get her inside now."
Jace met Alec's eyes and nodded slowly, sliding an arm under Clary's knees, his other arm reaching around her back, and standing up carefully, lifting Clary's limp body along with him.
"You should relax a little," Alec told Jace, who was busy wearing through the soles of his shoes pacing back and forth outside the infirmary. Inside, Maryse and Magnus were hovering over Clary, trying to give her everything she needed to regain consciousness again. After Jace had brought Clary up to the infirmary and laid her down in one of the cold iron bunks, they had waved him away, and he and Alec had been sitting in the hallway outside ever since. That had been nearly half an hour ago.
"Relax? The Angel only knows what Sebastian did to her, Alec. You saw how bad a shape she was in when she got here. The iratze only fixed so much. She's still not awake."
"But she will be," Alec countered reassuringly. "She's in good hands."
Jace sighed and sat next to Alec on the small, hard wooden bench opposite the infirmary door. Though this put an end to his pacing, he was still on edge, tapping his fingertips anxiously on his kneecap. "I guess this is good news for you two, right?" he said, trying to keep the conversation light, but hearing his own anxiety in his voice as he spoke.
