City of Redemption

Prologue

(Mostly paraphrased from City of Heavenly Fire, Judas Kiss chapter. I include it in my story because this is the last scene before my "alternate realm" starts to break away from the books. The rest of my story is not paraphrased.)

Clary stood on the dais looking down, weighing her options. Sebastian watched her with rapt attention. She will say yes, he told himself. She cannot refuse me this.

"Well, Clarissa?" He said in the most languid, blase tone he could muster. "I don't have all day. Well, actually, I do. But they don't." He motioned his little red-headed sister toward her friends and family that came spilling into the room just now. Insignificant cretins, thinking they could stop him. He used half of them to get her to come here; the other half annoyingly tagged along.

"Clary?" the daylighter was the first to notice them on the raised dais. "What are you doing up there?"

"Simon." He heard her whisper.

Sebastian clapped his hands in feigned amusement. "Oh good, our visitors have arrived. And right on time, too. I trust no one got lost? Now that everyone's here, we can officially get down to business."

"Visitors? You mean prisoners," said Isabelle.

"More like guests." Sebastian laughed. "Trapped guests."

"What's that he's standing in?" asked the daylighter.

"A pentagram. It makes him nearly invincible," Magnus Bane the warlock answered before Sebastian could. He was leaning on the werewolf's shoulder, weary from his days in his father's realm. "But not entirely. Once the gateway between both worlds is completely sealed, nothing under heaven can kill him. That's why Clary is up there with you, isn't she? If she agrees to rule with you here, you promised to leave our world alone, and all your dark army in our world will die. Lose her soul, save the world, am I right?"

"How perceptive," said Sebastian. "It's annoying."

"Clary, no! Do not do this!" yelled her mother. She turned to Sebastian and said, "It's me you want. I'm the one who hurt you. Torture me, but let her go."

"I am torturing you." He rolled his eyes.

"Clary, you might think you can change him, temper him, but he's just like his father. He will never truly change."

"No offense mom, but you've never had the weight of the world on your shoulders," said Clary.

He grinned.

Jocelyn stared at Clarissa for a moment, then turned to Sebastian. "Please, I beg you. Let Clary go. She is my daughter, she did nothing wrong."

Sebastian sped down the dais in a sudden blur and put his hand around her neck, pinning Jocelyn to the wall. In an uncontrollable wave of fury he yelled, "I was your son! You abandoned me, and took my sister from me as well. Lilith is my true mother. She gave me all of this. You gave me nothing but scorn. You are no kind of mother. For either of us."

"Unhand her!" The werewolf started forward. Sebastian snapped his fingers with his other hand. Amatis moved in on Lucien with impossible speed, restraining what once was her brother from behind, locking his arms before he could get a chance to resist. A blade at his neck.

"Do you wish to see his blood spilled, master?"

"No! Sebastian, please, I'll do it!" cried Clary.

He turned to his sister, hope suppressing rage. "So you've made your decision?"

Clary looked down on the rest of them. With resolve, she stoically turned to face him and said, "I will be your queen. But you have to promise not to hurt anyone."