Tainted Soul • Lightwood. [ON HOLD]

T W E N T Y - E I G H T

Jace fell to the floor as they Portaled inside a warehouse, grunting as he hit the ground. "Dude, are you okay?" Justin asked him. The blond hunter continued yelling in pain as he squirmed around. He ran his stele over his iratze before standing up, with a little more energy than before.

The three took their seraph blades out, inspecting the perimeter. On a table, there were various flask with liquids inside, the same ones Justin had seen in his dreams lately. Valentine definitely was here.

"There's no one here," Jace said. "Did Meliorn lie to us?" Clary asked. "He said that that Portal would take us to our father."

"Maybe Pointy Ears was wrong after all," Justin added. A banging startled the three of them, their weapons in front of them ready to attack. "Get behind me," Jace whispered as he stepped forward. The banging continued until Jace quickly opened the door.

A frightened figure came into display, Jace lowering his guard. "It can't be," he whispered. "You died. I saw it."

"Jace?" Clary worried. The blond boy had a broken expression on his face as he stared at the man. The man lowered his arms from his face as he stared at Jace. "Jace... is it really you?"

"Jace, how do you know thus man?" Clary asked him. "He's my father." Justin's jaw dropped at the revelation, not believeing his ears. "Your what now?"

"Dad?" Jace asked, the man stepping out of the lockers. "Son." Michael Wayland pulled his son into a hug, the two holding each other tightly. "Clary, what just happened?" Justin whispered to his sister, who was confused as well. The girl shugged, not taking her eyes from the reunion.

"I'm Michael Wayland. I'm Jace's father," the man introduced himself to the siblings. "Look, I know what Jace told you, but I've been here for ten years. Valentine took off and left me."

"And Jocelyn Fairchild?" Clary asked him. "He took her with him. You are?" Michael observed the two redheads with calculating eyes, ones that Justin didn't appreciate. "I'm Clary, her daughter. And this is my brother, Justin," she answered. "Meliorn, the Seelie, told us that he was here with her."

Jace then began to fall, the three quickly going into action to help him stand. "It's Ravener venom. He kept telling us he was all right," Clary informed the older Wayland. "We have to find your father, not my father," Jace grunted. "Valentine's..."

"His stele. Where is it?" Michael started patting down his pocket in search for the object. He found it, tracing the iratze but failing. "The rune is weak."

"The venom must be spreading. We have to get him help. We... We closed the Portal," Clary said. "Valentine's got a standing Portal. Let's go." Justin  wrapped one of Jace's arm around his shoulder.

➰

Bursting through the doors of the Jade Wolf was quite a situation. "We need help!" Clary yelled, catching Simon and Luke's attention. The two Downworlders stood up and approached them. "Clary, what happened?" Simon asked.

"We thought we found Valentine, but he was already gone," she explained. Justin and Michael placed Jace on one of rhe seats, the blond boy groaning in pain. "Michael Wayland?" Luke asked. "Valentine took mom with him, but we found Jace's father," Clary continued.

"What? I thought Valentine killed Jace's father," Simon said. "You and me both, buddy," Justin told him as he walked away from Clary, Jace and Michael to stand besides the vampire. "He tried. Hello, Lucian."