✓ | Silent Shadows ⋆ Will Herondale [1]

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: LOSE

◤Sleep, then, good and faithful servant of the Nephilim. And thank you.◢

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CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: LOSE

TANGLED brown locks cascaded down Marie's shoulders as the girl kept on wishing that she could somehow turn back the time. She wished that she were a God; one who was strong enough to hold and control the power of positioning the hands of an invisible clock to the exact moment they wanted. That way, she would be able to relive her past and prevent certain mistakes from happening.

Unfortunately for the Wayland girl, life didn't work that way. No matter how much one wanted to go back and do things differently, the only possible way for them was to continue moving forward. They had to grit their teeth, tightly, and keep on walking. They had to pull on their own heartstrings and murder the guilt that kept on resurfacing.

That way, at least they would be capable of containing any other danger from escaping its prison. That way, they would be able to protect the ones they cared about.

Marie hoped that she could do that. She wished to arrive to the Institute on time to keep Tessa safe and out of harm's way. The only thing that stopped Marie from ripping her own hair was the thought that Tessa and Nathaniel weren't alone; they had Jessamine there, Sophie and Thomas. They might not have been trained for handling dangerous situations, but Marie didn't question their loyalty. They would rather give up their own lives than let someone destroy their home.

Even though Marie was about to step into Hell once again, she felt relieved when her eyes spotted the Institute.

"We need to think about this," Marie said, observing both Jem who stood on her left and Will who stood on her right.

"I agree with you," Jem nodded, waiting on Will's response.

As Marie took a better look at William, she could see his shoulders slightly shaking. It was a small movement and one would easily miss it, if not specifically looking for it, but Marie knew that it was happening because Will was angry. He loathed not being in charge. The feeling of invisible threads that controlled the situation slipping through his fingers was the one that sent his mind into overdrive.

"Will?" Marie called out to the boy whose eyes were fixed on the marvelous building in front of them.

"We have to go through the front gate, even though it is quite reckless. If they were under attack as that foolish demon stated, they will probably have the front gate swarmed with mechanical creatures. If I am right, and by the Angel – I hope I am, Sophie and Thomas would probably take Tessa and Nathaniel to the Sanctuary. However, we do need to clean the entrance, so we might as well start at the beginning."

"So, we go to the front door then," Jem said, getting a nod from the other two.

"Stay close and remember, Tessa's safety is the main priority," Marie acknowledged, letting out a sigh before following the steps of her friends.

Doors of the Institute should never stand ajar.

Marie's heart sank in her chest as her mind recollected the strict Covenant Law. Something had gone terribly wrong, the Shadowhunters could feel it.