The Rise of Hel {Loki Laufeyson} Book Two

Chapter Six

"By the Angel," Growls Jace. "What is it with you women? Always getting your memory erased, or blocks in your mind?" He crosses his arms over his chest, rolling his golden eyes.

Clary smacks him and he recoils. "Jace, she obviously needs help! So what can we do?" She turns to Jem.

"The Silent Brothers are our only hope at this point. The Mortal Sword should be able to break the barrier of her mind, but not restore it. Depending on how strong this spell is, she may never regain her memories." Jem says in his soft, smooth voice. He's originally from Shanghai. His father was English, while his mother was Chinese. He has a mix of both accents, soft with a faint british twang.

Tessa touches his chest hesitantly. "Are you certain that you can return to them for such a situation?" Jem used to be a Slient Brother before Jace accidentally cured him while battling Sebastian Morgenstern. Ever since, he's been a normal Shadowhunter with no side effects. He's gained his shaggy black hair back, along with his warm, kind brown eyes, always searching for the light in others. Such a genuine soul, just like Tessa; ready to help anyone who asks for it.

He smiles. "Of course. In my heart and in theirs, I am still a brother." He takes her hand, gesturing for the rest of us to follow him.

***

A hazy fogs rolls through, casting shadows over the gravestones of the cemetary. The night sky looms above me, stars shining brightly through the smokey air and I shiver as a sudden chill washes over me.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and a searing pain shoots through my arm. I jump, stepping back and look up at Jace. His expression is horrified as he yanks his hands back, staring at them. I swear that I see a flicker of flames in his palms. He notices, clenching his fists and giving me a hard look. I look away, surveying the area.

"So, what is this place?" I ask, suddenly struck by curiosity.

"The Silent City. You'll be examined by the Silent Brothers. It may hurt a little, you may feel nauseous, you may be frightened by their appearance, but I swear to you that they have only your best interest at heart." Jem calls back to me. Pain? I'm not good with pain...

I see a figure in the distance and the breath is knocked from my lungs. Before us stands a man with a pasty complexion, sewn lips, scarred skin and black abysses for eyes. For the most part, his features are shadowed by the grey hood that is positioned perfectly on his scalp, but from wha I can see, his appearance is just as chilling as the wind.

Addison Connors. I jump, searching the cemetery for the culprit voice inside of my head. Jem touches my arm ever so slightly, gesturing toward the eyeless man.

I swallow hard. "Yes?"

You come for answers. For the key to your past, for the knowledge of yesterday.

"I know what happened yesterday..." I mumble and I hear someone scoff.

"It's a metaphor Lizard Girl." Says Jace. I punch his arm as hard as I can and he recoils away from me.

I turn back to the man. He gestures to a large crypt, the iron wrought gate swinging open. This way.

I follow him inside, gazing at all of the amazing scenery. Each winding hallway as a series of names printed over square tiles. At one point, I stop to look at them and the Silent Brother turns. This is where the dead come to rest - behind each name is the deceased Shadowhunter, preserved in their own small crypt. I nod along with his breathy voice, strong and frightening. He continues on down the hall and I follow, reading the hundreds of other names printed on the walls.

Finally, we reach a large room with a table in the middle of it. Sit. I hop up on it, exhaling shakily.

This may tickle a little. He presses his cold, lanky fingers against my temple and I gasp, feeling something other than a tickle. It's more like a bullet to the skull. Now I know how Peter felt after getting shot.

Images swirl around in front of me; images of a compound, knives, guns, death, love, and lastly - a tall glass of water.

I gasp, falling off of the table and slamming against the marble floor. I start to scream - the pain pulses through every inch of my body, pinching each nerve to the point of bruising.

I regain control of my breathing, standing up and brushing myself off. Everyone was right; I'm not who I think I am.

That's when the tears start to fall, me, in hysterics. The eyeless man just stands there, watching me go through all of the motions until finally, I compose myself.

There is a block after the water. It seems as if your memory was erased by a powerful drug not of this world. Perhaps from another realm. He whispers in my mind. My head pounds with every word.

"But, I'm still not myself. Those images meant nothing!" I sniff, my anger spiking.

And they never will. This drug prevents you from regaining your memories and past abilities. I am sorry, but there is nothing else we can do, not without proper knowledge of this serum.

I exhale, my knees buckling. I slip to the Speaking Stars carved in the floor, sobbing. I'll never regain my real self?

You must leave now. I will escort you. He glides past me. Literally - one of the traits of the Silent Brothers is that, along with the lack of hair, eyes, and peachy skin, they also don't touch the floor.

I stand up again, following him out. I feel hollow, like someone has yanked my insides out and never bothered to put them back in. If I'm not me, then who am I?

(I f**king hate life omg! I'm seriously ready for summer already! But, on a brighter note - I'm so excited for Halloween! It's my favourite time of the year ( yes, WAAAY over Christmas) because everyone is as scary and dark as I am everyday, and they all watch creepy shows and movies and dress up as depressing, morbid characters and I just LOVE it because they're all on my level haha! I know exactly what I'm gonna be and I literally cannot be happier than I am right now! You see, I'm the biggest Spider-Man fan - since I was three I would get up at 6 every Saturday morning and watch the cartoons with my dad. And now, years later, I'm actually going to go as Spidey and I'm so happy! It's a long story, but I found some tutorials on YouTube that I'm going to use to help myself create the look, which is going to look incredible because I am going all out this year! Nails and everything! Seriously, it's so exciting haha! Anyway, sorry for the lateness, it's been a hectic week, but I'll try to write a little more on Sunday, cuz I've got a party today so I'm busy hehe! But, enjoy!)