After COHF

Chapter 21

Note: whats 9 plus 10? 21

now for the story:

Clary had never seen Jace so quiet. Throughout dinner he seemed uneasy and although he tried to make jokes now and then- poking fun at people after all was his favorite passtime- Clary could see his heart wasn't in it.

In fact everyone could tell. Even baby Charlotte who tried to hand Jace her favorite stuffed animal- Magnoes- to Jace to relax him.

Even after dinner while everyone was going through the rooms in the Manor (they had only seen parts of it and were curious) Jace couldnt keep his mind off the bookshelf where he had set the book in a blind effort to get rid of it.

He hung behind the group mindlessly stroking Charlotte's curls while she slept in his arms.

~~~

Charlotte- as little as she was- could tell there was something deeply wrong with her daddy and something was bothering her mommy.

Children were supposed to have a talent for detecting emotions in others although they had no idea thats what they were doing.

Charlotte- no more than four months old- had hardly any options in who carried her but she always seemed to end back up in he daddy's arms. Right now that was the most comfortable she could be and eventually she gave up giggling and laughing for deep sleeping.

 ~~~

Magnus felt something abnormal. Recognition, possibly a bit of sickness. Something was wrong- very wrong- about tonight. Things had started out as usual; a gathering (Magnus was used to that) but after dinner things had changed.

His heart was pounding but he had no idea where this feeling came from. Warlocks rarely became ill although it was not unheard of but this was a feeling he should know. 

Deep down something screamed to react but not to what.

Alec looked at him, they were walking down the gold staircase toward the door, about to leave. It was late, maybe Magnus had just had more to drink than he should've.

He doubled over- arching over his side. The world went blank- fuzzy near the edges. This feeling was familiar and now he knew why.

He'd only felt this once- one stupid desicion.

The room around him came into view- he was on the stairs with everyone surrounding him- they were watching him, talking and asking questions. Magnus couldnt hear any of it.

He was staring beyond them- where a mist rolled into view.

He knew this feeling.

The ball of mist stopped and began to form into a figure of a man.

The feeling was burning his insides or guilt- he should've known.

This is the feeling when a warlock's demon parent came to them.

The man became clearer- he came from the shadows of the room where his mist had stopped. Magnus could now see his skin- light and taut over the bone- and his coronet of barbed-wire hair. Pointed teeth and cat eyes, wearing the same white suit with silver cuff links and buttons carves to look like flies.

Everyone was staring at the Greater Demon.

"Well," Asmodeus glanced around the room. "I had understood that Herondales were supposed to be very welcoming, or was i wrong Jonathan?"

"Jace," He corrected, "I would think the General of Hell's army would know a bit more- of course i wouldn't want to insult your intelligence,"

The demon snarled, Clary took the baby from Jace who looked like he was about to pounce on the Demon.

The snarl turned into a sly smile- like a fox's. "I? Not have intelligence" He roared, "Then tell me; how would i know about the book? Martha wrote it, of course you know that. It wouldnt be much to my credit to point out the obvious except that you havent exactly told anyone about her?"

"Jace, who's Martha?" It was Alec who spoke up, not taking his eyes off the Demon just meer feet away.

The demon roared again, "Well i know something better than telling," He rose his right hand- mist began pouring from it. Clary held the baby closer to her chest- trying to hide her behind Jace.

The mist began to form a figure- small and blond. It showed the figure growing up- turning from a baby to a toddler and into his childhood years. The figure turned to that of an adult- into Jace- then morphed back into a small child.

No more than five, the figure of Jace took over their vision- like he was now on a movie screen. He was running down an open hallway- laughing and holding something in his palm. A man ran up behind him- laughing as well. His hair was white as snow. Valintine caught up to the kid and grabbed him- but both were laughing. In fact, they looked like a father and son really should. Valintine grabbed the toy from the smaller form of Jace- it was a little toy shadowhunter soldier.

The vision morphed into another, one with the same blond boy running down a darker hallway. The hall was thin, damp, the boy was panicking and trying at earnest to hide himself. Someone was yelling his name- his full name down the stone hallway. Finally the little boy with tattered and bleeding fingers gave up and slumped on the ground hoping he was far enough not to be found. Tears ran down his cheeks; he was wiping them away with his bloody fingers leaving trails under his eyes leading to his cheeks. The child was panting- panicking. The man was tall but slender, he was in no hurry to go down the false tunnel (the tunnel had once led to the basement but was now sealed off), the boy would be trapped and have to stop or turn around. He heard the child's crying, but perhaps if he had wanted to keep being a child forever he shouldv'e just left instead of resisting lessons. He deserved punishment once in awhile. When he caught up the the child he threw him over his shoulder effortlessly and dragged him back to another room. Through the lashings- using fists and palms and belts and a rod of metal- the child couldnt stop crying. Someday he would learn to sit through the beatings and go back to life as normal.

The mist began to deteriorate. The group gasped as they were brought back to the room, no longer in the visions. Jace was shaking- eyes flown wide.

"Perhaps that had nothing to do with Martha,"