A Caravan Of Quacking Doom

“Are you sure, we're doing the right thing?” Isabelle asked, “How did you even find them?”

“I wanted to sit here at the courtyard to sketch some of the statues and then I heard them. No idea how they got here. But there is a pond not far away. We can lead them outside.”

“Wouldn't it be easier to grab them and carry them outside in a box?”

“It would be too stressful for them, especially for the little ones, so it will be easier to show them the way.”

“You want to lead to lead them all through the institute?”

“What else should we do? We can't portal them,” Clary said.

“I wonder how they got in here in the first place.”

“Me too but they can't stay here. The pond isn't that far.”

“How do we get them to follow us?”

“I don't know. But I guess, the key is, we have to get the mom to follow us. I mean, the ducklings will follow her.”

“But how do we manage this?” Izzy asked.

“I've got no clue.”

Clary and Isabelle looked rather clueless at the duck and her 5 ducklings.

“Is there something we can feed them with?”

“When I was a kid, my mom and I sometimes fed the ducks in Central Park with bread.”

“Will that work?”

“Could be.”

“Okay, Miss ducksitter. You stay here and I get some bread. Uhm, by the way, you know that we have to lead them through the ops center.”

“I do. Why?”

“What if Jace is there?”

“Come on, Izzy. He can't be scared of a few ducklings. I can't believe, he's really afraid of them.”

“Did you never wonder why you never had a picnic near any water sites in parks?”

“No, these areas are mostly very crowded and I just thought, Jace hates them. And even if, the institute is so huge. Why should he be in the ops center just when we pass through there with a family of ducks?”

“Oh Clary, you're sometimes too sweet. I'll be right back with the bread.”

About 5 minutes later Izzy came back with some slices of white bread.

“I still think, we should portal them.”

“Izzy, just imagine a duck in limbo. Give me the bread.”

Clary broke off a small piece and tried to lure the duck to her.

“Come here, follow me. You'll get a treat if you and your babies follow me. Izzy, you follow them and make sure that no one escapes.”

Clary laid a small trace of bread pieces, breathing out relieved when the duck followed her with her ducklings in tow.

“There you go, follow me.”

“It really works. You're a giant ginger duck mama.”

“Very funny, Iz.”

“No, you're doing this very well.”

 
They slowly made it through some hallways, earning some amused looks by people passing them by and  wondering how the ducks had come into the institute in the first place. When they came to the ops center Clary looked around but she couldn't spot Jace anywhere.