Chain of Iron

Chapter Forty

"Cordelia! Daisy, you must get up."

Cordelia blinked her eyes a few times and stirred underneath the warm blankets of her and James' bed. Her eyes focused on the fully dressed and wide awake figure of James Herondale. He looked very pale and there were lines of worry and concern all over his sharp face. The sunlight streaming through the window was hitting his eyes in such a way that his golden irises looked as if they were glowing. Cordelia sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling very tired.

"What is it, James?" She yawned.

"Lucie and Jesse are missing." He spoke frantically. "Bridget went to go get Lucie's laundry from her room and she was gone, as is Jesse. My mother, father and I have called everyone but no one knows where they are."

Fear and worry struck through Cordelia like lightning and she was now wide awake, just like James. Her blood ran cold; what could have happened to Lucie and Jesse? If they had been taken from their bedrooms in the Institute, someone would have heard, wouldn't they?

"Belial must have taken them." Cordelia whispered.

James nodded, his eyes filled with worry. "Back at our ball that we threw, when I had gone to the Shadow Realm, Belial had told me that I would pay for not joining him. I believe that he has done this to get back at me."

"You should have told me, James." She replied at once, hurrying out of the bed to dress herself.

"I did not wish to worry you, Cordelia." He looked away from the screen which she was getting dressed behind.

Cordelia grabbed a hold of the first dress she could get her hands on and pulled it over herself. It felt odd to be changing her clothes in front of James but she could not think of anything besides Lucie; they needed to get her back but she had no clue as to how they would do it. Her heart broke, just thinking about how scared Lucie and Jesse must be and them not knowing if anyone would ever come for them. Cordelia stepped out from behind the screen, now fully dressed.

"We must go see my mother and father." James told her.

Cordelia nodded and then the two of them rushed down to Will Herondale's office. They pushed open the doors to see Will sitting at his desk and Tessa standing beside him, a worried and sick expression on both of their faces.

"There you both are." Tessa spoke at once. "We must alert the Clave of Lucie and Jesse's disappearance."

James shook his head, seeming frantic. "No, Mam, you cannot. The Clave will never allow Jesse to come back home if they discover who he is and then they will eventually find about Lucie's power as well."

"He's right, Tess." Will spoke in a low voice, looking up at his wife. "The Clave will never allow Lucie to have a normal life after they discover what it is that she is capable of."

"What can we do then?" Tessa's voice was hoarse and Cordelia felt as she sounded. "If Belial has Lucie and Jesse, as James has told us, how do we get them back?"

"Let me go into the Shadow Realm and get them." James declared.

"No." Both Will and Tessa spoke at once, their eyes snapping towards their son.

"You are not going in there, James." Will said forcefully. "I forbid it. I will call Charlotte and I will tell her of what has happened; she will then get her most trusted Clave members to retrieve Lucie and Jesse."

James narrowed his eyes while seeming irritated. "They know nothing of the Shadow Realm; I know more of it than they ever will. Belial took Lucie and Jesse to take revenge on me, not the Clave."