The Mortal Instruments: City of Past Ghosts (Book 1)

Bonus Christmas Material

Bonus Christmas Material (Chapter 31: Jace's POV)

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Jace slid his seraph blade across the throat of the soldier. The lifeless body crumpled to the ground with a sickening thud, his mouth still open with the silent cry for help that never made it past his lips.

"Doesn't this feel a little all too familiar?" Alec murmured, stepping around the soldier's body without a glance. They crouched behind a wall, trying to catch their breaths. They had managed to sneak into the ruined church and found a doorway that led to an underground labyrinth. Several soldiers in black and red had welcomed them with swords and bared teeth, all of which were dead now.

No matter where they turned, everything looked almost identical

Jace looked at Alec, contemplating his words as he looked around. It didn't feel familiar but the place looked familiar. Jace couldn't remember where he had seen this place before or when had he ever been here because he was positive he would remember a visit to a church that was evil and had a basement that was as complicated as his life.

Forgetting coming here was like a drug addict forgetting his neighbourhood opium den where he had his heart stopped twice after a naked woman gave him opium. Not something you're likely to forget.

"How are we going to find our way through here? It's a maze," Alec whispered.

Jace clamped his eyes shut for a moment in deep thought before standing up and peeking sideways from their wall. "Follow me,"

Their footsteps were soundless-the product of soundless runes on their ankles while Magnus, apparently, was wearing strictly no-sound shoes.

"Were going to get caught." Simon muttered as they turned a corner.

"Of course they are. We've left more bodies behind than Hansel and Gretel did their bread." Alec muttered. Jace couldn't concentrate on their petty argument as a disgusting smell had settled in the air and travelled up Jace's nostrils. He gagged at the smell of putrid rotten flesh and blood and pressed the back of his hand to his nose.

"By the Angel what is that smell?" Alec muttered.

"Heartbreak smells better than this," Magnus said, shuddering.

The smell was almost overpowering. Jace peered into one of the cells where the smell seemed to originate from. He almost recoiled away from the strong waft of blood and urine that slapped him in the face. He breathed through his mouth and cringed. It felt like he could taste the horrid smells on his tongue.

"What is it, Jace?" Alec asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure..." Jace narrowed his eyes when he heard shuffling. "What the hell?"

"Pretty!" Jace recoiled away, slamming into Alec as he did as a young woman slammed herself against the bars, her head knocking back with her harsh impact. Her skin burned and sizzled against contact with the silver bars and she screamed, jumping back.

Red raw lines crisscrossed her face and arms as she slowly approached the bars again. A crazed smile was etched on her face, almost a grimace. Her eyes, which were sunk into her thin bony face, weren't sane—they had a crazy light and edge bouncing in them. Her cheeks were hollowed and crusted with blood. Her ginger hair was disheveled and matted with crimson and Jace could see bald spots on occasions on her scalp. Her white hospital gown was splattered with blood and a wide patch of dry blood was visible on the spot in between her thighs.

Slowly, the burn marks dissappeared, leaving white and blackish scores across her face.

"You're pretty, Blondie!" the girl giggled. She looked no younger than twenty and her wide eyes, despite the haunted look in them, made her look childlike.