Valentine's Arrow

29: Fire and Ice

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

REBECCA

By the time Rebecca re-entered the cave, the others had already set up camp. All the bags had been neatly piled into a corner and blankets and water bottles had been taken out and were being passed around.

"The east corridor ends in a door," she began without preamble, reaching for a bottle and gulping down some water. "There's a gate, like the one we saw earlier, but this one's broken. And there's flying demons everywhere. They're not coming anywhere near here, but you can still see them."

Everyone sat up a little straighter, tension written on their faces.

"Someone should keep watch, just to make sure we're safe," Isabelle said, casting a worried glance at Simon as he sat down beside her.

"We can take turns doing it," Rebecca said, gesturing with her sword. "I'll take the first watch. You guys should get some sleep in the meantime."

"I'll come with you," Alec said, getting to his feet.

"It's alright," she said firmly. "You need to rest while you can. Besides, this place doesn't affect me as much as it affects you-"

But Alec was adamant. Which was how, ten minutes later, they were sitting at the end of the eastern corridor, Alec fingering his bow, Rebecca tracing the edge of her sword. For the first time in Rebecca's memory, the silence that hung between them was thick with tension.

"You think we should have left a note for Maryse and Robert?" Rebecca said suddenly.

Alec laughed dryly. "I think they'll figure out where we went. Eventually. Maybe I don't care if Dad ever figures it out." He threw his head back and sighed. "Oh, God, I'm a cliché," he said in despair. "Why do I care? If Dad decides he hates me because I'm not straight, he's not worth the pain, right?"

Rebecca simply shrugged. "It's what you're programmed to do. You care about what your dad thinks, even if he looks at you like you're dirt on his feet." She could hear the bitterness in her voice.

But Alec didn't say anything in response. He simply stared at the dead grey sky visible through the cracked hole in the roof. And it hit her - Alec was worried sick about Magnus. It must be killing him to act like he had it all together when he didn't.

"Magnus is alright, trust me," she said quietly.

"How do you know, Becca?" His voice was strained, and he was speaking much more quietly. She could barely see his face in the shadows.

"Look," she said, shuffling a little bit to face him. "Sebastian wouldn't kill them until he has us all there. Don't forget, that's why he took them in the first place."

"As bait?" he said, keeping his head bowed.

Rebecca couldn't answer. She had never seen his facade break as much as it had right then, and it downright scared her. Nothing was more solid in this world than Alec, her big brother. But even he had his limits.

So they sat in silence, watching the demons circling the dead sky.

Barely an hour passed before they heard the screams. The voice was immediately familiar to them, a voice that Rebecca had known since she was nine years old. Jace.

Exchanging mute looks of horror, they raced back to the clearing where they had left the others. Clary was on her feet, while Isabelle was still raising her head from Simon's lap, looking groggy. She scrambled to her feet as they burst in.