moira | alec lightwood

prologue

alec lightwood

Cornered was what they were.

Alec held onto his bow tightly. A pool of sweat started to form on the centers of his palms and his entire body had washed over with a sense of anxiousness.

He took a look at their surroundings once. Twice. Three times. He stood a good distance away from the New York Institute, his back facing his parabatai's. Next to him was his sister Isabelle, and standing behind them was Clary Fray and her mundane accomplice.

Alec's mood was already sour and their current situation wasn't making it any better. Clary Fray had suddenly dropped out of the sky that night and was the reason that they never found out who was peddling mundane blood. She had screwed up their mission at the Pandemonium and now was in their presence, receiving their hospitality. Her mundane friend had followed her here and because of him, a group of Circle Members— whom, to this day were believed to be gone for good— had been led right to them. Or, more accurately, to Clary.

There were six of them. Six vicious men who were completely devoted to Valentine Morgenstern. And they were here for Clary. Alec knew that himself, Jace and Isabelle were the only ones who had a fighting chance. Clary and her mundane friend would be dead within seconds if left unprotected, which left them all rigid and on defense.

"Give us the girl." The biggest one, took a step forward, a tight grip on his seraph blade. His eyes were dark and his expression was threatening and murderous. Alec wasn't particularly scared of him, he knew he could take him. But, he was more worried about letting go of the arrow he was holding and starting a whole brawl.

They had to think about this strategically. If they didn't pay enough attention, if they didn't keep Clary and the mundane covered and away from harm throughout the entire fight, they would end up dead. If they didn't—

Alec's thoughts came to an abrupt halt when a blade came flying through the air and past his head— a kindjal, to be exact— sank right into the man's head.

The sharp blade had hit the man dead center and whatever the man had planned to do next died with him. He staggered and collapsed onto the ground, dropping his blade.

Another kindjal identical to the one that had just flew past Alec's head soared through the air and landed into the head of the man to Alec's right— another bullseye. But, no one could locate where the two blades had come from or who had executed such precise knife throwing.

Alec, Isabelle and Jace could barely get a word to each other because they were looking around for the person evening out the odds. Clary was gasping and shrieking with every kill and the mundane beside her who could see all of this because of the lack of glamour had his eyes so wide they could fall right out of his head.

With two of their men down and every other man looking around wildly, the rest of the Circle Members were panicked. We were the least of their worries when they were being killed one by one by someone they couldn't see.

Another blade shone through the air from behind one of the frantic men, the seraph blade cutting through the air and slicing the man's head clean off his neck. His head rolled away from his body and his discarded body swayed for a moment. The body dropped forward and the assassin was revealed—

A woman.

Alec couldn't wrap his head around it. A woman who looked relatively harmless and innocuous, was capable of such brutality and violence.