Runes and Seraph Blades - Book 1 {Mortal Instruments}

Chapter Eight - Lillian

Lillian was in the training room when a crying Orion entered. She dropped her weapon and made her way to his side almost immediately. He looked at her and the look in his eyes broke her heart.

"Hey, do you want to talk about it?" Lillian asked him with a sympathetic gaze.

"Nope, I just want to forget for a bit," Orion answered.

"Okay," Lillian nodded in understanding, "Spar?"

"Please," Orion replied with a small smile. Lillian took it as a small victory that he at least smiled.

"Then compose yourself Roseheart," She said with an amused look, "No crying on the battlefield."

"I see how it is, Wayland," Orion chuckled and got into his stance. They began their spar and Orion didn't even notice the tall figure of the eldest Lightwood passing by the training room. He was too focused on protecting himself from Lillian's onslaught of attacks. It took everything in him not to fall over from the sheer ferocity of the attacks.

"You good, Orion?" Lillian asked, taunting him.

"I'm fine, Lillian," Orion replied, refusing to let her get to him. The spar continued on like that for a while, Lillian attacking and Orion defending. That was until Orion spotted an opening and used it to knock Lillian off of her feet.

"Okay, okay, I yield," Lillian said in between pants. Orion smirked softly and offered her a hand to help her up.

"Good match," Orion said.

"That it was," Lillian agreed, "Now I have to go find my twin. He is no doubt causing problems right now."

"I'll leave you too it," Orion responded. Lillian nodded and left the training room in search of Jace.

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Lillian found Jace in the weapons room with Alec. The latter looked in a particular down mood and Lillian had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with Orion crying earlier. She approached her brother and leaned over him from behind.

"What are you up too, dear brother of mine?" Lillian asked Jace.

"Working on these seraph blades," Jace responded, playfully pushing her off of him, "Get off, you're sweaty. Were you and Izzy sparring again?"

"Nope, Orion and I," Lillian said with a subtle look towards her brother's parabatai. Alec slightly perked up and the mention of their red-head friend, "He needed to blow off some steam and I was already in the training room."

"Is he okay?" Alec asked, setting what he was working on down.

"He's fine now, probably went to go look for Izzy," Lillian answered with a shrug. What she didn't tell Alec was that Orion was a mess and in tears, but she was sure that it wouldn't help whatever the two eldest boys were dealing with.

"Oh, okay," Alec returned to the seraph blade he was looking for. That's when the red-head girl walked into the room, looking slightly hesitant. Lillian jumped up and approached the girl with a smile.

"Oh, Hi," Lillian greeted her, "You must be the mundane, I'm Lillian Wayland."

"Oh, I'm Clary Fray," Clary introduced herself.

"Where's Hodge?" Jace asked from his seat.

"Writing to the Silent Brothers," Clary answered.

"Ugh," Alec repressed a shudder. Lillian looked as if she shared his displeasure.

Clary slowly approached where Jace was sitting, looking curious, "What are you doing?"

"Putting the last touches on these," Jace told her, moving so she could see, "Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf. They're seraph blades."

"Those don't look like knives. How did you make them? Magic?" Clary asked, obviously clueless. While Lillian looked as if she would take this as a teaching moment, Alec looked horrified at that suggestion.

"The funny thing about mundies," Jace said, to nobody in particular, "is how obsessed with magic they are for a bunch of people who don't even know what the word means."

"Jonathan Wayland, be nice," Lillian glared at her twin. He just rolled his eyes at his sister's motherly tone.

"I know what it means," Clary snapped.

"No, you don't, you just think you do. Magic is a dark and elemental force, not just a lot of sparkly wands and crystal balls and talking goldfish," Jace tells Clary. Lillian looks about ready to smack her brother for his condescending tone.

"I never said it was a lot of talking goldfish, you—" Clary defended herself.

Jace waved a hand, cutting her off. "Just because you call an electric eel a rubber duck doesn't make it a rubber duck, does it? And God help the poor bastard who decides they want to take a bath with the duckie."

"You're driveling," Clary claimed.

"I'm not," said Jace, with great dignity.

"You are," Lillian tells her brother with an unimpressed look.

"Look, we don't do magic, okay?" Alec says, not looking at Clary, "That's all you need to know about it."

"Hodge said I can go home," Clary tells Jace. Lillian looked worriedly at her and what else came along with her going home.

"He said what?!" Jace says, almost dropping the seraph blade in his hold.

"To look through my mother's things," she amended. "If you go with me."

"Jace," Alec exhales, as if he's warning him. Lillian looks like she wants to share Alec's sentiment. Who knew the dangers of going back to the mundane's home?

"If you really want to prove that my mom or dad was a Shadowhunter, we should look through my mom's things. What's left of them..." Clary brings up.

"Down the rabbit hole." Jace grinned crookedly. "Good idea. If we go right now, we should have another three, four hours of daylight."

Lillian looked worried and shared a glance with Alec. She doesn't think this is a good idea, especially not without back-up. Her mouth opens to bring up this fact, but Alec beats her to it.

"Do you want us to come with?" Alec asked, half out of his chair in expectation.

"No, Clary and I got it," Jace shook his head. Lillian looked surprised at this. He almost always took Alec or Lillian along with him.

Alec sent Clary a sour look, causing Lillian to rest a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with a small, but grateful look. The pair watched Clary and Jace walk out before Lillian released a sigh.

"It's not her fault, you know," Lillian commented with a calm tone.

"What?" Alec looked up at Lillian, confused.

"The way Jace is acting, the demon at her house, even the way Orion is behaving," Lillian explained, "None of it is her fault. She didn't want this as much as you don't want her here. I think you're treating her unfairly, and I know why... Try to keep your emotions in check, please Alec. With Orion so out of it right now, you're who we're depending on."

"I-" Alec looks ready to argue with Lillian but is shut up with one look, "I'll try, Lily."

"Thank you, Alec," Lillian smiles softly. She lets out a soft exhale before walking out of the weapons room. The day had definitely been a lot.

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So umm.... today we have learned that Lillian is the mom friend. That is all.

- MadKat101