The Mortal Instruments

"Relax, etiquette is the least of my concerns. This is no formal occasion at Alicante." Corvo gave a gentle smile to reassure her that there would be no repercussions for failing to adhere to proper tradition. He noticed that her smile was forced and her handshake was weak. She is not pleased to see me here. "As you are aware, the other Institutes have closed and as this is the last remaining open Institute, the Clave has asked to come here to supervise. There are additional things that I would like the assistance of yourself and the other Shadow Hunters in completion, but for now there is no need to be concerned about those. I'm sure that will not be a problem, will it?" The first test. This could confirm his suspicions about her particular dispositions towards him and give him some leverage over her. If she promised co-operation, and did not provide it later on, then that would give him room to apply pressure. Or evidence that she is guilty of something. Indeed, if she doesn't agree here then it will become clear that she's hiding something. After all, why else would you refuse to help the Inquisitor?
"Where are the other Shadow Hunters here? I'd like to meet them. After all, I'll be here for some time and it would be good to introduce myself to, and become acquainted with, those that I will be working with." Second test. To refuse that on weak grounds would be further confirmation that there was more going on here than it would initially appear, and I don't buy her story about not expecting company. That Rune was active for a reason. His expression nor body language betrayed his suspicion. Naturally, they would all be somewhat wary of him, however he planned to try to dispel some of the wariness when he spoke to the people here. He wouldn't be able to work with people that were cautious about him.​

 

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"You're paying me to take you to Hendrick. And should you harm these allies of mine, I will make sure that the only thing he finds is your body in the river." Clarity replied as she started off down the alleyway. Speaking of bodies...She sighed, her grey eyes scanning the Nephilim behind her. "Depends. On how loyal you are to the Clave." On one hand, it would be far better to keep him ignorant just to be sure he wouldn't shoot her in the back and drag her bleeding carcass to the Shadowhunters.

On the other, they could very well be out for him, and this was why he came to an ifrit, never mind a very well versed in espionage ifrit, to see his long lost parabati. That he had been separated from someone so close to him, that he defied the Nephilim order to return to Alicante, and he hadn't gone straight to the Institute.....she sighed. Damn her instincts for telling her to take such risks.

"For some reason as I've yet to completely identify, the Clave has decided I need to be hunted. As I have not broken the Accords, I suspect it is going to be less then a friendly chat." She peered around the corner, checking the street before motioning to Aethelrick to follow. "We are going to an acquaintance of mine in order, which will help you get to Hendrick in the long run." She glanced back at Aethelrick. Was it possible that the Clave had found out she was helping him? Just what was he mixed up in?

She pulled out her phone one last time and sent two messages; one to Felicia and one to Hendrick.

Expect company. ​

​

Morrigan's face tightened in worry for a moment before smoothing into a sheet of glass. "Several Downworlders?" She asked, the tension remaining in her voice as she stepped outside. Her thoughts went from Ash, to Rhett, to the woman who had been hunting Grayson Kellar; Brianne. Was she the one who was hunting? Or had she been the warn to one them? Right now, it didn't apparently matter. Morrigan turned her face to the sky to feel the last rays of the sun on her skin, closing her eyes for a moment and enjoying the finality of the warmth before the sun disappeared behind the tall buildings and descended below the horizon.

"So, where do we go then?" she asked, her arms crossing over her chest as though to shield herself from the inevitable pain she was going to face. If Ash was being hunted by the Clave, and she was wanted by the Seelie Queen...was it truly coincidence that those two things happened at the same time? A disturbing thought, and one that was not going to go away easily.
​

​

Brianne narrowed her eyes. He had phrased the request as a question, but they both knew it wasn't truly a question at all. For some reason, the thought flashed through her mind to wonder what Ash would say in response. The warlock was as duplicitous as a fey, and could avoid falling into any sort of trap involved in wordplay. Alarick was the same, on a lower level. She wished her big brother was at her side, stepping in front and taking charge, as he always had. But he wouldn't always be able to. "I'm sure that should it be within our ability to, we will be able to provide assistance." She said finally. "Although I must admit I'm uncomfortable promising any amount of help without knowing exactly what I'm walking in to." She shrugged. "Perhaps it's because of one too many bad dates."

It was entirely plausible, anyway.
"Hendrick is resting in his room, recovering from injuries sustained in battle." She sighed, crossing her arms. "Nick is with Alarick on official Clave business, I'm sure they'll done soon finished. Roxanne...." She frowned. "I've actually no clue where Roxanne has gotten to." She would not reveal the nature of her difficulty with the girl, nor the details of their altercation. Even if it was a mistake, she couldn't stop herself from protecting the Shadowhunter, believing still that perhaps she could be saved.

"So, if you don't mind joining me in the ktichen, I would like to hear about these matters you acquire assistance in." She put emphasis on the word as if she doubted the validity of his claim. "I've not yet eaten, and I don't think it's polite to let your stomach growling interrupt conversation." She stepped inside the tiled room, rummaging through the fridge for something, anything, that required little effort. A box of strawberries caught her eye, and she sighed, taking them off the shelf before shutting the stainless steel door. Checking the fruit for mold, she washed them quickly in the sink and shoved them onto the counter, opening the carton and grabbing a knife to cut the tops off.

"I remember you, from Alicante." She murmured, not entirely sure Corvo could hear her, as she began to work, the rhythmic motion soothing her frayed nerves.

 

She said that they would provide assistance, and there was a reasonable amount of caution in her thinly veiled request for more information on the matter. He was undecided on what to make of her, until she insisted on adding the little joke at the end. It seemed forced. The gears in his brain began turning. He was not convinced that she was entirely on his side, but that did not make her a traitor. That, so far, meant that she was uneasy working with him, and if he were to take his suspicions further she may have something to hide behind it all.
"It won't be anything too demanding I should think. It should be well within the capabilities of this Institute to bring about." He forced a smile as a reaction to her joke. "Perhaps. I can't say that I've been on many dates, let alone bad ones." It seems that having the task of charging fellow Nephilim of betraying the Accords or the Clave really turns people off you. Maybe it's just the way I am. Other Inquisitors have had relationships. Alas, not much can be done. Eventually another Inquisitor shall be elected and I will be able to pursue such interests.
"Hendrick? I assume you mean Cyrus Tiberius? We should not disturb him if he is recovering from wounds." He's here. Good. That means that Aethelrick will find his way soon enough. I should look into how he sustained those injuries as well at some point. "If Roxanne's location is unknown then perhaps it would be a good idea to find her later. After I've seen Alarick and Nick of course. And yes, food would be nice." So, now she's digging for information. Very, very interesting indeed. Corvo followed her back to the kitchen and sat down at the table while she prepared some strawberries. Watching her body language, she was unnerved by him. He could hear her muttering too.
"Have we met before then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I don't recall." ​

 

"Exactly, don't expect me to pay you for these additional visits to friends of yours. And I won't harm them, unless they intend to harm me, I found it very detrimental to one's health to just let that happen, you know." Aethelrick stated "And that'd be a sloppy job, I'd expect someone of your particular talents to make me disappear completely, I'm almost disappointed..." The Nephilim said, she then questioned his loyalty to the clave. If she hadn't figured it all out by now, she probably never wouldn't.

She mentioned she was hunted by the Clave for some reason. "It's the Clave, too much politics, talking, scheming, too little time for actually fighting the demons. Don't worry I ain't gonna hand you over to them, we're not on the best of terms." The Nephilim explained to her. He was going with her to find some acquaintence to meet Cyrus in the long run, well then as long as she didn't expect payment for all this, after all he needed to find Cyrus. "So who we seeing first?" The Nephilim asked.

Hendrick was getting seriously annoyed with his phone that kept on buzzing. He sighed heavily and checked his phone. Three texts, two from Clarity and one from Alarick. What in the seven hells was going on? He texted Clarity back. Okay, what the hell is going on, is it very urgent? He took note of the expect company and then removed all the evidence of the texts and tried to drift off to sleep again. He knew there was gonna a reply and that sleeping was out of the question for a little while, but it didn't matter too much, keeping the eyes closed and laying in the dark was still helping, not much but still.

 

​

Titania watched some of the fey slowly waltz around the court. Her face showed no amusement, nor her eyes any warmth. She happened to know the pair on the left were planning to get married, sealing their families' fortunes for another five hundred years or so, while the couple on the right was having extra marital affairs. In truth, the Seelie Queen cared for none of it. As long as they upheld the beliefs, her beliefs, during the light of day, in the cloaked darkness of night they could do what they pleased. If only all of them could learn that lesson so well.

A knight stepped up to her, kneeling and bowing his head. Only his neck moved as he raised his eyes to meet hers from the lower position. "My Queen, the warlock and Morrigan Moonsong have departed, and gone somewhere. We were unable to follow." The Seelie Queen raised an eyebrow, but did not speak.

"We have also detected the presence of the Inquisitor in New York. He appears to have gone to the Institute." Yorick, you never were one for patience. She sighed, a barely perceptible sound. "Nephilim are so like their mundane counterparts, even if they pretend otherwise. Such foolish creatures. Only we and the warlocks are truly forever." A plant began to drift from the complicated network of vines, curling around her wrist like a favored pet. She stroked it, her magic feeding it to a larger size.

The knight watched her, a slight nervousness entering his gaze as the couples stopped dancing to hear her words. "My knight, you have done well." The Queen purred as the vine rubbed against her skin before snaking its way up her arm. "You will dispatch a knight to bring Cinead Coldspring to me. Inform him I have not the patience to wait. You will then take five more of your knights and hunt down Ash and Morrigan. Bring them both to me, and anyone they are with. I want this to be a lesson they will not forget in two thousand years. Also..." She paused, stroking the vine as a purple flower began to grow. "You will take five more knights, and send them to hunt for this...Paragon I have heard so little about. I wish to speak with him. Let the Inquisitor handle his business."

She waited until the knight had bowed and left, before turning back to the plant, which had sprouted another flower. "So the games begin." She whispered, stroking the poisonous petals with a finger.

​

Clarity glanced over at Aethelrick. "You know, you're kind of a dick." She told him, raising an eyebrow before carrying on her walk. Worrying about money....what a foolish man. She wasn't worried about the money, or where they were going, or who they were visiting. She was worried about who was chasing them, and exactly how she was going to get out of this one. Ash and Alarick had her back before, and even Brianne had helped to pull her out of a scrape, but....Brianne would never condone something like this. Either she's locked up too, or she's unable to prevent it. Alarick clearly didn't agree with the move either, or he wouldn't have warned her, but that didn't mean he would openly help her.

Even Ash wasn't a sure method of protection. And while Clarity hated to admit it even to herself, she needed protection. An ifrit was hardly a match for any Shadowhunter, let alone the Inquisitor. She wouldn't have minded meeting him under peaceful terms, just to see what exactly made someone Inquisitor, but now she just wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets until this all went away. Or else punch everything in the face until it left her alone.

"We're visiting a newly made friend. No matter what you pay me, I will not protect you if you harm them. I think I prefer Hendrick." She told Aethelrick, hiding her frustration. Things were already tense enough, and he had to act like werewolves were the bad guys when he came to her for help. "And you might want to consider changing your opinion. If we're going to get Hendrick, we're going to need friends." She told him before strolling in to Felicia's residence.

She stared at the werewolves for a moment before turning to the newly made Alpha herself. "I'm glad to see your plans have worked, so far." She said, her expression softening. She had liked Felicia; the girl had a core of steel to her that Clarity admired. "But I'm afraid I need a favor. And it won't be easy." She jerked her head. "This is part of the favour. Aethelrick, meet Felicia, the currently uncontested contestant for Alpha of New York. Felicia, Shadowhunter Aethelrick."

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Morrigan turned curious eyes to Ash as he cut himself off, but she didn't ask. If he thought it pertinent, she trusted him to tell her. She smiled as he reminisced while they walked. "I miss the sea. I miss the smell of the salt, and the spray on my face. We left my home country when I was very young, perhaps twenty or thirty. My parents followed the Seelie Queen to America, where she established the New Court. Eventually, everyone else came too." She sighed, her eyes flicking to the shadow that disappeared ahead of them.

"I've traveled to the sea on the east coast, a few times, but it's not the same. The grays and blues of the ocean are dead, here. Not like in Ireland, where it's green and blue and alive." Her gaze turned to the people on the street, watching them come and go as they ignored her and Ash. Not because they wanted to, but because the magic took away their choice, forcing them to see the fairy and warlock as invisible, or rather, not seeing them at all. "I want to go back, some day." Morrigan admitted. "There's an ache in my soul for my homeland that has only grown with the time I've spent away." She wondered vaguely what had become of their castle. Most likely a ruin now, that the locals told stories about and tourists visited for a good time.

Her gaze turned wary as Ash opened the door for her, but she stepped inside anyway, looking into the spacious entryway carefully. The house was far from bare, furnishings covering the rooms in tasteful decor. She poked her head in the adjoining living room before wandering the hall to the stairway, her bare feet nearly silent on the wood floor.

"A safe house?" She whispered, touching a picture frame on the wall. "This looks like someone's home." The photo was a painting, a drawing of a place called Alicante. It looked absolutely enchanting, and Morrigan found herself enraptured by the glass buildings that reached into the sky; unbeknownst to her, the wards that kept everyone but the Shadowhunters out.

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Brianne glanced at the Inquisitor before quickly returning her gaze to her work, lest she cut another finger. "I can't imagine there are many brave enough to date an Inquisitor. Your position is supposed to strike fear of judgement into the hearts of lesser Shadowhunters. Doesn't leave much room for romance." Her lips pursed as she pressed the sharp edge of the knife against the flesh of the fruit, the juice staining her fingertips. "I doubt you would recall my presence. I was barely twenty one when I received my assignment to come here, and lead the Institute. But I remember you there, at the ceremony."

She set down the knife, popping one of the slices of fruit into her mouth before sighing with relief as the sweet flavor hit her tongue. "Food tastes so much better when you're starving." She commented, grabbing a second before stepping out of the way, allowing Corvo to take what he would like.

"You congratulated me, before I even knew what I had been awarded. I thought it had been a commendation for my last mission." She shook her head. "I still don't understand exactly how I came to be here." Talking normally, it helped Brianne forget what the Inquisitor had almost seen, what he might still see. She found herself relaxing, even if a little bit.

"My parents were torn between furious and proud. I think they had several matches lined up for me. Carrying on the family line, grandchildren." She shrugged. "I was just happy to have an escape from that future." And now that set of chains has fallen onto Alarick's neck. "But now that I think on it...I suppose I understand a little of the loneliness. We're put on a pedestal, further away from our brethren, and given command. They have to follow us, trust us, remain loyal. But at the end of the day, they can go get a drink, laugh and joke together. We can't do that, lest we lose respect. Or am I mistaken?" Brianne looked up at Corvo as she grabbed another strawberry, biting into it and chewing slowly. Her finger had stopped bleeding by now, thank the Angel.

 

​

There's a couple of reasons that Sien likes to stay inform about what's going on, well the things that he can actually find information on. First because he's sorta a curious guy and this helps in some way. Another reason was so that he knows how to react to certain things. There were exceptions to this, like the current situations right now. No amount of information that he could've known would've made reacting to everything that just transpired any easier. Something was about to go down, that much was for certain. "Good luck." He simply said to Alarick.

Valister sat there for a bit as Brianne dropped off the werewolf before leaving them. It was true the most vampire and werewolves didn't get along, he's both seen enough vampires slain and well as slain some werewolves himself to know that truth. However over the years, the desire to start trouble with the werewolves died down and thus he simply had no reason to start anything with them now.

"Greetings." Valister replied. He listened to what Rhett had said, including the suggestion to jump out the window. That was when he spoke again. "You don't look in any shape to be leaping from windows either, let alone fights." He got up from the bed provided in the room and walked towards the door. "Why not just go out the front door?"

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You are going to be hunted by the Clave. There is a safe house at this address.
445 Silver Avenue N
New York, New York

We meet there. Trust no one.
​

Well this was certainly unexpected. He recognized the number the text had come from for Brianne had given it to him in the event he needed assistance and couldn't reach her. He'd appropriated the gesture and fortunately a situation for him to need to call said number never arose. Yet now here a text was a text. This caused a fair amount of questions for Creed, ones that he'd hoped would get answered at the supposed meeting place. Like why was he suddenly being hunted out of the nowhere. Creed made sure not to do anything that would attract unneeded attention to himself. His phone was placed back into his pocket and he headed towards the address which fortunately wasn't all that far away from where he was now.

 

"Noted." Aethelrick merely stated at being called a dick, he couldn't care less about what a Downworlder thought of him. He walked with her to their destination, she told him that no matter what he paid her she wouldn't protect him if he pissed off the natives. Well he didn't intend to fight them, but being prepared to defend oneself had never hurt anyone, that was the entire reason he had loaded the magazine of silver bullets into the gun.

She mentioned she liked Hendrick better. "Funny, Cyrus was always keeping himself occupied one way or another, not too particularly warm in his conversations. Even going on missions without me rather often, but that's because I wanted some R&R, he just kept on going... Can't imagine him to have changed that much since we got seperated." He remarked, knowing that a year and a half was a lot of time and a lot could have changed. He wondered if they had even been talking about the same person here.

They arrived at the residence and he was introduced to Felicia. "Nice to meet you." He said, not entirely unsincere. He saw the ten other werewolves in the basement and made a mental note not to piss them off. Despite being told to make himself at home, he decided to stick to standing by Clarity's side, atleast that way if the wolves decided to pounce on a lone shadowhunter he atleast had a chance to react.

 

Jenny's pov:



She continued on her way towards some building where she knew some magic beings resided. She did not know what answers she would get here, but she was sure she would find something interesting. She would get something by force if she had to, but she rather not. The city of New York was a strange one. A warlock, fairy or demon she had to find. She rather ask question involving the first two then to deal with a demon. Warlock could be expensive, but that would not be a issue in the slightest. With nothing else she might be able to get Valister to help her if things went bad, after all he wanted the same thing as far as she could tell. Brianne might help, but she was unsure of this. She wanted information, but she was unsure if she wanted to work with her. Warlock or fairy she was not sure which she would find at the location, whatever one was there she would work with.


Adam's pov:



After the conversation with his mom he stated his way to school. He made it to school without anything happening, but he was unsure how long that would last now that he was here. Jon was sure to be some issue at some point during the day. He walked to forth period. He was not looking forward to the end of the day. The end of the day was bad and he did not see how today would be any different.


Lilly's pov:



She made her way towards the institute only because that was the only place she could think of to go. It was the one place she would be able to find Brianne and or Alarick. She was not sure what she would do once she got there, but something was sure to go down.

 

"Indeed, indeed. No matter. Eventually someone else will take the job and I'll be able to find time for all that." He reclined into the chair, keeping a very close eye on her body language. She was trying to distract herself. He didn't need to point out the fact that the fear of his position that she mentioned was very much working on her. He felt a certain degree of satisfaction in that. She knew who she was dealing with. "Ah yes, the ceremony. I remember that now that you mention it." There wasn't much to say about it other than that. It probably meant something to her, but to him it was another occasion which he attended and merely followed procedure in. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about it. Indeed, she was simply the next Lightwood to take charge of this Institute. It seemed to have been working so far. Really, it couldn't have been any less extraordinary. Her age and relative competence was the only truly notable part of the whole affair.
"Indeed. Driving through New York traffic to get here was an exercise in patience I don't particularly care to repeat any time soon." He commented, picking up one of the fruits and eating it. He savoured the taste, then took another. "You're extremely competent Brianne. That's how you came to be selected. Although truthfully, it is to be expected. Your family has a history of competence. Your brother Alarick is no exception." She continued on, commenting on how she was grateful for her post because she was able to evade the necessary family business.
"I agree. For someone with my position it is an even greater burden. I cannot afford to be seen in any light less than the high and mighty righteous Inquisitor. It is not a burden that can be accepted lightly. My family at least, had no expectations of me marrying to continue their line. On the contrary, they were proud. That makes us opposites in that regard." Corvo ate two more strawberry slices. "Now then, I suppose I should inform you a little of what I am doing here. I am looking for people, and I expect your help in finding them. They have done nothing wrong and they are only required temporarily. We require their help. Downworlders are not known for their instantaneous co-operation. This is why I require the services of your Shadow Hunters." He decided that it was best to explain that much to her. A third test, as it were. ​

 

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The Seelie Queen looked over her knights with something close to smug satisfaction. The forces of the Court may have been enough to inspire Arthurian legends and some of the greatest tales every known, but under her rule they had become a deadly force to be reckoned with. She turned her gaze upon Cinead as the knight bowed before her. "You are to take five of these knights. You are to lead them to your contact, Ash, and to Morrigan Moonsong. Both are to be brought to me, though I only require enough of the warlock that he can live for a few hours. Morrigan must remain in one piece, but do what you will to subdue her."

The pet vine had curled around the back of her rose chair, snaking its way down to the ground. Every foot or so, large purple flowers bloomed. She had grown these for a purpose, one that was not yet due. "Should you do this, I believe your form of payment will be most....satisfying." The word hissed as it left her lips, but she smiled, and all at once her features transformed into a face that could have adorned the statue of a goddess.

"Don't disappoint me, Cinead." She leaned back in her chair, a silent indication that they were dismissed.

​

Clarity perched on the backrest of the couch, one leg resting on the top in a bent position while the other swung along the back of the couch. She glanced at Felicia, wrapping her arms casually around the bent knee. If the other wolves received a signal to attack, she would have two silver knives buried in their skulls before they could touch her. Aethelrick, despite his bravado, was staying close to her. She sighed, wishing that the Angel or the Gods or Demons or whatever truly was the deity in charge had not dumped this gigantic mess into her lap.

"He's missing someone. A piece of his soul, as it were. Terrible story." Clary shook her head, though her expression was anything but sad. "I need your help in getting them back. Problem is, he's a Shadowhunter, and more likely then not currently at their headquarters. Now, normally I wouldn't have a problem strolling in and getting the dear fellow out myself, but..."

She glanced at Aethelrick. Originally, her plan had been for the wolves to subdue the Shadowhunter and keep him here. She and Felicia would hunt down Hendrick, and bring him back. That took time she could not afford now. "I need you to go make a distraction. Big enough to keep the Shadowhunters in the Institute busy until I can get in and get who I need. You're good with explosives, right?" Clary reached into her pocket and tossed a small detonator at Felicia. "I've got the charges stashed nearby. You just got to get them and put them in a good place. Then?" She smiled, the expression dropping from her lips in an instant. "Aethelrick, you'll go with her. I'll be too worried getting myself in and out to babysit you."

​

"They say there's powerful magic in twins." Morrigan replied, turning to face Ash. "That's what they say, anyway." She walked into the living area, fingers drifting along the back of the couch as she stared at the picture over the mantle of the fire place. "Did you know fairies have never been recorded as being able to carry twins? Werewolves, humans, even warlocks have been conceived as twins. Shadowhunters too. But the fey? Never." She let her fingers touch the wooden frame before dropping her hand to her side.

"It's probably connected to our difficulty in conceiving. The chances are so low, to even have one child is a miracle." Her heart twisted, and she immediately shied away from the pain, pushing back the memories. "How do you know Brianne?" She asked, changing the subject.

​

Brianne ate quietly as Corvo spoke, glancing at him every so often. He seemed..well a little less intimidating, even if it wasn't his intention. Seemingly, he couldn't drop his eloquent method of speech, and she sighed, wondering exactly how she could get the man to drop his air of superiority. She didn't want to dislike him. She wanted to get along with everyone, even Roxanne if she could manage. How, exactly, one would manage that, she didn't know. But she was willing to try, for the sake of peace.

She straightened when Corvo began to talk about his purpose, and despite his declarations, the hair on the back of her neck rose. Her friend, the werewolf, had only been needed for a "short time", and that had turned into a year, with no communication. She knew, in the back of her mind she knew that something had gone wrong, but it was too easy to continue to live in the denial, and pretend everything was alright. She had a feeling that was going to come to an end.

"I won't lie." She crossed her arms over chest. "I don't like being expected to simply drop everything and help you, when you've barely been here more then an hour." She shook her head. "Any Shadowhunter is always welcome at the Institute, it's true, but this is our home. You're a guest, and a demanding one at that. It's rude, to say the least." She narrowed her eyes. "I said I would help within my abilities, but I will not force any person, be they mundane, Downworlder, or Shadowhunter, to do anything against their will. The Angel made us all equal in that regard, and I intend to uphold it. Or have you forgotten the Accords so easily, Corvo?" She was being rash, and she knew it, but Brianne couldn't be bothered to take back the words she spoke. Corvo seemed to think he took orders from the Angel himself. Yorick was nothing but an old man, albeit a kind old man. He was no more of an Angel then she was.

 

Aethelrick listened as Clarity explained what this favour was. She had put it aptly with him missing a piece of his very soul. As parabatai you had a bond that had no mundie equivalent, in battle their hearts beat together. They were two parts of a whole, until the bond was broken. Normally they'd just walk in or atleast according to Clarity, but he knew that the situation didn't allow for it. He had sat down on one of the couches, it was more comfortable than standing around and well it was an invitation.

Clarity then decided to ditch him with Felicia. "I can handle myself, quite well, but hey if you think it better that way fine by me. It's been a while since I've been helping with blowing something up, too long to be perfectly honest. Anyways thanks for helping a lost soul out." Aethelrick said, sure he hadn't been the nicest person to her, but atleast she was willing to do him this favour. He was paying her handsomely for it, but that didn't mean people automaticly did something for you.

 

Nick briefly smiled in response, he was glad he got through to Alarick. He nodded at Alarick's orders and began to walk away. Suddenly he was paranoid, they couldn't trust downworlders, they couldn't trust fairies, they couldn't trust the clave itself. Who could they trust? Each other, that was it. Nick arrived at the safehouse, making sure to hide his trail and get there stealthily.
"Soooo" Nick greeted the others already there "Am I interrupting something? Sorry, carry on"

 

​

Yorick narrowed his eyes as the mirror's surface shimmered, and Alarick once more appeared, emotionless and composed. "Apologies. Nicholas became upset and stormed off. I intended to calm him down and have him see reason, but-"

"I'm sure he'll come around." Yorick responded, hands clasped behind his back. "Have Mister Nightwine accompany you when you bring Masque to Alicante. Perhaps he will be more keen to see the error of his ways should he lay eyes upon our goal." The young man in front of him nodded stiffly. No doubt already considering how to bring his sister to heel. Yorick was content to leave that business to his ally, or the Inquisitor, if need be. There was no reason for her to come to hate him, or her brother as of yet. And who knew, perhaps she would give up her love of the weakling races once she too saw how great they could be again.

"I'll be awaiting your arrival." Yorick dismissed his protege and turned to the second mirror. A fingernail tapped against a chair, and he lowered his brows. He hated that sound. "Do you believe him?"

The clipped tones held no emotion, no sign of intention. Just a simple question. But with her, nothing was ever simple. "I've no reason not to. Alarick has never wavered before. Now that the path has become clear to him, I have no doubt he will be as steady as he has been." There was no response, just more finger tapping. "I will proceed then. But I warn you. Any Shadowhunters that fall into my hands will not be returned in the same condition they were given."

Yorick sighed. "If they refuse to come under the light, then they must be burned away with the rest of the shadows." Long hair fell over a gently sloping shoulder like a waterfall as the mirror laughed, an enchanting sound. "Remember those words, Shadowhunter. There will come a day, soon I think, when you will wish they had never been uttered."

​

Clary glanced at Aethelrick as she got up, her heels rising off the ground until she was standing on her tip toes, stretching her arms above her head before going back down. "I'm only going in because the risk is less." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, leading the way out of the den as she moved past Felicia. "There's a good chance I'll be captured, should anyone be smart enough to see through the ruse. It'll be easier for just me to get away then both of us. And if you get captured, then I don't get paid, do I?"

She reached for the hilt of her katana, gripping it gently just to make sure it was still there before stepping out into the early evening air. "After you and Hendrick are reunited..." She turned to Aethelrick, eyes going cold in the wake of the beginning of their mission, "Go to this address." She pulled out her phone, and sighed. She had missed a message from Hendrick. Quickly forwarding the address of the safe house to Aethelrick, she typed a message to Hendrick afterwards;

Stay close to a window. And be ready to leave.​

She slipped her phone away before leading them towards the Institute. "If you cause structural damage, all the better. Just don't get caught." Clary looked up into the sky, unable to see the stars because of the glow of the city lights. One of these days, she was going to take a long vacation. Someplace underneath an open sky.

She set off for the Institute, ready as she would ever be.

​

Alarick took a deep breath, then looked at Sien and Max. "It's probably better this way." he decided before slamming the mirror against the table, breaking it into small fractures of silver and glass. "Just so you understand, your best chance of life is with me or Brianne. If Yorick get his hands on you, you're as good as a dead warlock walking, okay?" He stepped out into the hall, glancing one way and then another. Roxanne and Hendrick had hopefully already left with Brianne. He couldn't hear any voices, nor any noise that would indicate otherwise, and gently jerked his head. "Let's go."

He left the Institute through the backdoor in which they had entered, the rogue warlock and Sien in tow. The walk to the safe house was not particularly long, but he prayed to the Angel it would be uneventful. He wished he could have had time to go to the weaponsroom and gear up more suitably for a long term siege, but time was simply not on their side.

"I've got a feeling this is going to be a long road."

 

Jenny's pov:



She continued on her path to the building. She hopped that she would find something. She made her way though the streets. She pasted many building along the way. She finally got to the build. It was a old looking building, but one where she was sure to find a warlock or fairy. She stood at the building of a moment. Brianne had said that the people with magic had something to do with the Mortal cup going missing, so this was one step to find out what they knew. Everything had something to do with the mortal cup now. She stepped up to the door and pushed it open and took a look inside. It was time for information. She had no clue if she would get it, but this was only the first stop.


Lilly's pov:



She continued her way towards the institute. Brianne and or Alarick were sure to be there. She made her way though the city finally making her way towards the institute. It looked the same as it did from the outside as it always did. She reached the door to the institute before she noticed something was wrong. Where was the barrier? There was always one up. It nothing else it would keep the demons off their door step. It was possible that the institute stopped using the barrier, but this was unlikely. She was sure something was wrong. She walked away from the institute going off to where she could watch it. What was going on? At first she thought that the mortal cup was to blame, but there seemed to be more going on then what she thought. She really could not believe that she was being sucked back into the whole shadow world again. Next thing you know there would be a vampire and werewolf getting along.