Chapter 10 "The Demon in Him"

With every word that he mumbled, the Soul Sword seemed to light up even brighter, until it completely merged with the surrounding light. Jonathan hadn't been knocked over by the force wave. He was still standing behind the sword, his fingers closed around its handle. Adam, who was laying some meters away from me, threw me a glance. He looked deeply concerned. He opened his mouth in an attempt to say something, but I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear anything. Not even the usual static in my ears.

The seconds passed and we stared at one another, speechless. I slightly shook my head to signalize him that I hadn't understood him. At this instant, my hackles suddenly raised. The Soul Sword had stopped shining. Jonathan eyes were closed, he looked weirdly concentrated. The triumphant grin on his lips was gone. Then, he opened his eyes and our gazes met. I was too distracted by him to hear the mob of demons draw closer. I noticed that the others quickly jumped on their feed behind me, but I remained on the floor unable to break free from his eyes. As if they were the only thing holding me here.

Only when the demon stood above me, my body woke up from its trance. I swayed to the side. My palms touched the cold floor and I lifted myself up. I raised my head and saw Isabelle next to Alec, who troubled to stand upright. Then, I registered how many demons there truly were. Not a dozen like I had assumed. It was a whole army, which seemed to occupy every inch of the huge hall with their dark and despicable bodies. And in the middle of it all were we. Adam, Isabelle, Alec, Jace and I.

I grabbed my seraph blades, called their names and struck the demon down which had been standing above me some seconds ago. It was a never-ending flow. As soon as I had killed one of them, three others took its place.

Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Jace fighting side by side with Adam. They moved fast and determined, but not even they could deny that we were outnumbered by far and it was only a question of time, until they would have overwhelmed us. As everybody could see, Jonathan had indeed the ability to change the Sword's powers. He would be able to summon thousands of demons. The storm of demons would never stop. Only if Jonathan gave the signal.

An angry scream escaped my lips as I struck down the next demon. I didn't know how long or how many I had already killed. But my muscles burned, my breath went wild, and my heart rushed out of effort. I turned around and tried to reach the others. Isabelle made a lot of effort to protect her brother and herself. Alec was anything but keeping well, but he stood on his legs and fought. I couldn't even believe how he managed not to black out in his condition. There was a literal hole in his chest after all. His bow was randomly shooting arrows through the hall, and still he somehow managed to hit them. But one could see that he was far from his top form. His chest was battered, some of his rips must have broken through the stroke by the Forsaken. He moved slower than usual and not quite as fluent as it was expected of a Shadowhunter.

A creature with huge wings had spotted me from the air and plunged itself at me. I could only duck and hope that the demon would stay at the ground and not lift off again. It was much more difficult to catch a flying demon. The demon seemed to know that because it flew up again and uttered a groaning hiss, which sounded amused in an odd and demonic way.

When the demon tried to catch me a second time, I knew how it would try to snatch at me as soon as it would be within range. I took a step aside, performed a volte-face and jumped. I firmly clutched my seraph blades. With a groan, I landed on the demon and clawed his back with my fingers. It squealed and outstretched its wings in order not to lose control because of my weight. For a moment, I feared that we would crash against the wall, but somehow the demon managed to achieve a balance and the ground zoomed out.

Quickly, I picked myself up and wielded one of my legs across his back to sit up straight. The demon twisted its head to locate my new position and snarled as it spotted me on its back. However, it was already too late. I reached back and the shining seraph blades bore into the creature's neck. Blood splashed in my direction, and I pressed my lips together so none of it would enter my mouth.

There was a last loud moan, then the blades had cut through the demon's spine. Under me, his body vanished into thin air and then I was headlong falling towards the ground. To turn in the air was a waltz. But to land on my feet unscathed from such a height was pure luck. A risk that I didn't want to take.

To my advantage, I was able to cling to another flying demon before I rocked forward, and my feet touched the floor. A cry of pain left my lips, and my legs gave in under my weight. My hands were fast enough to break my fall before my head could hit the hard ground. A hot ache ran through my legs. From far away, I could hear someone scream. I raised my head and turned around to see who it was, but the world around me was spinning. The shape of my surroundings trembled and moved too quick for my eyes to follow. Then, a huge black body suddenly blocked my view. I couldn't see how it came closer, but my hands felt the floor shaking with every step. Where did this pain come from? My legs pounded although it hadn't been such a great height. I should be completely fine.

Unable to do something else, I began to crawl backwards. I knew that I was too slow, but the fire in my body forced me to continue crawling. The adrenaline tried to boost my brain to give me my clear sight back. The picture in front of my eyes got sharper but everything was still spinning.

I crawled faster, as quick as my arms were able to move. I wasn't ready to stand up. I knew that I would lose my balance and then I would be at the demon's mercy. Suddenly, the spinning stopped, and I turned my head and looked for help. My eyes met Jace's, who was standing around twenty meters away. He was involved in a fight with a demon. With a swift movement, he had struck it down. I opened my mouth to say something, maybe to ask him for help. I didn't know.

Something flashed in his eyes. His expression was hard, and he examined me across the battlefield for a moment. The world around us seemed to be at a standstill for a moment. He made no move to come to the aid. The look in his eyes said nothing else. Angry about myself, I averted my head. The demon was barely two meters away and bore down.

I felt Jace's eyes on me as I raised one of my blades with one hand and held it protectively in front of my chest. I rested my other hand on the floor to raise myself a little. My legs protested. Why was my body suddenly so weak? It couldn't just be the exhaustion of the previous morning, my health had just deteriorated far too quickly for that.

Then the demon stood over me. He was as tall as a Forsaken, except his body was a single limb, with four arms poking out in my direction. It was a mystery to me how he could even move forward. It bared its huge fangs, and its dark body filled my entire view. I snapped my head up and the dizziness returned immediately. I swayed and knelt on the balls of my feet, one hand on the ground to steady myself. But it didn't help. I felt my body lean back to sink against the wall in exhaustion.

An iron ache ripped across my shoulder, down my right arm. I immediately let go of the sword to banish the pain. The demon's fangs dug into my upper arm. A gasp left my throat. In my last defense, I raised my left arm to protect my head. My right arm hung uselessly from my body and burned. Even though I couldn't see anything, I was sure it must be on fire. I waited for the demon's next blow. He would kill me, I was sure of that. Jace wouldn't come to my aid. He could, but he wouldn't.

The demon took his time, living out his triumph. I used this last second to think about Jonathan. I hadn't seen him since the summoning. If I closed my eyes, I could see his face in my mind's eye. What I would give to see him smile one last time. The second had passed. The demon's shadow bent over my body, and I could already hear the hiss as it brought its arms down on me. I took a last breath and waited. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes in bewilderment.

The demon was bathed in a bright light. He let out a sound and staggered back a step before bursting into smoke on the ground. A startled gasp escaped my throat as I lifted my head to look at Jace's face. Why had he changed his mind? Why hadn't he thrown me to the demon to eat? As my vision cleared, I saw why. My savior wasn't Jace, it was Adam. When he noticed that I wasn't about to get up, he knelt down next to me and eyed me uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but my voice was nothing more than a rough caw. I swallowed and tried it again. "Something's wrong with my legs", I said as loud as possible. "And my arm ... I can't move my arm."

Adam examined my body from top to bottom. His eyes got caught on my right arm. He nodded, then grasped my left arm and heaved it over his shoulders. Slowly, he stood up and took me with him.

I looked at my legs. They both ached from overweight, but Adam took it on in silence as I dumped most of my weight on him. Only now did I realize why I had just broken down so suddenly. A spike was lodged in my left lower leg, cutting through most of my calf. Adam didn't seem to notice because the dark demon blood was a similar color to my outfit. We slowly moved across the room towards the others. As Jace came into view, I lowered my eyes to avoid looking at him. But he didn't have eyes for me anyway. He was too busy taking down the Ravener in front of him. Isabelle was standing next to Alec, taking care of another demon. Alec was on his knees, panting. My vision was still not completely clear.

"Clary!" No matter how loud it was, I would always recognize her voice. I turned my head so fast I heard something crack in the back of my neck. Then I saw her. Jocelyn, Maryse and Hodge had entered the hall through another corridor. All three were armed to the bone. A sigh left my throat. At least they were ready to fight.

My legs moved, but Adam held me back. I looked at his face in amazement and realized he was staring past me. I followed his gaze and spotted Jonathan who had appeared out of nowhere. He must have heard our mother's voice too, because his eyes were on her. Valentine wasn't with her. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign.

"Mom," I replied, about to reach out to her when an unbelievable pain shot through it. I gasped.

Suddenly the demons stopped dead. I looked up, confused, to see Jonathan walking down the hall. I pressed my lips together and stretched my back as far as it would go. If it came to a fight now, I would definitely be defeated. I was too weak. But Jonathan didn't seem eager for a fight. At least not yet. He raised his hand, and the demons cleared the way. In his other hand he held the Soul Sword. He must have ordered the demons to stop. Jocelyn took advantage of the moment and ran over to us. Maryse and Hodge hurriedly followed her.

Jace and Isabelle stood next to the kneeling Alec, still attacking. Adam and I stood apart from them. I was still leaning against him, just as my weight was on him. Jocelyn caressed my cheek as she stormed up to me. I gave her a half-hearted smile to assure her I was okay. From the look in her eyes, I knew I must look as bad as I felt. I looked down at myself and realized that my arm had started bleeding where the demon had bitten me. Damn it.

"How nice," Jonathan said as he strutted towards us, a casual grin on his lips. "The whole family seems reunited. I'm sure father will be happy to see you again. He's a little more sentimental than I am." The last sentence sounded almost apologetic.

He stopped a few meters in front of us and brushed his hair back from his face in an arrogant gesture. His eyes fell on Maryse and Hodge. Then he grinned. "Well look at that," he laughed smugly and took a step towards them. "Hodge Starkweather. I am really pleased to make your acquaintance. I've heard so much about you already." A malicious look crossed his face and the grin widened.

Hodge stared at him wide-eyed, startled. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He had pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes humbly. The usually polite Hodge, who had shown respect even to me, looked like a beaten dog. The sight of him confused me.

But then Jonathan brushed past him to Maryse. "There's the guardian of the Institute. Maryse Lightwood. I regret to say that my sister was not well taken care of." The amusement in his voice had turned to anger and in a lightning-fast movement Jonathan's hand went up and clasped her chin with his fingers. A dismayed sound escaped Isabelle, but she didn't move an inch.

All color drained from Maryse's face. The second it took her to regain her confidence was enough to make Jonathan laugh. It wasn't a nice laugh. A horrible, dark laugh that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Not that talkative, are you?" He surveyed her with his black eyes, then looked away and his eyes locked on Isabelle, Alec, and Jace again. "What's the matter with you Maryse? I heard that usually, you're quite more rebellious."

Maryse remained silent and her eyes hardened. Jonathan squeezed his fingers together and then let go of her chin. His face brightened even more as he took a step toward the three youths. I didn't miss the twinkle in his eyes. Mischievous. Suddenly I knew what he would do. "Who do we have here?" His gaze lingered on Alec, who was still kneeling on the floor.

Alec lifted his head and let out a breath of effort. But he didn't weaken for a second. His eyes bored emotionlessly into Jonathan's. That was his first mistake. Faster than anything else, Jonathan's hand shot out and he grabbed Alec's shoulder and pulled him towards him. Alec tripped and stumbled to his feet. Isabelle took a step forward, but Jonathan held her back by lifting the Mortal Sword to his throat. "I'd rather stay there," he instructed her.

Isabelle's eyes flashed angrily, but no sound escaped her lips. She clenched her fist and grabbed her seraph blade with the other hand. Beside us, Maryse had gasped.

Jonathan wandered around the room with Alec in tow. Alec didn't say a word, his eyes were wide open, but he obligingly followed Jonathan.

"Stop that, Jonathan," Jocelyn said sharply, straightening up. Her red hair shimmered in the witchlight. She was also in her battle gear and her fingers were clutching her sword. A long black scratch ran down her cheek.

Jonathan's eyes bored into hers like knives. "You can't tell me anything," he spat, eyes darkening in anger. "I'm surprised you even opened your mouth. If I were you, I would keep quiet. Shame on you, Jocelyn, for what you did."

"We left because it wasn't safe anymore, Jonathan. Your father did something to you that we could never have undone," she replied softly, only the expression in her green eyes radiated sadness.

"I don't need you anymore. I have a mother who really cares about me. She gave me a gift you would never have allowed me." The sight of my mother seemed to make him so angry that the angel's sword began to tremble in his hands. He was still holding it to Alec's throat. Blood ran down his neck and Isabelle stifled a cry.

"Lilith is a demon, Jonathan. You have to realize that she's never been your mother-"

"Silence!" he yelled so loud that I trembled. His eyes went black with anger and the shaking got worse. He couldn't control his emotions. He would kill us all. "You're a monster!" His arm collided with Alec's chest and Alec fell to the ground with a cry of pain. But Jonathan didn't seem to care. "I should kill you all," he hissed menacingly, and I could see the grip on the Soul-Sword tighten. Then his wild gaze fell on Alec, who was lying on his back, unable to sit up. His neck was bleeding, and you could see he was in severe pain.

Jonathan raised his arm. Without thinking, I heaved myself forward, toward him. My body protested. With every step, a new pain shot through my legs and my arm still seemed to be on fire. Jonathan didn't see me coming, he was concentrating on Alec and had his back to me. The sword descended on Alec's lifeless body far too quickly. I felt like his action came out of nowhere, and yet I could have foreseen it. Before Jonathan could reach Alec with his sword, despite the agony, I managed to raise my right arm and stand in his way with my seraph blade.

The Soul-Sword came down on my blade with full force and I let out a painful gasp. My lungs burned. A loud metallic crack broke the silence as metal slammed against adamant. The edges of my vision went black. I couldn't faint. If I lost consciousness now, he would kill him. And me probably right after. It was a miracle that the power of his sword hadn't yet brought me to my knees. When I was sure I had some control over the pain, I stood up straight. My sword was still hovering over Alec's head without moving.

Jonathan looked at me with an expression I had never seen before. "Get out of my way, Clary," he growled. His gaze was like a thousand daggers digging into my body to destroy anything that got in their way. White-blond hair clung to his forehead with sweat.

It seemed like a small miracle when I stood my ground and said calmly, "Leave him alone, Jonathan. He has nothing to do with this. If you want to take revenge, do it with me, not with him."

Jonathan snorted and lowered his sword. I immediately took a step forward so he couldn't see Alec anymore. "I can't believe you're actually doing this, sister. You're betraying your own brother."

I looked at him with regret. "I'm sorry, but what you're doing is wrong and your old self would know that. My brother would know it's wrong. But you ... you're not my brother. Not anymore."

His jaw clenched and he clenched his hand into a fist. "You're a disgrace, Clary. You are a disgrace to everyone!"

But I didn't let him deter me. "You are a strange being in the form of my brother. Nothing else. And if you think I can't tell the difference, you're wrong."

I knew the sword was coming even before I saw it coming. I lifted my wounded arm in a flash and almost stumbled backwards, so strong was the force with which Jonathan smashed his sword into mine. I had to clasp it with both hands to keep from dropping it from weakness and pain. A series of blows followed which I tried to parry as best I could. He was incredibly fast, and anger made him even faster. It took all my strength not to give up immediately and faint. The world around us started spinning. The only thing I saw was Jonathan. The rest of the room was black.

We danced around the room and for a moment it felt like we were just training together like we had been doing all these years. I turned on my own axis and took a step back as he lunged at me. His sword hissed in the air, narrowly missing my left shoulder. I reached for a counterstrike, but as I raised my arm, pain shot up my arm and down my back so badly that I groaned loudly, stumbled, and fell to my knees.

From far away I heard Jonathan's distorted laughter. He stopped a meter from me. "You're doing incredibly well for an injury like that, Clary. But not good enough. Because life doesn't give you second chances." I lifted my head to look at him. My heart was racing in my chest. Jonathan was standing directly over me. "Do me a favor and get up," I heard him say. "No Morningstar should die on his knees. Come, arise and die honorably."

I knew he wouldn't kill me. He was not allowed to. Valentine had forbidden him. He didn't want to see us dead, no, that would be far too lenient a punishment. He wanted us alive so he could make hell on earth for us. Jonathan balanced the Soul-Sword in his hand and grinned down at me. I didn't answer, I was too busy catching my breath.

"Leave her alone, Jonathan. Just look what you've done! She's your sister!" Jocelyn. She stepped forward and fixed Jonathan with cold, emotionless eyes.

Jonathan turned around abruptly, that wild expression in his eyes again. He forgot about me in a second. I could feel the anger he felt for our mother. I wondered where he got it from. "You stay out of this! This doesn't concern you!"

"It's my business if you want to harm my daughter," she hissed in reply, taking another step forward, a Kindjal flashing in her hand. Suddenly a chill ran down my spine.

"Your daughter," Jonathan spat, pointing the Soul-Sword at her. "And what have I been all these years? The second-class son?" His voice had dropped to a menacing growl, and he looked down. "But don't worry, I have a mother. A mother who really cares about me. And now look at me. I am more powerful than everyone here!"

If Jocelyn was hit, she hid it well. She didn't change her expression. "I'm your mother, Jonathan. Your father sold you to her. You are no more than her slave. She is using you for her own ends."

"I'm not her slave." His hands were shaking, and he bared his teeth as she took another step closer.

"You are. You have her blood in you, you can only be her slave." I didn't understand how my mother could keep up her facade so well. I didn't understand how she could bring herself to say all those things without breaking into tears because every word she said was true.

Jonathan fell silent. He wasn't in control. I wondered if he would ever have it. He just stood a meter away from me and stared at my mother. His angry expression was gone, only a wild spark remained.

In the next moment two things happened. Too fast that I could have prevented them. Steps echoed through the corridor on our right and in next moment Valentine was standing in the door. In full glory with polished battle gear. His facial expression was blank. When he saw us, a startling relief flashed in his eyes.

Jace and Isabelle turned to him. They didn't know him, probably had never seen him before. But they knew immediately who he was. Jace gasped. How long had Jace waited for this moment? How many times had he dreamed of this man? But my father, who was responsible for the death of his parents, ignored him. He only had eyes for us. Eyes for Jonathan, who momentarily flinched when he saw him.

Then Jonathan awoke from his rigid state. The wild look in his eyes replaced by a serious and calculating expression. Like he knew exactly what he was going to do. I did not know it. I didn't expect it and would never have considered it.

As the sword pierced her abdomen, I stared at the scene before me in bewilderment, not sure if I was dreaming or really awake. It seemed so absurd that he would kill her, since she was his mother. And even if he said otherwise, he knew in his heart that it was true. He wouldn't do it, ever.

Only her gasping and wide-open eyes brought me back to reality. It felt like someone was tugging at my skin, like someone was trying to separate my spirit from my body. I heard someone scream from far away. I felt my eyes widen and felt the ground give way beneath me and my face hit the ground without warning. The pain didn't bother me. I wanted to get up, wanted to rush to her, but my muscles were frozen.

I saw Valentine running towards us. He yanked Jonathan away from Jocelyn, who immediately collapsed on the floor. I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't move. My body seemed heavy as lead. I couldn't breathe. The person was still screaming. As if in a trance, I turned and looked for her. She had to be here somewhere. But there was nobody there. Just Maryse and Hodge standing at least twenty yards from us, watching the scene with shocked faces. And then there were Jace, Adam and Isabelle and Alec. Alec had his eyes closed and his head was in Isabelle's lap, but the rest of them were staring at us. None of them seemed to scream.

My eyes couldn't help but linger on Jace. I couldn't help it because his face seemed to have dissolved into emotion. His eyes stared at me with an expression of horror and for a moment I felt like my emotions were reflected in his. His mouth was hanging open and his face was contorted in such agony that I was afraid he would break.

Someone touched my shoulder and I looked away from Jace. It wasn't until my father's voice reached my ears that I realized who was screaming. "Clarissa. Calm down. Clary ..."

I had screamed. I was still screaming like crazy. The noises coming out of my throat sounded inhuman. Not from this world. I had never heard myself scream like that in my life. When my father leaned down and tried to stroke my cheek, trembling, I flinched and took five steps back in an instant. "Do not touch me!"

Jonathan stood motionlessly next to Jocelyn's body and stared down at her. Then he turned around and our eyes met. His lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Now the world is finally back in balance."

I did not know how. My mind acted before my body could react. My pain was forgotten. In the next moment I lunged at him with a wild scream.

-

Hi and welcome back to another chapter!

Well ... it all went wrong here somehow haha. What do you think about Jocelyn's death? I'd be happy to read your thoughts so feel free to write a comment! :)

See you next week
Skyllen