Exam week has begun for me. Though I will be able to post a little more due to holidays beginning soon.

Anyway, here's Chapter 21...

Lanaia had been sitting and watching her sketch for a good half an hour and she was starting to feel her brain wandering in the endless silence, the only sound being her charcoal pencil moving across the page. She had found herself drawing what she imagined was runes, but they weren't like the rune's she'd seen before. She'd just get a picture in her head and drew it.

The pages littered the floor. Lanaia got up. "Can I get you anything?" Despite it being a question her tone showed that she really didn't want an answer.

"Where's my brother gone?" She asked politely.

"Don't know." 

"Will he be gone much longer?"

"Don't know." Clary crossed her arms. She didn't like the faerie. She was dress in a tight dress the stopped just before her knees. The type of dress her mother would've yelled at her if she had ever worn it. Lanaia had pointed ears and her hair was tied up with flowers she'd never seen before. She looked back down at her drawing board. Thump! Thump!

"Shoot!" She muttered.

"What?" The faerie said uninterested.

"Oh, I just smudged my work." She looked at her charcoal covered hands. "Do you mind getting some tissues?" The faerie got up reluctantly and stalked off. Clary silently got up with a determined and curious expression. Slowly making her way down the hallway she pressed her ear to the wall.

Thump! Thump!

It was soft and seemed to be getting lighter and slowing down. Following with her ear on the wall she got to the storage closet. Looking around she went to open the door and began to pull the knob carefully. Then hard. But it didn't open and she could've sworn she heard movement inside.

She flinched as the door opened and she saw the familiar figure of her brother walking through the door. "Clary." He said surprised to see her crouching by the door.

"Hey." She smiled awkwardly. 

"What are you doing?" He asked moving over to her and lightly yanking her away from the door. In his eyes Clary could see anger that he was trying to contain.

"I just thought I heard something-"

"Don't go near this door again. You hear me?" He said crossly making her flinch.

"I was just-"

"Clary!" He interrupted and Lanaia entered the room her face going a shade of white when she saw Jonathan angrily holding his sister.

"Yes Jonathan." She ducked her head, her heart raced.

"Just. Go to your room." He finished and she did as he asked glancing at Lanaia who looked like she was going to throw up.

As she closed her bedroom door she heard a loud slap and a thud. Then she was back in her own little world. Despite living there for weeks it still didn't feel exactly like home. Other than her messy desk everything was blank and plain. As a distraction she grabbed some of her sketches and with a bit of sticky tap, began to tap them to the wall around her bed. 

There were the runes she had drawn, a female angel, the eiffel tower - which had turned out a bit wonky - and the Mortal cup, an artifact she had seen in the books her brother had given her, a small dagger with angel wings on the handle and the Morgenstern ring hanging from one of the wings and the Fairchild ring hanging from the other.

A small nod made her turn around as Lanaia entered the room. "I've come to apologize."

"For what?" She Clary asked innocently.

"For... leaving you unprotected." She seemed to be choking the words out. 

"What is there that I'd need protection from?" The faerie didn't answer and just stood there patiently. "You can go, I'll be fine in here." She didn't look like she was going to go until her brother's voice called her and she quickly left.

The little girl could've sworn she saw a red mark in the shape of a hand on her cheek and she instantly felt guilty. If she hadn't lied and gone sneaking around Lanaia would never have gotten hurt.

Her gut seemed to twist as she continued to brighten up her room. Stopping she sighed and went to the door. She was going to tell Joanthan it was her fault Lanaia left. Though she was scared that he might hit her instead. Why did he hit her? What was so important and dangerous that he punished Lanaia for leaving for a few seconds? What was that loud noise?

She went to turn the corner when she heard voices. One was her brothers, but the other wasn't Lanaia. It was a women's and it sounded familiar. But she couldn't remember where.

"What did you tell her?" It was her brother's voice.

"Nothing." The new voice replied and Clary felt a pang of fear from the amount of hatred in that voice.

"Don't lie to me! You told her something, didn't you?"

"How could I?"

"You'd have you ways." A muffled cry was heard and then the sound of a door swinging shut. She looked around the corner to see Lanaia and Jonathan standing in front of the storage closet. Jonathan looked beyond angry.

"This is useless. I've been searching everywhere. None of Merek's clients have it!" He huffed.

Merek. Where had she heard that name? She thought to herself quietly then she remembered. That was the name of the shop keeper in Paris. What was Jonathan searching for?

"There's one name left. But it's written in some Seelie language. Can you translate?" He asked and she guessed he was speaking to Lanaia whose heels she heard cross the floor.

"This language is old. A-M-A-R-A." She spelt.

"Amara?" Jonathan seemed confused.

"Our queen goes by many names. Some aren't known by many."

"I didn't know the Seelie queen had an interest for antiquities." Her brother's voice seemed to brighten slightly. "Do you think you can arrange a meeting with her highness?"

There was a short silence. "I can try... But what of Clary?"

"She can come." She heard footsteps coming in her direction and she quickly dashed off to her room and landed on her bed pretending to be looking at her art work, now decorating her walls. "Clary."

"Hm?" She looked around to see her brother in the doorway.

"We're going on a little field trip tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" She asked sitting on the edge of her bed, her feet no where near the ground.

"The Seelie Court."

"You mean like, where the Faerie's live?" She said trying to act surprised and he smiled. He went to close the oak door before adding in a few words. "Just. Don't go near that storage door again."