"𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆. 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒐 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈?."

♛

Christopher was at her flat in all of ten minutes, how he got here so fast she did not ask. Her head was on his lap where he was reading a book. His hand was gently in her hair. "What has gotten you so worked up, Kaash?"

Christopher had decided to call her by her Indian name, it made Dahlia happy knowing her roots weren't lost.

"Matthew paid a visit earlier," Dahlia muttered. Christopher nodded slowly, urging her to say more. "He was apologising and trying to make it up to me. I did not forgive him yet, I owe it to myself, right, Chris? To this child, that their father is not a flake."

"Matthew is fighting his inner demons, I do not think he is in the best state to be a father. Good thing he still has eight more months."

Dahlia laughed. "You are so right."

"The Thieves and Co are going to be meeting at the Tavern later. I did not know if you would be up to it due to your...condition. It is alright if you aren't willing to come, I shall make a very reasonable excuse for those of us who do not know."

Dahlia shook her head. "No, I want to come."

"Have you told Thomas?"

"I told Alastair, I should believe he told Thomas, but if he hasn't I shall tell him today."

Christopher placed a kiss on Dahlia's hair. "Aught till death do thee and me apart," Christopher said, reciting their vows.

Dahlia smiled, tearfully, nodding. "Aught till death do thee and me apart."

"Come then, we must make haste. We are going to be late." Christopher said.

Dahlia rose slowly, careful not to make sudden movements, she was scared of messing something up. She rushed to her bedroom and drew her gloves and a shawl. She left the flat with Christopher in tow, he made sure to lock the door and Dahlia could've cried once more.

When they reached Dahlia felt the urge to cry only this time from happiness, she hadn't realized how comforting their little gatherings had been, how normal. And she hadn't realized how much she had yearned for it.

The little room inside was crowded. It seemed almost everyone else had already arrived: James, Matthew, Thomas, Lucie and Jesse, of course, but also Anna, and even her sister. All the available furniture from the adjacent bedroom had been dragged in so that there was a seat for everyone (counting the window ledge, where Lucie had perched), but it was a tight squeeze. James and Matthew weren't sitting next to one another, which Dahlia did not want to think about too much.

A chorus of greetings rose up as they came in. Thomas detached himself from the arm of Anna's chair and came over to them, his hazel eyes bright. Christopher left them alone and Dahlia could feel Matthew's watchful eyes. Dahlia smiled at Thomas, she hadn't seen him much but she got the sense he knew there was something going on with th mount of visits his cousin was doing.

"Did Alastair tell you?" Dahlia whispered, hopefully, the buzz in the room drowned her voice.

"Tell me what?" Thomas questioned. Dahlia smiled, shaking her head, "I shall tell you later then. Right now we are waiting for Cordelia and Alastair, correct?"

Thomas nodded, seeming a little giddy at the thought of Alastair. Dahlia smiled wider.

She found herself a seat near her sister who smiled at her. "Hello, darling. Feeling up to social gatherings?"

Dahlia shrugged, "If not now then when? Besides, according to Anna walking and talking it good for me."

Ariadne rolled her eyes, "Well if Anna said so,"

Dahlia bumped her should against her sister's, "Oh stop it."

She caught Matthew's eye. He smiled a little sadly. Dahlia noticed with a pang in her heart that he looked awful—well, awful for Matthew. His waistcoat didn't match his jacket, a lace had broken on one of his boots, and his hair was untidy. This was the Matthew equivalent of turning up at a party with a dagger protruding from his chest.

Ariadne followed her line of sight and only sighed. "Stop looking at him like he is the only thing that can save you. It is making me quite angry. It is a miracle I haven't done anything to him yet."

Dahlia laughed this time. Matthew's head seemed to snap towards her direction, and she did not feel his eyes waver.

Then the door opened and Cordelia and Alastair walked in. There was a chorus of greetings and Thomas approached them, happiness radiating off him. Dahlia was glad for him, for them. SHe wished them only the best.

Cordelia came and sat beside Dahlia and Ariadne. Dahlia wanted to leave.

Ariadne's presence was a comfort. "I heard you were in Paris," Ariadne said.

Dahlia pretended that the floor was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. There was a strange purple stain on the carpets, she wondered what it was.

"I-" Cordelia glanced at Dahlia. "Well, Paris was lovely."

Dahlia couldn't sit and listen to how lovely Paris was. She stood up abruptly, "Excuse me." she muttered and walked over to Alastair who was standing awkwardly by the fireplace.

"Fancy seeing you here," Alastair muttered. "I could say the exact same," Dahlia smiled.

"Your featherbrained husband looks like he was hit by a carriage" Alastair muttered. Dahlia shrugged, "He came to visit me earlier,"

Alastair tensed.

"We spoke of a few things, he left abruptly. It is quite alright, I don't know what I would've done if he had stayed longer. I was surprisingly mature about the whole ordeal."

A loud crack silenced the room, and Dahlia jerked her head around to see that it was Christopher, pounding a small hammer against the table.

"I call this meeting to order!" he cried.

"Is that a gavel?" Thomas said. "Don't judges only use those in America?"

"Yes," said Christopher, "but I found it in a knickknack shop, and as you see, it has already proven highly useful. We have gathered here this afternoon to discuss—" He turned to James and spoke in a quieter voice. "What is the order of discussion again?"

James said, "First, we are discussing the problem of Lilith. Specifically, that she has tricked Cordelia into becoming her paladin, and that for her own good and for all of ours, we need to find a way to break the connection between them."

"To be honest," Ariadne said, "I'd never even heard of a paladin until Anna told me what happened. Apparently, it's a terribly ancient term?"

Christopher banged his gavel again. When they looked over at him, he reached under the table and brought out a huge old tome, its covers elaborately carved wood. He dropped it onto the table with a crash.

Matthew said, "So you brought a gavel and the book?"

"I believe in thorough preparation," Christopher said. "I had heard the term 'paladin' before, at the Academy, but only in passing. So I looked it up."

"Chris, pray tell, where did you even obtain these." Christopher only shrugged. "You were very distracted."

They all waited expectantly. "And then what happened?" Alastair demanded finally. "Or is that the entire story?"

"Oh, yes, sorry," said Christopher. "A paladin is simply a name for a warrior sworn to the service of a powerful supernatural being. There are stories of Shadowhunter paladins—pledged to Raziel or sometimes to other angels—that go back to the time of the very first Shadowhunters. But there hasn't been one for hundreds of years. In fact, the most recent reference I found, already five hundred years old, refers to paladins as 'of an earlier time' and 'no more to be found among us.' "

Lucie frowned. "Were there paladins sworn to demons?"

"Not among Shadowhunters," Christopher said, "at least not in the records we have."

"It must have happened," Alastair offered. "But they were probably too embarrassed to record it." Cordelia gave him a cold look. "What?" he demanded. "You know I'm right."

Christopher cleared his throat and said, "There are records of a few mundanes who have become the paladins of Greater Demons. Usually they are described as fearsome warriors who killed for pleasure and knew nothing of mercy."

"And they remained paladins until they died?" James said.

"Yes," said Christopher slowly, "but these weren't the kind of people who died in their beds. Almost all of them died violently in some battle or other. The problem, you see, is that all of them very much wanted to be a demon's paladin."

"Were any of them sworn to Lilith specifically?" Cordelia said.

"I don't think so," Christopher said. "I believe you said Lilith sought you out as a paladin because she has lost her realm—Edom. It is a terrible place, reportedly, a scorched desert with a burning sun."

"So why does she want it back so badly? What's important about it?" asked Ariadne.

"Demons are very attached to their realms," said Dahlia. "They function as a source of power, with the realm being almost an extension of the demon itself."

James frowned. "If only we could figure out a way to drive Belial from Edom, perhaps Lilith would release Cordelia."

"I doubt it would be easy to do that," said Christopher glumly. "Although I like the epic nature of your thinking, James. Edom is a world that was not unlike ours once. It even had Shadowhunters and a capital city, Idumea, much like our own Alicante. But the Nephilim there was destroyed by demons. Some of the old texts speak of the Princes of Hell referring to Edom as a site of great victory, where Raziel's hopes were dashed. I imagine as realms go, it's a sort of trophy, and—I see your minds are wandering, so I'll just say I intend to do more research on the subject. And I intend to make all of you help me," he added, brandishing the gavel at them.

Cordelia said, "I understand why you all think ending Lilith's hold on me should be our focus. If I could wield Cortana again, it remains our best defence against Belial."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lucie said loudly. "It is our focus because you are in danger, and we care about you."

Cordelia flushed. It took everything in Dahlia to keep her mouth shut.

James said, "If I may... Lucie is right, but Cordelia is also right. It has become clear that Belial will never leave us alone. Perhaps if my family were dead—"

"James," Lucie murmured, her face pale. "Don't even think it."

"—but even then, Tatiana would remain at large, causing trouble. With Cortana, it might be possible to end Belial's life."

"That is something I do not understand," said Anna. "Princes of Hell are meant to be eternal, is that not true? Yet we have been told many times that Cortana can kill Belial. Can he be killed, or not?"

"Much of the language regarding Belial, Lilith, and the Princes of Hell is poetic. Symbolic," said Jesse, and the rich, soft timbre of his voice soothed something Dahlia. He sounded very confident for someone who'd spent so many years half-alive and hiding. He smiled at the surprised looks he was being given. "I read a great deal, when I was a ghost. Especially when I realized my mother was being drawn in deep with powerful demons. There was a time," he went on, "when research into the Princes of Hell and their powers was quite popular. Unfortunately, the monks and magicians and others doing the research had a nasty habit of turning up dead, nailed to tree trunks."

Everyone winced.

"As a result, the books containing such information are few, and old. And they do not solve the paradox. They are full of such riddles. Lucifer lives, but does not live. Belial cannot be killed, but Cortana can end Belial with three mortal blows." He shrugged. "Belial certainly seems afraid of Cortana. I think we must trust that means something."

"Perhaps a third blow from the sword will put him into a deep and permanent sleep?" suggested Thomas.

"From which he will be awakened by a kiss from Leviathan's sticky tentacles?" suggested Matthew, and there was a chorus of groans.

"Well, if the Princes of Hell is an idea, like Jesse said, symbolic. Then "killing" Belial would be killing this version of Belial. The Prince of Deception can not be removed from existence, because that is permanent, no matter what we can not alter that. But there can be another version of him? Hopefully a more...bearable creature." Dahlia said.

It seemed Dahlia's suggestion was one worth debating since the whole room quieted down.

"It is a possibility," It was Christopher that broke the silence. "Though it seems awfully tedious, it is a very real possibility. I suppose we shall see when we actually kill Belial."

"What about your dreams, James?" said Anna. "You've always had some power to see what Belial's up to, in the past."

James was shaking his head. "There's been nothing," he said. "In fact, there's been so much nothing that it's begun to worry me. No dreams, no visions, no voice. No hint of Belial in my mind at all since—well, since I was in Cornwall." He frowned. "I dreamed I saw a long blank road, with demons rushing by above, and I heard Belial's voice. Nothing since then. It's as if I used to be able to see through a doorway and now—the door is closed."

"You heard his voice?" said Anna. "What did he say?"

" 'They wake,' " said James.

Cordelia and Matthew made quick eye contact.

"But what does it mean?" Anna mused aloud. She turned to Jesse. "Did Belial ever say anything like that to you? 'They wake'?"

Jesse spread his hands wide. "I don't think my possession was like the possession of a living person. During the time Belial was inhabiting my body, I had no awareness of his presence, or any memory of my body having been away from Chiswick. Whenever you might have encountered him while he was in me... I was fully unconscious of any of it. And I've had no awareness or image of him or anything since."

"Maybe this is good news?" Thomas offered. "Maybe he's been set back on his heels for the moment, and we have some time?"

"Maybe," James said doubtfully. "But I'm not saying things have been normal. I'm not dreaming about Belial, but I'm not dreaming of anything else at all. In recent nights, no dreams at all, just a blank white void where dreams should be."

"There's also the matter of Tatiana," Lucie said. "Belial appeared before the Inquisitor to warn him off finding her."

Christopher said, "James, do you think Belial is hiding from you on purpose?"

James shrugged. "It could be."

Matthew gave a hollow laugh. "Very frustrating, what? All you want is for Belial to leave you alone and now he is, just when we want to see what he's up to."

"All of that considered," Anna said, "we may have to pursue the questions of Lilith and Belial on parallel tracks. Let's get back to Cordelia. Our best weapon against Belial, should he show up, is Cortana, and who wields Cortana? You do, darling. We need you."

Cordelia glanced over at Alastair, worried, but Alastair was nodding. "It's true," he said. "Cortana chose Cordelia a long time ago. I didn't become its wielder when Cordelia handed it to me. I used it, as one might use any sword, but it did not kindle in my hand as it does in my sister's."

"So," Christopher said, "to sum up: Cortana is hidden. Cordelia remains bound to Lilith, though only us ten know that."

"And Belial," James said quietly. "He told Bridgestock we should keep our paladin away from him, though, of course, the Inquisitor didn't know what he meant." His eyes fixed briefly on Ariadne then looked away.

Dahlia, however, caught his look. "Ariadne is no longer on speaking terms with our father," she said primly. "She is part of our group now." She looked around as if to challenge anyone to deny this, but no one did.

"If Bridgestock pursues the question of what Belial meant," said Cordelia, "it'll only be a matter of time before it comes out."

"Belial may know that you are a paladin of Lilith, but he cannot know you will not raise a weapon in her name," said James. "If Belial is telling Bridgestock to keep you away from him, he likely fears Cortana more than ever."

"Do you think Tatiana knows?" Thomas said. "About Cordelia being a paladin?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't told her," said James. "She is not his confidante, his partner. Belial doesn't have those. He has dupes and minions—" He hesitated.

"Oh dear," said Christopher. "I'm sorry, Jesse. Perhaps this is awkward for you."

Jesse waved this off. "Not at all."

"You could wait in the stairwell," Christopher suggested magnanimously, "while we talk about how to defeat your mother and crush her plans. If you like."

Thankfully, Jesse smiled at this. "I know it would be helpful if I had any idea where my mother was. She kept most of this from me while I was with her—both when I was fully alive, and after—though I did what I could to piece things together. I'm going to speak to Grace in the Silent City tomorrow, but I doubt she'll have any better guess than I do where she— our mother—is."

"Jesse," Lucie said, nudging his shoulder with hers. "Tell them your idea."

Jesse said, "I was going to suggest that while it remains empty, we should perform a thorough search of Chiswick House. I may not know where my mother is right now, but I do know many of her hiding places in the house."

Matthew said wearily, "The Enclave has been over Chiswick House at this point. Many times. If they haven't found anything—"

"Maybe it's because there's nothing to find," Jesse said. "But maybe it's because my mother hides things well. I saw her do it; she was often unaware of when I was watching."

"All right," said James, "then we'll go tomorrow. There are enough of us to make a significant search party." He hesitated. "After you see Grace, of course."

Ariadne said, "We could go right now. I'm eager to do something. Aren't all of you?"

"I can't," said James. "Nor Lucie, nor—more crucially—Jesse. We were only able to convince my parents to let us come here because it's still daytime. If we aren't back for dinner, they'll send their own search party after us."

"And while Chiswick won't be the first place they look," Lucie put in, "it'll probably be the third or fourth. Searching Chiswick is a good idea," she added. "But there must be something we can do to try to help Cordelia, too. I don't expect to find anything about Lilith, or paladins, among Tatiana's things."

Cordelia took a deep breath. "She is still very much watching me. She sent demons to attack us, in Paris. So that I would fight back and summon her."

"What?" said Alastair and James at the same time. They glared at each other for a moment, before Alastair demanded, "For what purpose? What did she want?"

"She assumed I'd still have Cortana," she said. "Once she realized I didn't, it was mostly taunting and threats."

"Do we know of anything that can hurt Lilith?" Thomas said. "Cortana could, of course, but... it's not an option."

Lucie brightened. "Why, James's revolver, of course. That's how we sent her away last time."

"It only seemed to damage her temporarily," Cordelia pointed out. "She left, but she didn't appear wounded at all when I saw her in Paris."

Dahlia said, "The revolver was blessed with the names of three angels—Sanvi, Sansanvi, and Semangelaf. They are enemies of Lilith. I mean, I suppose all angels are enemies of Lilith. But they are particularly her enemies. Perhaps we could make use of the power of those angels in some other fashion to dispatch her?"

Beside her, Alastair spoke, "Or what if we tried to find, or summon, the real Wayland the Smith? He must be one of the most powerful beings alive if he's still alive. Surely he'd be vexed to learn that a demon had impersonated him?"

"A good thought," said James, and Alastair looked a little surprised to have James's approval. Thomas smiled at him, but he was looking down at his feet and didn't appear to notice.

"And we must keep in mind," said Jesse, "that Belial and my—that Belial and Tatiana are using each other. She is using him so that she might find a way to have revenge against those she hates: Herondales, Lightwoods, Carstairs, Fairchilds. Even the Silent Brothers. What he is using her for, we do not yet know. But I expect it will be an important part of his plan."

There was a short silence. Then, "I think," Christopher cried, "that this will call for some significant research!"

This seemed to punctuate the meeting in some way, and immediately the larger conversation broke down into chatter. Christopher began trying to recruit fellow researchers, whereas Lucie began organizing who would go to Chiswick House and when they would meet. Only Matthew sat where he was, his eyes closed, looking green around the gills.

Dahlia wanted to go over to him and take his hand, but she realized it would not help in any manner but as a distraction. That was not a cure.

Ariadne made her way to Dahlia, "Anna is inviting Matthew over for tea, would you care to join?"

Dahlia shook her head, her eyes on Matthew. He had opened his eyes now and they were staring right at her. "I should want to go visit Evan, he is going to be leaving London soon, he wished to travel Europe for a while."

"Then I shall accompany you." Ariadne said.

"You don't have to feel obliged to follow me everywhere, didi, I am not ill." Dahlia muttered. She did not want to speak of the pregnancy loudly, for fear of Matthew hearing. He had a right to know, since after all he was the father, but at the state that Matthew was in currently, Dahlia did not know if the news would help him.

"If Evan is to depart soon, then I should like to bid him a farewell. It is only polite, after all the things he has done for you."

Dahlia smiled, "Alright,"

♛