"Every month, the Gard holds a culling of its death row inmates." I was brought into the cage in the courtyard of the Gard, Jia stood before everyone, "Today, you all have been chosen."

I had spent the night in a cell, before being scrubbed down by two women, my hair tied in a tight braid, and having discarded my clothes, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, my hands cuffed together.

"Charles Freeman." Jia identified when he was brought out of the cage, "Ascend."

"You are guilty of colluding against the Clave with former Consul Malachi Dieudonne, and of killing Clave soldiers." Jia announces to everyone, "Do you have any last words?"

"Long live the Circle." Were his last words, before he was burned alive right in front of us, his screams loud and bloodcurdling, before they scorched body into the ditch right under, making my heart beat rush in fear.

-

"Trevor Hayes." Jia called forth another prisoner, "You are guilty of violent assault on 13 mundanes."

"Zee?" I hear a whisper from behind me, making me turn my head, "Is that you?

The voice came from Iris Rouse, making me roll my eyes and turn my head back to look at the execution that was just about to happen, "Iris."

"Relax- the cuffs suppress warlock abilities." Iris comes to my side, "I couldn't hurt you if I wanted to, not that I would-"

"I heard what you did, stopping Valentine's wish." Iris looked down at me, "You don't deserve this."

"Like hell." I shot her a look, exhaling slow, shaking my head, "You have no idea what I've done."

"I know that you saved my entire world." Iris shot back at me, "That is all that matters."

I stayed silent, shaking my head again.

She then exhales slow, "After everything I've done, this is how it ends- burned at the stake for not doing magic."

I look at her, "What are you talking about?"

"The Consul moved up my execution because I refused to perform a spell for her." Iris tells me.

"The Clave hires warlocks all the time." I eye her up, "Why ask you?"

"Because necromancy is my specialty." Iris replies, "But- even I know no good would come from resurrecting Valentine Morgenstern."

"Jia asked you to resurrect my father?" My attention was glued to her, "Why the hell would she want that?"

Iris answered my question, "She wanted to question him about a demon."

"Lilith." I huff, "She tried to dig him up."

"But- I said I don't care if Lilith is the devil incarnate." Iris says, "Anyone is better than that Circle bastard."

"He took my Madzie away from me." The words seethed through her teeth, "Let him rot."

-

"Zee Morgenstern." Jia addressed my name when I was brought out of the cage, two guards leading me down the path, "Ascend."

My heart was racing as I stepped onto the higher platform, staring at her, the thought of being burned alive cemented in my mind.

"You are guilty of using the Angel Raziel's one wish for personal gain and of knowingly deceiving the Clave on the matter." Jia looked up from the scroll she held, "Do you have any last words?"

Like hell was I going down this easy.

The words that came out of my mouth were clear for my intention; to survive, "I know what Iris Rouse refused to do for you- I can do it."

Jia stares at me, "What are you saying?"

"My pure angel blood allows me to create runes that can open portals, take down wards and grant me the ability to shoot raw sunlight out of my bare palm- all without the need of a stele." I tilted my head to the side slightly, "When I'm in danger, I have a blast of energy right at my finger tips- at my beck and cell to defend myself."

"I'm probably the most powerful Shadowhunter of my generation, so- if anything, this would be light work for me-" I smirked just lightly at her, inhaling sharp, "I can bring my father back to life."

-

"We inspected Valentine's body and grave." Jia lead me into the room where they had brought out Valentine's dead body, "There's nothing Lilith could want other than the man himself."

"My father despised demons more than anyone." I took my hair out of the tight braid it had been in, messing with my hair as it was now all curly and filled, "What's the connection?"

"We're about to find out." She pulled the sheet off his body, revealing his dug up body, my body tensing at the sight of him, "How exactly does this rune power work?"

"Well, sometimes it comes to me when I'm in danger." I stared at Valentine's body, my eyes starting to glow, "And sometimes, I have to reach for it-"

The small rune formed in front of me, making Jia step back in slight surprise, my hand pushing the rune towards a blank spoke on Valentine's chest, holding onto his jacket.

The lights started to flicker, things around us starting to shake, making Jia raise her voice, "Stop! This is not the will of the Angels-"

I didn't stop, forcing the rune onto his skin even when there was hard resistance, grunting, taking a few steps back, my breathing heavy.

Then, Valentine jolted up with a scream, coughing up dirt, trying to pull his hands from the rest insta, "What's happening? Where am I?-"

"You're in the Gard." Jia tells him, her eyes slightly wide that I had just done that.

"How is that possible?-" Valentine's voice was raspy, his head snapping towards me, and from my glowing eyes, he could already tell I had done it, "Zee?-"

My eyes faded into their normal color, swallowing hard, my eyes glued to his, trying to mask how afraid I actually was.

I needed him.

I needed him to buy me some time.

"Your return is only temporary." Jia speaks before anyone else could, "You'll be back in hell soon enough."

"I wasn't in hell- I was in the dark- there was nothing but shadows- god, I was a shadow." Valentine breathed heavily, "And I knew it was all over."

"It's time for the questioning." Jia looks at the ground, slight panic striking in my eyes, "Please escort Ms. Morgenstern back to the courtyard- her work is done."

"Zee is the only one I will speak to." My head snapped toward Valentine when he said those words.

He knew I needed him.

"I will not tell you a thing- do you understand?" Valentine was brought up, his gaze falling onto me, "But, my daughter-"

Relief stretched across my features, my eyes glued to his, the corner of my mouth turning up just the slightest bit.

I was relieved because in a way, he protected me.

"Zee will question you first." Jia gave in, looking between us, "But, the Clave will be watching."

-

"I didn't think I'd live to see the day there was raw fear in your eyes." Valentine watched me crack my knuckles and walk to stand in front of him.

"Well, you didn't." I put my hands on my sides, a sigh leaving my lips, "I brought you back."

"So- you created a necromancy rune, just like that?" Valentine stares at me in amazement, "I underestimated your abilities- I knew you were the most powerful out of the four- that you were my greatest creation, but- never to this extent."

"I'm not your creation, I'm your daughter, you sadistic son of a bitch-" I scoff at him, shaking my head lightly, "You're sick, you know that?"

Before Valentine could reply, I speak again, "Enough- how do you know Lilith?"

Valentine gapes, "What makes you think I do?"

"Because I know you. I know that you must've crossed paths before-" I cross my arms, "She's in this realm, planning something big, and it involves digging up your grave-"

Valentine tells me, "I know nothing about that-"

"Liar." I gripped the bars.

Valentine almost laughs, "I do have a decent alibi."

"You tell me, or I swear I-" I began to say.

"Or what? Jia's men will kill me?" Valentine cut me off, "That's inevitable- why use my few extra minutes of life to help the Clave, huh?"

"This isn't about helping the Clave- this is about doing what's right!" I snipped at him, "You still believe in stopping demons, don't you? Prove it."

"I don't know why Lilith wanted to exhume me." Valentine sighs lightly, "But- I admit I did summon her once, many years ago."

"Why?" I pressed.

"She is the mother of all demons, and that makes her blood a very potent ingredient." Valentine tells me, "So- I requested a vial."

I exhale slow, "For Jonathan."

"I knew if he received her blood in the womb, Jonathan would be the ultimate weapon." Valentine explained, "A warrior under my command, with the strength of both angels and demons."

"Sure." I stared at him, "But, why the hell would Lilith agree to help you?"

"Because in exchange, I gave her the one thing she always wanted." Valentine's words made it all click in my mind, "The one thing she could never have."

I was at a loss of words, "A child."

-

"Lilith is in this realm because of Jonathan?" I stared at my father, blinking a few times in slight disbelief, taking a step back, my arms crossed.

"The timing can't be a coincidence." Valentine explained, "She wants to reunite with her son."

"Reunite with her son?" I repeated his words, shooting him a look, "Dad, Jonathan's dead."

Valentine looked slightly caught off guard, "He is?"

"I killed him." I tilted my head to the side lightly.

Valentine stared at me in complete amazement, "Unmerciful to the bone."

"Shut up." I snip, "What more could she want?"

"Do you really think death would stop a Queen of Hell?" Valentine made a valid point, "It didn't stop you, did it?"

"Oh my god-" My eyes went slightly wide when I realized, "She's going to resurrect Jonathan-"

Jia bursted through the doors seconds later, cutting the conversation short, "This interrogation is over."

"Already?" Valentine looked at her, "But- I still have so much more to say."

"If your guess is correct, and Lilith truly is raising Jonathan, she may very well need a part of your remains- why else disturb your grave?" Jia orders her guards, "Kill him- and this time, incinerate the body."

Suddenly, he broke free of the restraints, grabbing Jia by the neck, "I will not go back to dust and shadows-"

"Kill him!-" Jia tried to say.

"Back off!" shouted Valentine, backing out of the room as we all followed him, "Step aside! Step aside or I'll break your Consul's neck!"

Jia shouts, "Kill him!-"

Valentine then tossed a guard that tried to take him to the side with ease, knocking him completely out cold, "Let's try this again- I said step aside!"

Valentine held onto Jia tighter, as I slowly grabbed a dagger from the ground from the guard that had fallen, "You are my ticket out of here."

"It'll never work." Jia held onto his arm, "You'd need an army to escape!-"

"An army?" Valentine laughed at her, shaking his head, "All I need is Zee."

"Let her go!" I cut in finally, the dagger hidden behind my back, "Or I swear to you, you'll be sorry-"

Valentine offers, "Come with me."

"Why the hell makes you think I would do that?" I almost laughed at him, my eyes wide with amusement.

"Because I know what that colour means." Valentine confronts me, "You'd rather burn to death than escape with your father?-"

I don't reply.

"What about your friends in New York? They need your help!" Valentine persuaded, "You can't give up- you're a survivor, just like me."

He was right.

But, regardless, I threw the blade, as it landed in his arm, making him throw Jia to the side, an arrow flying towards him and landing right in his neck.

But, despite the wounds, he didn't react.

"Well- it appears I can't be killed." Valentine said when he slowly pulled out the weapons that had just been impaled into him, "That's some rune, Zee."

Then, he launched himself at me, knocking me to the ground hard, before taking out the rest of the guards.

-

"Loyal Circle members," I heard Valentine address when I neared the courtyard slowly, my eyes catching all the prisoners out of the cage and standing before him, "You are here because you were ready to die for me- but, I have come back!"

I slowly picked up a bow and quiver filled with arrows from a guard that laid dead on the ground, slowly swinging the quiver around myself, hearing him shout and the members cheer, "We'll fight our way out of here!-"

"By this sign, we conquer!" Valentine had drew on his Circle rune, as I slowly pulled out an arrow from the quiver, "Nothing can stop us!"

Everyone was cheering for him until I shot the arrow, the sharp object going through three heads, the bodies dropping dead right before him.

Valentine's head snapped toward me, along with all of the other members, a small smirk forming on my lips, "Hi-"

Then, they were charging toward me, as I ran towards them, shooting arrows and dodging their attempts to hurt me, Valentine completely slipping my eye.

I flung myself between people, fighting them off, making sure I didn't leave not one living, their blood splatting all over me.

It was a thrill I hadn't felt in a while.

When I finally got through them, I noticed Valentine was no longer here, making me rush off immediately, looking around for him, praying he didn't make his escape.

It was until I heard his distant shout that made me slow down, my breathing heavy, "Open!"

I neared him, spotting him trying to pry open the doors, as I slowly took off the quiver, dropping the arrows, "Try open sesame."

"Zee?-" Valentine spun at my voice, his eyes slightly wide, "You got through that? There were at least twenty soldiers-"

"Did you underestimate my abilities?" I wiped some blood from my cheek, taking a few steps toward him.

"I don't care- you stay back, Zee!" Valentine faced the doors again, "You are not going to stop me!-"

"No, I won't." I took a step, "I'm coming with you."

Valentine almost laughs, shaking his head, "Oh, I'm afraid that offer has expired."

"I was protecting the Consul." I was sugar coating him, "But, you're right. I'm a survivor- and if this is my ticket out of here- I'm going to take it."

"All right." He took a step back, "Open the door."

I walked past him, my eyes glowing gold as a rune formed before me, one that I pushed onto the doors, the doors flying open, exposing us to the sunlight.

Valentine's eyes were wide with amazement and relief, looking at me, before I grabbed his jacket, using my hand to retract the rune, his eyes widening, "No-"

"Yes." I kicked him onto the ground, my eyes fading back to normal, "And this time? You're gonna be gone for good-"

"But, you will never be rid of me." Valentine was on the ground, grasping the few seconds he had left; pointing at me with a smile, "You- are a Morgenstern."

"Yeah- I am." My fist came in contact with his jaw, "It's about time that name got a new meaning-"

Then, I heard a shout, my head snapping towards a guard with his crossbow aimed at me, "Freeze!"

I looked between him, and the door that led to my freedom, before huffing and putting my wrists together, getting on my knees, "Look- please, you have to destroy his body-"

He slowly comes over to me, setting down his crossbow, grabbing cuffs and handcuffing my wrists together, before he heads over to Valentine, punching his fist through his skin, ripping out one of his ribs.

My eyes widen, "What the hell are you doing?-"

The guard stood up, taking off his mask, revealing Jace, "My Queen needs Valentine's flesh- and your heart."

My heart dropped, "Jace-"

"Get up!" Jace came over to me, grabbing my arm tightly and jerking me up to my feet, starting to drag me outside despite my shouts and protests.

authors note:

zee and valentine moments- just wow

even tho valentine's hurt her so many times, he still protects her sksksksks

zee being a badass and taking out a whole group of circle members? we stan her for unleashing her inner alec lightwood

omg also, i was listening to positions, and pov reminds me so much of zalec in this book, my heart aches

but, thank you for 51k !!

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