"Every month, the Gard holds a culling of its death row inmates." Jia's voice rang throughout the entire courtyard when I was brought to the cage a number of prisoners were locked up in, my appearance matching theirs, "Today, you all have been chosen."

My wrists were cuffed together, my hair in a tight braid, dressed in an orange jumpsuit.

"Charles Freeman." Jia called forth, "Ascend."

"You are guilty of colluding against the Clave with former Consul Malachi Dieudonne, and of killing Clave soldiers." Jia addressed when he stepped onto the higher platform, "Do you have any last words?"

"Long live the Circle." Were his words, making all the Circle members in the cage cheer in agreement.

"Turn and meet your fate." Jia told him, as he did exactly that, before he was burned alive right in front of us, "May the Angel have mercy."

-

"Trevor Hayes." Jia announces his name as he stepped onto the higher platform, "You are guilty of violent assault on 13 mundanes."

"Zee?" I heard a voice, "Is that you?"

I looked back towards the sound, seeing Iris Rouse walking towards me, making me roll my eyes.

"Relax- the cuffs suppress warlock abilities." She softly chuckled when she came 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." She continued when I didn't reply, "You don't deserve this."

I barely shrug, grimacing as I watched another person be burned alive, "I wish they had a better method- this is barbaric."

"Even the barbarians weren't this cruel." Iris lightly scoffs, "After everything I've done, this is how it ends burned at the stake for not doing magic."

I look at her, "What?"

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

"The Clave hires warlocks all the time." I mentioned, "Why ask you?"

"Because necromancy is my specialty." Iris' words made my heart drop, "But even I know no good would come from resurrecting Valentine Morgenstern."

"Jia asked you to resurrect Valentine?" I asked, "Why?"

Iris barely shrugs at me, "She wanted to question him about a demon."

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

"But- I said I don't care if Lilith is the devil incarnate- anyone is better than that Circle bastard." Iris shook her head, "He took my Madzie away from me- let him rot."

-

"Zee Young." Jia called my name as I brought out of the cage, "Ascend."

"You are guilty of using the Angel Raziel's one wish for personal gain and of knowingly deceiving the Clave on the matter." Jia says when I stepped onto the higher platform, "Do you have any last words?"

I was silent for a moment.

"I know what Iris Rouse refused to do for you." I said, inhaling sharp, "I can do it."

She looks at me, "What are you saying?"

"I've created runes that can open portals, take down wards, and deactivate Mortal Instruments." I tell her, "I can bring Valentine back to life."

-

"We inspected Valentine's body and grave." Jia tells me when we walked into the room where Valentine's body laid, "There's nothing Lilith could want other than the man himself."

"But, he despises demons more than anyone." I looked at her, "What's the connection?"

"We're about to find out." She takes off the sheet, revealing his dead body, before handing me a stele, "How exactly does this rune power work?"

"Sometimes- it comes to me when I'm in danger." I stared at his body, "And sometimes, I have to reach for it."

Then, I pulled Valentine's jacket to the side, using my stele to start to draw a rune onto his skin, until there was resistance, making me start to grunt.

"Stop!" Jia suddenly says when the lights started to flicker, "This is not the will of the Angels-"

I ignored her, forcing the rune onto his skin despite the resistance, before taking a few steps back, breathing heavy.

Valentine's scream filled the room, as he jerked up, stopped by the cuffs on his wrists that held him attached to the service, "What's happening? Where am I?-"

Jia replied, breathing in, "You're in the Gard-"

"How is that possible?-" Valentine coughs up soil, before looking towards me, his eyes widening, "Zee?-"

"Your return is only temporary." Jia said to him, "You'll be back in hell soon enough."

"I wasn't in hell- I was in the dark." Valentine was breathing heavy, "There was nothing but shadows- I was a shadow, and I knew it was all over."

"It's time for the questioning." Jia looked toward the guards, "Please escort Ms. Young back to the courtyard, her work is done."

"Zee is the only one I will speak to- I will not tell you a thing, do you understand?-" Valentine said to her when he was brought up, "But, my daughter-"

"Zee will question you first." Jia agreed, nodding toward the camera, "But, the Clave will be watching."

-

"So- you created a necromancy rune, just like that?" Valentine stared at me in shock, "I underestimated you, Zee, you are my greatest creation- not Jonathan, not Jace- you are."

"I don't want to hear it." I snapped at him, cutting right to the chase, "How do you know Lilith?"

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

I scoff lightly, "Well, maybe- because she's in this realm, planning something big, and it involves digging up your grave."

"I know nothing about that." Valentine replied.

I grabbed the bars, "Liar."

"I do have a decent alibi." Valentine shrugs lightly.

I began, "You tell me, or I swear I-"

"Or what? Jia's men will kill me?" Valentine cuts 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 shot back at him, "You still believe in stopping demons, don't you? Prove it."

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

I question, "Why?"

"She is the mother of all demons, and that makes her blood a very potent ingredient." Valentine's words made me grimace, "So I requested a vial."

I scoff, "For Jonathan."

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

I exhale, "And why would Lilith agree to help you?"

"Because in exchange, I gave her the one thing she always wanted." Valentine replied, "The one thing she could never have-"

I realized too quick, "A child."

-

"Lilith is in this realm because of Jonathan?" I had my arms crossed, pacing back and forth in front of him.

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

I stop, "Jonathan is dead."

Valentine inhales, "He is?"

"Jace killed him." I nodded slow, "What more could she want? She can't have Jonathan- he's probably in the middle of the ocean somewhere-"

"Do you really think death would stop a Queen of Hell?" asked Valentine, "It didn't stop you."

My heart stops, "She's going to resurrect Jonathan."

Jia cut in, walking into the room with a few guards, "This interrogation is over."

"Already?" Valentine looks 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." Jia pieced it all together, "Why else disturb your grave?"

"Kill him." She ordered to her guards, "And this time, incinerate the body."

Before they could do anything, Valentine broke free of the clamps and grabbed Jia by the neck, "I will not go back to dust and shadows."

Jia shouts at her guards, "Kill him!"

"Back off!" Valentine shouted he pulled her out of the room, us following quickly after him.

"Step aside!" Valentine screamed at the guards, "Step aside or I'll break your Consul's neck!"

Jia screams again, "Kill him!-"

Valentine dodged every movement any guard tried to pull, before backing away, "Let's try this again- I said step aside!"

Valentine then breathed, looking down at Jia, "You are my ticket out of here."

"It'll never work." Jia breathed heavily as I slowly grabbed a seraph dagger from one of the guard's that was down, hiding it behind my back, "You'd need an army to escape!"

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

I interject, "Let Jia go!"

Valentine looks at me, "Come with me."

"Why would I do that?" I almost scoff.

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

I inhale sharp, "Yes."

"What about your friends in New York?" Valentine taunts me, "They need your help!"

"You can't give up." Valentine presses on, "You're a survivor, just like me-"

"I am nothing like you." I threw myself towards him, forcing Jia out of his grasp, before an arrow flew by my head, landing on Valentine's throat, making us all pause.

But, he didn't die.

"Well it appears I can't be killed." Valentine smirked at me when he pulled out the arrow from his neck, "That's some rune, Zee."

He then overpowered all of the guards and then grabbed me by my neck, disarming me, tossing me hard against the wall, everything going back immediately.

-

"Open!" I heard Valentine's shout as I walked around the dead bodies on the floor, my eyes falling onto him trying to pry open the doors after the rune he used didn't work.

I call out from behind him, "That'll never work."

"Just stay back, Zee." Valentine was shouting at me, "You are not going to stop me!"

"Yeah, I'm not." I stopped, watching him scream at the door, "Because I'm coming with you."

Valentine looks back at me, "Oh, I'm afraid that offer has expired-"

"I was protecting the Consul." I said to him, taking a step, "But now- I have to protect my friends- they need to know about Jonathan's resurrection before it's too late."

I inhale sharp, "If that means escaping with you, then so be it-"

"All right-" Valentine gestured, "Open the door."

I took the stele from him, drawing a rune onto the doors without another word, watching as the doors burst open, revealing us to the outside world.

Valentine's eyes were wide at the sunlight, looking at me with pure amazement, before I used my stele, removing the rune from his skin, a gasp leaving his lips, "No-"

"Don't worry-" I pushed him to the ground when he tried to grab for me, "This time, you won't be coming back."

"But- you will never be rid of me." Valentine taunted me as he fell to his knees, laughing at me, "You- are a Morgenstern."

"Yeah." I watched him take his last breath, exhaling slow, "But, I'm a Young at heart-"

"Freeze!" I heard someone say, my head snapping towards the sound, my gaze falling upon a guard; his crossbow aimed right at me.

I sighed quietly, dropping the stele and getting onto my knees, putting my wrists together, "Please, you have to destroy Valentine's body."

He drops the crossbow, walking towards me and cuffing my wrists together, before heading towards Valentine and immediately ripping out his rib from his body, my eyes widening, "What are you doing?-"

The guard slowly got up, looking at me, before taking off his mask, revealing Jace, "My Queen needs Valentine's flesh- and your heart."

"No-" I began to say when started to come towards me, grabbing my arm, "No!-"

"Get up!" He forcefully pulled me up, before dragging me along with him and outside of the Gard.

authors note:

the next chapter skskskskf we all know what's coming-

i miss zace, we are so deprived right now

but, thank you for 31k !!

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