CHAPTER SIX

SEBASTIAN

Sebastian regarded the man in front of him, eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you have the information I asked for?"

The fair-haired man standing in front of Sebastian nodded, casting a wary glance around him. The alley they were standing in was deserted, although the street beyond was bustling with vehicles and people. A stray cat cast them a curious glance, then, perhaps deciding they weren't of any interest, turned its attention back to the dead mouse between its paws.

The man pulled out a piece of paper. As he handed it to Sebastian, the sleeve of his shirt edged back to reveal familiar Shadowhunter runes. "There are many Shadowhunters named Mark," he said in his heavy accent. He spoke slowly, as if English was unfamiliar to him. "But only one who ever visited the New York Institute." He tapped the paper Sebastian was holding. "That's him."

Sebastian handed the man a roll of bills. He nodded swiftly, muttered something in Czech, and vanished into the busy street beyond. But Sebastian stood there, gazing at the paper. It showed a boy, of about the same age as Sebastian himself. He had pale hair - almost white - and blue-green eyes. His mouth was pulled back in a wide, mischievous smile.

Slowly, deliberately, Sebastian crushed the paper in between his fingers, his knuckles turning white.

CLARY

"I need to talk to you."

Clary eyed the grey-eyed Lightwood curiously. She hadn't expected anyone else to be up so early, but she had still avoided going downstairs - she had no desire to run into Sebastian. She shook her head slightly, letting the last vestiges of sleep escape her mind. "Yeah, of course." She moved aside to let Rebecca enter the room.

Rebecca sat on the bed and looked down at her hands. "I think we need to leave, Clary," she said finally.

Clary was taken aback. "Why?"

Rebecca shook her head. "I cannot live in the same house as the person who murdered my brother. It-it's eating me up."

Clary was silent. Rebecca had taken Max's death extremely hard. She had even refused to attend Max's funeral, and had stayed at the Lightwood mansion in Idris, locked in her room for three solid days, refusing to come out even to eat. She couldn't argue with what Rebecca had just said.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "But what about Jace?"

Rebecca shook her head. "I'll do whatever it takes to save Jace. He's my brother, too. But-" She broke off and bit her lip. "I don't trust myself around Sebastian. Every time I'm around him, I have to stop myself from just running him through with a blade. And what would happen to Jace then?" She smiled dryly. "Besides, after last night... I wouldn't be surprised if Sebastian wants to kill me too."

Clary went to sit down beside Rebecca. "Well, I wouldn't take it personally," she said lightly. "Sebastian wants to kill everyone."

Rebecca gave a small smile, to Clary's gratification. "It's not just that," she said. "Last night, I got pretty drunk at the bar. I shouldn't have, but-" she took a deep breath. "Anyway, I called Sebastian by somebody else's name. And he wasn't too happy."

"Somebody else's name?" Clary echoed. She racked her brain, trying to think of anybody else they knew who looked like him-

"Nobody you know," Rebecca said quickly. "The point is, Sebastian is a psychopath. Who knows what he'll do now?"

"But why would he get so angry-" Clary broke off as it dawned on her. "Oh."

"Yep."

"He likes you."

"Is he even capable of liking somebody?" Rebecca shrugged. "Maybe it's crazy, but somehow, that makes me more terrified of him."

Clary nodded. She understood completely.

"And that's why we need to leave," Rebecca said, looking desperately at Clary.

But Clary couldn't bring herself to even consider Rebecca's proposal. She couldn't leave Jace, no matter what. "I..." She trailed off, looking into Rebecca's stormy grey eyes. What could she even say to her? How could she ask her to stay, when Sebastian had murdered her brother? "You know Sebastian would never willingly let us leave," she said finally.

Rebecca nodded. "I know. Which is why we'll have to keep our eyes open for an opportunity." She clasped Clary's hand. "Promise me that we'll take it when it comes, Clary."

"I promise."

REBECCA

When Rebecca went downstairs a few minutes later, massaging her temples in an effort to alleviate the dull pounding in her head, Jace was nowhere to be found. Only Sebastian was there, standing in the living room, facing the wall, a determined set to his shoulders.

Something about the way he was standing piqued Rebecca's curiosity. Her hangover forgotten, she hesitated for a moment, then immediately crouched down, moving soundlessly over to the kitchen counter and ducking down behind it. Then, very carefully, she raised her head, just enough to see over the counter.

Sebastian had his back to her. He'd changed from his nightclub clothes into a button-down shirt and jeans. He turned, and his shirt lifted slightly – just enough for her to see the weapons belt slung around his waist. In his right hand, he clutched a stele, and, as she watched, he set its point against the wall and drew a rune she didn't recognize.

A shimmering doorway appeared on the wall; within seconds, Sebastian stepped through it and was gone. Without thinking twice, Rebecca covered the distance to the wall in two leaps and stepped through the doorway before it closed.

They weren't in Prague anymore, for sure. It was much warmer, for one thing, and all the signs Rebeca saw were in French. The streets were narrower, and the sky was a deep blue. The sun was just beginning to come up, turning the eastern sky into a myriad of pinks and yellows.

Sebastian was hurrying into a narrow alleyway. Rebecca went after him, her sneakers slipping and sliding on the smooth stone pathways that had been worn down over the years. She passed one or two people, most of them early morning workers. Once, a guy in a black leather jacket with the hood pulled down over his face eyed her as if he thought she might be worth mugging, but she gave him her best you-do-not-want-to-mess-with-me gaze and he retreated.

She followed Sebastian for what seemed like forever, though it couldn't actually have been more than half an hour. Like in Prague, he seemed perfectly sure of the way, zigzagging between alleyways and narrow streets – it was all she could do to keep him within her sight.

A street sign pointing the way to Rue de la Seine told Rebecca they were in Paris. Ironic, she thought, as Sebastian hurried down yet another alleyway. She had always wanted to take her travel year in Paris.

Sebastian suddenly stopped at one of the houses that lined the street. He raised a hand and punched a code into an electronic machine set next to the door – X235. The door opened with a series of mechanical beeps and he vanished.

One minute later, having repeated his actions, Rebecca stood in the center of a courtyard, facing three stairwells. She became uncomfortably aware that she had absolutely no weapons with her. If something attacked her, her chances were looking very slim indeed...

Knowing she couldn't stay out here hesitating forever, Rebecca chose a stairwell at random and ducked into it, feeling a lump settle in her throat. The ceiling brushed the top of her head. She couldn't stretch her arms out on either side, and she couldn't see more than three feet in front of her.

But on she went, further inwards, the knot in her stomach growing tighter with every step she took. Her only solace was the little square of light far behind her, outlining the stairs leading back up to the courtyard. The streets of Paris, the ordinary world, seemed eons away. There was only the darkness and her, going down and down and down.

She had been so focused on keeping her panic at bay that she almost failed to notice the stench in the air – the stench of demons. At around the same moment she realized it, a light flared in the distance.

After being in the darkness for so long, it took her a few seconds to make out a stone archway in front of her, at the apex of which was set a human skull between the V of two enormous ornamental crossed axes. Through the archway, she could hear voices, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying. If she wanted to hear, she would have to go closer. Hesitantly, she shuffled forward.

A door opened suddenly to her left, just ten feet or so away. She froze as the voices grew louder.

"...not like his father," one said, the words as raspy as sandpaper. "Valentine would not deal with us at all. He would make slaves of us. This one will give us the world."

"The Great Mother trusted him. He is her child."

Sebastian. Of course they were talking about Sebastian.

"He is also Nephilim. They are our great enemies."

"They are his enemies as well. He bears the blood of Lilith."

"But the one he calls his companion bears the blood of our enemies. He is of the angels."

"Lilith's child assures us he has him well in hand, and indeed he seems obedient."

A dry, insectile chuckle. "You young ones are too consumed with worry. The Nephilim have long kept this world from us. Its riches are great. We will drink it dry and leave it as ashes. As for the angel boy, he will be the last of his kind to die. We will burn him on a pyre until he is only golden bones."

They're talking about my brother. Rebecca clenched her fists and sucked in an involuntary breath.

It was a tiny sound, but it was enough.

There was absolute silence for a second.

And then the first demon appeared in the doorway.