Lady Midnight (After the Iratze)

Escape

The sunlight streaming into the cave was blinding.  Emma struggled to sit up as Julian scrambled off her, clearly distressed that they'd been interrupted while in such a compromising position.  Her lips were still stinging, swollen from his kisses. 

            Oh, crap.  We could be in serious trouble.  She couldn't tell who had opened the door, but if it was someone from the Hunt they were as good as dead.  And if it was one of the other Shadowhunters, well, they weren't much better off considering what they'd just been doing.

            She squinted at the door, trying to shield her eyes as well as possible from the glare.  A hooded silhouette came toward them and knelt down.  Well, he doesn't seem to want to kill us.  That's something. 

            The figure removed his hood and lifted his hands in the air, palms forward like a surrender.  His expression was completely different from how it had been a few hours previously.  It was tender, concerned, and a little bit frantic.  This was what she would have expected to see from her old friend.  Mark's mismatched eyes were wide, silently pleading with them to trust him. 

            "Come on!"  Mark's whispered voice was urgent.  "We need to get you both out of here!"  He glanced over his shoulder at the door, as though checking to make sure he had not been followed.

            Emma was confused.  Kneeling before them, he seemed so sincere, so non-threatening.  Yet a few hours ago, he had appeared to be completely heartless.  Which one is the act, and which is the real Mark? She glared into his eyes, scrutinizing his face as though she could read the truth in it.  This looks like him, but I can't be sure. 

            Wordlessly, Emma turned to her parabatai.  He looked at her questioningly, as though deferring to her judgment, knowing that he was biased when it came to his elder half-brother.  She loved this aspect of Julian.  He never made rash decisions, and he was not too proud to seek advice.  To some, maybe this would have made him seem weak.  But Emma knew that trusting another person was, in itself, an act of great courage.

            If Mark's lying, we're definitely going to die.  If he's telling the truth, we have only about a 70% chance of dying.  Might as well trust him.  She nodded toward Julian, and then turned to face the eldest Blackthorn boy.

"You've got some serious explaining to do, Mark Blackthorn."  Her voice was a whispered hiss.

            He let out a sigh of relief.  "I'm sorry..." His words were hesitant.  "I had to be convincing.  It took years to get the rest of the Wild Hunt to trust me.  I can lie, so they were always suspicious...  Finally I earned their trust, but if they notice I'm missing they'll come find me.  I just had to get you out of here, Emma."  His voice choked in desperation when he said her name.

            "You could've fooled me earlier," she grumbled.

            "I've spent years building my reputation here.  They'll kill me when they find out I've helped you.  I don't want to give it all away for nothing.  Come, I'll help you escape."  He motioned toward the door, but Julian tugged him back.

            "There are others.  Ty and Livvy, and another Shadowhunter girl named Cristina.  They're waiting for us behind those boulders."  He pointed in the direction of the rocky outcropping that his the other teenagers. 

            Mark nodded, a pensive look upon his face.  "Have you any way to signal them?"

            Julian pulled out his cell phone and pulled up a text conversation with Cristina.  "What do you want me to say?"