Clary’s POV
Are you ready, Clary?” Roxy asked, looking clean and fresh after being healed with an iratze and cleaning herself up in the bathroom. I wasn’t. My heart was beating a mile a minute in my chest and my hands were sweating. I wasn’t much of a fighter compared to the other Shadowhunters. Roxy had taken some time trying to train me but... Well, let’s just say I’m not the most naturally gifted. The only reason I agreed to do this stupid thing was so the others didn’t think I was a wimp. Roxy smirked. “Clary?” She asked again, louder this time. I gulped but nodded shakily. Sebastian glanced at me out from under his lashes, spinning his Seraph blade between his fingers with an ease that came only with many years of hard training. “Ready Sebastian?” she asked nonchalantly. Sebastian smirked and nodded. Roxy casually flicked her long curls over her shoulder as she said, with a flourish, “Good. Three. Two. One... Fight!” The coppery taste of fear filled my mouth. Unlike Jace, who had immediately rushed at Roxy, Sebastian began to slowly circle around me. My grip instinctively tightened on my Seraph blade to avoid allowing it to slip from my hand. Sebastian didn’t seem fazed. He casually flicked his silvery blonde hair from eyes, still spinning his blade in his hand. My legs ached to dart but I knew that that’s what he was waiting for. He was like a big cat circling its prey. If the prey ran... Well, then there was no hope. With alarming speed, Sebastian swiped his blade at me. I cried out and jumped backwards. But not quickly enough. With a sharp pain, a thin red cut appeared on my abdomen through my shirt. I bit down on my lip so hard that I tasted my own metallic blood rush into my mouth. I stumbled backwards. Sebastian’s blade was stained red with my own blood. Sebastian’s dark eyes sparkled scarily. He sneered at me. He was playing with me. A bead of sweat trickled down my back as I tried to calm my heavy breathing. Sebastian striked again but this time I managed to throw up my own Seraph blade and block him. He was unbelievably strong for a boy so slender. He pushed back on his blade with so much force that our blades immediately broke apart. With a click, my shoulder dislocated from the force of it. I cried out. Instinctively I raised my own blade above my head... and brought it down. Sebastian hooked his blade underneath mine and jerked upwards with alarming ease. My blade flew from my hands. The blood was pumping deafeningly in my ears. I was weapon-less. Sebastian had gone back to circling me. I take a calming breath and try to think. I tried to edge surreptitiously towards my blade but Sebastian guessed my plan and blocked me. I dodge around him. He pushed his blade in front of me, but backwards. The sharp point facing the other way. He yanked the blade with all his strength, propelling me backwards. My back slammed into the wall with a deafening slam. A sharp pain ran up my spine and into my head. I coughed. Blood dripped from my mouth. “Come on Clary!” I heard Jace call in support. I spat the blood from my mouth and resolutely staggered to my feet. Sebastian raised an amused eyebrow and started towards me again. For a second, he stood before me. Looking loftily down at me. Suddenly, faster than my eyes could follow, he swept his foot at my legs and I toppled over. My head painfully banging into the floor. I gritted my teeth against the pain. If I don’t get an iratze A.S.A.P, I thought grimly, I’m going to end up with brain damage. Sebastian straddled me, one hand at my throat. He striked with his blade. A sharp pain shot across my cheek and I knew he’d cut me. “I surrender!” I choke. He slowly removed his hand. With difficulty, it seemed, he climbed off me. He seemed to have some trouble getting his bloodlust under control. I bitterly noticed that I hadn’t even put a scratch on him. “And we have our winner.” Roxy said, grinning. I scowled. Glad that she’s amused, I thought sarcastically. My temper boiled as Sebastian sneered at me over his shoulder and dropped his Seraph blade onto the floor. Temper tingeing my vision red, I slyly picked put his blade. Nobody noticed me. Let’s see how amusing they find this, I thought angrily. I lifted my blade high into the air and swiftly brought it down. Sebastian cried out as the blade sank deeply into his side. “Never turn your back on your opponent, Sebastian.” I snapped. “Didn’t anybody tell you that?” Jace winked at me, impressed. I smiled, pumped with bloodlust as I yanked the blade back. It was tinged with Sebastian’s black blood. “Check mate.” I said, smiling grimly.
