ꜰʀᴀʏᴇᴅ |ᴀ.ʟ.| ꜱʜᴀᴅᴏᴡʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴀɴꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ {ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍɪʟʟᴇ ꜰᴀɪʀᴄʜɪʟᴅ ᴛʀɪʟᴏɢʏ #1}

{𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕀𝕟}

PLEASE READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER

it has some important info about BOOK 2!

************

"You might wanna pick up the pace"

"You do not want to be on my bad side right now"

I smother my smirk at Jace and Izzy's bickering as I re-enter the training room, silently thanking Magnus for his tonic to help with the nausea - it had been working wonders as of late.

"Are you gonna be okay?" I ask, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Stealthy as she is - or maybe it was just the obnoxious clicking of the heels - she doesn't jump but smiles considerately at me before shaking my hand off.

"The whole world is turning upside down" Izzy sighs, "Simon turned into a vampire. Now Meliorn might die because of some-"

"Nothing you did caused any of that" I interrupt, forcing her to look at me, "Simon's...change, that's on me and Clary and as for Meliorn...you tried to protect him."

"The Clave just put a bunch of unrelated facts together, and came up with a big lie" Jace adds

"Which" I continue, glowering "Seems to be a popular tactic of theirs."

"I wish any of that made me feel better"

Izzy's statement echoes through the air, a closing statement. There was no way to comfort her, to tell her she is innocent in all this and I knew that.

After all, I felt as bad as she did.

"Where do you think you're going?" the voice of Hodge ripples through the room as we turn to leave and I repress the urge to glare at him, still having not forgiven him for what he made Alec think when it came to Jace.

There was something off about him, something I couldn't place...but I just knew I couldn't trust him.

"It's a very dangerous time, and no one is supposed to leave the premises without express orders. Especially..." Hodge's eyes meet mine and I can't contain my glare, "You."

"Hodge we were just about to-"

"Lie to me?" Hodge cuts Izzy off, his expression wounded

"Clary needs us, Hodge" Jace speaks up, a note of shielded disrespect ringing through his tone that I never expected from Jace, "The Clave is looking for her. She could be in serious danger."

The mention of Clary's endangerment makes me involuntarily tense up. Ever since drifting from Alec, my sleeper bond to Clary seemed to have ramped up a notch. Whether that was because things were getting more dangerous around here or the fact that I now had no reason to be away from her was unclear.

"Well, in that case..." Hodge's eyes dart around anxiously, "I'd make a timely exit before anyone of importance notices you're gone."

I pick up on the resentment hidden in the words and frown minisculey. There is something really off about him...

"We won't forget this"

***

By the time we reach the Hotel DuMort for Simon and Clary, it's hit nightfall and Luke has joined us. Raphael appears within minutes of our arrival, escorting Clary and a pale and sickly-looking Simon in his wake.

"Cami" Clary breathes, wrapping herself in my arms. I sigh into her hair, my heart beating a little lighter now that she was close by me again

Her warmth disappears from me as she reaches for Jace and I turn to Simon and, without thinking, grab him in a hug.