The Next Herondales - Sequel to The Infernal Devices

Chapter Six: Remember

It had begun to snow again.

Will had not realised how cold it would be until he stepped outside. The frigid wind blew across his face. He silently cursed himself for forgetting to bring a coat, but this hardly mattered now. Time was running out.

Will stepped into the cold and frozen courtyard, his heavy boots leaving tracks in the snow.

“Jessamine,” he called softly.

After a moment, a ghostly figure appeared, seemingly from thin air. It was a girl with pale skin and fair hair; her beauty untarnished after all these years. Eternally young and beautiful. Jessamine seemed almost transparent, the snowflakes passing right through her.

“Will,” she replied, in a quiet, sad voice, “I’ve been wondering when I would see you again.”

The two of them looked at each other, as if in a trance.

Jessamine Lovelace had died when she was only seventeen. All her hopes and dreams had been lost, everything destroyed by a single shard of metal. Now she remained forever unchanging, destined to guard the London institute for the rest of her days. Immortal, but not living. 

“My dolls?” she asked. Over the years, this had become a standard greeting between the two of them. Jessamine’s dollhouse had been her most prized possession when she was still alive. During her last moments, as she had lain dying in Will’s arms, Jessamine had requested that her dolls be kept safe.

 “Take care of them,” she had whispered, “Baby Jessie and the others.”

They’d kept her things just the way they always had been. They were all still there, her dollhouse, her gowns, her writing desk, even her flowery quilt cover. The room she once occupied all those years ago was unchanged, like some sort of shrine. In the past, Will’s children had played with Jessie’s dolls, but not any more, now that they were older.

Now, it was only Will who ever went into Jessamine’s room. He had made a promise to her, all those years ago. He would take care of her dolls. Every now and again, Will would dust the dollhouse and make sure that all of the tiny pieces of furniture were intact, but cobwebs had begun to settle in the corners, and everything had started to fade.

“Safe,” replied Will, “As they’ll always be.”

Jessamine had watched them, all these years, lurking in the shadows, unseen and unheard. Silently watching them grow older and live the life she had always longed for, but would never have.

“Jessamine,” Will cleared his throat. “There’s something I need to ask you…”

“It’s about Lucie, isn’t it?” Jessamine sounded sad. She became even more transparent if that was possible, blending into the shadows like a wisp of smoke. “I’m sorry. If only I had realised sooner…”

“It’s not your fault,” Will said, his voice thick with emotion, “There’s nothing you could have done. How were you supposed to know that they meant us harm? They could simply have been paying us a friendly visit, for all you knew.”

Jessamine drifted closer, until her face was only inches away from Will’s. Her gaze was as intense as ever. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

“We know there’s nothing you could’ve done,” Will replied, “But we were wondering if you remember anything about the intruders? Can you remember what they looked like, if they said anything that might help us identify them? Anything could help.” 

Jessamine sighed and floated back a few metres. She was still wearing the white gown she had died in. The deep red bloodstain on the front was the only bit of colour in the wintry landscape.

“They were wearing masks,” she said at last, “I couldn’t see their faces. They didn’t say anything at all, but I just assumed that they were the silent type. There was nothing out of the ordinary, they just looked like regular shadowhunters.”

What little hope Will had left began to seep away. This was a walking nightmare. How could something like this have happened? 

“Thank you, Jessamine. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” Will turned, and started to walk back inside.

“Wait,” Jessamine called suddenly, “I remember something.” She floated back down to the ground, her fair flying crazily around her as she did so. “There was nothing strange about them, nothing strange at all. Nothing, except for their Ouroboros tattoos.”

“What?” Will halted, mid-step. “What did you say?” 

Jessamine was smiling now. “They had Ouroboros tattoos on their necks. They were only small, and half-obscured by their hair, but I was able to get right up close to them without them seeing me.” Jessamine shrugged, the movement oddly graceful. “Perks of being a ghost.” Was it just Will’s imagination, or did she sound bitter? 

“Ouroboros…”

The memory was so vivid that Will stumbled backwards. A dark alleyway, the glow of a witchlight. The smell of blood and damp. The dead body of Emma Bayliss, crumpled in the shadows. Jem’s voice. A symbol, burned into the blade. Two serpents, each biting the other's tail, forming a perfect circle. Ouroboros. 

“What do you think it means?” Jessamine’s voice broke the trance. Blinking, Will returned to the present.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted, “But it’s a start. Thank you, Jessamine.” 

“Good luck. I hope you find Lucie.” 

Will turned to go. He had to go tell the others what Jessamine remembered. 

“Will…” Jessamine murmured softly. Will turned back around. Jessamine looked so lost and lonely, so vulnerable against the frozen backdrop. She opened her mouth, as if to speak. Jessamine hovered silently, her eyes so, so sad.

“What is it, Jessie?” Will asked gently.

Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Don’t forget about me.”

“Jessamine,” Will gazed into her eyes. A silver glow shimmered around her, an unearthly aura. She was still the same Jessamine, even after all this time. It was so long ago, so much had happened since, but the memory of Jessamine Lovelace would never fade. She would always be remembered and loved, despite everything she had done.

“Jessie, how could we ever forget you?”

*****Awww! Writing this chapter made me so sad. Jessamine was one of my favourite characters - she did not deserve to die! She had such a tragic life...all she wanted was to find to love, and to be happy. She truely thought that Nate loved her. She never wanted the life of a shadowhunter, but she was forced to be one anyway******