Black || Jace Wayland [1]

| 05. in my blood

"An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience."

******

"MAKE SURE TO grip the blade higher up if you're going to turn that way."

Hodge Starkweather quickly adjusted Asher's grip before stepping back and beckoning for her to continue. The female shadowhunter slowly re-enacted her fighting move. She crouched down into a combat-ready stance, the small blade aligned with her arm. Asher then swung her back leg around before launching the blade forward. It sunk deep into the target with perfect aim.

"Wow." Hodge chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I would've called that a lucky first shot." "I've been practicing blade throwing for years." Asher walked over to the target. "I've never been very good at it."

"That bullseye says otherwise."

Asher roller her eyes and pulled the dagger out of the target. Although the Iratze was working and there was no more demon poison in her blood stream, the Shadowhunter still had a large gash in her shoulder that would take about a day to heal, so she was stuck inside.

She spent most of her time in the training room perfecting her fighting technique. Isabelle and Alec weren't exactly okay with her moving around whilst still injured, but Asher promised them that she would be careful and take things slow. Hodge agreed to make sure she didn't push herself too much.

"You say that now." Asher moved back into her fighting position. "If I do it quickly, the thing goes haywire." She repeated her move at a quicker pace, but hissed in pain just as she was about to throw the dagger. Hodge chuckled. "I told you to take it slow."

"Shadowhunters don't have time to take it slow." The brunette mocked his tone. She straightened up to check her wound. Hodge walked over to take the blade. "I think you've done enough training for now. Go to the library. I'm sure you'll find something there to do." Asher groaned, but complied with his request as she exited the training area.

Walking around the Institute, Asher thought that it would feel like home. Instead, it made her feel so isolated. Everywhere she approached, Shadowhunters would stop what they were doing to watch her walk by. She shouldn't feel surprised considering this happened everywhere she went to do a mission. Asher could see everyone from the corner of her eyes and their blank stares. It made her quicken her pace to the library: at least there she could be free from the curious glances.

As the brunette stepped foot into the library, the familiar waft of aging paper filled her nose. Not a lot of Shadowhunters usually hung out there, especially during missions. Most people who spent time in the library were either the younger children to learn or the occasional visitors who needed to look something up for their mission.

The Shadowhunter library stood far from ordinary. Overflowing with ancient tomes on Downworlders, runes, and the history of the Nephilim race, it occupied a significant space within the relatively small Institute, thanks to special enchantments woven into the room.

Asher walked by the bench where her mother used to read her books about her family. She gently glided her finger across the dark wood, noticing a small bronze plaque that wasn't there before. Her breath hitched when she realized it said In Memory of Lilith and Mason Montgomery.