:: Part 11 ::
!! SPOILER ALERT !! I enjoyed writing the last flashback chapter so much, I wanted to do another. After all, what happened during City of Heavenly Fire plays an integral part in Jem and Tessa’s stories. Again, this part will contain SPOILERS for events in City of Heavenly Fire. If you have not yet read City of Heavenly Fire, continue at your own risk.!
The Council was once again gathered, but this time their purpose was not to discuss handing over Clary and Jace, but to discuss a message that had reportedly been sent by Mark Blackthorn. The message was extremely inflammatory in nature, and the Council had to decide how to respond to its contents.
If the message was to be believed, the Fair Folk were in cahoots with Sebastian and the Faerie representative, Meliorn, was not to be trusted. The accusation levied against Meliorn in the Blackthorn boy’s message was not sitting well with the Council, and when considered in addition to the other Downworld repesentative’s disappearance while attending a dinner party at Meliorn’s home, the entire Council was in an unsettled frenzy.
Jem sat in quiet observation as young Julian Blackthorn answered questions posed by Jia Penhallow about the delivery of the message, its contents, and the trustworthiness of the boy’s brother.
Standing defiantly beside Julian was Emma Carstairs, her long blonde hair in a messy braid that hung over her shoulder. Jem watched as the girls face twisted each time Julian answered the Consul’s questions, her shoulders tense, and her body coiled as if ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. She was clearly responding to her friend’s discomfort, and was restraining herself from acting out in any physical way to defend the boy.
The bond between the two clearly ran deep. Jem had heard Consul Penhallow mention the children’s decision to become parabatai once they reached the appropriate age. He couldn’t help but question if the choice had been made by the two for the right reasons, or simply as a means to avoid the separation Consul Penhallow had planned so Emma could attend training in Alicante. Becoming parabatai was a weighty decision that carried with it many consequences, both welcome and possibly unpleasant in nature. Parabatai that were of the opposite sex sometimes found themselves fighting against the natural desires that arose between men and women but were forbidden by the laws of parabatai.
Julian echoed the information provided by Emma. The message had arrived encased in an acorn, and the children believed its contents indicated that Mark Blackthorn had not yet been fully inducted by the Wild Hunt, meaning he could and should be retrieved by the Council.
As the doors to the Council Hall closed behind Emma and Julian, Jem allowed himself a sigh before turning his gaze to Counsul Penhallow. “It is a dreadful burden, to have such responsibility visited upon those so young.”
The remaining members of the Council were interspersed throughout the room, chatting amongst themselves about the information they had just heard. It was written clearly on each of their faces that they were troubled and not in agreement about how to proceed.
“They have endured much loss, but we are Shadowhunters; many of us endure great loss at a young age. Consul Penhallow’s eyes did not match the conviction in her voice.
“They have Helen, and their uncle. They will be well taken care of, and Emma Carstairs, as well, clearly considers the Blackthorns as family,” Patrick added.
“Often those who raise us, who are our guardians, are not our blood. Those who love us and who we love. So it was with me. As long as se is not parted from the Blackthorns, or the boy – Julian – that is the most important thing.”
YOU ARE READING
A Silent Brother No More
FanfictionJem Carstairs never dreamed that his life as the Silent Brother, Zachariah, would end; much less that he would survive the transition and have the chance to rekindle his romance with his love for over a century, Tessa Gray. Fate, it seems, had a dif...
