Distractions - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Everest breathed deeply and raised her hand to knock. No. She couldn't do it. Everest turned away from the door but then she stopped. No. She was not going to hide away or procrastinate any longer. This had to happen, whether she was all but crying with anxiety or not.
But procrastinating is fun, the stupid voice in the back of her head whispered.
Everest shook her head and faced the door again. She knocked before she could overthink it anymore than she already had.
"Coming!" a familiar voice shouted.
The dark wood door opened to reveal Brad Karter, dressed in jeans and a faded band tee. The smile on his face fell as he saw Everest, dressed in jeans, a blue shirt, and a black zip up. In turn, Everest's face fell as well. Was he not happy to see her? Was he expecting someone else? Was she wrong in letting him, Jay, and Harper know she was alright?
"You're okay," Brad muttered, eyes glistening. "You're okay. You're actually okay."
Everest breathed a watery sigh of relief and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." As okay as she could be at least.
Brad rushed forward and Everest was tackled in a massive papa bear hug. She hugged him back as tightly as she could. Angel, she had missed his hugs. Everest rested her head on his shoulder and he lifted her up into his arms. She glanced up as he started walking. They were going inside.
"Brad? Who was at the door Hon?"
"Look who came home."
Jay looked up from the game of Sorry and gasped. Everest smiled sheepishly and waved. Jay rushed forward and Brad set her down so that his husband could give her a hug. She was being minorly suffocated once more, but she smiled. Jay's hugs were wonderful.
"You're not allowed to do that again," he hissed her ear.
"You're like the millionth person to tell me that," she said with a watery laugh.
"Then you should know to take it seriously."
"Forest?" Everest's heart shattered into a million tiny pieces by way of papercuts when she heard Harper sound so defeated. "Forest is that you?"
Jay reluctantly let Everest go and she crouched in front of Harper with a soft smile.
"Hey Little Architect. I'm home now."
Her voice wavered at the end, but Harper didn't seem to care. She just launched herself at Everest, sending them both to the floor. Everest made sure to not let Harper hit the ground at all and used her body to shield the younger girl. She was especially glad when she noticed the game pieces digging into her back. She didn't want Harper to experience that feeling. It wasn't pleasant. Harper just hugged her tighter. She definitely got her hugging ability from her dads.
Hands pulled the two up, though they didn't separate them, which Everest was glad for, and led them to the couch. Two sets of arms, one belonging to Brad and the other to Jay, wrapped around the two and it was then, surrounded by three people she considered family, did Everest allow herself to cry happy tears for the fact that she was home.
"What happened to you?" Harper asked, sniffling.
Everest let out a small chuckle. "That's a situation." When Jay gave her a sharp look, she elaborated.
"My dad didn't die in war like Mom always said." Everest swallowed thickly at the mention of her mom. "He survived and he...kidnapped me and Jace."
"Who's Jace?" Brad sounded wary. Which made sense considering she had just said that she had been kidnapped. She was surprised that they weren't freaking out right now.
"My brother." The three sputtered. "I know, I had the same reaction." Well, her reaction had been more or less that, just also to shoot Valentine, but still. It was the principle of the thing. "So long story short, Roslyn's brother is working for my lunatic father, my brother and I were kidnapped by said lunatic father for too long, which is really any time at all, Clary of all people saved us, and when we escaped I ended up in a river and met someone named Blaise. Speaking of which, did I ever know anyone named Blaise? I couldn't remember. I meet a lot of people."
Brad, who looked more than glad to have a subject other than her kidnapping to focus on, frowned. "Didn't you have a thing with a girl named Blaise one summer?"
Everest's jaw dropped. How had she forgotten Blaise Fox? A year or so ago, she and Blaise had spent the entire summer in a no strings attached sort of relationship as both of them figured themselves out and what they needed from a relationship. She had no idea Blaise still lived in New York. She thought she had moved to Bulgaria full time once the school year started again.
"Shit I did." Her eyes widened. "I was saved by my ex." Everest facepalmed.
"Can we get back to the part where you were telling us about the bullshit you've done?" Jay asked, somewhat hysterically.
Everest winced. She decided to skip the part where she and Jace got tattoos (she needed to show Izzy, Alec, Magnus, and everyone else her tattoo still), Jace was arrested and released, and the demon-related details. "Mom's dead," she said bluntly, eyes stinging.
Silence. Dead silence that was tangible and fragile enough to be cut with a broken pen.
"Oh fuck," Brad muttered. "I'm so sorry Forest."
Harper buried her face in Everest's shoulder and hugged her tightly. Everest didn't mention the wet patch she could feel growing on her shoulder.
"What happened?" Jay whispered, gripping her hand.
"Not fully sure. All I know is that she was murdered." She glanced down at Harper then mouthed, Her heart was ripped from her chest.
Brad and Jay inhaled sharply. It was silent once more.
"Do you want ice cream?" Brad offered, standing up. Jay stood up with him.
Everest shook her head. It was only nine in the morning. She didn't need ice cream that early. Brad gave her a small, reassuring smile and then he and his husband went into the kitchen.
Everest rubbed Harper's back and rested her chin on her head. They just sat there for a long time, long enough for Brad and Jay to come back into the living room and curl up on the other couch and start a Disney movie.
"You're not leaving again, right?" Harper whispered.
Everest's heart shattered further somehow. "I have to go talk to Gino, but no, I'm not leaving the way I was just gone again. Not if I can help it."
Harper pulled away and looked at Everest's face intently. She found what she was looking for apparently, since she nodded and hugged Everest again, briefer than before. Everest stood up and accepted the papa bear hugs from Brad and Jay, as well as the warnings to be safe and the teary smiles that conveyed more than words, verbal or written, ever could.
She sighed as she closed the front door behind her. Now to talk to Gino, who would either hug her to death or just kill her outright for not contacting him sooner. Probably both, knowing him. Everest didn't even think bribing him with food or energy drinks would work.
She sighed again and started towards his apartment. There was no use delaying the inevitable after all.
...
Everest knocked on Gino's apartment door hesitantly. She braced herself for death as the doorknob turned. It didn't come.
Everest opened one eye slowly and saw Raphael in Gino's doorway with a smirk on his face.
"Phae?" she said incredulously. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to convince Gino that you're alive," Raphael rolled his eyes but accepted Everest's hug nonetheless. She wasn't quite sure that was the full story, but she'd let it go for now. "I missed you, Escritora."
"I missed you too Phae."
"Come on, let's go give Gino a heart attack so I can prove I'm right."
Everest scoffed as she entered the apartment. It was the same as the last time she had seen it: off white walls, light wood floors, black furniture, and plants everywhere. The same clutter was still there, an unused kettle was still on the stove, and the same unopened mail was sitting on the table.
Gino was pacing the living room dressed in too tight jeans and a varsity hoodie, his hands tugging on his hair with each step he took. Everest winced. She hadn't expected him to be so worked up.
"Who was at the door Raphael?" he demanded, not looking up from the floor.
"Look for yourself," Raphael said impatiently.
Gino huffed as he looked up. Everest waved sheepishly and her friend stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at Everest with wide eyes but an otherwise blank expression. Everest's palms pressed into her leg.
Please let this go well, she thought to herself.
"Everest?" Gino spoke slowly and in a low tone. Shit. That wasn't a good sign.
"Hey Gino."
"The urge to strangle you is so fucking strong right now," Gino snapped, storming up to her. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? First Roslyn leaves with just a phone call saying her family found her, then you disappear without a trace? I found out what happened because Clary found my emergency contact in her phone and called me because she couldn't reach Roslyn. Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to Clary that no, Roslyn isn't dead when I don't know that for a fact? I'm not going to be the one to tell her that Roslyn is an assassin and had to leave town so that she didn't get killed by her assassin family, Everest. That's on you. And that was after she told me what the fuck happened at Camille's apartment."
Gino was breathing heavily now, only a few steps away from Everest, and his eyes were full of anger. She was pretty sure that his anger was directed mostly at the situation and not necessarily her in particular, but she wasn't one hundred percent on that.
"I'm sorry?" she offered meekly. She wasn't quite sure how else to respond to that.
"You fucking better be sorry," Gino said harshly, then pulled her into a bone crushing hug that rivaled the Karters' hugs. "I heard about your mom," he whispered, the anger seeping out of his words and shoulders. "How're you doing?"
"Like ass," she grumbled into his shoulder. His arms tightened around her waist. "I killed her, I'm the reason she's dead. And Clary hates me now and the rest all should too. Mom wrote me a letter before she died."
"What'd it say?"
"She apologized for being a bad mom and for not accepting me and she was proud of me and was happy for me and Alec and Magnus."
Gino inhaled sharply. "Fuck her and her inability to pick a side."
Everest snorted ungracefully and smiled up at Gino. "You're not mad at me?"
"You specifically? No. The whole world? Yes."
"Oh I'm so glad you don't hate me."
Gino's arms tightened around her. "I could never hate you."
"Good. Same for you."
"I hate to break this up," Raphael drawled from somewhere by the front door, "but food's here. And yes, Escritora, there's coffee for you."
Everest smiled at her brother-figure and gladly took the massive coffee handed to her.
...
Clary POV:
Clary looked up from the art supplies she was cleaning up to see Izzy standing in her doorway with her arms crossed.
"You holding up okay?" Izzy asked, and it was nice to hear someone talk to her without sounding like they were made up of pity.
Clary half-shrugged. "I miss her...a lot. And then there's Luke. He just vanished." Clary sighed.
"Luke will be fine," Izzy said quickly, stopping her from going down a verbal spiral. It was something Clary had seen Izzy do for Everest countless times over. "And so will you. It just takes time." Izzy sat on Clary's bed and glanced around the room.
"How's Everest doing?" Clary hadn't seen Everest since the funeral the day before and she was worried. She knew her sister blamed herself for their mom's death and that she thought Clary hated her. That wasn't the case at all. She was upset about it, sure, but she didn't hate Everest. She never hated Everest and didn't think she ever could. The last time Clary had seen Everest, she was being led out of the funeral room by Alec and Izzy, all of their heads bent together and whispering things through tears that Clary didn't hear.
"I'm not going to lie, she feels horrible," Izzy said bluntly. "She kept saying how it was her fault it happened, how she should have been able to resist the demon, which is all bullshit."
"She can't keep blaming herself." Clary sat beside Izzy on the bed.
Izzy rubbed the blank spot on her wrist absentmindedly. "She's strong. She'll heal."
"I see you've healed," Clary said, somewhat awkwardly. "I've never stabbed a friend before, so I figured I at least owed you an apology or..."
"There's no need," Izzy said softly. It amazed Clary how soft Izzy could be when she was usually so intense. "You destroyed that demon. And besides, I'm all healed up now. Aldertree cleared me for the mission."
"Are the Iron Sisters anything like the Silent Brothers?" Clary asked, leaning forward. Izzy had told her about the upcoming mission over breakfast that day, diverting the conversation away from Clary's questions about where Everest had gone.
Izzy smirked and stood up. "Let's go find Everest before I start answering questions."
The two started down the hall towards Everest's closed door. "Is she going too?"
"Is that a problem?" Izzy raised an eyebrow.
"No, not at all. I was just wondering."
Izzy hummed. "She is. Aldertree wants her to have more field experience that doesn't involve her getting kidnapped. This is one of the safest missions she could go on right now."
Izzy knocked on Everest's door twice, then three times, then twice again. Clary listened, her head tilted, as a loud crash echoed out into the hall from the door, followed by a few smaller thuds.
"Come in!"
Izzy opened the door with a smile and revealed Everest lying on the ground, her death contraption that replaced her chair in pieces spread out around the floor.
"What happened?" Clary gasped.
"I was using my...contraption as a footrest and I got startled when Izzy knocked so I moved my feet and then it went flying." Everest cast a distasteful look at the mess. "Help me up would you please?"
Izzy pulled Everest up and onto the bed beside her. Clary sat in the discarded desk chair. She didn't know if Everest was mad at her or not, and didn't want to make her mad by sitting on her bed without permission.
"We were talking about the mission to the Iron Sisters," Izzy explained. Everest's eyes filled with understanding. "Clary was asking if the Iron Sisters and Silent Brothers were similar."
"Are they?"
Izzy smirked. The pins in her hair glinted in the light from Everest's window. "For starters, the Sisters' mouths aren't sewn shut. They're badass warriors who make all our weapons."
"Your obsession with them as a kid makes more sense now," Everest mused. Not for the first time since being introduced to the ShadowWorld, Clary wondered just how close Everest and Izzy had been as children and how their families had never once picked up on it.
Izzy shoved Everest lightly. "If you're lucky enough to be accepted into the sisterhood, you're marked by sacred runes. It's what allows the Iron Sisters to shape pure adamas."
Izzy pulled a pin from her hair and flicked it away from her shoulder. It extended flawlessly into a blade. She held it out so that Clary could see it too. "The Sisters call upon the power of the angels to imbue our blades with their energy." Izzy returned the blade to pin form and placed it back in her hair.
Clary's gaze fell on a picture of her, their mom, and Luke sitting on Everest's desk. Why wasn't Everest in the picture?
"I hate to leave you," Izzy said gently, standing from the bed. Everest just watched silently, a familiar calculating look in her eyes. Where, or who, did she know that look from?
"Then I guess I have to go with you," Clary said.
"Clary, you just lost—"
"My mom," Clary interrupted. "I know. But I—I can't just sit here and mope. I need to do something, anything to stop Valentine. He's the reason Mom is dead." She said the last part with a sharp look towards Everest, who had stood up too.
"Dusk," Everest whispered. She grabbed Izzy's wrist and ran her thumb over the blank spot. "It'll help get her mind off things. And if it helps in convincing Aldertree any, just give him the same excuse. Just tell him it'll give her more real life experience too."
Izzy and Everest shared a look full of words Clary wasn't privy to, and then Izzy nodded.
"I'll talk to Aldertree."
Clary smiled faintly.
...
Everest POV:
Everest leaned against a random wall and pulled out her phone. Her nails, even though they were rather short, clicked against her screen and she grimaced. She smiled smugly a moment later, however, when she successfully made a group chat with her, Alec, and Magnus in it.
Chaos Bean:
Hey
I'm going with Izzy and Clary to the Citadel for a mission so I'm gonna have to miss out on tonight.
I'm really really sorry /g
Glitter Bean:
Do you want to reschedule?
Baddie Bean:
What does /g mean?
Chaos Bean:
You two can go ahead and go out, I'll just have to take a rain check
It means genuine. It's a tone indicator
Glitter Bean:
😢
I look forward to our date then
Baddie Bean:
I hope you have fun on the mission
Even if you'd have more fun with us
Everest laughed lightly. Alec was so dorky at times, it was wonderful.
Chaos Bean:
I'm sure
I'll talk to you later, bye!!!
Glitter Bean:
Bye Cupcake
Baddie Bean:
Have fun Darling
Everest internally squealed like a poorly written teenager upon being called 'darling' again and fell into step with Izzy as she passed.
"Why do you look like your favorite ship just sailed?" Izzy asked, laughing a little.
"Alec called me 'darling' again," Everest said, her voice higher pitched than normal.
Izzy stopped dead in her tracks and hugged Everest tightly. "That's adorable!"
"I know! It's wonderful!"
They spent another moment or two freaking out in the hallway before they managed to calm down. They had a mission to go on after all.
...
Everest stumbled out of the Portal in black jeans, combat boots Izzy gave her, a dark yellow shirt, and a black leather jacket. She tugged the shirt down as she straightened up. She didn't want Clary to see her scars.
Everest gasped.
"Woah," Clary muttered.
"This is even more amazing than I imagined," Izzy said.
Everest could only nod aggressively in agreement. In front of them was the Citadel, a towering castle made of light grey stone that sat atop a jagged mountain. Even from the base of the mountain—and oh, Everest was not looking forward to that climb—large metal gates were visible as they stood guard and protected the Citadel from anyone who may decide to attack. Which, based on everything Izzy had told her about the Iron Sisters, was a stupid decision.
A long, somehow relatively painless climb later, the three were at the top of the mountain. The gate, which Everest could now see was a series of metal spikes shaped like seraph blades carved with runes, opened as they approached.
"I can't believe I'm actually going inside," Izzy said, dazed.
Everest gripped her hand in solidarity but let go as a bell rang out. A high pitched ringing followed and Everest winced, covering her ears and shrinking into herself. She wanted her headphones.
Everest blinked and then she was staring directly at a tall woman in white robes that sparkled in the sun. There was a spear being pointed at her throat.
I don't like this, she thought frantically.
"Speak your names," said a woman with a long braid speckled with beads and charms.
"Isabelle Lightwood."
"Clary Fairchild."
"Everest Fairchild."
Everest choked on her last name for just a moment but hoped no one had noticed. She wasn't used to saying 'Fairchild', especially not when she wasn't actually sure if her last name was Fairchild or Morgenstern. She hoped it was Fairchild, but sometimes she wanted to go back to being a Fray.
"Valentine's daughters," a Black woman in front of Izzy said, a warning to her words.
"Your father killed the Silent Brothers. He's taken our most valuable weapon. You must leave immediately," the first woman spoke.
Everest tensed and Izzy bristled beside her. "Everest and Clary have done nothing wrong," she said politely, though firm.
The Black woman said, "Allow me." The three all turned to face her properly. "What answers do you seek?"
"Why did Valentine go to all that trouble to steal the Soul Sword?" Izzy asked.
The woman glanced at someone behind them and they turned to see the first woman shake her head.
"Yes, Valentine is our father, but that man killed our mother. He experimented on our brother. We want to stop him more than anyone. And if we have any chance at defeating him, we need your help," Clary said passionately.
Everest took a deep breath and Izzy laced their hands together once more. She leaned into the touch, moving so that the two were shoulder to shoulder the way they had always been as children, Izzy just barely in front of her and Everest's other hand on the small of Izzy's back.
It was silent and then the first Iron Sister nodded. "Come with us."
The Sisters walked in pairs of two and Everest felt bad about breaking it due to their uneven number. But she had been assured that it was fine so she had just fallen into step beside Izzy, their hands still laced together.
"Sister Cleophas, how long have you been in the order?" Izzy asked, her eagerness only showing in the way her eyes glinted in the sunlight.
Everest wondered how she knew their names.
"Fourteen beautiful years," the woman replied. "I never planned in following in my mother's footsteps. I was happy living in Idris with my sister Amatis, when my brother Lucian was scratched in a werewolf attack. I did what I had to do to restore my family's honor."
Everest bristled slightly at the idea of someone being something else than what society imagined them to be originally ruining a family's supposed honor but brushed it aside. She had no intentions of angering a group of highly trained women who were currently carrying swords and spears.
"Do you mean Luke? You're Luke's sister?" Clary asked as the group came to a stop.
Sister Cleophas looked at the first Sister, likely one of a high rank judging by how many Iron Sisters had looked to her for permission before doing literally anything. The Sister nodded.
"I am."
Everest's eyebrows shot up. Luke had never mentioned having siblings. But looking at Sister Cleophas's face shape and the way she spoke, Everest could see the similarities. And, she supposed, she had seen a picture of a much younger Luke with two other young women who looked very similar to him and Sister Cleophas.
"We must begin the purity trial," the first Sister announced.
"What's that?" Everest asked, speaking for the first time since stating her name.
"For the answers you seek, we must go inside the Citadel. But we cannot allow any demonic impurities to pass. The adamas is too fragile," Sister Cleophas explained.
"So the heavenly energy in the water will help us determine if you may enter. It will destroy any contaminate upon contact."
That wasn't ominous at all.
A while later, once all three of them had changed into the white dresses they were given, Everest stood beside her sister and Izzy on a black metal bridge above the pond of magic water that would determine their immediate fates.
"You two can't do this," Izzy said softly.
"Why not?" Clary demanded.
"You heard her. It's dangerous."
"It only affects demonic energy. We'll be fine."
"But what if it's not fine?" Everest asked quietly, fingers digging into her upper arms as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
"You think I have demon blood? Or that you do? Like Jace?" Clary scoffed. Everest winced at how easily Clary dismissed the concern. Why was she able to do that? And why couldn't Everest just make the anxious thoughts go away? "There's only one way to find out."
Clary walked down the stairs in a very spiteful manner and Everest sighed. She leaned against the railing, hoping she wasn't breaking some sort of rule or expectation by doing so.
The first Sister, who Everest had learned was named Sister Magdalena, stopped to stand beside the two. She looked frustratingly unconcerned.
Clary laid down in the water, looking concerningly like a body. Everest swallowed thickly. She looked far too much like their mom's body in that white dress with her eyes closed.
"Ignis aurum probat."
The water around Clary shone with a crystal white light. The light faded and Clary stood.
"Clary Fairchild, you are deemed pure of all demonic impurities."
Clary shot Everest and Izzy a look as if to say, 'See? It's fine.' Everest wasn't sure it'd be fine.
Izzy squeezed Everest's hand and urged her forward.
"Why me?" she hissed, though she went down the stairs anyway.
The first thing Everest noticed was that the water was too cold. The second thing she noticed was that her purple bra and underwear were most likely going to be on display as soon as she laid down. Her cheeks warmed and she laid down cautiously, all too aware of the runes showing through her dress. Why was this the day she hadn't worn a sports bra or at the very least nude underwear?
"Ignis aurum probat." Sister Magdalena's words were muffled by the water.
The water warmed around Everest and it stung where it touched her bare skin. She flinched and had to put in far more effort than she had imagined to keep herself from curling inwards. Still, a bright light appeared and when it faded, she darted up. The water stopped stinging.
"Everest Fairchild, you have been deemed pure of all demonic impurities." Everest couldn't help but notice the way Sister Magdalena hesitated slightly.
"Did it sting for you?" Everest asked Clary as Izzy stepped into the water confidently, as if she owned the world. Her hair dripped irritatingly onto her shoulders.
"No," Clary said, and gave her a worried look. Everest gave her a reassuring smile she only half felt and faced the pool again.
"Ignis aurum probat."
Trigger warning: Near drowning
The water around Izzy shone that same crystal white but then, without warning, it burned black. Izzy began thrashing around, gasping wildly.
"Dusk no!" Probability of her underwear being on display be damned, Everest ran into the water, Clary close behind her. But Everest worked with children consistently, and had taken many children to the pool where they panicked when they went deeper than they were meant to. She knew how to handle similar situations, save the demonic purity and magic water part. She got to Izzy first.
"Give me your hand!" Everest snapped, grabbing Izzy's shoulder with her left hand. Izzy's hand reached up and she grabbed it with her right hand.
Everest hauled Izzy upright and guided her to the stairs. The other girl gripped the railing tightly.
Trigger warning over
"Are you okay?" Izzy's hiccupping gasps were answer enough. "What happened?"
"I don't know," Izzy said. Everest moved her dark hair from her mouth and rubbed her back soothingly.
"The water does not lie, but perhaps you do," Sister Madalena said cryptically.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You are tainted by demonic impurities," Sister Madalena said, stating the obvious. The woman eyed Everest warily. She wasn't quite sure why.
"I'm sorry, Isabelle, but we can't let you inside the Citadel." Sister Cleophas looked genuinely sorry.
Clary shook her head, flinging water all around like a dog coming in from the rain. "No, this has to be a mistake. She had a demon wound, maybe that's what the water reacted to, but she's fine now. She'd healed."
Sister Madalena raised her eyebrow in a perfect arch. "You are free to leave, if that is what you desire."
"No. You go ahead. We need answers." Izzy looked like all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. Everest didn't blame her.
Clary went up the steps but Everest hesitated. She hugged Izzy, who returned it without hesitation, and tapped her hand, which was still covered in rings, against her back gently.
"Scream and I'll find you alright? Or just yell or something. Give me a signal and I'll be here."
Izzy let out a watery laugh and Everest's heart tightened. She hated when Izzy sounded so defeated. "I'll be fine. Go on. Go meet some people so that you can scare Jace when he learns you know Iron Sisters now."
Everest smiled faintly and followed Clary up the stairs. She glanced back at Izzy and saw that she and Sister Madalena were talking. Izzy looked startled. She wondered what they were talking about.
Once they had changed back into their normal clothes and Everest had put her hair into two French braids, they continued walking into the Citadel. Everest fiddled with her rings so that she didn't start messing with her gun. That likely wouldn't go over well.
"Sister Cleophas, I don't wanna scare you, but I'm worried. It's Luke." Clary spoke softly, as if she thought that speaking too loudly would bring the bright white walls down around them in magic, Shadowhunter rubble.
"Lucian?" Everest wasn't quite sure she'd get used to people calling Luke by the long version of his name.
"He's the closest thing we've ever had to a father." Everest thought about Brad and Jay and frowned. They were the closest thing to fathers she had. Not Luke. Luke was more like her uncle. "But since our mom died—"
"Jocelyn. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"Since then, Luke has gone missing. He's not returning calls. He's not showing up for work. No one has seen or heard from him."
Sister Cleophas sighed. "He did love her. Lucian had a strong sense of loyalty. Almost to his detriment. My sweet girl, I fear you are right." They stopped walking when the hallway turned into a fourway crossing. "My brother is in danger, but not for the reasons you think."
"What sort of danger?" Everest asked hesitantly. Sister Cleophas looked moderately surprised to hear her speak. Ouch. Just because she had had a bad week and all she wanted to do was curl up surrounded by soft things in a dark room while her favorite comfort shows played and not speak to anyone didn't mean she was mute.
Sister Cleophas led them into a training room far more elaborate than the ones at the Institute. It was open, separated from the rest of the Citadel only by thick black columns. It had a polished wood floor with a rune engraved in the center of it, outlined in gold and black. Rows upon rows of weapons lined the walls. Izzy would have loved it. Sister Cleophas touched a stele to the rune and it glowed for a moment. Everest followed her gaze up to the ceiling where an elaborate mural of angels filled the top of the dome. It moved as if it were a stop motion movie that told its story as Sister Cleophas spoke.
"Long ago, the Angel Raziel bestowed the Mortal Instruments to the first Shadowhunter. Among them, the Soul Sword. Its primary purpose is to compel the truth, but it has a secondary purpose. If ever the day came where Shadowhunters failed in their holy mission, and demons overtook the world, as a last resort, the Sword could be activated with angelic energy, releasing heavenly light that will destroy demon blooded creatures in its path."
Clary gasped and Everest's mind whirled.
"Oh, my God," Clary said, her gaze turning to Sister Cleophas sharply.
"Demon blooded creatures..." Everest trailed off, thinking of Magnus, Luke, Gino, Raphael, Simon, and all the other Downworlders she knew. "Does that mean—"
"Downworlders. Yes."
Sister Cleophas led the twins away from the training room as if she hadn't just revealed crucial information that could save or destroy the world. What the hell? Everest wanted to scream. People needed to stop dropping information like that without warning and without thinking it was important enough to think about for more than ten seconds.
"I'm going to sit down and process," she muttered to Clary. She didn't wait for an answer before walking away towards the gardens she had seen while walking inside.
Trigger warning: mentions of guns and bullets (no guns are shot or used)
She sank down onto one of the stone benches. It was warm from the sun. She pushed thoughts of the Soul Sword away for the time being. She'd start to spiral if she thought about it too much. Instead she pulled out her gun and made sure it was fully loaded. She had triple checked before leaving and she hadn't used it at all that day, but it gave her something to do.
"I remember making bullets just like those for a fourteen year old girl several years ago," a soothing voice behind Everest said. She turned sharply, spotting a woman with dark brown skin and thick, colorful braids standing behind her with a smile.
"May I sit?" the woman asked.
Everest nodded and scooted over to make room.
"I'm Sister Leilani," the woman said kindly as she settled.
"I'm Everest Fairchild," Everest said.
Sister Leilani watched Everest curiously as she tapped her gun nervously. "So is that what you reached for when we surrounded you and your friends?"
Everest blinked. She hadn't realized she had reached for her gun. She shrugged. "Probably. I don't carry anything but my gun and maybe a seraph blade on my belt. The rest of my weapons are elsewhere."
"May I see your bullets? If I'm right, you're the girl I made those for."
Everest reluctantly handed over the gun and watched as Sister Leilani carefully removed a bullet from the magazine and inspected it closely. She smiled.
"I did make these."
"I think my sis—friend Izzy had you make them and she gave me them for my fourteenth birthday. I didn't know about the ShadowWorld until recently."
Sister Leilani hummed. "I think I got another order for these recently actually As well as a runed gun. Wait here for a moment."
Everest watched Sister Leilani scurry away like a startled kitten. She tilted her head back towards the sky and basked in the warm light. It had been too long since she just existed outside. Maybe she'd take Alec and or Magnus out for a picnic or park date. That could be fun. They could go on a walk, feed the ducks, get ice cream, have a picnic meal, and just exist. Just the thought of it made her smile and her stomach fill with those butterflies that books always mentioned.
"Here," Sister Leilani said and Everest opened her eyes. She was smiling and holding out a container of bullets and a gorgeous black gun with runes etched into the barrel and grip. "Requested by Isabelle Lightwood for Everest Fairchild."
"Thank you, it's gorgeous," she said genuinely, running her hands over it repeatedly.
She held it as if she were going to shoot it. Its aim was almost perfect and it fit nicely in her hands. Izzy was wonderful and Everest loved her with all her heart.
"Everest, time to go!" Clary called. Everest glanced up to see Clary, Izzy, and Sister Cleophas approaching. She looked over to thank Sister Leilani once more but she was nowhere in sight.
The first thing Everest did was tuck her gun in her waistband and zip the bullets into her jacket pocket. She'd get another holster for her gun later. Then she calmly approached Izzy and hugged her in a death grip she learned from Brad.
"Thank you," she said in Izzy's ear. "You're the fucking best."
"Did you get the gun and bullets?" Everest nodded into her shoulder. "I'm glad you like them."
Trigger warnings over
Everest thought that was an understatement.
"I will show you to the gate," Sister Cleophas said in clear dismissal. Everest wondered what Clary had said or done to irritate the Iron Sister.
Everest released Izzy, though she stayed close to her still, and followed the woman out. She glanced at Izzy and wondered why she was so pale. Maybe the water had more of an effect on her than she thought.
...
Everest walked up the stairs to Magnus's apartment with a smile and coffee. She was going down the hall that Magnus's apartment was in when she saw a tall dark haired woman struggling to open her door.
"Would you like help?" she offered, despite not actually living in the building.
The woman startled and whirled around, her hand flying to her pocket as if a weapon of some kind was stashed there. She relaxed upon seeing Everest.
"You're Magnus's partner?" she asked.
Everest nodded. She laughed a little out of the shock of being recognized as Magnus's partner by his neighbor. "News travels fast here I guess."
The woman smiled and shrugged. "Roxanne just likes to gossip a bit here and there."
Everest recalled the confident woman with silver blonde hair she had met the day she had found Church (she needed to check on him since he had wandered away the other day and started to become a multi-apartment cat) and Jace had been arrested. That had been a long day.
"I remember Roxanne," she mused.
"I'm Circe, her wife," the woman said, her smile brighter than before.
"Nice to meet you, Circe. I'm Everest." Everest nodded at Circe's door. "Do you need help with your door?"
Circe looked conflicted for a moment but she nodded. "Have at it."
Everest balanced the coffees in one hand and fiddled with the lock with the other. It clicked quietly and she nudged it open. She didn't look inside the apartment. That was rude.
Circe sighed in relief. "Thank you so much. I don't know why the door was being difficult." Circe looked as if she knew exactly why she couldn't open the door but Everest didn't push. "I'll see you later, yeah?"
"Yeah, see you later."
They exchanged smiles and then Everest continued down to Magnus's room. She let herself in with the key Magnus had given her and set her bag down on the counter gently.
"Everest? That you?" Alec called out.
"Yeah, be there in a second.
She walked into the living room to see Alec and Magnus on the couch watching reruns of some sort of reality show. She raised an eyebrow.
"Reality shows? Really?"
She set the coffees and her leather jacket on the coffee table, ignoring the thump of the bullets in her pocket, and plopped down in the spot they created for her between them. She gave them each a short kiss before relaxing into the couch.
Trigger warning: Allusion to intimacy, mentions of guns and bullets (no guns are shot or used)
"It drowns out the noise," Magnus said simply. He lifted her head slightly so that he could rest his arm on the back of the couch and she took a long sip of her coffee, feet tucked under her.
"What noise—" She was cut off by sounds that sounded suspiciously like moans. "What the fucking hell?"
"Literally," Magnus muttered bitterly, taking a sip of his latte.
"Jace moved in," Alec grumbled. "And he's already made himself at home."
Allusion to intimacy trigger warning over
Everest exhaled sharply. Her patience and nerves were already somewhat frayed from the visit to the Citadel; she did not need this. "I will shoot him with my new gun," she said lowly. She was only half joking.
"I don't think that's necessary Cupcake," Magnus said, even though he didn't sound entirely opposed to the idea. "I am intrigued by this new gun, though."
Magnus had no interest in guns, Everest knew this. But she still grabbed the bullets from the pocket of her discarded jacket and the gun from her waistband. Alec raised an eyebrow at her decision to put it in her waistband rather than a holster.
"I didn't have a holster for it yet," she protested as she held out the gun. Alec smiled fondly.
"It's runed," Alec said, tracing the angelic power rune. "How?"
"An Iron Sister made it at Izzy's request. She also made these bullets for me. They're like the ones Izzy gave me for my fourteenth birthday."
Magnus shook his head as he set one of the runed bullets back. "Of course Isabelle's idea of a birthday gift is bullets that could kill a demon."
Everest chuckled and leaned her head on Alec's shoulder. His shirt was softer. "It's Dusk. What else can you expect?"
Magnus and Alec chuckled too. Then a thud reached Everest's ears.
"No seriously, can I shoot him? Or just give him a warning shot at least?"
Magnus turned the volume on the tv up but didn't answer her question beyond winking at her.