Distractions - Chapter 60: Chapter 60

The room was in chaos. Valentine's cheek had been split by her rings and he was watching her with an infuriatingly calm curiosity. The guards outside the cell were tense and watching, ready to intervene if necessary. Clary was pacing and muttering frantically to herself. Jace was swearing violently under his breath as he hauled Everest off of Valentine. Everest didn't fight him. She didn't want to fight anymore. She just wanted answers. She just wanted Izzy home safe.
Once Jace had dragged her several steps away from Valentine, far enough that he could intervene if she tried to hit him again, he stepped in front of her.
"You can't beat him up right now," he said calmly. "That will get us nowhere. Believe me, if I thought it would help, I'd be right there next to you beating him into the ground. But it won't help, not now. Maybe later, but not now. Okay?"
Her body was tense and the backs of her eyes stung with oncoming tears of frustration, but she nodded. "Okay. I won't try to attack Valentine," she agreed.
He gave her a grateful look and then turned back to Valentine, whose gaze hadn't strayed from Everest once.
"Explain," he snapped in a low, threatening voice. Clary stopped pacing and whirled around to look at Valentine with a murderous glare.
Valentine glanced at Jace and Clary momentarily and then looked back at Everest. She hated the attention, hated the way he looked at her like she was an exhibit in a zoo.
"Do you want to do the honors or shall I?" he asked, echoing his words from earlier.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she snarled, looking at Jace and Clary in hopes that they would believe her. She had no clue what Valentine was talking about. While weird things had happened to her (spending most of her childhood befriending people from the ShadowWorld without knowing about it being a prime example), she didn't have magical powers or anything. The only weird thing that had happened that couldn't immediately be explained by saying 'It's the ShadowWorld' was her being freezing cold on Valentine's ship and feeling like she was suffocating as soon as she walked into Iris's house.
Jace nodded at her and her breathing got a little easier. She looked at Clary. Her sister's eyes searched her face and then she inclined her head to the left with a nod. Everest very nearly sighed in relief, despite the underlying anger still filling Clary's face. Her sister might believe her about her not knowing what Valentine was talking about, but Clary was still upset that she hadn't been told about Jace not being their brother.
"Explain," Clary snapped at Valentine, stepping forward. She reminded Everest of a lion, hair curling around her face like a mane and body tense but graceful at the same time.
Valentine's gaze shifted between the three of them again, staying on Clary longer than before but still ending on Everest. Her nails dug into her upper arms.
"Before Everest and Jace left the ship, I took a sample of Everest's blood."
"Why?" Jace interrupted.
Valentine sighed slightly, as if exasperated by the interruption. "She was in the kitchen looking for something to eat when she opened a cabinet that had granola bars on the shelf."
"So?"
"There were never granola bars on the ship."
Jace rolled his eyes. "So? Someone could have brought them on board and you didn't notice."
"She looked in that cabinet before and there were none the first time."
Clary shot a look at Everest, who felt just as confused as her twin looked. That felt like a random reason for taking Everest's blood, even to Everest who had been there and was at least somewhat used to random, bad reasons.
"What does this have to do with you claiming I don't just have angel blood?" Everest asked, stepping forward so that she, Jace, and Clary were in a line, most likely blocking off the guards' view of Valentine. Oh well. The guards could just deal with it.
Valentine smirked slightly. "I got the results just before we met at the coffee shop. You have traces of demon blood in your blood."
Everest's grip got tighter as her breathing became harsher. There was no way. Why should she believe him? He lied about Jace having demon blood, about Jace being her biological brother. Why would she believe him when he said that she had demon blood?
"Why should I believe you?" she demanded.
"Have you noticed anything strange happen to you that doesn't happen to anyone around you, even your sister?" he asked in a smooth voice that reminded Everest that he had once convinced an army to fight for him before he was twenty-five.
She wanted to say no, wanted to deny it. But she hesitated.
Weird things had happened. Valentine, Iris, and even Ragnor's wards had affected her when her friends all seemed fine. She had been able to see Ragnor's warlock marks when even Magnus couldn't. She had apparently wished granola bars into existence. But that didn't mean she had demon blood.
"Let's say I believe you. How would I have demon blood but not Clary?"
"Simple. Your body either absorbed the trace amounts left in Jocelyn's body before Clary's body did or you both absorbed the trace amounts and your angel blood didn't burn it out like Clary's did."
Everest didn't think that was simple at all.
"What's to say I don't have demon blood too then? What's to say my angel blood burned out the demon blood?" Clary challenged.
"You never reacted to anything like Everest has. And none of your blood that I've tested has shown any signs of demon blood."
Clary gasped for the umpteenth time that hour and Jace, who had previously been standing in a silent storm of too calm fury, snapped back to reality with a growl deep in his throat.
"You've tested my sister's blood?" Everest shouted, furiously. Her hands flew down to her sides, clenched into fists. "How dare you? At least I knew it happened. She had no clue!"
"It was necessary to know if she had the same abilities as you," Valentine said, never once breaking his calm facade.
What abilities?
"Necessary my ass," Everest snarled. She stalked forward and leaned close enough to Valentine that she could see the faint shine of sweat on his brow. Clary and Jace didn't try to stop her. When she spoke again, her voice was low and deadly. "Don't you fucking dare mess with my siblings or loved ones again, understand? Don't mess with their blood, don't even test it. If you hurt them again, I will beat you so far into the ground that not even the best trackers in the ShadowWorld would be able to find you. I have to deal with you for a while longer, at least until we get Izzy back, so if I were you, I wouldn't push my patience or your luck. Because if you do, you might not make it to your permanent cell, do you understand me?"
Valentine smirked again, though she could see the hesitation in it with how close she was. "Loud and clear." His words were mocking, but the wariness in his eyes was not.
"I'm done here," Everest snapped, standing up straight and stalking out of the cell.
Clary and Jace didn't follow right away, frozen in place. But once Everest was out of the cell and storming down the hallway, they snapped out of it and scurried after her.
"Everest!" Jace called out. "Everest come on, talk to us."
She whirled around at the end of the hallway. "What's there to talk about Jace? I didn't beat him up. What more do you want?"
"How about to talk about the fact that Jace isn't related to us? Why didn't you say anything?" Clary snapped, her anger having apparently broken free of her dazed shock.
"Because Jace didn't want me to tell you," Everest revealed. "And it's only been a day or two, Clary. It's not like it's been a year."
"What about the demon blood? Are we just going to ignore that?" Jace interjected.
"Yes." Everest's shoulders started to cramp from how tight they were set.
"No." Clary's gaze was furious, but determined. "We're going to talk about it."
"No we're not," Everest said firmly, even though her throat burned. "Not right now. Not for a long time. Hopefully not ever. And most certainly not while I'm on the verge of breaking something. Now back the fuck off and let me be!"
Everest whirled around again and stormed up the stairs, ignoring the elevator. She went up and up and up until she reached the bedroom floor. She passed Alec's room, then hers, and continued until she got to Izzy's. She didn't slam the door behind her, though it was a near thing, and stumbled in, all her strength leaving her as soon as she was alone in a safe and familiar environment.
Trigger Warning: Breakdown
She crumpled to the floor, knees first, eyes and throat burning as she let out a gut wrenching scream. Her hands gripped painfully at her hair and her chest heaved. Tears fell down her face and she sobbed. She sobbed loudly and violently, each one tearing at her lungs and throat.
She wasn't human, not like her sister and so many of her friends were. She was different from everyone around her, again. But this time it wasn't like in elementary school where she was the only one in her grade to have colored hair and have four parental figures. It wasn't like in middle school when she had a hobby no one she knew had. It wasn't like high school when she was dealing with a unique collection of problems that no one she knew was dealing with, much less that anyone knew she was going through those things. It wasn't like when she entered the ShadowWorld and she had no idea what was happening when so many around her knew exactly how everything worked. It wasn't like when she discovered who her father was, that she was the daughter of one of the most wanted and hated men in the ShadowWorld. Now it was more serious, more dangerous. She had demon blood running through her veins, no matter how small an amount Valentine said it was. She wasn't normal, even in a world full of angels and demons and everything in between.
She didn't want it to be true, didn't want there to be another thing that separated her from those around her. Valentine lied, she knew this. He had lied about Jace having demon blood before, but there was something in Valentine's expression that made her hesitate before declaring that he was once again lying. There was something more genuine, more shocked and wary in his eyes than when he had lied about Jace's blood. When he had told them that Jace had demon blood, he had looked as smug and confident as can be then. Now, when he had told them that Everest had demon blood, there was a slight hesitancy and lingering surprise in his eyes, despite his smug smirk. It made her wonder if he hadn't expected her blood tests to show what they supposedly had.
Breakdown trigger warning over
Mentions of death trigger warning continued
"Fuck," she said on a frustrated exhale. She sat back and stretched her legs out, carefully untangling her hands from her hair. She took several deep breaths before she stood up, using Izzy's bed for support. She wiped away any remnants of her tears and then grabbed her phone from where it had fallen from her pocket.
Sunny:
Shit's hit the fan since you left. Like it's bad.
Everyone's on edge and freaked out and no one knows what to do.
Jace isn't related to me and Clary which is good for him and Clary. You know, besides the fact that Clary and Simon are dating
There's a Greater Demon on the loose named Azazel, which you probably know since he's probably the one that has you
We're summoning him later to get you back
Oh. And I have demon blood apparently. It's not a lot according to Valentine, but it's still there.
Please be safe, Dusk. Please. I'm begging you.
I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't think I'd make it, I really don't.
Please come home if you can. Please come home soon. I need you. We all need you.
Please.
Everest sighed as she looked around the room, at the things that made Izzy's room so unique and Izzy. She didn't know anyone else whose room could be black and pink and full of clutter but still look tasteful. She ran her finger along the edge of the picture frame on Izzy's vanity. They were thirteen in the picture, lying on an old merry go round with their hands laced and heads tilted towards each other. Their hair, black and dark green that blended into neon green respectively, was twined together in an artful way that made it look natural. To anyone who didn't know them, and even to some who did, it would have looked like they were dating.
She smiled sadly at the picture, swallowing back the lump in her throat and blinking away tears. Where are you Izzy?
...
Everest followed Jace outside with her arms crossed and face blank. She couldn't let her emotions mess with her head, not now, not when they were going to summon Azazel and bargain for Izzy.
"Security cameras in the cell are down. I got the guards to leave by telling them that I'd watch him. We have half an hour until the Inquisitor's done with her meeting," Jace announced as they entered the courtyard where Alec and Magnus were waiting with a muzzled Valentine and a pentagram.
"Is Clary ready?" Alec asked. Everest avoided looking at him and Magnus. If she did, her resolve might crumble. She couldn't handle that, not now.
Jace nodded. "Let's do this."
She and Jace took their places on the pentagram and a stillness settled on them.
"I call upon the power of the pentagram. Azazel, I summon thee. From within our realm, into this mystical confinement, I summon thee. You seek the Mortal Cup, we seek the return of our friend. For this exchange, I summon thee." With every line Magnus said, powerful and in his element, he made a gesture and another line of the pentagram lit up fiery orange. With his final words, a crackling boom echoed through the courtyard. Everest blinked and when her gaze refocused, a man in a very nice suit was in the center of the pentagram.
The man, Azazel, turned to face Magnus slowly. "Well, if it isn't Magnus Bane. Brave move." His voice was low and gravely, yet smooth.
Azazel took a step towards Magnus, but Magnus threw his hands out and stopped him in his tracks.
"Return Isabelle Lightwood, and we'll hand over Valentine. He can lead you to the Mortal Cup," Magnus said.
Azazel turned to Valentine, who watched him with calculating eyes. "Valentine Morgenstern. The man who dares to dream big. It is a tempting offer, but I don't have your friend Isabelle."
"He's lying," Alec said firmly.
"I'm not so sure," Jace said quietly.
Azazel looked down at the pentagram with a faint smirk on his face. Everest didn't like it. There was something in his calm expression, despite being trapped in a pentagram, that made her nervous. But she didn't have magic and she didn't know nearly enough about pentagrams or Greater Demons to know if Azazel could escape. All she could do is watch Azazel carefully and trust Magnus.
"No time for a debate. The barrier's weakening," Magnus ground out.
Everest swore internally.
Magnus threw a fireball at Azazel to keep him from escaping for at least a little longer and allow him to put more energy into the barrier.
"We can still find Isabelle, but we can't let Azazel get away," Jace said.
Everest thought that was obvious.
"Clary now!" Jace shouted.
Clary power walked out from behind a few statues, drawing her sunlight rune and throwing her hand out. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing happened.
"It's—it's not working!" Clary said, panicked.
Azazel's smile grew wicked, eyes sharpening dangerously.
"What are you talking about?" Jace demanded.
"Nothing's happening!"
Azazel's form flickered between the aristocratic businessman look and a burnt blob that she thought might be his actual form.
"You thought you could contain me?" the Greater Demon snarled. His eyes turned pitch black and his tone darkened so much she could barely make out his words.
Trigger Warning: Extreme pain, weapons
He brought his arms down in an arc and a burst of bright light burst from his hands, blasting them all back. She landed on her side and just as she was about to get up, her head filled with a high-pitched ringing. Her head throbbed and stung, as if it was exploding from the inside out. She couldn't help the scream that escaped her.
"Jace!" Clary shrieked.
"Magnus! Stop him!" Alec begged.
Everest shrieked and tried to squirm away when Azazel approached her.
"You're one interesting Shadowhunter," he said in a low voice that she only barely managed to hear. "Valentine's wondered all about you, you know. He had big plans once he found out he had a second daughter. But then you had to be too much like your sister for his plans to work out."
"Good," she managed to spit out.
Azazel rolled his eyes and walked away towards Valentine and her head started throbbing more.
"Jace!" Clary screamed again.
The ringing got louder and louder until it stopped. She propped herself up on her elbow shakily. Jace was standing, seraph blade in hand and Iratze glowing golden on his arm, and swinging towards Azazel. But before he could hit the Greater Demon, Azazel disappeared into a swarm of bats. Jace's sword hit the ground with a clang.
Extreme pain and weapons trigger warning over
Mentions of death trigger warning continued
"How did you do that?" Alec asked between pants.
"I have no idea," Jace revealed. "It doesn't matter. He got away."
Jace went over to help Clary up. Everest and Alec got to their feet. All it took was the two of them sharing a look before they hurried over to Magnus, who was still on the ground.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Everest asked as the two of them helped their boyfriend up.
"I...I think so," Magnus said slowly. His brows were furrowed and he wasn't meeting either Alec or Everest's eyes.
"Okay, good," Alec said, still looking slightly stunned about what had just happened.
The three of them walked out of the courtyard and back into the Institute. Everest let her hand stay in the crook of Magnus's elbow since he seemed a little wobbly. Alec's hand was resting on the small of Magnus's back as they walked.
"I'm fine, just a little tired. Nothing a good night sleep can't fix," Magnus assured them, stepping away from them.
Everest did her best not to feel hurt. They had been through a lot, and he was entitled to space. Even if Everest was needing physical contact to keep her grounded so she didn't break down again. It was fine. She could deal with it.
"We can go home with you if you'd like," Alec offered.
"No. No, it's okay. I'll call you tomorrow."
Magnus started walking away and Everest let out a shaky sigh, shaking out her hands and rocking slightly.
"Are you okay?" Alec asked. He was looking at her with so much concern that her heart simultaneously filled with love and shattered.
She shrugged. "I've been better but I've been worse. It's a lot and after what Valentine said I just—" She let out a frustrated huff. Her hands, frozen in tense gestures, were digging into her thighs. "I just—I need—I don't know."
Alec held his arms out and she didn't hesitate in accepting the hug. She buried her face in his chest and held him tightly. His arms wrapped around her and one hand rubbed circles into her back. Her eyes stung but she didn't cry. She didn't know if she could handle crying again right now.
"How can I help?" he asked soothingly.
She shrugged slightly. "I just need hugs right now I think," she said quietly.
"I can do that."
She forced herself to mentally count five things she could see, four things she could hear, and so forth, then slowed her breathing further by matching it to Alec's. She was as calmed down as she thought she was going to get when Alec's phone rang.
She lifted her head up slightly as Alec fumbled for the device. She grabbed it from his pocket easily and passed it to him. He smiled gratefully as he answered the call.
"Izzy!" he burst out.
Everest's head shot up and Alec put the phone on speaker so she could hear as well. She shifted so that she was only mostly pressed against him.
"I'm okay," Izzy was quick to say. Suddenly Everest's world was looking up, suddenly there wasn't the weight of the world on her shoulders. "Look, I know I shouldn't have snuck out."
Alec let out a single, relieved chuckle. "It doesn't matter. You're—you're alive."
Everest was too stunned, too relieved, too overwhelmed to speak.
"Of course I'm alive." Izzy sounded almost offended.
"No, there was a Greater Demon attack. I just—"
Izzy cut Alec off. "I'm so sorry. I should have called you, but I figured you'd be so angry with me and—"
"Izzy, I'm not angry. I just want you home. Safe."
"I'm safe. I promise. And I'm in a good place. I'm getting better. But I can't come home. Not now."
Alec shuffled the two of them into a corner so that there were less people rushing around them. "If It was something I said, I just want you to know I just..."
"No, no, it's not you. You've been great. This is just a battle I need to fight on my own." She paused and Alec looked at Everest as if asking if she wanted to say something. She shrugged with wide eyes. She couldn't make herself speak. She wanted to, she wanted to tell Izzy she wasn't mad and that she loved her, but she couldn't. Everything was just too much for her to talk on the phone. "I love you Alec."
Alec smiled fondly. "I love you too. And Everest loves you too. She's not mad at you either."
Everest squeezed his hand gratefully.
"Everest's with you?" Everest wasn't sure if it was excitement, love, or fear in Izzy's voice. She hoped it was one of the former.
"Yeah she's here. She's just...having a day, you know. Things have been a lot recently."
Izzy sighed. "Yeah. I got her texts. Everest?"
Everest managed a faint noise.
"I love you, Sunny, and I always will. It'll get better, I know it will. And when I get home we're going to be having a long girls' night with movies, ice cream, Skittles, and a whole lot of catching up, got it?" Izzy paused again. "I want you to remember that you'd make it without me. You have Alec, Magnus, Clary, Jace, Simon, the Karters, and so many others that'd be there for you even if I wasn't. You would make it. I promise. But you don't have to worry about that because I'm going to be home soon. You'll see me before you know it."
She smiled at the phone as she grabbed her own.
Sunny:
Thanks Dusk. Love you lots
"Love you lots too Sunny. Stay safe, both of you. I'll be home soon."
"See you soon then. Bye."
Alec smiled brightly as he pocketed his phone. He swept Everest in a bone crushing hold and spun her around in a circle.
"She's coming home!"
Everest beamed up at him as best she could and tilted her head up for a kiss. He obliged and for a moment everything felt right in the world.
...
"Thanks," Everest said as a Shadowhunter she didn't know passed her an update card as he passed.
She made her way to Jace and Alec, who were standing at one of the central tables in the Ops Center.
"Looks like Azazel's heading south," Alec announced. "We've just recovered four dead mundanes with his signature MO."
She passed the card to Jace and zipped up the pockets of her navy bomber jacket. She took a sanity saving sip of coffee. It had been far too many days of her not sleeping more than three hours for her to be functioning at eight in the morning. Or for her to be allowed at the stove. But it was fine, they had leftovers and microwave meals to make up for Noah having to spend the morning fixing the stove. Apparently three sleep deprived Shadowhunters had less collective common sense than Everest had when she was a little kid.
"Joy," she grumbled. "At least his victims are easy to track."
"Okay, let's go," Jace said. Of course, it was right as the Inquisitor walked up in all of her impossibly professional, immovable hair glory.
"To catch a Greater Demon you summoned to the Institute, denying all protocol and common sense?" the woman asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Everest couldn't help it. She tried to resist, but she couldn't. She snickered.
More than three sets of eyes shot to her, mostly in alarm, but Jace was looking at her like she had just told him she put his dark green socks in the dryer and the Inquisitor was looking at her like she had when Everest had corrected her the other day.
"I'm sorry," she said, the shaking in her voice betraying her amusement. She gestured to the Inquisitor, ignoring all protocol and common sense. "I probably shouldn't be saying this, or find what you said funny, but I do. And I'm sorry. Please continue."
Several of the nearby Shadowhunters that knew her a little better (mostly from coffee runs and frantic meals) rolled their eyes when they realized she wasn't going to die just then while others gawked at her. Jace shot her a betrayed look that screamed "Shut up right now before I kidnap your computer". Alec looked amused but slightly exasperated. The Inquisitor narrowed her eyes, but somehow it didn't seem as harsh as it might have if the look was directed at most anyone else. Maybe it was because Everest found the Inquisitor to be very impressive and amusing, or maybe the Inquisitor just didn't hate her. She really had no idea. But she wasn't mad about it.
"Don't pin this all on Jace," Alec interjected, bringing the conversation back on track. "We had parts in this too."
"Look, if you want to bench your best fighter with a Greater Demon on the loose, I'm happy to oblige." Everest knew Jace would be sneaking out as soon as anyone's back was turned. Alec knew it too.
"No. First we vanquish Azazel." Jace's lips turned upwards into a faint smirk. "Then I'll deal with you." His smirk disappeared quicker than common sense in America's government.
The Inquisitor walked away and as soon as she was out of sight, Everest turned to the other two.
"Again, won't lie, I like her."
"We know, Purple." Jace rolled his eyes. "We know you have a thing for people with power."
"Even if we all have our things, the Inquisitor is a little old for my taste. Lydia was more up my alley. Like, come on, you gotta admit. She was pretty hot. And she was smart. Ugh, love it. You know, besides everything that went down when I thought she was a bitch."
Jace gagged exaggeratedly and Alec's nose wrinkled.
"You and Izzy really are made for each other," Alec muttered.
"Are we going to ignore the fact that you just called Lydia Branwell hot?" Jace asked, looking between the two of them in shock.
"I mean, we can talk about it if you want Jace," Everest offered, leaning forward on the table with a smug smile. "Like, I'd genuinely be down. I could talk about hot women all day. And Alec and Magnus of course, but, you know, hot women. Love you Alec."
"Love you too Everest." Alec sounded impossibly amused.
"By the Angel, how did anyone ever think you were straight?" Jace muttered, rubbing a hand down his face.
"I have no clue," Everest answered honestly. "No clue at all."
...
"Azazel's attacks go as far south as the meat-packing district then the trail runs cold," Alec announced once Jace had found Clary and dragged her to the Ops Center.
"It's no use just tracking the dead bodies. With his ability to dematerialize he could be anywhere," Jace said.
Alec collapsed the hologram of the city with a frustrated exhale. Everest frowned from where she stood between Jace and Alec. They needed an effective way to track and find him without drawing attention to themselves but she didn't think they had any idea of what to do. They didn't have anything of his to track, they never got close enough to attach anything to him to track, and he could disappear in seconds.
"Maybe we could help," a familiar voice said.
Everest's head shot up and she stared at the new arrivals, a gasp escaping her. Izzy approached with a smile, dressed in her usual hunting gear and a new studded leather jacket that Everest would be borrowing as soon as possible, skin once more glowing and hands no longer shaking. Beside her was a guy with blonde hair and pale skin dressed in jeans, a dark grey thermal, and one of those jackets that looks like a leather jacket but is made out of softer material.
Jace and Alec stared in utter shock at the sight of their sister, though Alec less so than Jace. Jace looked ready to pass out. Everest knew she probably looked similar. Even though Izzy had said she was coming home soon, Everest hadn't thought it would be within a day of the phone call.
"Izzy! We've been so worried about you," Clary said softly, hugging Izzy tightly. "Where have you been?"
Izzy glanced at Alec and Everest then back at Clary. "Looking for Azazel." For the millionth time in Everest's life, she was impressed by Izzy's ability to lie. Izzy gestured at her companion. "This is Sebastian Verlac, from the London Institute. When the demon came after me, Sebastian saved my life."
"Oh, I simply lent a hand," he said, smiling bashfully.
Everest regarded Sebastian with a new appreciation. If he had saved Izzy from Azazel (because she was sure Azazel had actually attacked Izzy based on the alleyway they had looked at), then he had to be a vaguely good person. At least to the point of being willing to put his life at risk and defend a stranger from a Greater Demon.
"Sebastian's an expert on all things Azazel," Izzy added, forcing him into the spotlight once more. It was a tactic she used on Everest frequently.
"When I studied abroad at the Paris Institute, I specialized in Greater Demons," Sebastian elaborated.
Everest hummed and set her coffee down so that she could go around the table and hug Izzy, finally having oriented herself enough to do so. Clary kindly stepped to the side so that Everest could smother her best friend in affection.
"Bitch don't you dare do that to me again," she grumbled. Her hands gripped the back of Izzy's jacket tightly and Izzy's arms wrapped around Everest's torso.
"Bitch I didn't plan on it happening this time," Izzy muttered.
"Look how that turned out," Everest said bitterly, though she wasn't mad at Izzy.
Izzy's breath tickled her ear as she leaned in closer to whisper even quieter. "What if we had our Parabatai ceremony soon so that we can track each other if something like this happens again?"
"Fuck yes," Everest whispered back.
They parted with matching grins that made Clary, Jace, and Alec roll their eyes.
"No murdering," Jace chided.
"We know," they responded together.
He scoffed.
Alec rolled his eyes again and shook hands with Sebastian. "Thanks for saving my sister. I'm Alec."
"Hey. Yeah, thank you. I'm Jace." Jace and Sebastian shook hands.
"The great warrior in the flesh. Your reputation precedes you." Jace looked moderately worried for a brief moment. "As do yours. You must be Clary and Everest, Valentine's daughters."
Clary shook Sebastian's hand and Everest just waved at him since she and Izzy were still wrapped around each other.
"Yeah. Don't hold it against us," Clary said, chuckling bitterly.
"We don't choose our parents," Sebastian said, with just enough of an edge to his words that made Everest wonder what his story was.
"Do you know who's who?" Everest asked. She didn't bother to hide her amusement when his gaze switched between them several times.
"I'd like to say yes, but I don't think I do," he admitted.
Everest, Clary, and Izzy laughed quietly.
"At least you know we're sisters. These guys didn't even know that for the longest time." Clary jerked a thumb at Jace and Alec with a grin.
"Shut up," Jace grumbled. He pointed at Clary. "That's Clary. She's the redhead and Everest has purple hair. That's the easiest way to tell them apart. But other than that, Everest always has coffee and Clary only does sometimes, Clary does art while Everest writes, and if someone in the Institute is talking about a chaos gremlin that haunts the Institute at night, that's Everest."
"What?" Everest stared at Jace, mouth open and wide eyes. "I'm a chaos gremlin that haunts the Institute at night?"
"Yeah..."
She cheered, pumping a fist in the air victoriously. "I win at life," she cheered.
Clary and Izzy laughed, Jace and Alec smiled fondly, and Sebastian watched confusedly.
"She's chaos and it's her life mission to get a reputation for being chaotic," Clary explained.
He nodded, only looking like he half understood.
"So tell us about Azazel," Jace said, returning the conversation back to its original line of thought. "How do we take him down?"
"The only way to banish him is to puncture his demonic core. In corporeal form, it's between the T8 and T9 vertebrae. But it's not that simple. The core is about the size of a pea," Sebastian told them.
"That means the entry point is just below the sternum," Everest said. Sebastian nodded in confirmation.
"If I can get close enough, I can kill him," Jace said confidently.
Sebastian was quick to rebut him. "You wouldn't have enough velocity, and even if you did, the defeat is only temporary. The nasty buggers always find a way to break out of their realm and come back."
"He could also dematerialize before you get that close," Everest reminded him.
Alec closed his eyes briefly in what looked like exasperation. "Thank you for the intel. We'll take it from here."
"If I can, I'd like to help," Sebastian said.
"We appreciate that, but you don't have clearance to go on a mission. Not at this Institute."
As much as Everest was sort of impressed and warming up to Sebsatian, she was more impressed by Alec standing his ground and not letting another person who wasn't from the New York Institute push him around.
Izzy scoffed. "Alec, you can't be serious."
Alec just raised his eyebrows.
"Hey, Alec. Look." Jace turned Alec towards him. "He clearly knows more about Azazel than we do. We could use all the help we can get."
"Now, as far as tracking is concerned, we should really think about—" Sebastian was cut off by Alec.
"We have a very capable warlock for that. You do what you want. I'm going to work with Magnus."
Everest met Alec's gaze for as long as she could manage. "I'll go with you. Just let me make sure no one's going to die while we're gone and I'll be right there." She shot a pointed look at Jace and Clary, who rolled their eyes.
He nodded and walked off. Izzy sighed and untangled herself from Everest. "I'll be back in a second. I need to talk to him."
Everest gave them a few seconds to get out of earshot before she groaned. "Fucking hellborne bastardized demon always ruining shit," she grumbled.
"I don't think I've ever heard you curse like that," Jace mused.
"I will curse you out faster than I got the tattoo artist to let me do your tattoo, don't test me," she warned.
Jace stepped back, hands raised in surrender.
"Woah. Breathe. Coffee." Clary shoved Everest's coffee into her hands and forced her to take a drink. "Better?"
"Ish. Thanks."
Clary smiled softly and nudged her shoulder. "Welcome. What's bugging you?"
"This demon is messing up so many things in our lives and I'm tired of it," Everest admitted.
Clary wrapped an arm around Everest's shoulders with a comforting smile. "He'll be taken care of soon and then our lives can go back to normal."
Everest snorted. "Ritz, let's be real. Our lives have never been truly normal."
Clary snorted too and glanced over her shoulder at Alec. "You better go with Alec before he comes looking for you."
"See you guys," Everest said, waving, as she approached Alec.
"We need to call Magnus, tell him what's happening," he said immediately.
She laced their hands together and pulled out her phone. "On it."
She grabbed her phone and scrolled until she found Magnus's contact. She put the call on speaker but kept the volume low.
"Hey Everest," Magnus greeted when he finally picked up.
"Hey, look, I know you had a rough night, but, um, I need your help tracking Azazel," she said as she and Alec walked through the Ops Center.
"I wish I could help, but I'm busy with a client."
Everest frowned. Why was Magnus talking like that? His words were clipped and rushed and had no cadence to them whatsoever. But at the same time he sounded hesitant and reluctant. She glanced up at Alec to see if he noticed it too. He was frowning down at the phone.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "You sound off."
"I had a rough night." He sounded defensive now. "Look, I need to get back to my client. If you need a warlock, call Dorothea."
With that, he hung up.
"He never calls Dot by her full name unless something's wrong," Everest said as she pocketed her phone. "And he never talks like that."
"And that's why we're going over there right now."
"I'm down."
...
"Magnus! You there?" Alec called, knocking on the apartment door once more.
Magnus opened the door halfway. He stayed mostly behind the door, his eyebrows furrowed and suspiciously eyeliner-less eyes darting around warily. "Hello."
"What's going on?" Alec asked, offering the man a smile.
"Nothing. Why?"
Magnus was still talking in that clipped and hesitant voice that made alarm bells chime loudly in her head.
"It's just," Everest and Alec walked into the apartment, "you were acting strange on the phone just now. Terse."
"I told you, I'm busy."
Alec shut the door behind them. "Right. It's just, uhh...you've never refused us help when we need it, and I just...Magnus, what's wrong? Hey, talk to us."
Alec reached up to cup Magnus's face and Everest grabbed his hand gently. Magnus blinked, staring at them like they were insane. Then he was thrown from their grasp and tossed to the ground. Everest and Alec snapped to attention. Azazel was standing casually in Magnus's living room. Everest regretted not checking the room earlier.
Trigger Warning: Weapons, fighting
"I thought I told you to get rid of them?" the Greater Demon snarled.
Alec grabbed his bow, shaking its glamour off, and Everest aimed her gun at him.
"Don't!" Magnus shouted.
"We got this," Everest assured him.
There was a rush of air and then the two of them were flying backwards. But, like Alec had taught her, she twisted gracefully and pulled the trigger. The bullet soared through the room alongside Alec's arrow. The arrow landed between his ribs and the bullet hit just below it. Azazel let out a roaring scream and disintegrated into a cloud black sand. When Everest landed on the ground, the Greater Demon was gone.
"No, no, no," Magnus muttered as they all scrambled forward towards where Azazel had been. All that was left was a small pile of dark ash.
Weapons and fighting trigger warnings over
Mentions of death trigger warning continued
Alec and Everest landed on either side of Magnus, hands on his arms and back to support him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Fine," Magnus said shortly, breathing heavily.
"Why'd you tell us to stop?" Alec asked.
Magus shook his head. "I was afraid something terrible would happen. Something that couldn't be undone."
"Hey. You're okay." Alec and Everest pulled Magnus into a hug, each repeating the words a few times.
If he's not dead, he's gonna wish he was, she vowed to herself, rubbing Magnus's back soothingly. One look at Alec said he was having similar thoughts.
Later, after making sure that Magnus was alright, Alec and Everest stormed through the Institute towards the cells. Valentine had better answer their questions or she wouldn't be held responsible for what happened.
"Everest," a cool voice interrupted her rampaging thoughts.
They stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face the Inquisitor.
"Yes?" she said, shoving away her angry thoughts for now.
"The Clave wants you and your abilities tested alongside Jace and Clary's," she explained with a blank expression.
"When?"
"Now."
Everest blinked, startled, and looked at Alec. He had managed to school his expression of any murderous intent faster than she had. Show off. He nodded encouragingly.
She shrugged. "Okay then."
"Good. Let's go."
Everest gave Alec a helpless look as she followed the intense woman.
"Everest is here to join you," the Inquisitor announced once they reached the courtyard where they had attempted to trap Azazel.
Clary and Jace were waiting in the middle of the concrete area, each with a blade beside them. They scrambled up when they heard the Inquisitor's distinct footsteps.
Trigger Warning: Sparring, weapons
"Hope you can keep up Purple," Jace quipped. He tossed her a seraph blade.
Everest caught it easily, tossing her jacket to the sidelines. "Don't doubt me, Dye Blonde. We saw how that worked out on the ship."
And with that, they were off. The three of them exchanged blows, dodging and blocking for each strike they landed. They danced across the courtyard, none of them teaming up on the other in a show of massive self control. Had the Inquisitor not been watching, they would have been ganging up on each other left and right, alliances shifting with every blow.
Jace glanced behind him at the Inquisitor and smirked when he looked back at the twins. "Think if she ever smiled, her face would crack?"
"Don't be so hard on her. Can't be easy being a Herondale," Clary said.
They backed up towards the far end of the courtyard so that the Inquisitor couldn't hear their conversation. Hopefully.
Clary took a swipe at both of their knees and Everest jumped over it while Jace blocked it. Jace whirled once he shoved Clary's blade away from him to take a strike at Everest. She blocked it and spun away behind Clary.
"Oh, yeah? You know, it must be hard being Shadowhunter royalty. All that power, that prestige," Everest snipped.
Their blades clashed in deafening clangs that echoed through the air. Jace trapped Clay's blade on the ground, and Everest slammed hers down, pinning both of them.
"From what Luke said, she was a very warm person before her son died," Clary said.
"Oh, I have no doubt," Jace snarked.
Everest saw his foot twitch and yanked her sword up just as Jace kicked at the stack of blades. Clary's blade went flying and Jace swiped at her face. Clary leaned backwards to dodge it. Clary walked backwards to pick up her sword, only breaking eye contact with Jace to watch Everest.
Jace's eyes and agility rune glowed golden and he ran forward, flipping into the air. Everest grinned as he and Clary landed face to face. Now it was getting interesting. Jace smirked as the Inquisitor approached. He flipped over the Inquisitor, landing in front of Everest but she was ready. She brought her blade up as he brought his down, blocking the blow. They exchanged blows as they stepped in a careful circle.
"Wanna concede?" he asked with a smirk.
She returned the smirk. "Not a chance."
"Your mistake."
"We'll see."
His seraph blade arched down towards her too quickly for her to bring her own up. So, Everest rolled to the right and shot up like she hadn't been on the ground a second ago. She swiped at him but he blocked it. There was no way she could win this fight if she kept going like this. Jace was stronger than Everest was, and he had more traditional Shadowhunter training. However, she was smaller, more agile, and she had an advantage that Jace didn't: eighteen years of superhero movies and comics.
She spun on her left foot, extending her right and hooking it around his neck. She used the momentum to pull the rest of her up onto his shoulders. He shook and flailed in an attempt to throw her off, but she held tight. She threw her weight to the right and they rolled to the ground. Jace tried to throw his weight on top of her, but he was too late. Her blade was already at his throat and he was pinned to the ground, her knee digging into his solar plexus. He gasped quietly as the wind was knocked out of him. His hand tapped the ground three times after another moment or two.
Sparring and weapons trigger warning over
Mentions of death trigger warning continued
She helped him up with a smirk. "Still cocky as can be, Dye Blonde?"
"I'll get you next time, Purple," Jace warned, though his voice was light and teasing.
She chuckled. "Sure you will."
When she and Jace faced Imogen once more, this time sweaty and smirking like they ruled the world, the woman nodded in what seemed like approval before handing a stele to Clary.
"Sun rune. Try again."
Clary tossed her weapon to Jace, who caught it easily, and drew the rune on her hand. Nothing happened.
"So you've created new runes in the past, and now suddenly they don't work anymore." The Inquisitor sounded less than impressed.
Jace's eyes sharpened. "What are you saying? She's lying?"
"She's Valentine's daughter," the Inquisitor said as if it answered the question. Granted, it did answer a lot of questions in the ShadowWorld, but not what Jace was asking.
"We're done for today," Jace snapped. He turned on his heel and walked away.
Everest stayed put.
"You're right. She is Valentine's daughter. But so am I. And I guess I don't understand why I'm here. Clary can create new runes, I've watched her do it. Jace can activate his runes without a stele, we've all seen it. But I can't do anything special besides be far too sensitive to certain wards," Everest snapped.
"You may not be able to make new runes or activate your runes without a stele, but your capabilities are far beyond a normal Shadowhunter's," the Inquisitor said with a blank mask on her face. "You move far quicker and with more strength than your peers. You realize things quicker than most, and you learn quicker than any Shadowhunter I have ever met. You are far from a normal Shadowhunter."
If Everest wasn't so pissed at the woman for calling Clary a liar and indirectly insulting Everest's Shadowhunter friends, she would have been pleased at the somewhat backhanded compliment. As it was, she clenched her fists and shook her head.
"I'm going for a walk before I do something I regret," she said sharply before storming away, only pausing briefly to grab her jacket and gun from where she had left them.
She went around the side of the Institute to avoid any interaction and headed off for Central Park. She took all the back roads she knew to avoid bumping into people, especially people she knew. She managed to get into the park without too much interaction.
She strolled through the park, fingers tapping along to the song blaring through her headphones. She sighed. So what if she could learn to fight faster than other people? So what if she was supposedly faster than others? It didn't mean anything if her demon blood overpowered her angel blood and messed her up beyond repair.
"Ahh! Everest! Mi chica!" a familiar voice called out.
She turned to see not only Rosa Santiago, but Izzy and Simon as well. She smiled as she approached, despite her confusion. Why were her friends at Central Park with Raphael's sister?
"Rosa! Cómo estás?" she asked, stopping in front of the woman who she had come to care for over the years.
"I'm good. You?" Rosa smiled kindly at her, so similar to Raphael's smile.
"I'm good as well." She turned to her friends with a vaguely stressed look. "What are you two doing with Rosa?"
"Not my fault," Simon said immediately. Izzy rolled her eyes at him and turned to Everest.
"Raphael has been messing with Simon. We're just going to show him that if he can get to Simon, Simon can get to Rosa," she explained. "We're not going to hurt her or anything. Just take a picture and send it to Raphael. I promise that she'll be fine."
Everest took a deep breath. "Okay. Fine. But if you hurt her, I won't be able to stop Raphael from doing his best to kill you both."
"We know," Simon said, putting a hand on Everest's shoulder.
She gave him a smile before turning back to Rosa. "I've got to go, Rosa, but I'll see you on Sunday."
Rosa looked up at her with a sly grin. "Would you mind bringing me a good bottle of scotch? There's nothing in the home."
Everest laughed. "You know you can't drink anymore."
Rosa sighed dramatically and looked up at her through enviously thick lashes. "Can't you bend the rules for me this once?"
She laughed again, placing a hand on Rosa's shoulder. "I would, you know that. But I'm not you and the others at the home. I have a healthy fear of Annie and I would rather not be yelled at by her again. Once was enough to make me rather face a hoard of demons."
Rosa laughed and hugged Everest for a moment. "One day I will convince you and Raphael to sit down and play charades or Pictionary with us and you'll see that she's not that scary."
"Maybe one day," Everest agreed, though she was sure that it would be a long time before either of them agreed to do that. "For now I have to go work on some things, but I'll see you Sunday."
"See you Sunday," Rosa echoed.
"How do you know her?" Simon asked in a whisper as he fell into step beside her.
"Raphael took me to meet her when I was younger. I've visited her every Sunday I can ever since then."
"You know, your constant disappearances make a lot more sense now that I know about what I think is all of your friends and that most of them are part of this world."
Everest snorted and shrugged. "Eh, most of my life makes more sense now that I know about this world."
"Touche."
"See you later."
"See you."
She waved goodbye and continued on her walk. Once her brain stopped rampaging she'd go back to the Institute and work on Shadowed Spotlights, at least for a little bit. She hadn't written in a long time and it was bugging her. Scenes and dialogue wouldn't stop nagging at her, showing up in her head at the least opportune times—like when she had been on her way to Magnus's.
She sighed as she rounded a corner and pulled out her phone. She opened her voice memo app and started talking. It wouldn't do to forget the details, even if it meant having the people around her looking at her like she was ridiculous for talking to her phone when it obviously wasn't on a phone call.