Wild Warriors: A Shadowhunters Fanfic

5. Troublesome Deaths

If we were expecting to get any time after the discovery of the two new deaths to regroup and form a strategy, we were wrong. Barely two hours later another Shadowhunter was found dead in Williamsburg. Preliminary investigations reported that he was killed by a Warlock. That brought the tally of dead Shadowhunters up to four. Four good warriors that had evidently been killed by Downworlders. I didn't try to push down the spark of anger in the pit of my stomach.

The Inquisitor's first line of action the following morning was to call a meeting. Every available Shadowhunter in the Institute congregated in the front hall, surrounding the set of stairs the Inquisitor was staring down at us from. Her posture was entirely domineering; feet shoulder width apart, hands behind her back, neck straight, head up. She was looking down at us as though we were her warriors to send off to battle, indispensable as chess pieces on a board.
I was a warrior, just not hers.

Isabelle and Alec stood next to Clary and I, closest to the stairs. Jace, as his position required, stood at the bottom of the steps, his back towards his grandmother. His posture mimicked hers perfectly in form but Jace held himself in a way that seemed more natural. He held himself like a warrior because he was one, she did so because she had to be.

"Another Shadowhunter was found dead last night in Williamsburg." The Inquisitor started with information we already knew. "This time it was evident that he was murdered by a Warlock. In this time of crisis, it is essential that we maintain strong leadership. That is why I am naming Jace Herondale head of the Institute, effective upon my departure to Idris."
A smile spread slowly across Isabelle's face. Her eyes brightened as she turned to beam at her adopted older brother.
Clary had let out a small gasp and smiled brightly, her hands twisting together.
Alec tipped the corner of his mouth up. He, like I, had already known the news, but he still couldn't help feeling proud.

As excited as I was that Jace was going to take over the Institute, I was also extremely anxious for the Inquisitor to leave Brooklyn. I had had enough of her for a lifetime and maybe with Jace in charge the Institute could have a leader that didn't get on everyone's nerves.
The Inquisitor talked for some time about other orders of business before saying, "Dismissed," which released us all from the monotony of her voice.

The four of us waited for the room to mostly clear before hurrying over to Jace. His sentry-like position had dropped and his face cracked into a lopsided smile.
"Let's not make a big deal about this," he said as soon as we were within range. "She's still in charge until she leaves."
Isabelle scoffed humorously. "Still," she smiled, "being appointed head of the Institute and finding out you're a Herondale?" She chuckled again. "Don't let it get to your head."
"So...what, the Herondales are like the Kennedys of the shadow world?" Clary asked. Alec was leading us swiftly across the room towards an empty table we could use for planning our next line of action and the small redhead had to jog to keep pace.
"They're an old Shadowhunter family," I explained to her. "A lot like the Lightwoods and the Freeroses, but..."
"We are the Kennedys," Isabelle finished for me. She sent Clary a playfully arrogant smile and batted her lashes.

"Let's focus on what matters." Jace allowed himself to smile at his sister's antics before re-assuming his role of leader and warrior. The rest of us followed suit.
"The Inquisitor would like us to reach out to our allies and find out what they know," he told us. "At this point, she's considering all Downworlders to be suspects."
"That's casting a pretty broad net." Nobody missed the tension in Alec's voice. The expression on his face looked as though he was daring someone to go to Magnus and question him.
"She can't possibly think any of our friends did this," I argued. "I mean, half of our allies are Downworlders and she wants us to work against them? That's a pretty good way to draw the line between us."
"Yeah, well, we'll prove to her that's they're innocent," Jace said. "Since Luke's DNA cleared him of suspicion, we should collect samples from all of our allies so we can clear them as well. I'll make an Institute-wide announcement."