I Am Ruined (TDA Lord of Shadows Sequel)

[ XVI ] Trapped

"Kieran? What are you doing here?" Mark asked incredulously. They had all dropped their weapons as Kieran walked towards them.

"I am a prince of the Unseelie Court, son of the King, a rider of the Wild Hunt. I am not a babysitter." He was standing in front of Mark now, arms folded across his chest. As bad as it was that he was here, Cristina didn't blame him, this was as much his mission as it was theirs. "Besides, I know Faerie as well as you, Mark. I can help."

"Fantastic, more Faeries on this unsanctioned mission." Jaime mumbled under his breath.

"Ah, yet another entitled Shadowhunter. Lovely." Kieran scoffed, beginning to walk forward. When no one followed him, he called over his shoulder, "If you are truly one of the famed heroes of the angels, maybe you'll have enough sense to follow me."

"I know Faerie well enough, besides these are Seelie Lands, aren't you of the Unseelie Court?"       

Kieran answered without looking back now, "I am fae. I know the lands as if they were my heart. So you will follow me." There was no question in his voice, only assertiveness, and you could see the frustration boiling under Jaime's skin.

Before any more arguments broke out, Cristina spoke up, "Look. We need to work together if we are going to be able to find this heirloom in time. We only have until Emma and Julian are finished dealing with the Queen and we don't have working runes. So cállate and follow Kieran." Cristina rarely ever spoke like that, she was always unfailingly polite. Mark raised his eyebrows as he watched her, Kieran looking closely at her expression as if studying something he had never seen. Hating being the subject of everyone's attention, she continued walking forward, motioning for Kieran to go as she passed him. He nodded graciously with a brush to her hand.

"Cristina's right. The sun is going to be rising soon, so we need to get a start on moving. The nights in faerie tend to be shorter, so let's make the most of it." Mark said confidently, his Shadowhunter assertiveness shining through. He had become more confident as time went on, realizing his true identity as both Faerie and Shadowhunter. Around Julian, he was more timid; afraid that he would mess up the perfectly crafted life Julian tried to provide everyone. But here in one of his homelands, surrounded by two people he cared about, that hesitation faded. A strand of Cristina's hair came free from her braid in the slight breeze and Mark reached up to brush the dark curl behind her ear. "I will always be by your side, Cristina." He smiled at her before continuing on, following Kieran at the front of the group and leaving Jaime at the end. Cristina spared at glance at her old friend to find his dark eyes fixed on Mark, a scowl on his face as he flicked his gaze over to her. She gave him no reaction, simply turned and walked forward, following the two faeries she found she trusted more than most people into the heart of their land.

***

The Queen's face contorted. She did not look surprised or scared, the Queen did not show such emotion. Instead she looked angry, absolutely furious in fact. Julian was staring at Emma with wide eyes now, their color a light blue in the dim lights of the chamber. The Queen rose from her chaise, her eyes burning, "You know not of what you speak, girl."

"I know that Sebastian was your lover. You've been sick, I know what happens to faeries after they produce an heir. Why? Why did you do this? Is there some bigger plan?" Emma was standing now too, challenging the Queen with a fire in her own eyes. "Or did you just find the demonic sociopath charming."

The Queen was silent, but her eyes flicked to the side of the room and before they had any chance to think, the thorned vines that wrapped around the room and hung from the ceiling shot downward. They seized Julian by the arms and chest, their grip pulling tight. Blood pooled where the thorns cut into his flesh, his gear doing nothing to shield him. Emma's bravado immediately vanished, panic rushing through her veins. Stupid. So damn stupid! She was in the Queen's realms, she had control over everything here.

"What was your plan exactly, hm? Come in here. Threaten me and then dare ask for my help?!" Her voice was raising now. She was almost yelling, Emma had never heard the Seelie Queen yell. She was always an eerie calm, seeing this range of emotion surprised her, but all of her attention was on Julian who was resisting the vines as he fell to his knees.

"Your- Your majesty," Julian struggled to speak against the vines crushing him, "We have no intention of revealing your secret. We only want to offer help. We know you want to protect your child, just as I want to protect mine." Emma noted that he called the kids his children, not his siblings. After the dark war, he had taken them as his own. A twelve year old boy with 4 young kids. Only now he was 17 and had lost one, and something told her that he would give up anything to make sure he didn't lose another. The Queen's blue eyes bored into his expression, sensing for any dishonesty.

"Yet if I kill you both now, I have assurance no one else will find out. It really is the smartest choice. Never show your hand, I would think you would know that, Julian Blackthorn."

Emma's heart was racing, the vines not releasing their grip on her parabatai, she could feel it as if the vines were cutting into her own skin, "If you kill us- If you kill us, other Shadowhunters know! They will tell the Clave. This secret will not die with us." Lies, Emma thought warily, You can't lie like Julian. She'll know. Blood was dripping from Julian's scalp, arms and chest now, his eyelids heavy.

The Queen spat, "Liar."

"Fine. You can risk it if you want, but you know as well as I, if word gets out of Sebastian Morgenstern having a child who is alive, the Clave will stop at nothing to kill them." The words were tumbling out of her as quickly as exhaling a breath, praying that the Queen would stop hurting Julian. Emma felt that burning protectiveness underneath her skin once again, just like she had at the fight in front of the Institute a few days before. "LET HIM GO." She screamed.

The vines around Julian burned away and the heaviness in Emma's chest eased as soon as he inhaled a breath, falling to his elbows on the floor. He was coughing up blood, his body shaking. She let him go. Good. Thank you. She silently thanked the Queen, her heart returning to a normal rhythm as she dropped by Julian's side and wiped the blood from his face. She could feel her gaze on them both, but tried to ignore it. When she did look up, the Queen's expression was intrigued, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"All things considered, I will assist you." She stated formally, Emma and Julian looked up in surprise. "The Unseelie King is a formidable threat, I will help you dispose of him so that I may retain my full power."

"Thank you, fair one." Julian said breathily, his breathing still faster than normal.

"But know, if word of my son gets out to the Clave or if any of you dare harm him – I will destroy everyone that you love, and make you stand and watch as they die. They'll cry for your help, your precious brothers and sisters, and you will not be able to do anything to stop it. Nothing to save them. You will pay in their blood." The viciousness in her words seeped out like venom, the threat turning the blood in Julian's veins to ice.

He simply nodded in understanding, "You have my word."

The world can burn if my family lives. Emma mirrored his nod, but a cold feeling had taken a place in her chest as she remembered his words. The realization of another Sebastian Morgenstern terrified her to her very bones. What that boy could do to this world if he was anything like his father. Sebastian's fathomless black eyes flashed through her mind, the same image that haunted her dreams. She imagined seeing those eyes again and felt her heartrate spike. Julian, however, seemed to think of it simply as a token of information; not a potential danger or enemy, just another means to keep his family safe. No matter what the cost.