I deliberately made this story very fast-paced, so please to forgive because I am not quite as awesome and steadily-paced book writer as Cassandra Clare. :)
Please comment! I need the feedbacks! :D
Rose hammered her foot against the brakes at the foot of the mountain, sending a thick cloud of dust floating into the atmosphere. She jumped out of the black Mustang, clutching a coil of rope with an adamas pick tied to one end, and slammed the door hard enough to make the car sway. She sprinted to the cliffside, heart pounding hard in her chest.
“Rose! Wait up!” cried Katie, leaping out of the car behind her. She and Colt came up beside Rose.
“It’s up there,” pointed Rose. “I see it.”
The others had to search the mountainside with their eyes awhile before they found it. It would be impossible to notice the lair entrance without knowing it was there. Of course, having a Sight rune helped.
Katie's jaw set. “Let’s go.”
The point of the pick had buried itself well into the stone. Rose examined it, proud of her excellent aim, while the other two Shadowhunters climbed their way up the rope. If only her knife throwing was this accurate.
Colt’s curly brown hair came into view over the edge of the cliff. Rose swooped down to help him up, but he waved her off.
“Your parabatai will need your help more than I do,” he grunted, hoisting himself over the edge. His muscular arms rippled with the effort.
“Your loss,” shrugged Rose, tearing her eyes away from his biceps. He stood up as Katie began to pull herself onto the cliff ledge. As Colt suggested, Rose helped her up.
“Grab your pickaxe and let’s go,” said Colt, jumping up and striding into the cave.
Katie yanked the pick out of the earth, coiling the rope and handing it to Rose. “He’s in a rush,” she commented ironically.
“I would be, if I were him,” said Rose quietly.
The two parabatai followed Colt into the dark lair.
The tunnels were like a maze. Rose couldn’t make sense of north or south after only a few turns in. She glanced at her right arm, where the Compass rune spiraled across her pale skin like black ink.
“I think there are demon energies in these caves,” Rose whispered. Her quiet voice echoed off the smooth walls, sounding rather loud as the sound ricocheted back at her. “My compass rune isn’t working.”
“Shh!” Katie hissed, stopping suddenly. The others halted, habitually backing into a triangular formation.
She turned around, whipping out a seraph blade from her belt. “Cassiel,” she whispered.
As Rose named her own blade, she kept a sharp lookout for the rogue werewolves. They could be hiding in any one of the tunnels branching from the one the young Shadowhunters were traversing through.
But which one?
The trio waited stiffly in the silence.
“Nevermind.” Katie relaxed slightly, turning around. “I thought—”
She was interrupted midsentence by the arrow that suddenly protruded from the middle of her chest.
Katie stared at the arrow for a moment, stunned. Then she collapsed on the ground.
“Katie!” screamed Rose. She lunged for her parabatai, but a pair of iron-hard arms held her back.
“Rose, stop! They’re coming!” Colt shouted in her ear. He tried to drag her away, but Rose struggled, kicking his shin in the process. He cursed, letting go. Rose jumped toward Katie, falling to her knees by the dying girl.
“Katie! By the Angel, Katelyn, don’t die! Don’t—”
“Watch...” mumbled Katie. Her wide eyes were losing focus. “Behind...behind...!”
Rose understood. She grabbed a silver dagger from her belt and, in one quick motion, spun to her feet and stabbed the wolf behind her. He yelped, his blood spraying all over Rose’s arm, his body burning and melting where the weapon pierced his flesh. He fell, lifeless, to the ground.
Rose gasped, doubling over in agony. She dropped the dagger, clutching her chest.
Katie.
Rose turned around to face her. The girl was lying in a growing pool of her own blood. Her freckles looked almost black against her pale cheeks. Her blue eyes were blank.
Dead.
A fresh wave of pain shot through her. Rose screamed, falling to the ground.
Her parabatai was gone.
Gone forever.
“Rose!”
She opened her eyes.
Colt was cornered, with only one small knife for defense. The three werewolves were laughing, enjoying his fear, inching toward him with their great, bloody jaws snapping grotesquely.
“Rose! Rose!” they taunted. One feinted toward Colt. He jumped back, hitting the wall. The wolves laughed harder.
With shaking hands, Rose fumbled for her silver dagger. Her slender fingers found the familiar, hard leather hilt on the floor beside her. She grasped it tightly.
One shot.
She zeroed in on her target. She whispered Raziel’s name, and threw.
The wolf on the right yipped, leaping around to see what had buried itself in her backside. Colt took the opportunity and bolted, snatching up a fallen seraph blade as he ran.
“Ithuriel!” he shouted.
The wolves chased him, furious. Rose stood up, wincing. Colt grabbed her hand and tossed the blade behind him, decapitating one wolf and stabbing another in the shoulder. The last one retreated, spinning on his heels and disappearing into the darkness.
“Hurry!” he yelled at Rose, pulling her along.
They were running out of time. If the anonymous caller wasn’t bluffing, the bomb would be going off in a matter of minutes.
“Dad?”
They were in a white room. On a chair, with the bomb tied to its back, was the Institute of Vancouver.
“Dad?” Colt said again, stepping forward tentatively. Stanley didn’t look up. “Oh, God. God, no, please, no! DAD!” Colt let go of Rose, running toward Stanley. He gripped his father’s shoulders, calling for him.
Stanley didn’t answer.
“Colt...” rasped Rose. “The bomb. Look.”
Two minutes.
“He’s gone, Colt. I’m sorry, but we have to go.”
“We failed.” Colt had collapsed on his knees, his scarred hands covering his face. "We failed," he repeated, choking on his words.
“No. We defeated the rebels. We won. We just...didn’t rescue him.” Rose glanced at the bomb again. “We need to get out. It’s going to blow.”
Colt took one last look at his dead father. He clenched his jaw.
“Follow me,” he said, and climbed to his feet.
The exit in the back of the room led to open space.
“What? No stairs?” Colt muttered flatly, staring down at the dizzying drop.
Rose glanced downward. She grasped the adamas pick at her belt.
“Colt? Grab on to me.”
“Ahem, Rose? Odd timing, don’t you—”
“Just hold on!” she cried, tossing the pick.
It sliced through the frigid mountain air at breakneck speed, one end slamming into the peak facing theirs. Rose gave it a sharp tug. Satisfied, she leapt into nothingness.
Colt yelped, hastily grabbing the rope with one hand and tightening his grip on Rose with the other arm. Rose grit her teeth, bracing herself, as the mountain loomed nearer--
BOOM!
A shockwave of brain-rattling sound behind them made both Rose and Colt jump. The bomb.
Rose sucked in a panicked breath as her fingers loosened from fright, sliding down the rope. She tried to grab hold, just as they met the wall of stone before them.
“Rose?”
“Uhh.”
“Rose, wake up.”
She opened her eyes. The stars had come out, twinkling softly against the inky sky. Colt sat beside her, his brown eyes dark with worry.
“You look like hell,” mumbled Rose quite solemnly.
“Yeah, well.” Colt looked away.
Rose swallowed. With effort, she sat up next to him.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Colt glanced sideways at her.
“Stanley.”
He bowed his head. “Don’t be. There was nothing you could do.” He took her hand.
They sat in silence for a moment.
“Katie,” he whispered.
Rose pressed her lips together. “She’s gone.”
“Rose...”
“It’s fine.” Her voice wavered.
“No, it’s not. She was your best friend—no, more. Your parabatai. Losing her is not fine.”
A tear slid down Rose’s cheek. Colt reached over and brushed it away.
“But we didn’t lose her. Not really,” said Rose, attempting a smile. “Stanley, either. The dead are...here. There. Nowhere and everywhere, all at once.” She met his gaze. “They'll always be with us."
Colt half-smiled, dropping his gaze. He nodded at the ground.
“Yeah,” he said. “Always.”
Please comment! I need the feedbacks! :D
Rose hammered her foot against the brakes at the foot of the mountain, sending a thick cloud of dust floating into the atmosphere. She jumped out of the black Mustang, clutching a coil of rope with an adamas pick tied to one end, and slammed the door hard enough to make the car sway. She sprinted to the cliffside, heart pounding hard in her chest.
“Rose! Wait up!” cried Katie, leaping out of the car behind her. She and Colt came up beside Rose.
“It’s up there,” pointed Rose. “I see it.”
The others had to search the mountainside with their eyes awhile before they found it. It would be impossible to notice the lair entrance without knowing it was there. Of course, having a Sight rune helped.
Katie's jaw set. “Let’s go.”
The point of the pick had buried itself well into the stone. Rose examined it, proud of her excellent aim, while the other two Shadowhunters climbed their way up the rope. If only her knife throwing was this accurate.
Colt’s curly brown hair came into view over the edge of the cliff. Rose swooped down to help him up, but he waved her off.
“Your parabatai will need your help more than I do,” he grunted, hoisting himself over the edge. His muscular arms rippled with the effort.
“Your loss,” shrugged Rose, tearing her eyes away from his biceps. He stood up as Katie began to pull herself onto the cliff ledge. As Colt suggested, Rose helped her up.
“Grab your pickaxe and let’s go,” said Colt, jumping up and striding into the cave.
Katie yanked the pick out of the earth, coiling the rope and handing it to Rose. “He’s in a rush,” she commented ironically.
“I would be, if I were him,” said Rose quietly.
The two parabatai followed Colt into the dark lair.
The tunnels were like a maze. Rose couldn’t make sense of north or south after only a few turns in. She glanced at her right arm, where the Compass rune spiraled across her pale skin like black ink.
“I think there are demon energies in these caves,” Rose whispered. Her quiet voice echoed off the smooth walls, sounding rather loud as the sound ricocheted back at her. “My compass rune isn’t working.”
“Shh!” Katie hissed, stopping suddenly. The others halted, habitually backing into a triangular formation.
She turned around, whipping out a seraph blade from her belt. “Cassiel,” she whispered.
As Rose named her own blade, she kept a sharp lookout for the rogue werewolves. They could be hiding in any one of the tunnels branching from the one the young Shadowhunters were traversing through.
But which one?
The trio waited stiffly in the silence.
“Nevermind.” Katie relaxed slightly, turning around. “I thought—”
She was interrupted midsentence by the arrow that suddenly protruded from the middle of her chest.
Katie stared at the arrow for a moment, stunned. Then she collapsed on the ground.
“Katie!” screamed Rose. She lunged for her parabatai, but a pair of iron-hard arms held her back.
“Rose, stop! They’re coming!” Colt shouted in her ear. He tried to drag her away, but Rose struggled, kicking his shin in the process. He cursed, letting go. Rose jumped toward Katie, falling to her knees by the dying girl.
“Katie! By the Angel, Katelyn, don’t die! Don’t—”
“Watch...” mumbled Katie. Her wide eyes were losing focus. “Behind...behind...!”
Rose understood. She grabbed a silver dagger from her belt and, in one quick motion, spun to her feet and stabbed the wolf behind her. He yelped, his blood spraying all over Rose’s arm, his body burning and melting where the weapon pierced his flesh. He fell, lifeless, to the ground.
Rose gasped, doubling over in agony. She dropped the dagger, clutching her chest.
Katie.
Rose turned around to face her. The girl was lying in a growing pool of her own blood. Her freckles looked almost black against her pale cheeks. Her blue eyes were blank.
Dead.
A fresh wave of pain shot through her. Rose screamed, falling to the ground.
Her parabatai was gone.
Gone forever.
“Rose!”
She opened her eyes.
Colt was cornered, with only one small knife for defense. The three werewolves were laughing, enjoying his fear, inching toward him with their great, bloody jaws snapping grotesquely.
“Rose! Rose!” they taunted. One feinted toward Colt. He jumped back, hitting the wall. The wolves laughed harder.
With shaking hands, Rose fumbled for her silver dagger. Her slender fingers found the familiar, hard leather hilt on the floor beside her. She grasped it tightly.
One shot.
She zeroed in on her target. She whispered Raziel’s name, and threw.
The wolf on the right yipped, leaping around to see what had buried itself in her backside. Colt took the opportunity and bolted, snatching up a fallen seraph blade as he ran.
“Ithuriel!” he shouted.
The wolves chased him, furious. Rose stood up, wincing. Colt grabbed her hand and tossed the blade behind him, decapitating one wolf and stabbing another in the shoulder. The last one retreated, spinning on his heels and disappearing into the darkness.
“Hurry!” he yelled at Rose, pulling her along.
They were running out of time. If the anonymous caller wasn’t bluffing, the bomb would be going off in a matter of minutes.
“Dad?”
They were in a white room. On a chair, with the bomb tied to its back, was the Institute of Vancouver.
“Dad?” Colt said again, stepping forward tentatively. Stanley didn’t look up. “Oh, God. God, no, please, no! DAD!” Colt let go of Rose, running toward Stanley. He gripped his father’s shoulders, calling for him.
Stanley didn’t answer.
“Colt...” rasped Rose. “The bomb. Look.”
Two minutes.
“He’s gone, Colt. I’m sorry, but we have to go.”
“We failed.” Colt had collapsed on his knees, his scarred hands covering his face. "We failed," he repeated, choking on his words.
“No. We defeated the rebels. We won. We just...didn’t rescue him.” Rose glanced at the bomb again. “We need to get out. It’s going to blow.”
Colt took one last look at his dead father. He clenched his jaw.
“Follow me,” he said, and climbed to his feet.
The exit in the back of the room led to open space.
“What? No stairs?” Colt muttered flatly, staring down at the dizzying drop.
Rose glanced downward. She grasped the adamas pick at her belt.
“Colt? Grab on to me.”
“Ahem, Rose? Odd timing, don’t you—”
“Just hold on!” she cried, tossing the pick.
It sliced through the frigid mountain air at breakneck speed, one end slamming into the peak facing theirs. Rose gave it a sharp tug. Satisfied, she leapt into nothingness.
Colt yelped, hastily grabbing the rope with one hand and tightening his grip on Rose with the other arm. Rose grit her teeth, bracing herself, as the mountain loomed nearer--
BOOM!
A shockwave of brain-rattling sound behind them made both Rose and Colt jump. The bomb.
Rose sucked in a panicked breath as her fingers loosened from fright, sliding down the rope. She tried to grab hold, just as they met the wall of stone before them.
“Rose?”
“Uhh.”
“Rose, wake up.”
She opened her eyes. The stars had come out, twinkling softly against the inky sky. Colt sat beside her, his brown eyes dark with worry.
“You look like hell,” mumbled Rose quite solemnly.
“Yeah, well.” Colt looked away.
Rose swallowed. With effort, she sat up next to him.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Colt glanced sideways at her.
“Stanley.”
He bowed his head. “Don’t be. There was nothing you could do.” He took her hand.
They sat in silence for a moment.
“Katie,” he whispered.
Rose pressed her lips together. “She’s gone.”
“Rose...”
“It’s fine.” Her voice wavered.
“No, it’s not. She was your best friend—no, more. Your parabatai. Losing her is not fine.”
A tear slid down Rose’s cheek. Colt reached over and brushed it away.
“But we didn’t lose her. Not really,” said Rose, attempting a smile. “Stanley, either. The dead are...here. There. Nowhere and everywhere, all at once.” She met his gaze. “They'll always be with us."
Colt half-smiled, dropping his gaze. He nodded at the ground.
“Yeah,” he said. “Always.”