The ride there was very uncomfortable for Johanna. She could sense the growing tension between Jace, Clary and the mundane Simon. It was clear that something had happened to make the boy upset, and Johanna could more than likely guess what that something was. A smile crept onto Johanna's face. She liked Jace, he reminded her of her brother Oliver, pig headed and egotistical, yet able to use his wit and humor to win people over. It was an odd feeling, but it made Johanna feel more comfortable and at home, unlike the constant back and forth banter between her and Alec.
She didn't know what was wrong with him, she tried so hard to prove herself to him, but somehow she always knew the wrong things to say. It was exhausting really, but she understood why he was so closed off and reserved, the struggle of being gay in a society that looks down on such things had to be hard, she could tell it grated on him, made him angry and self-conscious, and she felt terrible that he had to go through such things, but that didn't make any less frustrating.
"We're here." Simon muttered.
"Thank you Simon." Clary smiled, pulling him into a hug. "We'll be back soon."
"Wait," The boy said, "I can't come with you guys?"
"No." Jace said dryly.
"Why not?" Simon retorted angrily.
"Because, whose going to be here if something goes wrong? What if the car gets towed?" Jace retaliated.
Simon let out a sigh.
"Fine." He huffed, turning back around in his seat and slapping both of his hands back onto the wheel. "I'll just wait here, like a good mundy"
"You're learning!" Jace said in mock astonishment, earning a hard glare from Clary.
"Can we just go now?" Alec interrupted, already exiting the van and adjusting his bow.
For once Johanna agreed with him, all of this drama was making her headache much worse.
They all walked cautiously up the sidewalk to the witch's house. The night sky was dark and empty, taken over by the rain clouds that had rolled in. The only light they had was Jace's witch light, which gave an eerie glow around them through the fog and mist from the rain.
Clary stopped at the door and gave a firm knock once or twice before it slung open, spilling a bright golden light into the dense night.
"Clary!" the witch gasped, pulling her into a tight hug that brought Clary inches off of the ground. "The last time a saw you, you had disappeared through the portal! Where did you go?"
"Williamsburg." Clary answered, still trying to catch her breath.
"Well who said there wasn't any good transportation around here?" Dorothea laughed. "Come in, come in." She finally said, swinging open the door to let them all in.
Johanna took a look around as she entered the room. There wasn't much organization to it all, things were scattered here and there, except for the stack of tarot cards stacked neatly next to a crystal ball on the table.
Johanna's gut turned a bit.
"Something is off here." Ithuriel spoke.
"I know, I can feel it." Johanna replied silently, cautiously taking a look around.
"Stay alert." He replied.
"Here it is!" She heard Clary say, picking a card from the deck that had been placed on the table. "Jace give me your stele."
Jace placed it firmly into her hand. Clary gripped it tightly as she traced the small runes on the back of the card.
The dreadful feeling in Johanna's stomach was now in her throat as she watched Clary reach her hand into the card, and pull out the Cup. Johanna gave Alec a nervous glance, whose eyes were fixated in awe at the sight before him.
"Somehow I thought it be bigger." Jace said, breaking the silence.
"It's a perfectly nice size," Clary replied crossly, examined the cup in her hand.
"Yeah, I know but I was just thinking like…you know." He gestured his hands out widely in front of him.
"Geesh Jace it's the Mortal Cup, not the mortal toilet bowl." Isabelle spoke up, rolling her eyes. "Are we done now? Can we go?"
Johanna stepped closer to Alec, whose gaze was still fixed on Clary and the Cup.
"Alec." She whispered. "Somethings off here."
"What do you mean?" He whispered back, his face snapping to look at her. "Jace scanned the place, and the levels of demonic activity were low."
"I don't know." She sighed. "but I can feel it."
Johanna quickly turned her attention back to Clary when she heard her snap, "No!"
The witch was on her feet now, her long red nails reaching out for the Cup. Alec gave Johanna a sideways look.
"Okay, okay." The witch said, walking over the wall and placing her hands onto the curtains. "Would you like to take the portal?"
"Don't do that!" Johanna hissed, causing the witch to give her an eerie grin as she ripped the curtains from their rods, sending them crashing to the floor. The portal swirled with violent red clouds from behind them, and a dark shape wisped from within it, making its way slowly to Madam Dorothea, and enveloping her body.
To Johanna's horror it began seeping into her, filling every crevice. The witch screamed a chilling, gurgling scream as her body began to snap and distort. The sound of bones cracking filled the air, reminding Johanna of the monstrous demon that had murdered Emmanuel.
"No." She croaked out hoarsely, as it began to take its form.
Alec grabbed her arm. "We have to go, now!" He shouted for everyone to hear. The five of them raced through the foyer to the front door, where Isabelle jiggled the knob violently.
"It won't open, it must be sealed with magic!"
"What is that?" Clary gasped, as the demon creeped slowly behind them. It was nowhere near a human image now, instead it was almost like the other one, like skin draped over bone, except it towered over them, almost nine feet tall, with black bones protruding from oozing openings all over its body.
"It's an arch demon." Jace said, a small quiver evident in his voice.
"Give me the Cup, and I'll let you live." The demon's voice rang like an eerie echo.
"Not a chance in hell." Jace growled, drawing his sword and flinging himself at the demon.
Jace whipped his blades up and outward with an almost frightening speed, both sank into the fleshiest part of the demon, its abdomen. It howled and struck at him, knocking him aside the way a cat might bat aside a kitten. Jace rolled and got to his feet, but Johanna could tell it had taken a lot out of him.
Isabelle was next, darting forward she lashed out at the demon with her whip. It struck the demon's gray hide, and a red weal appeared, welling blood. The demon chuckled a low unearthly noise, and without any reprieve, moved toward Jace.
With his uninjured hand Jace drew out a second seraph blade. He whispered to it and it sprung free, bright and gleaming. He raised it as the demon loomed up before him and grinned even as the demon reached for him. Isabelle, screaming, lashed at it, sending blood in a thick spray across the floor.
The demon struck, its razored hand lashing down at Jace. Jace staggered back, but he was unharmed. Something had thrown itself between him and the demon, a slim black shadow with a gleaming blade in its hand. Alec. The demon shrieked as Alec's blade pierced its skin. With a snarl it struck again, bone-talons catching Alec a vicious blow that lifted him off his feet. Johanna looked on horrified as the demon hurled him against the far wall. He struck with a sickening crunch and slid to the floor.
"Alec!" Johanna cried out. He didn't move. "No!" She screamed again, rushing as quickly as she could to his side.
Isabelle screamed her brother's name, making an inhuman like snarl as she charged at the demon. The demon, turning, caught her a backhanded blow that sent her spinning to the ground. Coughing blood, Isabelle started to get to her feet; the demon knocked her down again, and this time she lay still.
Johanna fell to her knees next to Alec's motionless body, and pulled his bloodied head into her lap. She could feel his heart beating faintly underneath her skin and she let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm not certain your body could handle healing him again." Ithuriel said solemnly.
"I don't care." She growled aloud, anger rising in her chest. "I don't care what it does to me, you're going to save him Ithuriel, you're going to save him, and you're going to kill this damn demon, I want it in ashes."
Johanna took one last glance at Alec's unmoving features, and gently brushed the dark tendrils of hair from his face, before softly lying him back down onto the floor, and rising boldly to her feet.
"Hey you ugly piece of garbage!" She yelled, as the demon moved slowly towards Clary. "Why don't you try your luck at me instead?"
The demon let out an eerie chuckle as it turned to stare at her.
"As you wish." It gurgled in its haunting voice as it began to move towards her.
"Johanna no!" Jace called out from the stairwell as he clutched Clary firmly.
Johanna ignored him, and closed her eyes tightly.
"You know what to do Ithuriel." She growled through clenched teeth.
"Child." Ithuriel pleaded, which was a very odd thing to hear for Johanna, but she dismissed him.
"Do it!"
Without any more hesitation Ithuriel pushed himself forth with such force that it almost knocked Johanna off her feet. Clary, Isabelle, and Jace watched on in disbelief as the angel opened his eyes, spilling heavenly light throughout the room, and letting out a frequency so high and shrill, it made the demon stagger backwards.
"It is time to go back from which you came demon!" Ithuriel's voice echoed fiercely throughout the room.
"Angel." The demon said, sounded startled. "This isn't possible."
"We shall see." Ithuriel spat, as silhouettes of feathered wings burst from Johanna's back. Ithuriel thrust himself in the air, letting out a screech as blinding light erupted from his chest, filling the room, and shrouding the demon in heavenly fire. The demon screeched a terrible gurgling shriek as it singed the flesh from its bone.
The three shadowhunters gasped in unison as the demon burst into ashes that filled the room in a dusty fog.
"Johanna!" Jace called, frantically rushing to her side as her limp body hit the ground with a thud.
"What…what was that Jace?" Isabelle said, pulling herself up from the floor. "What the hell is she?"
Jace stared at the unconscious girl before him. He had never seen anything like that before, it had to be one of the most incredible things he had ever seen in his life.
"She's an angel." He smiled.