"Ah, much better" Magnus sighs, before grimacing at the messy room, "Ugh, it's inevitable. After each move, I get the itch to redecorate. Normally, I love a dirty lair, but this one..."

Magnus flips a table upright with his foot, smirking at me.

"Is just sloppy."

"I believe in payment for services rendered" Magnus changes topic, producing the ruby necklace and offering it to Izzy, "Thank you for defending the warlocks"

"I couldn't" Izzy sighs

"Oh, but you could" Magnus objects, rounding Izzy and hooking the necklace around her neck, "And you should. The Lightwood's have been wearing this for years now. Besides...this would look silly on your brother"

Izzy chuckles as he fastens the necklace and I watch as Magnus leans closer to her ear, "About Alec, is he more a flowers or cologne man?"

I huff loudly, glowering at Magnus. He turns to me, smirk in place, "Apologies, Buttercup, it won't happen again. Forgive me if I choose to forget he's taken."

"He's not taken" I whisper, hoping Alec can't hear us from the other side of the room

"Ah, but you want him to be" Magnus chuckles, "Just certainly not by me."

Izzy laughs again, wiggling her eyebrows at me suggestively. I roll my eyes but smile widely. It felt good to have someone like Magnus on my side. I couldn't be sure why...but I just knew I could trust him.

"Okay, so how do we summon this memory demon?" I ask, back to business

"Do you not want your answers first?" Magnus inclines and my eyebrows knit together

"What answers?" Alec questions gruffly

"About my curse" I sigh

"Cami, don't you want answers?" Clary asks me, grabbing my hand in hers

"Of course I do" I exhale, "But you come first. Always."

Alec scoffs and I frown at him. He raises his hands in mock surrender.

"Very well, we will summon the demon first" Magnus shrugs, "Now, are you certain? Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal."

"I'll do anything to save our mother" Clary states resolutely, "Where is the demon?"

"Okay" Magnus complies, moving towards a large, wooden door, "Come with me."

We enter the large and spacious room as Magnus continues to ramble, "Everyone wants the Mortal Cup. Don't trust anyone, especially not the Clave."

"Then why should we trust you?" Clary inquires

"You shouldn't" Magnus admits, "Only trust yourselves"

Magnus pulls a leather bound satchel from mid air and hands it to Clary, "You're the one with the most artistic talent, I believe?"

"These chalks are beautiful" Clary sighs, opening the leather satchel, "What are they for?"

"If a person wants their memories returned, they must draw the pentagram to summon the demon" Magnus explains, unrolling a piece of old parchment with a complicated-looking artistic pentagram on it

"Yeah, you can take that one" I chuckle, "I'm more a painter and if I even tried to draw that, we'd never get your memories back."

"Shadowhunter..." Magnus beckons Jace and Alec forward and they come through the door, Alec standing by me and Jace by Clary, "Prepare Clary as best you can."

"What about me?" I ask

"You, dear Buttercup, would not be able to withstand the power of the rune needed to summon the demon" Magnus describes, "Unfortunately, you must sit this one out."

"Clary?"

"I'll be okay, Cami" Clary assures me, "I can do this."

"This rune will be far more powerful than anything you've faced so far" Jace warns her

"Do it" Clary encourages and Jace nods wearily, pulling his stele from his pocket

"This might sting" Jace winces, before beginning to draw the rune

And then all I can hear is the sound of searing flesh and the sound of my baby sister screaming.

***

"Jocelyn was right, your artistry is beyond compare" Magnus praises as we re-enter the room, the freshly chalked pentagram the spitting image of it's parchment counterpart.

"I don't know about that" Clary chuckles

"Oh, the only other person I've known who could draw as well was Michelangelo, who was excellent in bed, might I add" Magnus smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Okay, if we're ready, everyone take their rightful place on the pentagram. Except you, of course, Buttercup" Magnus instructs as they all circle around the pentagram, each person standing before a single point, "We must initiate a bond. Once this bond is sealed, it cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, we must not let go of each other's hands."

I watch in silence as each of them grab the hand of the other, noticing how Clary and Jace's hands linger slightly.

"I will lead the ceremony, and you all must do exactly as I say" Magnus commands, "The demon's name is Valak. And at some point, he will ask for payment in exchange for Clary's memories."

"What do you mean by payment?" I ask, abruptly standing up and hovering by Clary

"Relax, Buttercup, we will only know when he requests it" Magnus notifies, "But I am almost positive it will not be painful"

"Almost?" I hiss

"Cami, please" Clary begs, "I need to do this."

"Let us begin" Magnus speaks, before muttering in some sort of language I couldn't understand.

"The necklace" Izzy gasps, and I watch as the ruby lights up, blinking in warning, "It's pulsing"

Just as she speaks, wind rushes through the room and a giant shadow of darkness falls through the air, circling itself in the middle of the pentagram, growling.

"Valak is among us!" Magnus warns, "Do not break the bond!"

"Hold on!" Jace screams to Clary

"Im trying!"

I hover by the edge of the circle, scared for everyone who was risking their lives, but I knew I shouldn't do anything. Clary needed to do this, I knew that.

"The demon demands payment" Magnus says

"What does it want?" Alec yells over the rushing wind

"We must each relinquish a beloved memory of the one we love the most" Magnus advises

Before anyone can protest, Izzy gasps, her chest pushing forward towards the demon as a a light grey shadow bursts through her chest and into the black sea of shadow before her.

Within the light shadow, Alec's face appears.

Next, Clary. She yelps as the shadow bursts from her chest, also, and the shadow becomes our mother's face.

Next...Alec.

He grunts as the shadow bursts from his chest and the shadow becomes...

Me.

My face, hovering there in front of Alec's eyes.

It was my face.

I look over at Alec, his face was shocked, confused...and scared.

"No! No, it's not true, the demon deceived me!"

"Do not break the bond!"

"Alec, it's okay!"

"No!" Alec shouts

"Alec!" I scream, but it's too late. Alec separates himself from Magnus and Jace, stumbling backwards. The black shadow in the centre grows, pushing the others back and away from the pentagram.

Magnus had already snapped into action, straining his magic against the demon, " If we kill the demon, Clary's memories will be lost forever!" Magnus warns us, "But I cannot contain the demon much longer!"

I watch in horror as Alec moves towards the demon...and Jace pushes him away, getting himself caught in the demons grip.

"Jace!" Alec and Clary scream

"Clary, no!" I bellow but Clary had already made her way towards the demon, seraph blade in hand.

Again, that same haze snaps into me and I grab the seraph blade from Clary's hand, pushing her to the floor as I spin and drive the sword into the demon's shadowy form. The demon screams before turning to flaming ash.

I breathe heavily, dropping the sword as I do so.

"Cami!" Clary shrieks, "Why did you do that?! I could have handled it myself! God, why are you always getting in the way, I don't need your help."

"Clary, I'm sorry, I don't know why I-" I apologise but Magnus cuts me off.

"She cannot help it, Clary."

"Why not?" Clary screams, "She's a big girl capable of making her own decisions, so why can't she help taking my own away from me!?"

"Because...that is her curse"

*****************

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