⋆ ˚ 。⋆ ✧ ⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼ ✧ ⋆ 。˚ ⋆

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: TESTING THE LIMITS

❛actions speak louder than words.❜

⋆ ✧ ⋆

It was in the mornings that everything bloomed back to life.

With a cup of boiling-hot tea clutched in her hands, all while inhaling the lenient scent of the beverage through her nose, Zoya Caldwell watched her family fall into a familiar routine of gentle bickering. Seated at the head of the table, her blue eyes travelled to Dru, Livvy and Tavvy who were sitting on her left side, quarreling over the fact who got the most chocolate milk. Ty, on the other hand, sat calmly on Zoya's right. Light music echoed from his headphones as his eyes went from left to right, taking in the words of yet another story.

Emma and Cristina were standing close to the large window, engaged in chatter and examining the aftermath of Emma's wounds. Julian, with an apron tossed over his shirt, was making eggs and bacon for breakfast.

Zoya couldn't help but smile at the sight. Everything had appeared to be ordinary; almost as if yesterday didn't even happen at all. The atmosphere that surrounded them was warm and pleasant, enveloping Zoya's heart in a blanket of comfort.

"It's done," Diana entered the kitchen, tossing her bag onto the kitchen island. It rolled across the smooth surface, making the woman's hand reach out immediately and prevent it from causing a mess.

In a hurry, she rounded the corner and washed her hands, allowing everyone to take in the sight of her. With dirt covering her shirt and jeans, Diana's dark hair was pulled into a taut bun on top of her head.

"You already did it?" Zoya blinked in surprise as she met the woman's eyes; she earned a sharp nod in return.

"You set it up?" Emma repeated. "The monitor on the convergence?"

"Well," Diana used a towel to dry her hands, glancing at Emma. "Julian texted me about it. Did you think I was about to let you get out of the Clave testing?"

Zoya's shoulders sank as her ears registered the protesting sounds.

"Thought, no," Emma replied, sharing a meaningful glance with Zoya. "Hoped, maybe."

Zoya chuckled at her friend's joke. Emma was always the one who tried to light up the atmosphere with her humor. Not many appreciated her unique taste for joking, even less of them accepted her timing - but Zoya somehow always found it amusing.

"Anyway, I did it myself," Diana shrugged her shoulders. "If anyone goes in and out of that cave, we'll get a call on the Institute's phone."

"And if we're not home?" Julian inquired curiously.

"Texts," Diana explained. "Texts go to Julian, Zoya, Emma, and myself."

"Why not Arthur?" The corners of Cristina's eyes scrunched in confusion. "Does he not have a cell phone?"

Diana seemed not to think of Cristina's question to be a matter of importance, simply brushing it off. "Now here's the other thing," Diana said. "Mantid demons guard the convergence during the night, but as you know, demons are inactive outside during the day. They can't stand sunlight."

"I wondered," Emma added. "It didn't make sense that whoever's doing this would leave the convergence unguarded for half the day."

"You were right to wonder," Diana continued. Her voice was flat and lacking of any emotion. "During the day the door to the cave seals itself closed. I watched the entrance disappear when the sun rose. It didn't interfere with the setting up the monitoring runes and wards - I did that outside the cave - but no one's going into that convergence while the sun's up."

"All the murders, the body dumping, all of them have happened at night," Livvy concluded, meeting her siblings' gazes. "Maybe there's a demon behind this after all?"

Zoya wasn't so sure about that. If there was one thing she had agreed on with Mark Blackthorn, it was that none of this was random. The attacks, the places, the sacrifices - everything was planned out. Everything had a purpose and whoever was the one behind the grand plan was both wicked and careful.

"We just don't know," Diana finally responded, exhaling a deep breath. Her shoulders were slightly tensing as she massaged her neck. "By the Angel, I need coffee."

Cristina was the first one to react, taking it upon herself to pour Diana a cup of the hot beverage.

"Did Malcolm help set it up?" Julian glanced in Diana's way.

He was asking the right questions, Zoya thought. Setting up the wards and monitoring runes, all while making sure that no one was there to attack, wasn't an easy task.

"All you need to know is that it's taken care of," Diana accepted the coffee from Cristina, offering the brunette a gentle smile. "Now, you've got testing today, so I'll see you in the classroom after breakfast."

The woman grabbed her duffel bag from the kitchen island, heading straight through the door.

"I can't believe we have class," Dru sighed, a gloomy expression on her face being the complete opposite from a screaming face plastered across her T-shirt. Dr. Terror's House of Horrors rested on the top of it.

"We're in the middle of an investigation," Livvy supported her sister. "We shouldn't have to take tests."

"It's an affront," Ty commented, headphones down and hands tucked beneath the table. A soft clicking sound of a pen followed his words. "I am affronted."

"I couldn't agree more with you," Zoya commented, eyes drifting from her tea and onto Emma. Her parabatai had her cell phone pressed to her ear, hand ushering Zoya to approach her and fast.

The raven-haired girl made a confused expression, lifting herself off the table and walking toward the blonde. Emma motioned Zoya to lean into her and listen to the ongoing conversation.

"I was at the Shadow Market," the voice of Cameron Ashdown echoed from Emma's phone, making the raven-haired girl roll her eyes. Emma spared Zoya a silent scowl, containing a chuckle. "Yesterday."

"Gasp!" The blonde commented. "Shame on you."

"I heard some gossip around Johnny Rook's table," he proceeded. "It was about you and Zoya. He said he'd argued with the two of you a few days ago." Zoya's eyes met Emma's, eyebrows arched up in confusion. "You shouldn't be seeing him outside the Market, Em."

Zoya made a vomiting expression as soon as she heard the nickname coming off his lips. Cristina stood beside them, offering the parabatai pair a pointed look. By then, Julian had served breakfast, glancing sideways at his friends.

"I know, I know. Johnny Rook is a criminal who does crime. I got the lecture already."

"Someone else said you were poking your nose into something that wasn't any of your business," Cameron proceeded. "And that if you kept doing it, they'd hurt you. Not the guy who said it - I shook him down a little, and he said he meant someone else. That he'd heard things. What are you poking around in, Emma?"

Zoya lifted her gaze, meeting Julian's. He had approached the three girls, tilting his head in a questioning manner. Zoya mouthed a quick 'Ashdown' in his way, making him roll his eyes.

"It could be so many things," Emma finally responded, not interested in sharing her life's details with her ex-boyfriend.

"Fine," Zoya heard him sigh from the other side. "Be flip about it. I was worried about you. Be careful."

"Always am," she quickly uttered, hanging up.

By then, everyone had noticed the way the four older Shadowhunters had gathered together, prepared meals waiting for them on the kitchen island. Silently, the four made their way back to the stools.

"Okay," Livvy was the first one to break the silence. "If no one else asks, I will. What was that about?"

Before anyone could respond, however, the doors of the kitchen were flung open, revealing Mark Blackthorn. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt which - in Zoya's opinion - went perfectly with his blonde locks. Around his waist rested an empty weapon belt.

"I apologize for yesterday evening," Mark spoke. "I should not have blamed you, my family. The politics of the Clave are complex and often dark, and not your fault. I would like to, with your permission, start over and introduce myself to you."

"But we know who you are," Ty stated, but his words died down the moment Livvy whispered something into his ear.

Zoya couldn't hear what it exactly was, but she could only assume that it had something to do with turning a new leaf. She had heard all about Mark's abrupt exit from the library room that followed after a bitter argument.

"I am Mark Antony Blackthorn," he stated, walking further into the room. "I come from a long line of proud Shadowhunters. I have served with the Wild Hunt for years I cannot count. I have ridden through the air on a white horse made of smoke, and gathered up the bodies of the dead, and brought them to Faerie, where their bones and skin have fed the savage land. I have never felt guilty, but perhaps I should." He paused briefly, his bicolored gaze meeting the floor. "I don't know where I belong, but if you let me, I will try to belong here."

For the rest of the breakfast time, Zoya didn't utter a word. She mostly kept to herself, eating the delicious food Julian had prepared and occasionally glancing at her parabatai, noticing the same troubled expression she had worn.

Cameron Ashdown's words rang loudly in their ears, leaving them to wonder who was spreading information about them across the Shadow Market.

⋆ ✧ ⋆

The written and oral parts of the testing came and went in a surprisingly fast manner. Zoya managed to score alright, but throughout the whole exam, her eyes kept on checking her parabatai, resulting in Diana raising her voice at the Caldwell girl several times.

Zoya didn't pay much attention to the woman's warnings. Buried inside her chest, deeply, a tiny tickle morphed into sharp stinging. Zoya didn't need to think twice as to what was going on; her parabatai rune had acted foolishly, as well, burning lightly at the outer lines.

Emma's mind was a mess and her emotions were no better. Zoya felt it on her own skin - and yet, she knew that solving her friend's problems had to wait. At least up until they finished their practical exam.

"Attacking from a distance, with care and precision," Diana stood in the middle of the training room. The space had already been prepared for them. Targets, big and small, were spilled across the room, weapons of all kinds awaiting to be used.

Zoya noticed a large dummy, made of wood and covered in neutral cloth, surrounded by a circle. Rock salt and ash.

"Disrupt the ash circle and you fail," Diana added, walking toward a black box that rested on the floor. She bent down and flipped the switch, turning on the radio.

Instantly, the room burst in a deafening sound. The mixture of yelling and screaming made all of them cringe lightly.

"Distraction," Diana tried to overpower the noise. "You have to work past it-"

Interrupting Diana in the middle of her sentence was Mark Blackthorn. He stood at the doorway. "Tavvy is busy with his books," he informed the woman - who had turned the noise down, "and you had asked if I could join this part of the testing. I thought it best to oblige."

"But Mark doesn't need to be tested," Julian's forehead creased. "It's not as if his scores can be reported to the Clave."

"Cristina doesn't need her scores reported either," Diana pointed out. "But she's joining in. I want to see how you all do. If you're going to work together, it would be best if you all knew each other's skill levels."

"I can fight," Mark nodded firmly. "The Wild Hunt are warriors."

"Yes, but they fight differently than Shadowhunters," Diana replied, gaze drifting toward the presented weapons. "These are the weapons of your people. Each of you must choose one."

Zoya didn't need to think twice about her weapon of choice; she acquired Lazarus at the same time Emma's hand reached for Cortana. The pair found their weapons unique - one meant to fight off any creature and the other made to protect its bearer. Lazarus and Cortana described them perfectly; out of the two, Emma was always the one who was better at attacking and slaying demons. Although Zoya was fairly good at it too, she was usually the one who prided herself with protecting others.

The rest of the children made sure to choose a weapon, as well. Cristina opted for her butterfly knives, Jules for a pair of chakhrams, Livvy a saber, Dru a misericord. Ty needed more time to decide, ultimately accepting a dagger offered by Livvy.

Diana called Julian's name first, giving Zoya enough time to respond to Emma's gentle touch. The blonde's free hand curled around Zoya's wrist, tugging lightly.

"Are you up for a display of teamwork?" Emma's hazel eyes glimmered with hope.

"Always," corners of Zoya's lips tugged upward. "What do you have in mind?"

"Can you repeat that throw from yesterday?" Emma's brows went up.

"Most likely," Zoya shrugged her shoulders. "Why?"

"Do it at the same time I swing Cortana at the dummy," the blonde instructed. "Not earlier, alright?"

Zoya nodded, not questioning Emma's methods of how she was going to tiptoe around the barrier that was the drawn circle. Trust in each other was something none of the two questioned, ever. As long as they said something, they were going to do it. They had swore the oath to work together and protect each other, up until their days were no more.

"Emma?" Diana's voice brought Zoya out of her daze. Her gaze was once again diverted toward the dummy, noticing that her parabatai had taken it upon herself to climb up the rope ladder, Cortana lingering in her free hand. "What are you doing?"

The blonde had determination written in her eyes, passing Zoya a silent nod as she jumped from the ladder. Lazarus was already prepared in her hand, traveling through the air at the same time Emma landed on the dummy's shoulders. Cortana and Lazarus simultaneously sank into the dummy's trunk, leaving Emma to flip herself backward and outside the circle with ease.

Diana and the rest of the Blackthorns' gazes flew in between the parabatai pair who had bright grins plastered on their faces.

"That was showing off," Diana commented, suppressing a smile on her lips as she wrote an observation in her notebook.

"No, Diana," Zoya shook her head at the woman, Emma approaching her and hugging her tightly. "That was teamwork."

The woman rolled her eyes, glancing onto the last candidate. "Tiberius? It's your turn."

The black-haired boy took a step forward, moving closer to the circle. The white cable of his headphones lingered across his torso, a knife gripped in his hand.

Just as Ty was about to release his weapon, a hoarse voice echoed against the walls of the training room. "Tiberius," the familiar frame of Arthur Blackthorn stood in the doorway. "Take the headphones off."

Zoya couldn't help but let her hands curl into fists, knuckles paling as she gazed at the man. Ever since the last time she had seen the man, Zoya couldn't help but admit that she had lost nearly all respect for him. The moment he called Mark 'fey boy', everything was crystal clear to the Caldwell girl. His touch with his family had been cut and whatever sympathy and love he had for them was reduced to the bare minimum.

Even though the man himself was an oddity, a sore thumb among his family members, he had somehow succeeded in using his title to order around.

"The pollution of mundane technology is everywhere," Arthur stated. "In those phones you carry. Cars - at the London Institute we didn't own them. That computer you think I don't know about." An expression of disgust passed across his face. "You're not going to be able to go into battle wearing headphones."

Zoya noted Diana closing her eyes, almost as she dreaded uttering the words. "Ty," she stated. "Take them off."

The boy slowly obeyed, wincing the moment his music registered the growing noises that came from the radio. "I won't be able to do it, then."

"Then you'll fail," Arthur announced emotionlessly. "This has to be fair."

"And pray tell how is that fair?" Zoya couldn't contain the sudden rush of anger. Her blue eyes burned with passion; she had wanted to protect Ty at all costs. The boy did nothing to deserve such behavior of Arthur. "You're making this harder for him on purpose." Arthur's gaze was sharp on her, a sheer opposite from Julian's. The brunette boy had appeared thankful for her fierce attitude. "Not all of us learn in the same way. Not all of us function the same, so why are you intentionally marking his way of doing things as wrong?"

"Zoya," Diana's voice was low, almost as if she was ordering her to keep her mouth shut. "This is the test. Everyone has to do it." She resumed her explanation. Her gaze softened, almost in understanding of what Zoya was saying. "Battle doesn't always happen under optimum conditions. There's noise, blood, distractions-"

"I won't be in battle," Ty stated. "I don't want to be that kind of Shadowhunter."

"Tiberius," Arthur's voice was authoritative. "Do as you're asked."

Zoya watched Ty, standing next to her parabatai and Julian. The boy's knife was once again lifted up, but instead of sinking into the dummy, it missed entirely. Or not.

The knife hit the radio, causing a minor explosion and making the sound die down.

For a moment, Ty's gaze flew down to his hand, squeezing it tightly. Droplets of crimson blood sneaked in through the space between his fingers, creating an abstract piece of art on the ground. Slowly, the boy began walking away from the crowd.

Julian, with his brotherly instincts prevailing, wanted to go after Ty. Emma, however, had a different idea. Her fingers curled around Julian's wrist, pulling him back. "Don't," she said. "Give him a minute."

"My turn," Mark broke the cloud of unpleasant tension.

He lunged toward the dummy, boots purposely brushing away the circle of ash. Diana urgently reminded him that he was not supposed to do that, but by the time her words left her lips, Mark was already clinging onto the dummy and tossing it to the ground. He had grabbed the arms, curving them until they snapped. Only then, after he had furiously stepped on the dummy's trunk and shoved it away, did he move away, leaving a mess behind.

Even though the event was purely a display of rage, Zoya couldn't help but see it as an intentional action. He had wanted to prove to Arthur that he was in the wrong for ordering Ty.

"These are the weapons of my people," Mark stated, holding his palms up. Several cuts ran along them, bleeding.

"You weren't supposed to touch the circle," Diana shook her head. "Those are the rules, and I don't make them. The Clave-"

"Lex malla, lex nulla," Mark recited the Blackthorn motto, heading toward Ty.

Arthur merely spared the blonde boy a glance, storming out of the room.

With a clenched jaw, Zoya found herself agreeing with the words of the family she lived with. A bad law is no law.

⋆ ✧ ⋆

The guitar strings tickled Zoya's fingertips as the soft tones of Queen's masterpiece Love of my life filled the four walls of the computer room. The calming notes melted into the more haunting ones, carrying a diapason of raw emotions.

Zoya was far from a professional musician, she would be the first one to admit. Her fingers were clumsy when it came to anything else than holding a blade, often mixing the strings that needed to be pulled. However, she adored the learning process. Memorizing the composition often took a while, but when she succeeded, Zoya couldn't help but lose herself completely into the played melody.

There was something divine in the ability which music possessed; it allowed her heart to bleed. Whether it be sincere happiness or bitter sorrow, music allowed her soul to be cleansed. With the escaping tones, Zoya's worries flew away - through the cracks and fissures of windows and doors.

It was a magnificent healing process, which was exactly why Zoya always returned to playing.

"What is this?" Mark questioned as soon as Zoya set the guitar down to the floor of the computer room. In his hand rested Tavvy's toy - a lemur named Mr. Limpet.

For the past hour or so, everyone had been gathered together. Mark was sitting on the floor, Emma, Tavvy, Dru and Zoya keeping him company. The Caldwell girl produced soft melodies for her family, all while Tavvy persuaded Mark into playing with him. Dru mostly kept to herself, a book tightly clutched in her hands.

Ty and Livvy were seated near the computer, typing and analyzing the information on Stanley Wells. Cristina went to her room to change. Julian, on the other hand, was busy with Diana who had called him up immediately after the testing was done.

"Here," Emma uttered, hand extended toward Mark. "Give me Mr. Limpet."

Suddenly, the door of the computer room opened, revealing a wet-haired Cristina. Mark, whose head was lifted up awfully fast, managed to rip the loose-hanging leg of Tavvy's toy.

"You killed Mr. Limpet," Tavvy pointed out.

"I think he died of old age, Tavs," Emma said, picking up the torn piece from the ground and trying to join it with the rest of the lemur's body. "You've had him since you were born."

"Or gangrene," Dru suggested. "It could have been gangrene."

"Maybe we could try to stitch him up?" Zoya shrugged her shoulders at Emma.

"Oh no!" Cristina's pupils dilated. "Wait here - I'll be right back."

Mark wanted to protest, but Cristina was already gone. "I am a clodpole," his features saddened as he reached out to ruffle Tavvy's hair. "I am sorry, little one."

"Did you get an address for Wells?" Everyone was surprised to register Julian's voice. His arms were folded over his chest, gaze set on the twins.

Livvy's face brightened instantly. "Yep," she said. "It's in the Hollywood Hills."

"No surprise there," Emma remarked sarcastically.

Zoya couldn't help but think of the area. Hollywood Hills were the home of the rich, a vast space covered in expensive and more than exclusive villas. People there drove fancy cars, speeding carelessly through the wide, twisty roads. Nearly every household possessed a gigantic pool, offering a perfect place for organizing private parties. Colorful, neon lights only accentuated the area, making it appear as a garden of beautiful flowers.

It was nothing like Zoya's home back in York. She was used to endless fields of green with nearly no houses around. Deep, untamed forests stretched as long as the eye could wonder, filling the girl's lungs with freshness.

Of course, the girl was forced to leave her past life behind and she would have lied to herself if she claimed that she didn't miss the raw touch of nature. But while York offered a peaceful atmosphere, Los Angeles had captured her heart. Well, the people in it did.

"There are sixteen people named Stanley Wells in the greater Los Angeles area," announced Ty, spinning in his chair. "We narrowed the possibilities down."

"Good work," Julian complimented as Tavvy came to hug him.

"Mr. Limpet died," Tavvy announced, pulling at the end of Julian's shirt. The older boy lifted Tavvy up.

"Sorry, kiddo," Julian said, allowing Tavvy to lean his chin against his shoulder. "We'll get you something else."

"I am a murderer," Mark huffed out.

"Don't be dramatic," Emma whispered, kicking him lightly.

"It might be his middle name, Em," Zoya chuckled.

Mark's gaze skipped between the parabatai pair. "Faeries are dramatic. It's what we do," he stated. "And my middle name is Antony."

Zoya couldn't help but roll her eyes. She wasn't sure if Mark got the joke this time.

"I loved Mr. Limpet," Tavvy continued. "He was a good lemur."

"There are lots of other good animals." Tiberius joined the conversation which made Tavvy grin brightly. "Foxes are smarter than dogs. You can hear lions roar from forty kilometers away. Penguins-"

"And bears," Cristina ran through the door, slightly out of breath. She approached Julian and Tavvy and handed the younger boy a gray bear. He glanced at it suspiciously. "That was mine when I was a little girl," Cristina said.

"What's its name?" Tavvy questioned, eyebrows risen.

"Oso," Cristina introduced the bear.

"Doesn't that mean 'bear' in Spanish?" Zoya inquired, tilting her head to the side and meeting Cristina's gaze.

"Oh, sue me," Cristina chuckled. "I was not very creative."

"Oso," Tavvy tasted the name on his lips, a bright grin decorating his gentle features. The small boy shook the stuffed animal playfully, extending his hand in Zoya's direction. "Look, Zoya! Cristina gave me a bear!"

The black-haired girl's heart warmed up at the exclamation. "I see. Oso is wonderful and I bet the two of you will have a lot of fun together."

"Yes!"

A small moment of silence passed through the room before Livvy turned to Julian. "So we should all go," she stated. "Ty and I can go in the car with Emma and Mark, and you can go with Zoya and Cristina, and Diana can stay here-"

Julian almost smiled at his sister, allowing Tavvy to be on the floor again. "Nice try," he responded. "But this is really a two-person job, three at most. Emma, Zoya and I will be in and out fast, see if there's anything unusual about the house, that's it."

"We never get to do anything fun," Livvy sighed, slouching her shoulders.

"I should be allowed to examine the house," Ty joined in. "You'll miss everything important. All the clues."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Julian glanced at his siblings. "Look, Livs, Ty-Ty, we really need you here to go over the photos from the convergence cave. See if you can identify the languages, translate them-"

"More translating," Livvy rolled her eyes. "Sounds thrilling."

"It will be fun," Cristina tried to win the children. "We can make hot chocolate and work in the library."

Julian passed the brunette a thankful nod. "It's not busy work," he said. "It's because you guys can genuinely do things we can't."

As soon as the words left Julian's tongue, the twins' faces brightened. They appeared proud.

Mark, on the other hand, was not happy with the plan. "I should go with you," he said. "The Courts wished me to be part of the investigation. To accompany you."

"Not tonight," Julian met Mark's gaze. "We need to figure out what to do about not being able to use runes on you."

"I don't need them-" Mark argued.

"You do," the firmness in Julian's voice was back. "You need glamour runes, if you want to blend in. And you're still injured from last night. Even if you do heal quickly, I saw you reopened your wound in the training room - you were bleeding-"

"My blood is not your concern," Mark shook his head.

"It is," Julian responded. "That's what it means to be family."

"Family," Mark barked silently, noticing that everyone's gazes rested on him. He tended to utter bitter things in the most awkward of moments, ultimately saddening his siblings.

Of course, the boy realized his mistakes rather quickly, but sometimes - making up for them didn't come as easy. Especially not when loneliness and anger managed to wrap their hands around him. "If I had wanted to take orders, I would have stayed with the Hunt."

⋆ ✧ ⋆

NOTE:

Hello, lovely souls! I hope you enjoyed this part. The next one is going be a wild ride, I promise.