Disclaimer: depressingly I do not own any of the Mortal instruments books though I do wish I owned Jace.

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"She told me," he went on, as if Clary hadn't spoken, "that I had turned her first child into a monster. She left me before I could do the same to her second. You. But she was too late."

The cold at her throat, in her limbs was so intense that she was beyond shivering. It was as if the sword was turning her to ice. "She'd never say that," Clary whispered. "Jace isn't a monster. Neither am I."

"I wasn't talking about Jonathan." He smiled showing his teeth. "You're all so stupid, haven't you noticed that he doesn't look anything like you or your mother? He doesn't even look like me."

Clary was shocked but deep down she knew he was right. The mocking tone of his voice proved it. "But he looks just like you when he smiles and has the same laugh."

Valentine just shook his head, the smile that she had seen on Jace playing at the edges of his mouth, proving her point. "Even though he wasn't mine I still raised him, moulded him to what I wanted, so of coarse he would have the same personality, the same attitude as I, because that was what I wanted. But he is too kind, too loving." His grip on the sword tightened. "To think that you and Jonathan could have spent all this time together," he shook his head. "What a shame that by the time he finds you you'll be dead. It's what he disserves for turning against me. This will be his punishment – and Lucian's."

Valentine drew the sword back so that it no longer made contact with her skin but as it left it took away all of the cold as well as her strength. She fell to her knees tears running down her face. As he drew the sword back Valentine smiled a smile that chilled Clary almost as much as the swords touch had. His muscles tensed hate filling his eyes, but before he could plunge the sword into her the trapdoor above them burst open and two figures slipped through.

Clary recognised Jace straight away by his blond hair but she could not tell who the person standing in the shadows was.

"Jonathan, I'm so glad you could be here for this, but who is it you have with you? Is it the Lightwood boy?" Valentine wasn't trying to keep up his loving father façade for Jace anymore, there was no point, Jace could see Valentine pointing the sword at Clary.

The boy stepped out of the shadows revealing his face.

"Simon!" Clary gasped, "I thought you were dead"

"He was," Jace said, looking at Clary "But I let him drink my blood."

Tears welled up in Clary's eyes as she realised what Jace had done for her because she knew that he had saved Simon for her. "Thank you" she whispered, fresh tears running down her cheeks.

Jace took a closer look at Clary "What have you done to her?" he demanded. The pain in his eyes was painful for Clary to look at.

"Nothing yet, so if I were you I'd step back, Jonathan, so I can finish what I started." Valentine stared at Jace coldly before turning back to Clary.

"Find Maia!" Clary yelled. "He didn't get her blood yet, the sword hasn't been turned yet. Run!" her cries had turned desperate but she could tell that Jace had no intentions of leaving without her.

Valentine smiled at Clary. He flicked the sword in her direction and she was sent flying against the far wall, crumpling in pain.

Simon started running towards Clary but Valentine created a wall of fire between them, sending Simon stumbling backwards.

Jace moved quickly, throwing something towards Clary. It landed a few inches away. Her eyes widened.

It was her mother's stele.

She reached over and as her fingers closed around the smooth surface of the stele, the feel of it gave her a renewed energy, just enough to kneel against the wall and draw a single rune.

As she drew she let everything leave her mind letting instinct take over. She found herself guiding the stele across the wall, whispering open over and over to herself.

When she was finished, she let her hand fall into her lap. For a moment there was silence, broken by Simon who turned to Jace and said, "What does it say?"

"Open" Clary and Jace whispered together.

Valentine looked horrified "Clarissa-"

The scream of metal drowned out his words. The wall Clary had drawn on gave in and jets of water sprayed into the room.

Clary tried to get to Jace and Simon but before she got halfway she was knocked down by an icy wave. Somewhere Jace was calling her name, his voice loud and desperate over the screaming of the ship being pulled apart. She only managed to scream his name once before she was dragged into the river.