I watched Jace talk to Clary and the mundane before they all came inside. I looked to see Jace draw a rune on his forearm before turning back to the screen to watch the mundane police check out the dead body. I sighed before joining the trio as Jace held the mundane's hand so he could see the inside of the Institute.
"Alec is going to kill you for bringing him," I told Jace.
"It's not like I had a choice," he said. "She's not exactly going to let me leave him behind."
"Where are we?" the mundane stammered. "What the hell? Clary, is there a war going on that I don't know about?"
"There is now," Jace told him as we made our way back to the monitor.
"I think my mother's at the center of it," Clary told him before joining us.
"You coming?" I asked the mundane.
"Yeah." He followed us into the main room. "What is this place? There's a lot of gear in here. What'd they do, rob a tech shop?" We got to the main area and I pressed a few buttons before bringing up the feed showing the outside and moving it to the larger screen showing the mundane police knocking on our door. "So this cold-blooded killer is gonna help us?"
"What is up with the two of you and the way you say thank you?" I asked them.
"He's not a killer," Clary told her friend. "He's protecting us."
"Specifically, you," Jace told her. "It's sort of our thing."
"Your thing?" the boy asked. "You guys have a thing?"
"He means a Shadowhunter thing," Clary told him. "That's what they do, protecting humans from demons."
"Demons, right. That makes perfect sense," the mundane said sarcastically. "Cause there are demons running all around New York."
"Not just New York," I told him. Beeping sounded from the monitor and pinpointed a place on the map as the audio kicked in from outside.
"NYPD."
"Won't they find us?" Clary asked.
"No," Jace told her. "Our wards will deter them."
"Police."
"And the NYPD will do their normal mundie thing for a few hours before giving up. Then the area will be clear for us to leave and find your mom," I said smiling at the redhead.
"What is going on?" Alec asked and I sighed before hanging my head.
"Here we go."
"Why is there a mundane in the Institute?" Alec asked looking at the two of us.
"A Circle member followed him to get to Clary," Jace told him.
"A Circle rune, just like the guys that took my mother," Clary told him.
"What exactly is a Circle member and why are they trying to kill us?"
"All we know is a long time ago the Circle led a revolt," Jace told the pair. "A lot of Shadowhunters got killed."
"Including our father," I said still looking at the screen. Jace held my hand and squeezed it tightly before letting go again. That was all the comfort we needed.
"And since the revolt we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle," Alec told them.
"But, how is that even possible?" Clary asked looking at all of us. "It's your history."
"Says the girl who didn't even know she was a Shadowhunter?" Jace scoffed.
"Jace, come on," I said. "Can't blame the kid for her mother's choices."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Clary said watching the three of us walk away slightly to another computer Izzy was in front of. "And now the only person who knows the truth is missing, so I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden, I'm... There's got to be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken my mother."
"There is," Jace told her before the two of us went for Hodge. "You coming?"
"Yeah," Clary immediately agreed. The mundane went to follow her and Jace turned to him.
"No, no, no. Not you," Jace told him.
"Hey, we're a package deal," Clary told him.
"Yeah."
"There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your mundie boyfriend," Jace lied.
"He's not my..."
"It's not like..." The two shared a look and I raised my eyebrow at them. "We're, us, just friends."
"Best friends," Clary corrected.
"Yeah," he smiled at her and I sighed at that look. I know that look from Alec's face when he looks at Jace. "And I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, us, bring on the runes." The mundane hit Jace's arm then shook his hand at the pain. "What exactly are runes?"
"They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers," Iz said bringing the mundane's attention to her. She moved her Stele over her forearm to show her angelic rune.
"So hot," the boy said. Jace cleared his throat and the boy turned to us. "The rune." Iz chuckled while putting away her Stele.
"Don't worry, Clary. I'll watch over the best friend," Iz said going to the mundane's side. "In fact, I was about to make breakfast."
"On second thought," Jace inhaled at the words.
"The runes will be less lethal," I joked and Izzy sighed at my words.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
"I wish you'd stop pretending not to hear them," I told her and she gave her look to me.
"Please excuse my sibling's lack of manners," Izzy told him. "This is Alec and Cass and I'm Isabelle." She held out her hand for him to take.
"Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis," he introduced finally shaking her hand. "Two first names. Am I still talking?"
"Yes, yes you are," I said as Iz giggled at his nervousness.
"See?" Jace asked Clary. "Best friend's safe and sound here."
"So long as he doesn't eat her cooking," I added.
"Jace, if anything happens to him..." Clary told him.
"Go on, I'll be fine," Simon told her and I raised my eyebrow at him as he stared at my sister. "I think."
"Where are we going?" Clary asked Jace.
"Training room," Jace told her pointing to where the training room as Jace moved to Simon. "Hey, uh... don't eat the food. Dangerous."
"Jace, coming?" Clary called to him.
"Yeah, I'm coming," Jace said before we both followed her to Hodge. When we got to Hodge, he was training with another Shadowhunter.
"Who is that guy?" Clary asked.
"That's Hodge Starkweather, our weapons trainer," Jace told her.
"And, more importantly for us, a former Circle member," I told her. Clary gave us both looks and Jace clarified everything for her.
"After the uprising, Hodge repented and he was sent to live and work here to make amends."
"The only catch was, he's forbidden to ever leave the Institute," I told her. Hodge kicked the girl's staff and she was pushed back by the force before he cut it in three. She knelt down and picked up the pieces of her staff before she left and Hodge put his shirt back on. He turned to us as we got closer to him.
"Jocelyn," he said smiling at her.
"Uh, I'm Clary," she corrected. "Uh, Jocelyn Fray is my mother."
"Well, she was Jocelyn Fairchild when I knew her," he told her. "And she was one of my best friends."
"She's been kidnapped," Clary told him. "By someone named Valentine and his men."
"By the Circle, Hodge," Jace clarified.
"But that's impossible," Hodge told us. "Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him." He suddenly started to choke and I took a deep breath.
"What's happening?" Clary asked.
"I swore a vow never to speak of what we did," Hodge told her as his circle rune burned. "This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow."
"We can't torture him, Jace, Eve," Clary told him. "Is there anyone else we can ask?" Jace shook his head slightly.
"If the Circle really is back and they've taken Jocelyn..." Hodge started saying before moving the subject. "Our leader... our leader of the Circle was Valentine Morgenstern-" He winced in pain as the rune seared making him stammer. "We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters. But we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go. The people he was willing to sacrifice." The rune seared more and he inhaled sharply and still talked through the pain. "Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan."
"But I... I still don't understand," Clary told him. "How does my mother relate to any of this?"
"Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well," Hodge told her. Her face showed confusion and shock."
"No," she denied. "I can't believe it. My mother, she-"
"The important thing is that Jocelyn left the Circle," Hodge told her. "And so none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire years ago." He groaned in pain and Jace and I rushed to him as he started to fall over.
"Hodge," Jace said holding him up.
"We got you, Hodge," I told him.
"I'm sorry, but we can't ask you to do this," Clary told him.
"Clary, we don't have a choice," Jace told her. "You understand that Hodge, right?"
"Jace..." Hodge panted. "Is right. Valentine nearly destroyed the Shadow World and humanity along with it. If he'd gotten the Cup-"
"Wait a minute," Clary told us. "My mother told me she hid something from someone. If it's this Cup-"
"Clary, the Mortal Cup is one of the most important objects in the Shadow World," I told her. "Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters and control demons."
"If Jocelyn hid the Cup from Valentine then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine," Hodge warned her before the rune seared more making him scream.
"Hodge." Hodge fell to the ground breathing heavily with Jace and I standing next to him.
"I hate to make you suffer like this," Clary told him as Jace and I did our best to help him through his pain.
"I'm so sorry," he told her. "Your mother was only trying to protect you. And now you must protect her. Stop Valentine... before he destroys us all." Clary ran from him with Jace right behind her while I stayed behind to try and help Hodge.
I stood at the main screen looking over the city before sighing.
"Come on Jocelyn, where are you?" I asked typing her name into the search. The word restricted popped up and I sighed before running my hands through my hair.
Later that night, I was sitting on Izzy's bed as Clary tried on one of her outfits.
"This is the least revealing thing you have?" Clary asked her.
"What?" Izzy chuckled looking the outfit over. "All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much in my opinion."
"Which is Izzy speak for yes, it is the least revealing thing she has," I told her.
"Where's Simon?" Clary asked crossing her arms under her bust.
"Who?" Izzy asked and Clary threw her a look.
"Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys." Iz came back to me on her bed.
"With the way our brothers have been acting I'm not so sure leaving him with them is a good idea," I mumbled to her and Clary looked at me worriedly. "They won't hurt him, but he'll probably have a major headache when he comes back.
"So, um..." Clary turned to us "You, Alec, and Jace are... what, like, family?" Clary leaned on a column in front of us as we chuckled at her words.
"Translation, you want to know if Jace and I are a thing," Izzy said.
"Why would I care?" Clary scoffed and I gave her a look.
"Cause every girl does," I told her with a smile.
"In every way, he's like my brother," Izzy told her. "My parents took Jace in when he was ten. We trained together. Learned to fight side by side."
"A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school," Clary sighed. "And now..."
"Is this the part where we give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Izzy asked her.
"Was that the pep talk?" Clary asked her.
"Basically," Izzy chuckled.
"Clary you were born into this world," I told her. "No matter what happened between now and then this is who you were always meant to be."
"I'm not exactly feeling that," she sighed.
"Not yet," Izzy said.
"Okay, but now we just have to find Dot," Clary sighed.
"And track down and kill the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all," Izzy reminded us.
"No pressure," I sighed.
"You really know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?" Clary asked her.
"Come on, let's go," Izzy told us. "Oh, and Simon is kind of nerd-hot." Clary sighed as Izzy chuckled while walking out of the door to her room.
We made our way back to the main room of the Institue where Simon was trying to talk Clary into leaving.
"Let's get out of here, just you and me," Simon told Clary putting his jacket back on. "We can get Dot ourselves."
"Simon, there are demons out there, okay?" Clary reminded him. "Actual demons with tentacles that wanna murder us. Do you know how to kill a demon?" Izzy and I moved between the two of us to the weapons rack as they talked.
"I'm an Internet search away," he told her and I shared a smile with Iz. If only it was that easy.
"Simon, I really don't think it's that simple," Clary told him.
"I bet you it's not that hard," Simon told her. Iz opened the weapons rack and ran her hands along one of the blades.
"Whoa."
"No, Izzy," Jace grabbed her arm to stop her from grabbing one of the weapons.
"Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission," Izzy told him.
"As if we'd bet against that," I laughed before Alec joined us.
"I don't approve of this mission," Alec said as he walked up to us and I smiled. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear, the little girl does not leave the premises."
"Hey, my name is not "little girl", okay?" Clary snipped at him. "I don't care what that Clave thing or you want, I'm going to find Dot."
"Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need," Jace told him. "With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."
"The warlock won't trust us without Clary and Clary is safer with us," I added.
"Jace and Eve have a point," Iz said.
"Et Tu, Izzy?" Alec asked his baby sister. "All right, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"
"We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint," Clary told us. "And there's this thrift store that she..." Clary gasped when she touched her necklace and it glowed.
"Clary?" I asked her confused.
"What's wrong?" Jace asked her worriedly. "What is it?"
"I, um..." Clary took a deep breath. "Weirdly, I think I know where Dot it."
"Great. I'll drive," Simon told us. We all gave him a look. "What? Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." Izzy chuckled and Jace looked at Alec. Simon suddenly looked down at his feet and realized we were on the training room floor. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me... right?" Jace looked at each of us before looking back at Simon.
"Possibly." Jace slapped him on his neck before the five of us walked away from him.
"Wait... am I gonna die?"
We walked behind Clary as she rushed down the abbey across the street from Pandemonium. She grasped her pendant again and gasped.
"Dot!" Once the street was clear of cars we ran across the street. We ran after Clary as she ran to the front of the club.
"Clary!" Jace called after her. "Clary, stop! Where are you going?"
"Two men, Circle members..." she panted. "The same ones who came to my house, who took my mom. They have Dot! They're gonna hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!" She inside the club with us right behind her. We ran through the club behind Clary. "No." Clary's breath trembled as she looked around. "She was just trying to help me." She turned to us and gripped her pendant. "Now, she's gone. "
"Clary, I'm sorry," Simon said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You don't understand," Clary told us. "Dot's like my big sister."
"It's not safe here," Alec said. "We have to go back to the Institute right now."
"So, what now?" Clary asked us. "Valentine has my mom and Dot, and we're just gonna give up? What about my memories? They can't just be gone?"
"There is another option," Jace said.
"Don't even-"
"Absolutely not." The pair of them said together.
"it's the only way," I pointed out.
"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace told us.
"Who are the Silent Brothers?" Clary asked Jace.
"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," Jace told her.
"Who possesses the ability to recover memories," Iz finished.
"A process that can also kill you," Alec said. "So there's that."
"Your bedside manner is abysmal," Simon told him.
"But he's not wrong," I said.
"We've broken at least 18 Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones?" Alec asked him. "There's no way. I won't allow it."
"This is not our choice to make," Jace told him and I looked to Clary. "This is Clary's decision."
"You can't ask her to do this," Iz said. "She doesn't know what she's facing."
"If anyone can tell me another way to recover my memories and still get the answers we need, I'm listening," Clary told us.
"What about another warlock," I sighed.
"You have a list of them lying around?" Jace asked me.
"That settles it," Clary told us.
"See? I told you she's one of us," Jace told us. He walked away, slapping Alec's chest with Clary following him.
Simon drove us to the City of Bones and we all climbed out of his van. We looked around and saw nothing.
"Yeah, this place isn't creepy," Simon said. "Not at all."
"Don't tell me you're afraid," Izzy chuckled and Simon scoffed.
"Are you kidding me?" he asked her. "I was born afraid... which sounded a lot better in my head." Izzy chuckled again.
"Let's check it out," Alec ordered.
"Wait here a minute," Jace told Clary as she started to follow us. "I wanna see if it's safe." We moved out of hearing distance of the duo.
"Hey," Alec stopped us and he and Jace turned to each other. "If something goes wrong, if something happens to her, that's on us. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah," Jace said. "And you know exactly what'd happen if Valentine gets the Cup before we do. She's lost everything, Alec. I know exactly what that feels like. And what's your problem with her, anyway? Your family always used to welcome strays."
"You were never a stray," Alec told him.
"The point is, nothing's changed," Jace said. "We're in this fight together. There's just..." Jace looked at Clary and Simon. "One more of us."
"And her mundane," I added looking at the pair as they talked about something. "If anything happens to him at the hands of a Downworlder it's not just on us. It's war." Clary made her way back to us before we all walked to the entrance to the City of Bones.
As we approached the entrance to the City of Bones, Clary took a deep, shaky breath.
"I can do this."
"Yeah, you can," Simon told her. "You're Clary freaking Fray. You can do anything." Simon started for the door, but Jace stopped him.
"All right, hold up."
"Surprise, surprise," Simon sighed. "No mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong! I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny best friend who gets left behind... dead man." Izzy laughed at him.
"You're not that funny," Jace told him. "But by all means, go ahead." Simon looked from Jace to Clary before starting for the entrance again. "Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die."
"Problem is, now I don't trust you," Simon told him.
"He's not lying," Alec chimed in.
"Now," Izzy added.
"But he was before at the Institute," I told him.
"The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter, so, please..." Alec motioned to Simon to enter the City of Bones.
"The Brothers creep me out," Izzy sighed. "I'll mind the mundane."
"Your sacrifice is noted, Izzy," Jace said before he and Clary moved to the entrance.
"Talk about sacrifice," Simon said. "I'm missing a financial analysis class."
"I can't be here anymore, so, Jace, I'm gonna mind the perimeter," Alec called out before leaving.
"I don't wanna leave you," Clary told Simon as I joined Jace at the entrance.
"Go be a badass Shadowhunter, all right?" Simon told her gripping her arms. "Get your memories back, save your mother. I'll be right here... guarding the entrance to hell." Clary hugged him tightly and I looked at Jace as he looked away from them for a moment before looking back at the pair.
"Clary," she turned to us. "You don't keep the Silent Brothers waiting."
"You got this," Simon told her. Clary joined us and walked inside with us behind her.
We made our way down into the city and bats chittered at us. Jace took a deep breath before leading us more into the city. Jace and I pulled out our mage lights to see.
"What's that?" Clary asked us.
"It's witchlight," Jace told her. "We carry it to remind us that light can be found in even the darkest of places."
"Plus," I added. "It's cooler than a flashlight." She smiled at us as Jace gave her his witchlight.
"Here." He pointed to a statue and she moved closer to it with us behind her. It was a statue of an angel holding a cup in his left hand and a sword in his right.
"Is that meant to be the Mortal Cup?" Clary asked.
"Yeah." She lowered the witchlight to see a sword and the words inscribed on it.
"What's that say?"
"It's the Shadowhunter creed," I told her.
""Looking better in black than the widows of our enemies"." Jace lied and I chuckled at him.
"My latin's pretty rusty, but I'm almost positive that's not what that says," Clary said.
"Smart." I turned to Jace. "I approve, by the way." He just snorted and shook his head at my words. ""For Shadowhunters, the descent into hell is easy"," I told her. We'd learned the creed as children.
"That should be a postcard," Clary scoffed.
"It's this way," Jace told her pointing in our direction.
When we got to the central area of the City of Bones, Jace took his witchlight back and put it away as I did mine.
"I'm sorry," Clary suddenly said standing between us. "About what I said before about your mom." I tensed up. What did she say to him about our mother? "I didn't know.
"It's cute," Jace said. "You assume I have feelings. I don't."
"None of us do," I told her forcing myself to relax. "Shadowhunters have no use for emotions or connections."
"Save the apologies for the mundanes," Jace told her. "Everyone has a sad song. Our mother died when we were babies. Our father died when we were ten."
"I'm so sorry," Clary said. "Wait, is he..." she looked around us. "Is he buried here?"
"No," I told her.
"Circle members are considered traitors," Jace explained when I didn't. "They forfeit the right to be buried here."
"You dad was in the Circle, too?" Clary asked.
"Our father tried to do the right thing and leave the Circle and it cost him his life," Jace told her.
"That's why you two are doing all this," Clary said looking between the two of us. "Why you're helping me."
"Valentine and his people need to pay," Jace told her. "I'm gonna make him pay."
"For, um... for what it's worth... I'm still sorry," Clary told him taking his hand in hers.
"No more "I'm sorry's"," I said. "Remember what we talked about. You're a Shadowhunter now." Jace and I continued into the city leaving her to follow us, his hand still in hers.
We made our way to where a light was falling from the ceiling and moved to stand in it.
"I've drawn this before," she told us. "But I don't know what it means."
"It means clairvoyance," Jace told her and she gasped as fires lit up behind us to show the Silent Brothers and the bones surrounding us.
"Shadowhunters." We turned to look at one of the Silent Brothers moving towards us. He removed his hood to show his stitched up mouth and eyes before he spoke again. "Come into the circle," he ordered Clary. Clary did as he told her and he looked at us. "Step away, Jace and Eve Wayland." Jace moved to stand closer to her as I moved away.
"We'll be right here," he told her before standing next to me.
"The search of your unconscious... is a perilous one," The Silent Brother told her.
"Please," Clary begged. "My memories were blocked. I have to get them back. The other Silent Brothers moved to surround her.
"If you are not strong enough... the Soul-Sword will kill you." The Silent Brother warned her.
"I'm ready," she told him.
I crossed my arms as we watched the Soul-Sword being lowered to Clary's head.
"The Soul-Sword reveals all." Clary was breathing heavily until the Sword touched her forehead until she gasped in surprise. The Brothers backed away from her and the Sword rose back up away from her.
"Wait," Clary said watching them back away. "We aren't done. We can't be done."
"Clary," Jace ran to her side and grabbed her arm. "Do you know where the Cup is?"
"No," she told him.
"Only fragments of her memory were accessible to us," The Silent Brother in front of us said.
"It can't be true... what I saw," she said.
"Clary, what is it?" I asked her.
"Your memory does not lie," he told her. "You must accept what has been revealed."
"I can't... I can't," she sobbed.
"What is it?" Jace asked her. "What did you see?"
"My mother lied to me," she told us. "She lied all these years about my father."
"About your father?" I asked sharing a confused look with Jace.
"What about your father?"
"My father... My father is Valentine," she sobbed running away from us and we quickly took off after her.
Once we found Clary and managed to calm her down, we left the City of Bones only to meet Alec at the entrance.
"What happened?" he asked us. "What did you find out?"
"Valentine is Clary's father," Jace told him.
"Wait a minute," Alec started looking between all of us. "You're telling me this girl shows up out of nowhere and she's Valentine's daughter? Did it occur to you that she might be a spy? This might be part of her plan?"
"Alec," I said drawing his attention to me. "Stop."
"Do you think I planned for my mom to get kidnapped?" Clary asked him. "Or... or for Dot to be taken? Or to have a giant sword dangle over my head and find out that my father is one of the most dangerous people in the world? Really?" Clary's voice showed her tears hadn't really left as her breath trembled. "Where's Simon?" Izzy ran to us and Clary asked the question again.
"I told him to stay in the van," Izzy told us. "I've searched everywhere."
"He's gone?" Clary asked, her voice rising and her eyes widening.
"I can't find him," Izzy sighed.
"You were supposed to protect him!" Clary shouted before storming past Izzy to the van we'd vacated hours before. "Simon!"
"Ugh, these mundanes are killing me," Jace complained as we all followed her.
"Simon? No, Simon!" Clary called out once she got to the van.
"Is that the mundane's name?" We turned to see a vampire holding Simon's tied and another standing next to them. "I'm afraid Simon's coming with us."
"No," Clary called up to him before trying to run to them but was stopped by Jace. "No, he's not a part of this."
"And it'll be my pleasure to kill you unless you return him," Jace called up to him.
"Careful," Alec warned. "We'd be violating the Accords."
"I'm afraid your sidekick's quite right," the vampire called down to us. "The Night Children have broken now laws. We're negotiating. The mundane, unharmed, in exchange for the Mortal Cup." Clary gasped behind us as we stared up at him. "And the clock is ticking. Tick-tock, people."
"Clary!" Simon called out as the vampires disappeared with him.
"Simon... No!" Clary called out to him before calling out his name.
