A/N: Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2016 :) 2015 was a really fun year, and I'm sad that it went by so fast, but here's to another fun-filled year! I hope you all had a great holiday season! I couldn't update for the past few weeks because I was on vacation with my family, but I am back home now, so here's Chapter 10.
Did anyone watch the first two episodes of Shadowhunters?! It was so fun to watch! Granted, it wasn't like the books, and there were some parts I didn't really like, but I understand the fact that the show runners couldn't keep everything exactly the same from the series. And also, the first few episodes are always the worst ones, so I'm sure things will get better throughout the season. Nevertheless, I have high hopes for the show, and I can't wait to see what else happens! Ahhhhh, so excited XD.
Tell me what your thoughts were on the first two episodes!
Starting from this chapter and onwards, there's going to be a lot more juicy stuff and action! Keep on reading for all the fun :) I made this chapter a little longer than usual, so enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments.
Chapter 10
Isabelle POV
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"Of course, don't worry about me," Clary smiled at Isabelle before walking up the steps to Luke's apartment with her crutches. She gave the Lightwoods a small wave and disappeared inside.
"Okay," Isabelle turned back to Jace, who was sitting in the passenger seat of Alec's car. "Explain everything. From the beginning."
"Right," Jace pushed his hair out of his face. "So I went to pick Clary up from the library after school, and while we were cleaning up her stuff, Kaelie came up to us."
"You mean the pixie?" Alec's eyebrows furrowed.
"Yeah," Jace nodded. "She went all 'I know something you don't' and then basically admitted to Clary that she was the one who sent Valentine the address to her apartment, so he could come and kidnap both Jocelyn and her."
Alec groaned while Isabelle quietly raged, having a strong urge to walk up to Kaelie and saying a few not so lady-like words to her face.
"Seriously?" she gritted her teeth. "Can't say I'm surprised. It seems like something the Fae would do."
"This is getting way out of hand," Alec sighed. "The pixie will be charged with evidence of conspiring with the enemy, that's for sure, but it's up to the Clave to decide what to do with her."
"How about sending her to the demon world?" Isabelle suggested sarcastically. "She definitely belongs there."
"I'm pretty sure the Seelie Queen is involved as well," Jace ignored Isabelle and looked at his parabatai. "They're planning something—with Valentine. We need to figure out what." He paused, thinking for a minute.
"You really think so?" Alec asked.
"I know so," Jace said. "The Seelie Queen has always hated the Nephilim. She'd take any chance to destroy us. Siding with Valentine is the perfect opportunity."
Isabelle anxiously fidgeted in her seat. Never in her life had she every experienced something like this before. Sure, there was hunting demons, and her parent's separation, but this...this was the real deal.
"Wait a second," Jace spoke up. "Today, when Clary and I were talking with Kaelie, she kept asking Clary about her trip to France—if she was going or not..." he trailed off.
"What do you mean?" Isabelle asked.
"Something wasn't right," Jace continued. "She seemed like she really wanted Clary to go to France. Why would Kaelie want that?"
"Unless..." Alec looked at Jace. "Something's waiting for Clary in France."
"Something, or someone?" Jace said, clearing hinting the obvious. "Like Valentine?"
"That doesn't make sense," Isabelle shook her head. "Valentine knows that Clary's in Brooklyn, he can just come here to get her."
"True," Jace's shoulders sagged.
"Let's just get all this to Mom, she'll know what to do," Isabelle leaned back in her seat.
Clary POV
Clary closed the front door behind her as she stepped into Luke's apartment. She adjusted her crutches and managed to pull her sneakers off without falling.
"Luke?" she called out, peeking into the living room.
"Clary? Hey!" Luke appeared from his bedroom, with a smile. "How was school?"
Clary paused, unsure whether she should tell Luke about the incident with Kaelie. "Um...I need to tell you something."
Luke sensed Clary's somber tone and immediately stiffened. "What happened?"
Clary sighed and told him everything that had occurred in the library with Jace and Kaelie. When she finished, Luke inhaled sharply and turned around, striding into the kitchen.
"Luke?" Clary called out hesitantly, following him. "What's wrong?"
Luke came out of the kitchen, cellphone in hand. "I'm going to call Alaric."
"What for?"
"For extra protection. You were at school with someone who had been conspiring with Valentine, Clary. You could have easily gotten hurt. You're not safe here in New York."
"What's Alaric going to do?" The last time Clary had met Alaric, it had been during summer break, when she went to visit Luke at work. Alaric was a tall man with long gray hair. He was muscular, yes, but he was also...old.
"Alaric's a werewolf," Luke said sheepishly. "Just like the rest of the guys from work."
"Oh..." Clary said, a little taken aback. "Right, of course."
As Luke dialed Alaric's number, he asked if Jace was going home to tell Maryse about Kaelie.
"I think so," Clary nodded.
"Why don't you get some rest?" Luke rubbed her back. "I don't think you've done much of that this week."
"Yeah," Clary said, thankful that it was Friday and that the weekend was here. She pulled her backpack from her shoulder and hobbled into her room, propping her crutches against the wall and sitting down on her bed. She glanced over at her nightstand, where a photo of her and Simon posing at a carnival last year sat framed.
Simon...she suddenly remembered. I haven't talked to him since this morning. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Simon's number, silently hoping he'd pick up and not ignore her.
Thankfully, after a few rings, the line connected and Simon's voice spoke up from the speaker.
"What do you want?"
Clary cringed at his harshness. "Hey...I just wanted to check in with you. Say hi."
"I'm doing fine."
"Well, we haven't exactly talked in a while..."
"We talked this morning."
"No, I mean, like, talked talked. You know...to catch up with each other and stuff."
"Oh...okay...so what do you want to talk about?"
"What have you been up to lately?"
"Nothing much."
"Okay," Clary said, cringing even harder at how awkward the conversation was becoming. "Um...how are you and Isabelle?"
"Do you really want to talk about that?" Simon coughed.
"Well, do you need any...I don't know, girl advice?" Clary asked slowly.
"Wow, you really wanna go there, huh?" Simon sighed. "Okay, go ahead. What advice do you want to give me?"
"Um...well, Isabelle's a girly girl, but she also has her badass moments, so you need to remember that she can take care of herself."
"Oh, don't worry, I don't doubt that."
"She also really likes clothes...and shoes—heels in particular. Her favorite color's red, or maybe black—"
"Clary, I already know all this."
"...Right," Clary nodded.
"But, maybe you can help me with one thing," Simon said. "I'm not sure, but it seems as if Isabelle doesn't want me to go to her house and visit her family."
Clary swallowed hard as Simon continued.
"I mean, she's been to my house a couple of times, but whenever I bring up going to her house, she always rejects the idea."
"Oh," was all Clary could say. How was she supposed to explain why Isabelle didn't want Simon to come over to the Institute? "I'm sure she'll let you come over one day—maybe she's not comfortable or something..."
"Yeah, I guess...Has Jace ever let you come over?"
"Simon—"
"Speaking of which, you've suddenly been spending a lot of time with the Lightwoods lately," Simon said. "Is there, like, something going on between you guys that I should know about?"
"No, there isn't," Clary said, hoping she sounded believable.
"Because it would explain why you and Isabelle were making up all that stuff about your sprained ankle, and why you're always hanging out with them even though you met them like a month ago..."
"It's nothing, Simon," Clary assured him.
"I know you're hiding something, Clary. I've known you for so many years, I know when something's up."
Clary kept quiet, desperately trying to come up with an excuse of some sort.
"Why don't you want to tell me what's going on?"
"Of course I want to tell you," Clary protested, standing up from her bed and leaning against the chair for support. "It's just—I can't. It's not in my place." She quickly added, "But I promise you, it's nothing bad, okay? I'm fine—the Lightwoods are fine, we just have some stuff to sort out...Do you trust me?"
After a long pause, Simon reluctantly said, "Yeah...okay."
"Thank you," Clary sat back down on her mattress and said after a while, "You know, I never realized that you'd like someone like Isabelle."
"What does that mean?"
"Well...I mean, you never seemingly showed any interest in someone that was...I don't know...like her."
"Are you saying that I'm out of her league?"
"No! No! Of course not," Clary immediately cut in. "Just...forget about what I said." She changed the subject and asked, "So did you guys DTR?"
"DTR?"
"Define the relationship?"
"Oh...um, I don't know."
"Simon! You need to DTR."
"What does that even mean?"
"Like are you guys exclusively dating? Or are sort of like a friends with benefits—"
"How am I supposed to know?!"
"You need to talk to her about it," Clary shook her head while grinning. "Isabelle may think of you as a fling, or something, but you might think of her as your girlfriend, and it'll become all awkward and stuff—"
"Okay, okay, fine," Simon interrupted. He paused, and Clary took the moment to lie down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm not going to lie," Simon started. "This is kinda weird, me getting relationship advice from the girl I was in love with for so many years."
Clary's breath caught in her throat. "Did you really like me like that for so long?" she asked.
"Yeah, I did," Simon's voice was scratchy.
"You should have told me," Clary covered her eyes with her hand. "It would have saved you all the pain you had suffer."
"Would you have dated me though?" Simon asked.
Clary bit her lip, knowing that she probably wouldn't have. She had always seen Simon as her best friend—the brother she never had.
"Simon—"
"Don't, Clary."
"I'm really sorry, Simon. For everything. You know I love you, right? Just not in...that...way."
"Yeah, I know."
"Promise me that nothing will ever get in between us?" Clary asked.
"Promise," Simon replied.
"Okay," Clary glanced over at the clock beside her. "I should probably go."
"Yeah, me too."
"Bye Simon, I'll see you...later, I guess."
"Bye Clary. Say hi to your mom for me."
Clary's heart dropped and she scrunched her eyes shut at his comment. "Yeah...I will." The line disconnected, and she dropped the phone on the mattress beside her.
She turned to her side, and stared at the walls of the bedroom, where there were more photos hung up on the wall. There was one with her, Luke, Simon, and her mom, when they had gone to Central Park for a picnic. Clary continued staring at the photo, particularly at her mom, and yelled at herself mentally for taking her time with her Jocelyn for granted.
"I love you Mom," she closed her eyes and whispered. "I hope you're safe." She took a deep breath, and suddenly all the events from the day found her exhausted.
Maybe I'll just lie here for a few more minutes, she thought and nestled her head against the pillows.
Clary was standing in front of her apartment, bundled up from head to toe in warm clothes. It was snowing lightly, but temperature was still freezing. She shivered and hugged herself, exhaling a frosty breath. Looking up and down the street, Clary sighed when she saw that no one was around. Then, as she was about to head back inside, she heard footsteps crunch in the snow behind her.
Turning around, Clary saw her mom standing on the sidewalk, wearing nothing but a pale pink nightgown. Her feet and arms were bare, and the odd thing was that she didn't seem to be cold at all.
"Mom?" Clary breathed, and stared at the figure as if she was seeing a ghost.
"Hello, Clary," Jocelyn smiled warmly. She opened her arms wide, and Clary crashed into her, embracing her tightly.
"What are you doing here?" Clary asked as she pulled away from her mom.
"Why, I came to see you of course," Jocelyn said matter-of-factly.
"But you were gone," Clary frowned. "Valentine kidnapped you."
"I found my way back to you," Jocelyn put her arm around Clary's shoulder. "Come, we have much to talk about."
"Wait, no," Clary shrugged Jocelyn's arm off. "You were kidnapped, Mom. You disappeared. And now you're suddenly back and acting as if everything's fine."
"Because it is," Jocelyn said happily. "Everything is fine now, Clary. Stop worrying."
Clary nodded, but she didn't feel entirely convinced.
"Alright, now that I've finally returned," Jocelyn led Clary down the sidewalk, "let's go spend some time together. I hear that Central Park is looking especially beautiful this season."
"Mom, don't you want to wear something warm—" Clary started but suddenly a strong gust of wind blew into her face. Clary blinked in surprise and stared at the scene in front of her.
She was standing in Central Park, now a white wonderland. The snow was about a foot high, and new, fresh snow was still falling. The trees were bare and the moonlight was faint. Clary's mouth fell open and she whirled around, taking a full circle.
"H—how'd we get here so fast? We were just..." she trailed off, and looked over at her mother, who was watching the snow fall absentmindedly.
"There. We must go there," Jocelyn pointed ahead of her, and started walking. Clary hurried to catch up with her, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to keep warm.
"Where are we going?" Clary asked.
"Here we are," Jocelyn asked, stepping into a clearing. There was a large pond in front of them, the waves glistening with the reflection moon.
"Turtle Pond?" Clary raised her eyebrows. "What are we doing here?"
"Turn around."
Clary hesitantly followed her instructions.
"Now walk backwards," Jocelyn gestured to the pond.
"Huh?"
"Go, Clary. Inside."
"Inside the pond? What are you talking about?"
"You'll find your answers there. Everything that you've been wondering, about the Shadow World, about my past, about the life you never had, lies in that pond."
Jocelyn shoved Clary backwards, and Clary screamed, flailing her arms to keep her balance. With a big splash, she fell into the pond and trashed around, trying to find her way back to the surface. But for the some reason, the water seemed to be a black abyss, and Clary couldn't find her way up. Eventually, the lack of oxygen took a toll on her, and Clary's eyes felt heavy. She closed them, and welcomed in the darkness into her body.
Clary woke up with a start, gasping for air. She whipped her head to her right and left, feet twisted in the covers, and sighed in relief when she realized that she was safe in her room, not in the murky depths of the Turtle Pond.
What the hell just happened? she thought, panting heavily. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, only a couple of hours had passed since she had fallen asleep.
"Clary?" the door to her bedroom opened, and Luke stepped in. "Hey, do you want something to eat?"
"I had a dream," she blurted out instead.
"A dream?" Luke frowned, and stepped further into the room. "What happened?"
"I saw my mom," Clary swallowed. "She was there, standing in front of our apartment, as if she hadn't gotten kidnapped. And then some weird things happened."
"What things?"
"S—she took me to Central Park, and shoved me into Turtle Pond..." Clary was trying to figure the entire thing herself out as well. "She kept telling me that I would find the answers that I was looking for there."
"Wait, did you say Turtle Pond?"
"Yeah?"
Luke's face paled. "We need to get to the Institute, now."
"What? Why?"
"Just come," Luke grabbed Clary's crutches and handed them to her, hurrying out of the room. "I think your dream will provide some very useful information to Maryse that will help the Clave find Valentine."
"How? Because of what's in Turtle Pond?" Clary hurriedly pulled on her sneakers and jacket before following Luke.
"Yes. No. Maybe, I don't know. We'll see what the Council has to say." Luke threw open the front door and ushered Clary outside.
Jace POV
Isabelle, Alec, and Jace clambered up the front steps of the Institute and opened the door. Max immediately came running to them, holding up a comic book.
"Look what came in the mail!" he declared happily, waving the object in the air.
"That's great, Max!" Isabelle smiled. Jace always marveled at the way Isabelle was good with kids. Even if she was dead tired, or extremely upset, she never let it show when talking to a child. Especially when she was with Max.
"Have you seen your mom?" Jace asked ruffling the boy's hair, which he immediately patted back into place.
"She's in the library," Max's nose crinkled. "There are a bunch of people in there, too."
The teens shared a look. "Members of the Enclave?" Alec thought out loud.
"Maybe," Jace shrugged.
Isabelle turned to Max and gave him a smile. "Max, go on to your room, okay? We'll come to you in a bit."
Max grumbled something under his breath and walked away from the group. Jace led Isabelle and Alec up the stairs, heading to the library. He pushed the two doors open and frowned when he saw the group of people inside.
It was, in fact, the Enclave. A long conference table had been set up in the library, and it was covered in papers and official documents. At the head of the table was Maryse and next to her were the Enclave delegates from Los Angeles and Lisbon, Andrew Blackthorn, and Senhor and Senhora Monteverde. But perhaps the most surprising people present were Robert Lightwood, standing next to Consul Jia Penhallow.
Maryse's head lifted up to meet the teens and her face immediately hardened. "Oh, you're all home already."
Isabelle eyes, however were glued to their father, who the Lightwoods hadn't seen since he had left for Idris to take on the position of Inquisitor, an event that had left all the Lightwoods in an uneasy and troubled wake.
"What's going on here?" Jace dared to ask. "Why is the Council meeting in New York instead of Idris?" As far as he knew, the Council only met when there were extreme situations among the Shadow World.
"You are not supposed to be in here—" Senhor Monteverde barked at the three kids.
"Is this about Valentine?" Alec cut in. "Has the Clave received any new information on his whereabouts?"
Jace took a good look around the room, and his eyes fell on a gleaming sword sitting at the center of the table. "Is that the Mortal Sword?!" he gaped at it in disbelief. "Why the hell is that in here?"
"Mom?" A small voice peeped out from behind the three teens. Jace and Alec stepped aside to reveal Max, staring at the scene in front of him with big eyes. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Max?" Alec hissed. "What are you doing here? We told you to go to your room!"
"Oh, for goodness sakes, Maryse," Andrew Blackthorn rolled his eyes. "Get your children out of here."
"Max," Alec said gently. "Please, just go to your room."
Max gave his older brother a long stare before sighing in defeat. "Fine." He turned and padded out of the library, shoulders slouched.
"That means you, too," Andrew gave Jace, Isabelle, and Alec a look.
"Wait," Jace said desperately. "We have some information concerning Valentine that'll be useful in your search."
"Just a moment, Andrew," the Consul spoke and gave Jace a hesitant look. "What information did you find?"
"The Fae are conspiring with Valentine," Jace said.
"What?" Maryse stood up from her seat, and the Enclave members gave sounds of surprise as well.
"Where did you hear this?" The Consul demanded.
"There was a pixie that went to St. Xavier's disguised as a human," Jace began.
"St. Xavier's?" Senhora Monteverde echoed. "What is that?"
"It's the mundane school that Clarissa Fairchild goes to," Jace replied. "And that we go to also."
"You sent your kids to a mundane school?" The Consul gave Maryse an exasperated look.
"They went to keep an eye on Jocelyn's daughter
," Maryse reasoned. "We needed to make sure she wasn't communicating with Valentine."
"Was she?" Robert looked at Jace. "Communicating with Valentine?"
"No," he immediately said. "She didn't, we're sure of it."
"You can't be sure about anything," Robert said haughtily. "She could be lying to all of our faces."
Jace felt Isabelle stiffen beside him. "She isn't lying," he said furiously. "Clary had never met Valentine before this week—she had no idea he was her dad. She wouldn't have—couldn't have—lied to us...I know her."
"Do you now?" Robert folded his arms across his chest. "I must say Johnathan, you've only known Clary for, what...like a month?"
"Enough!" The Consul intervened. She turned to the kids and gave them a stern glare. "What did you find out about the pixie?"
Jace swallowed his rage back down and continued. "A pixie named Kaelie Whitewillow went to St. Xavier's and became friends with Clary freshman year. She pretended to be human so that she could earn Clary's trust. Just yesterday, she revealed to Clary and I that she was the one who gave Valentine Clary's address, so he could go visit her."
"After all that work we put into the Accords," Andrew Blackthorn fumed, "this is how the Seelies pay us..."
"Hold on a minute, that doesn't make any sense," Robert spoke up. "Why would the pixie reveal any of that information to you? Either she didn't tell you the truth, or this never even happened and you're making this all up."
"We aren't making this up!" Isabelle roared.
Jace turned to her, surprised. It was the first word she'd spoken since they had walked in the library. He knew that out of all the Lightwoods, Isabelle had been hurt the most when Robert had hurriedly left for Idris after becoming Inquisitor. Jace wasn't quite sure what exactly had driven Maryse and Robert away from each other—it obviously wasn't any of his business—but whatever it was, Isabelle had hated Robert for it.
"I can't believe you would assume that, especially from the boy you took in as one of your own," Isabelle shook her head bitterly. "Maybe if you actually took the time to care about your family, you'd never would have had that thought." She glared at her father and spun around, storming out of the library.
"Isabelle!" Maryse gasped at her outburst.
"I'll go talk to her," Robert said, making his way to the door, but Alec stopped him.
"Don't," he put his hand out. "Just let her be alone for a while."
"I'm sorry, Jia, for the interruption," Maryse apologized uncomfortably.
"No, no," Jia gave her a strained smile. "Let's come back to the matter at hand, shall we?" She cleared her throat. "Are you positive that the pixie is working with Valentine?"
"Absolutely," Jace nodded.
"And is it just the pixie? Or is the Seelie Queen involved, too?"
"I assume she is," Jace said. "Who else would send Kaelie to St. Xavier's?"
"Oh, great," Andrew sank back down into his seat.
"What do you suppose we do now, Consul?" Senhor Monteverde asked.
"We need to inform the rest of the Clave that this is now a bigger situation than it was before," Jia said. "If the Seelies really are conspiring with Valentine, than we are all in trouble."
Clary POV
Luke helped Clary walk up to the front steps of the Institute. She readjusted herself and glanced up at the tall, daunting double oak doors.
"Um, how are we supposed to open these? I don't exactly see a doorbell anywhere..."
"Okay, here's what you have to do," Luke took one of Clary's crutches from her so that her hand was free. "Place your hand on the door and call to Angel Raziel to grant you entrance to the Institute."
"Shouldn't you just do it?" Clary asked, feeling wary of the ordeal.
"No, I'm not a full Shadowhunter anymore," Luke's expression sobered. "I have a mix of werewolf blood and Shadowhunter blood, so the phrase won't work for me."
"Oh," Clary turned back to the door. She pressed her hand against the wood and immediately she felt power and warmth surging up through her arms. She murmured the words, half expecting it not to work.
Suddenly, she heard a long groan and the doors started moving inward slowly. She grinned at Luke, taking back her crutch, and went inside. The foyer was empty, and the silence suggested to Clary that no one was around. As she walked forward, she heard rising voices coming from upstairs. She gestured to Luke to follow her up the grand staircase, and once they were up there, she saw the doors of the Library propped open.
Luke went ahead, barging into the library with Clary timidly following. He stopped short when he saw the number of people inside, and Clary took that as a guess that there usually wasn't this many people in the Institute.
Inside, there was a long table with several people Clary didn't recognize sitting around. The only person that she knew was Maryse, who was in a heated discussion with an Asian woman with short black hair. Looking to her right, Clary also saw Jace and Alec conversing silently with each other.
"Ahem," Luke cleared his throat, and Maryse was the first one to notice. Her eyes flickered over to Luke and Clary, and she stopped her argument abruptly.
"Lucian?" Her eyebrows rose. The rest of the room became silent, and Clary looked over at Jace, who gave her an incredulous look.
"Clary, what are you doing here?" He came forward and stood next to her.
"Hi," Luke gave curt nod to the Enclave members. "Wow...Jia, Robert—I haven't seen you two in a long time. Is something wrong? I didn't expect you to come all the way to New York."
The Asian woman's—Jia's—expression was terrifying. "We were just having a small meeting," she gave him a one-over, "It's good to see you doing well. "
"Likewise," Luke said. "Listen, I brought Clary here because she had something to share with you, and I'm glad that you and Robert are here to hear it." He looked at Clary who turned to Jia.
"I think I know where I can get answers to find my Mom," she said. "And Valentine."
"Where?" Alec asked.
"I had a dream today," she turned to him. "I saw my mom, and she told me to go to Turtle Pond, in Central Park. She said that I'd find answers there." She looked at the doubtful expressions on the Shadowhunters around her.
"I know it sounds silly, but I think that I have to listen to her," Clary added hurriedly. "I have to go Turtle Pond."
"This just proves what Alec and I were saying before," Jace turned to Jia. "The Seelies know were Valentine and Jocelyn are."
"What are you talking about?" Clary caught onto Jace's sleeve.
"If you walk backwards into the reflection of the moon in Turtle Pond," Jace explained. "It'll take you to the Seelie Court."
"That's what happened in my dream," Clary recalled. "My mom shoved me into the pond."
"So it's settled then," Jace looked back at Jia. "I can go with Alec to visit the Seelie Queen and get answers."
"You will do no such thing," Jia said at the same time a burly man Luke called Robert said, "Hold on a minute."
"We can't listen to whatever this little girl says," Robert sputtered. "She hasn't gone through trial in the Mortal Sword yet, in case any of you have forgotten." He looked at Luke, "And neither have you."
"My name is not 'little girl'," Clary said indignantly. She was already beginning to hate this man. "And you have ever reason to trust Luke and I."
"I think that we can trust what she's saying, Robert," Maryse said. "We don't need to put her in more pain than she's already been through."
"I don't know Maryse," Jia said. "Valentine visited her in her bedroom. He could have easily fed her a bunch of lies about the Seelies and then used a warlock to make her forget that he gave her that false information."
"You can't be serious," Jace gave Jia an astonished look. "The Mortal Sword could kill her—she's never used it before."
At the words 'Mortal Sword,' Clary was compelled to look at the table, where a shining sword was laid. She looked back at the people around her, who were all arguing again. In an impulse, Clary walked forward, placing her crutches on the ground, and took the Sword in her hands.
Immediately, an agonizing feel went through Clary's body. She gasped at the weight—it felt like she was carrying a million pounds—and almost collapsed holding it.
"Clary, no!" Jace yelled, but it was too late. The Sword was in her hands, and it took all of Clary's willpower to look at Robert with an irritated glare.
"Happy?" she told him.
"By the Angel," Jia came forward, placing her hand on Clary's shoulder. "You're awfully brave to have done that."
"Ask me anything," Clary gritted her teeth. "I can't lie now, can I?"
"No, you can't," Jia took a step back. "What is your name?"
"C—Clarissa Fray," Clary said painfully. The sword seemed to be pulling the information out of her with tiny little hooks, and it was an odd sensation.
"Who is your mother?"
"Jocelyn...Fray," She managed to say.
"And your father?"
"Valentine Morgenstern," Clary gritted her teeth. Her arms felt heavy and the room was spinning.
"Don't fight the Sword, Clary. Just let the truth come out, you'll feel less pain," Jia said gently. "Did you know that your father was Valentine before you were introduced to the Shadow World?" Jia asked carefully.
"No. I grew up thinking that my dad had died before I was born. My mom never told me who my dad was before I found out about the Shadow World." Suddenly the words started spilling out of her mouth, and Clary felt more at ease.
"Did your mother ever contact Valentine when you were young?"
"I don't think so. Like everyone else, she thought that Valentine was dead, but knowing him better than anyone else, she still had her doubts."
"What do you know about Valentine Morgenstern?"
"I know that he used to be a Shadowhunter. He formed the Circle, which my mom was a part of," Clary saw Robert, Luke, and Maryse's expressions turn dark, "and he tried to change the ways of the Clave and get rid of the Downworlders, killing many people in the process," Jace's eyes cast down to the floor when she said this, "He was a bad man."
Jia pressed her lips together tightly. "Did you know about the Shadow World before this month?"
"No, I had no idea that this world even existed." Clary felt tired—so tired.
"Did Valentine Morgenstern visit you in your bedroom last night?"
"Yes, he told me that he wanted me and my mom to go with him, somewhere, I don't know. I ran from him and he ordered one of his men—Pangborn—to take my mom through a Portal," she winced at the memory.
"Consul," Jace gave Jia a warning look to change the subject.
"Alright," Jia nodded in understanding. "Do you know where the Portal was going?"
"No." She needed to sit down, but kept her feet planted to the floor.
"And what about the pixie in your school? What did she tell you?"
"I was friends with Kaelie since freshman year. She was one of the more popular kids in school, but she was always nice to me. Now I realize that it was because she was just trying to get close to me. She told me today that she was the one who gave Valentine my address, and she didn't seem fazed at all when Jace told her that she was going to get punished by the Clave for revealing that information."
"I see," Jia nodded solemnly. "And this dream that you had with your mom...what happened?"
"I saw my mom in front of my apartment. She was acting as if she never had gotten kidnapped. She took me to Central Park and pushed me into Turtle Pond after telling me that I would find the truth about my past."
"Okay...Are you in league with the Valentine Morgenstern?"
"No, I'm not." Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
Jia's eyes looked over at Luke. "How long have you known Luke?"
"As long as I can remember. My mom introduced me to him when I was young, saying that they were good friends. He's been helping me and my mom out for my entire life."
"Do you have any reason to believe that he may be working with Valentine?"
"No, I don't." When will this interrogation be over?
"Do you know where Valentine or your mom may be?"
"I don't." She felt like falling to the floor right then and there.
"Will you turn your back against us Nephilim?"
"No, of course not."
"Very well," Jia gave her a smile. She came forward and lifted the Sword out of Clary's hands and back onto the table. The moment the Sword was removed from her hands, Clary gasped out loud, and slumped down, throwing her arm out against the table to steady herself. Jace rushed forward, and placed his arm around her, helping her stay upright.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," Clary nodded.
"I can't believe you did that," he said with a laugh. "That was completely stupid, but also really cool."
Clary gave him a breathless smile and looked up at Jia, who gave a grateful nod.
"Thank you, Clary."
"So does this mean that I can go to the Seelie Court?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Luke began, but Jia interrupted. "We can send a few Shadowhunters with her, just in case," she said. "But I think Clary should be the one to visit the Seelie Queen."
"Awesome," Clary smiled grimly. "It's time to pay Kaelie a visit."
A/N: Phew...this chapter was a beast to write. Hopefully you guys all liked it! Next chapter we're heading down to Seelie Court, and obviously some exciting stuff is going to happen there :)
And if you guys are wondering what happened to the whole student exchange program to France thing, don't worry, it'll come up again. In fact, it's going to be the most important part of the story, so think that I just put it off or something.
Please tell me your thoughts on this chapter! I got ONE review last time, and that's just sad...I really want to know what you guys think!
How'd you feel about Clary and Simon's talk, the Council meeting, and Clary's trial? Also tell me what you thought of the TV Show! Thanks :)
Shoutout to bookaddict223, the ONLY reviewer last chapter (You go girl!):
bookaddict223: Yay, I'm glad you like this story :) Thanks for asking, I write only on weekends, and it takes me a while (like 4-5 weeks) to write a good chapter, especially if I'm lacking inspiration (aka these past few months). But the new TV show has got me pumped, so I'll be updating more regularly from now on. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing :)
As always, remember to FAVORITE/FOLLOW and REVIEW! Thanks everyone and I'll see you with Chapter 11 :)
~bookwormbullet