21) Betrayal
Isabelle was on the hunt for her brother. "Alec?" she called as she walked to the kitchen. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, she had already checked the library, training room and now the kitchen, which left his room.
She wondered why he wasn't helping his parabatai look for his sister, he swore that he would fight by his side, now he was betraying that promise. It seemed to take for ages to walk to Alec's room, she knocked on the door before walking in, Alec was sat in his room looking down at his hands.
"What the hell are you doing? Jace is losing his mind, he needs his parabatai by his side." Isabelle said expectantly, she expected Alec to already be by his side.
"This is all my fault." Was all that Alec mumbled under his breath.
Isabelle frowned and shut the door, "What are you talking about? How is all of this your fault?"
"I told him where she was, I put doubt into mother's mind, Alice is gone, Jace is breaking because of me." Alec glanced up at Isabelle, and saw the horror in her eyes so looked back down.
"Why?" she backed away, "You are working for Valentine? You chose him over your family?" she was yelling, opening the door again, and runs down the corridor.
Alec was hot on her heels, grabbing her wrist pulling her back, "No! I am not…you can't tell Jace."
"Can't tell Jace? Why? You basically handed over Alice to our enemy." Isabelle basically yelled.
Alec put his hand over her mouth, "No I didn't! He was going to hurt Jace if I didn't tell him."
"Jace can look after himself, all he wanted was his sister to be ok, he stayed by her side every single day through the process she went through and you go and betray him like this, then you expect me not to tell him? Which dimension are you in Alec?" Isabelle yelled. "I am going to tell Jace everything."
Jace walked around the corner with Clary, he stops and frowns as he sees the lightwood siblings having a massive dispute, he left Clary's side and jogged in between the siblings as it looked like they were going to break into a fight. "What is going on here?" He looked at Alec, "Tell me what?" He turned to look at Isabelle.
Clary just stood and watched back at where Jace left her side. "Your parabatai betrayed you-" Isabelle started to say until she was quickly interrupted by Alec pleaded "Izzy please don't." his eyes were so pained, and full of regret.
Jace looked back and forth between the siblings, "What did you do?" he looked Alec in the eye, he hadn't seen his parabatai look this guilty in his life, so it must have been bad, part of him didn't want to know but if Isabelle even wanted to tell him then it must be important.
Alec looked from Jace to Izzy then back to Jace, a voice spoke but it wasn't either of the siblings, "Stop it! All of you, ganging up on him isn't going to help the situation, everyone needs to take a step back and calm down before you carry this convocation on."
They all turned around to look at Clary, who now looked sheepish, but by her surprise all of them listen to her, Alec and Isabelle took a step away from each other, Jace took a back, looking at Clary, "What do you suggest then Clary?"
Clary walked up to them all and looked at them, "Well having a dispute in the middle of the corridor is never good, but since we are all here, Isabelle is going to explain first, then let Alec try to explain his reasoning then Jace you can decide what you can do with what you were told; no interrupting when someone is talking at all."
They all just nod, Clary gestured for Isabelle to start talking. "As you know I went looking for Alec, he was in his room and he said it was his fault Alice was taken, he told Valentine where she was and he put doubt in our mother's mind so that she would take you away from Alice." She explained calmly, though she was furious inside, she didn't know why or when but she had grown to like Alice.
Jace starred at Isabelle, he felt as if the blood just drained from his body, he felt nothing, he was completely numb, he finally turned his head to look at his parabatai. "Is th-" he started but he was interrupted by Clary, "Ah, its Alec's turn."
Alec looked at Jace, "I'm so sorry, it is true, Valentine came in my dream last night, said that if I didn't tell him where Alice was, he would take you and torture you instead, your parabatai Jace, I am sworn to protect you not your sister."
Fury ran through Jace, he slammed Alec against the wall, "I would rather he taken me, Alice needs a break from it all, at least Alice would have been able to find me, she would probably be one step ahead of us, and at least she never betrays me, she always watched over me! She protected you and Isabelle anyone that means anything to me, and you…you don't give a fuck about her. I swear on Raziel if Valentine makes her stay on his side somehow or changes her into a demon in any way I will kill you, Alec Lightwood." He slammed his fist into his parabatai's gut, then took a step back letting Alec fall to the floor.
Clary gently took Jace's wrist before he could do anything he may regret, he pulled his wrist out her grasp and pushed her away, causing her to fall back, hitting her head of the wall and falling to the ground, she groans softly, he stares at her with sorrow in his eyes, when he realised he taken his anger out on Clary. "I'm sorry." He muttered then walked into his room, slamming the door nearly off its hinges.
Alec groaned as he stood up, he shot a glare at Isabelle then stormed into his room, Isabelle sighed softly, "What have I done?"
Clary sat up grunting a little, "You done the right thing, it would have eaten Alec up if Jace wasn't told." She spoke quietly, she stood up, resting her hand on her head, feeling the wetness in her hair, she pulls her hand away seeing blood, she sighs softly.
Isabelle turns around to look at Clary, then frowns walking over to her and looks at her hand, "Your bleeding, come on let's get you to the infirmary and patch you up."
She shrugs as if it was nothing, though she was having a migraine and she was extremely dizzy, "I'll be ok, I'm going to check on Jace, maybe you should check on Alec?"
Isabelle frowns deeply confused "You want to go and check on the guy that made your head bleed? You are one of a kind."
Clary shrugs, "it was my fault, it was his automatic reaction, I'll just have to remember not to do it again." She walks to Jace's door, knocks on the door softly. "Jace? It's Clary, can I come in?"
She heard a grunt from the other side of the door, she didn't know what that meant so she just opened the door a little at first to see if he would throw anything or push it shut, be he didn't seem to. She pushed the door open then walked inside before shutting it behind her.
What she was looking at what heart-breaking to her, she barely knew this guy, but it pulled her heart strings to see him like this. He was sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, trembling. "Jace?"
"What do you want Clary?" He spoke harshly, he didn't mean to take it all out on her, she was just trying to help, he knew that but something inside him just resented her for helping in the first place.
"Just wanted to see if you were ok? I mean how you are dealing?" Clary walked over to the edge of the bed and rested her hands on the bed frame.
"My parabatai betrayed me and my sister is missing, how do you think I am dealing!" Jace shouted, needing to let anger out, she seemed to understand that since she was still here.
"Jace…I don't know what a parabatai is, and as for your sister, she is strong, like you are she will find a way to get out or something." Clary tried to comfort him in some way though she had no idea why.
Jace's voice seemed to soften, "Sit down…please" he added when he saw how hesitant she was. "I'm sorry I pushed you away, I didn't mean to." He looked down at his hands, Clary moved to sit next to him on the bed resting her hand on his, "I just… I can't believe that Alec would do this to me, he turned over my own sister like it was an easy decision to him, it shouldn't have been easy for him, I mean she is only just healing from saving you…" he looked at her hands on top of his as he felt something wet on her hand. "Your hand is wet are you ok?" He looks up at her, concern written all over his face.
Clary ignored his concern, "Alice may mean the world to you but to Alec she is just a stranger, to him maybe it was an easy choice because he didn't want his…par-parab-"
"Parabatai? It is where two fighters become like brothers, we fight best together, we know each other's moves, or well I did, the point is he shouldn't have made that decision, what gave him the right to send a 14-year-old Shadowhunter to our enemy, it should have been a joint decision." He explains before concluding how he felt, some reason it was easy to talk to Clary, he didn't know how, or why he was opening up to her so easily but he was glad she was here.
She looks at him, "You both know each other, which means he knows that you would sacrifice yourself for your brother, and by the sounds of it the bond you both have is important and big. From what I saw in the few short moments I was with your sister she is incredible, strong and brave."
As if she had been summoned, Alice's Hologram appears, she was covered in blood, she was on her hands and knees, she looked so weak and beaten up. "Clary…your mother…is here." She managed to lift her head up to look at Clary, "She is alright, she is unharmed, I intend to keep it that way, I promise I will do everything in my power to keep her safe." She turned to look at her left, she wasn't looking in Jace's room she was looking at someone in the room with her. "Jocelyn…"
Clary could somehow hear her mother's voice through Alice's hologram, "Oh by the angel Alice, what has he done to you? Let me help you."
Clary instantly shouted, "Mother!" not expecting her to be able to hear but somehow she did.
"Clary? Oh Clarissa are you alright? Are you safe?" Jocelyn was suddenly in the hologram to by Alice's side. "Who is that your next to?" Jace had been so silent that Clary had forgot about him.
She opened her mouth to reply but Alice was looking up to Jocelyn, "My brother, Jace, she is safe with him, I give you my word on that." She let a groan out, before her hands and knees giving in and she falls flat on her belly.
The groan seemed to wake Jace up from his trance. "Alice! Stay strong you have got this, we will come to find you but what is in the necklace, how do I open it?"
Jocelyn rolled her over gently, a slight cry escaping Alice's lips as she did, "You…you will see through my eyes, you will sense everything I sense, but I took the pain out don't worry about that. I made it when…when I was with my uncle." She started choking, rolling over on her side coughing up black blood. "Herondale blood, Jace only you can open it, it was how it was designed, only you can travel into my body, but if you are hurt in…in your current body it will break…you need to be in a safe place with people you trust."
Jace looked down at his hands, and Clary's on top of his, his thumb circled her hand. "I don't know who I can trust anymore Alice, Alec...Alec he..." He struggled to admit it to her.
"I know brother, Alec told Valentine where I was, I know, Valentine couldn't wait to tell me, though I don't blame him Jace, you can trust him to protect you and keep you safe, if he doesn't I will make it so he wished he was never born." Jocelyn and Alice both looked behind them as if they both heard something.
"What is-" Clary and Jace both spoke in harmony but they were both hushed.
"Don't say a word." Jocelyn whispered.
Footsteps were heard walking into the room, a horrible evil voice spoke "Alice, get up, your master wants to see you, don't try anything smart or she gets it."
Jocelyn was already trying to defend Alice, "She can barely stand up…let her rest!"
Alice tried to pull herself up, at first she failed, falling back down. The voice laughing, "Come on Herondale, stand up, or your friend gets the whips."
Alice's eyes turn gold with anger and frustration but she pushed herself up and stood up, turning to look at her nemesis, "You lay a single weapon on Jocelyn and you will regret it, one way or another, whether your punishment is from Valentine or me, you will regret it."
Clary heard her mother say, "Alessandra, let me take them, you have had enough." Before the hologram disappeared.
Jace and Clary just stared into the space where the hologram was, even when his door swung open they just sat there. "Jace? Clary? What's wrong?" Magnus spoke, looking worried.
Jace just sat there, seeing his sister look so weak was unbearable, a single tear rolled down his face, before he knew it, he was in Clary's hold, he was leaned across, her arms were wrapped around him comfortingly. She was the one that answered Magnus's question, "We saw Alice and my mother. Alice isn't in the best state; tell us you have found something."
Magnus looked at Jace, he looked horrified and so pained, he felt sorry for the young boy, all he wanted was to keep his sister safe, but he had never had such luck. "I am afraid not, I cannot track them, not with the necklace, I guess we need to try and figure out how to open it, any ideas?"
Clary looked at Magnus then Jace, thinking and then she remembered what Alice said, "Jace, your blood, you can help find her, remember?"
Jace sat up quickly, he could finally help her, it was all up to him, he had to this, though did he really want to see what she sees? What if she gets hurt? He wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. "We all need to be somewhere safe, I cannot be hurt or distracted in any way whilst I am doing this, I will be seeing everything that Alice does."
"How do you know all of this?" Magnus frowns, looking at them both, that was when he realised that they looked quite close, maybe it was because they were both going through the same thing, of someone they love being missing.
"Alice." Was all Jace replied.
Feeling the eight slice demon iron whip had just started to become a little more bearable.
"Are you going to tell me how you murdered my son yet? Why are you keeping it such a secret?" Valentines spoke though Alice could barely hear him, she could just hear him speak over the pounding of her own heart.
Alice looked at him with stubborn eyes, "You have no right to know you left me with the monster." Emphasising the word left making it sound like it was all his fault.
Valentines eyes narrows, "What are you suggesting? That it is my fault that you murdered my son?" his hand with the whip rising in the air ready to land on Alice's bare skin.
"Yes, if you just stayed at home, then he wouldn't have had me strapped to a torture table, then he wouldn't have laid a hand on me never mind torture me, if you stayed at home I wouldn't have had to kill him." Alice looking at Valentine in the eyes as she spoke, the reply he gained seemed to anger because she felt the eight whips land on her back, she felt the burn and the rush of pain in her back. Though she knew it was pointless she found herself fighting against the restraints "You bastard!" She yells in agony.
Valentine turned to look at his men, "Take her back to the room, give my wife a first aid kit so she can patch this brat up, not that it will help much."
Two of Valentine's men took the restraints of Alice, as if one of them couldn't help themselves they pressed a hand on her back causing her to scream pushing him causing him to slam against the wall. Alice pulled out of the other man's grip, stalking towards the man against the wall, punching him over and over again, pain ran through her body after every punch she didn't care she knew this was worth it.
She was finally pulled away by a few of Valentine's men, "He deserved it! Who the hell does he think he is?" she yelled, as Valentine's men made her face Valentine.
"I know Alice; I am all for punishing the guilty which is why I let you get your anger out. You saved me a job by doing what you did, though your anger is getting a little out of control don't you think?" Valentine looks at her curiously, tilting his head, looking her up and down. "You were once so innocent, you killing Jonathan has changed you, hasn't it?"
"No, you torturing me day in and day out is changing me, one has to do anything they can to survive, if that means beating the shit out of someone now and then so be it." Alice looks at him; she grins a little. "You don't like what I am turning into, you don't like what you are doing to me, you are afraid I will be like your son." She laughs, a laugh that she didn't even know she had inside her, it was pure evil, a laugh that sent a shiver down Valentines spine "If I turn into your son, I won't be fighting for you, I will be fighting against you which means you fear me, you should fear me, you have no idea what I am capable of."
Valentine shakes his head, trying to hide his concern but Alice could read him like a book, "Take her away, if I hear anyone lay a hand on her back and she lashes out I will not stop her this time."
The men take her back to her room, suddenly Alice had no energy and they were basically dragging her to the room she shared with Jocelyn which was not very comfy, it was just a dark stone room that was cold all of the time. They opened the door and dragged her to the centre of the room before dropping her, they all looked at her back, and Alice knew it. "You touch it and I swear on the angel I will kill you."
They backed away to leave the room, one of them threw a first aid kit at Jocelyn. "Patch her up." Before shutting the door and locking it.
Jocelyn ran straight to Alice's side, "What did they do to you?" She opens the first aid kit, looking through it. Alice looked at roommate and Jocelyn recognised that her eyes were darker than usual. "What happened?" she tried to distract her from what was about to come.