Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instrument series. Everything recognisable belongs to Cassandra Clare.
Sorry about making you wait so long, but it's been a lot of work at school with finals and all that.
Hope you like the chapter! And thanks for all the amazing reviews you gave me last chapter, it's the most chapters I've gotten on a chapter so far!
Dinner had been agonisingly long, and Jocelyn barely ate. Her eyes flickered to the clock ever so often. She wanted to check on Clary and see how she was doing, but Luke had told her that while Jonathan was with her she would be okay.
Jocelyn sat with Luke and their friends in the library when the door dashed open. They had been planning what to do with Clary. She had to be kept away from the Clave. If the other Shadowhunters found out Clary was still alive they would most likely begin questioning other things from that day as well, – it was widely known around the Shadowhunter-world about Valentine Morgenstern's death – and they didn't need another problem on their hands.
Jocelyn met the dark green eyes of her son. He had a furious expression written all over his face as he stormed towards the older Shadowhunters.
"Jonathan?" Luke's voice rang in the room.
"Is everything okay? Did Clarissa wake up?" asked Jocelyn unsure.
"How could you let them take her?" His voice was shaky and he stared around at the confused faces of the Shadowhunters.
"What? What are you talking about? How took how?" Jocelyn felt panic grow inside her and she shot up from her chair, the meeting completely forgotten.
"You..You didn't let them take her?" Jonathan asked bewildered. When no one replied Jonathan explained what had happened.
He spoke rather fast, but seeing the Shadowhunters faces whiten he knew they heard him.
"Where is Clary now?" Jocelyn dared ask.
"Inquisitor Herondale took her to the Silent City." he could see his mother swallow and tried to control her anger.
"Jonathan, are you sure my mother took Clary to the Silent City?" Stephen asked, it would not surprise him if she had, but he really hoped it wasn't the case.
"Yes."
xxxx
She didn't like cages. She had come quietly after they removed the Soul-Sword from her hands. She was still soaked in sweat from the horrible experience. Her head ached and her fingers continued bleeding. There hadn't been anyone willing to heal her and she had to heal the mundane way.
Clary had seen her father lock away people in the dark cells in their gigantic manor; she knew that even without the physical torture her father's men put the prisoners through, they would slowly turn crazy.
She had certainly never expected to spend her life in one of these cells. But lately, life seemed to throw her a lot of unexpected things.
She pressed her back against the cold stone wall. Darkness surrounded the large prison cells and Clary felt a shiver run up her arms as she glanced around at the other cells. She couldn't see anything in them.
She didn't know how long she'd stayed down in the creepy old cell when she heard metal hitting metal in a cold rattle. She saw one of the guardian Shadowhunters walking soundlessly toward her. His head was held high and his black hood was drawn over his head shielding his face from view.
"Hope you're enjoying your cell Morgenstern." he began and Clary could hear something slip under the metal bars. "You should eat slowly this is the only food you'll get today." Clary could hear the smug tone in his voice and looked at him with all the hate she could summon in her dizzy state.
"I thought asked for a three course meal." she replied and made no move towards the plate.
"Funny." the Shadowhunter said in a dry manner.
"I wasn't trying to be." Clary replied, but the man was already walking away.
xxxx
Weatherbee looked at his leader with fear. "She's been kept at the Silent City for the past eight hours and questioned under the Soul-Sword. She did not give away any important information." he stopped talking, cursing mentally at his next sentence.
"Except.. They.. They asked her about you." he shook his head at how stupid he sounded. "They asked if you were alive, and.. and she said yes."
Valentine sat still in his chair looking at the trembling young man in front of him. The man avoided Valentine's dark eyes with such force Valentine almost laughed.
"They know I am alive; good. It was only a matter of time before they found out on their own."
Weatherbee sighed with relief as he heard Valentine speak civilly.
"But the thing I wanted you to tell me Weatherbee, concerned not me, but my daughter." he spoke invectively. "So if you have nothing to tell me, I would rather you get out of my sight."
The man trembled visibly. "I..I don't know anything about Clarissa's condition sir. They are keeping her in one of the lowest cells in the Silent City and only the Silent Brothers and a few hand-picked Shadowhunters can get inside."
"Why did you not volunteer to be one of these so called 'hand-picked' Shadowhunters?" Valentine asked in a bitter manner.
"I.. It.. Eh, it doesn't work like that sir. I couldn't, they are the inquisitor's Shadowhunters." Weatherbee swallowed his words nervously.
"Then I don't see how you are useful anymore Weatherbee." the furious tone in Valentine's voice sent chills running down his back, he had never been spoken to in such raging manners.
The man's head snapped up in a laconic movement. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped his parted lips.
"I'm sorry Valentine? W-what?" he asked shocked after waiting a long time trying to find the best words suiting the situation. He didn't find any.
"I don't think there is any need for me to repeat myself." said Valentine malevolent. "Blackwell!" he shouted before a big and burly man walked in. He had short reddish hair and his skin was dark purple and looked shiny on his cheekbones, like it was stretched too far. The man grabbed Weatherbee by the collar.
"You should know better than disappointing Valentine when he is in his mood Weatherbee." Blackwell spoke quietly in the man's ear.
His voice lacked emotions, but the expression on his face was resentful.
Weatherbee knew this was one of Valentine's inner Circle members, and he also knew what would happen to himself when Blackwell dragged him out of the chamber.
xxxx
It had been a few hours since the guard had walked in and Clary felt languid. She didn't know when they would come back for her.
The plate with food the guard had brought her was still laying a few feet away from her. Clary's intransigent and obdurate behaviour kept her from touching the food. She was hungry. Her stomach yearned for something to stop the hunger, but she wouldn't dear eat something they had given her.
Clary thought of the ring giving her the ability to contact her father. She found her fingers closing around it on instinct.
Her father had not contacted her since the Institute, but sometimes she could swear she felt something tingle around the ring and a heat spread through the normally icy metal.
Clary did not try to summon him through the ring either, he had asked her not to, and she would never go against a direct order from her father.
xxxx
Jonathan had been sent out of the library after informing then about Clary's arrest. He had seen in both Jocelyn and Luke's eyes that they were out of their minds worried about his sister.
They had left to find Imogen soon after dismissing Jonathan and all the older Shadowhunter's were now in a heated discussion about Clary's whereabouts.
Jonathan had met up with Jace, Alec and Isabelle after wandering furiously through the Institute halls.
"What's turned you so sour this morning John?" Jace asked in his usual playful tone when he saw his friend walk in with a hard expression on his face.
"Not now Jace." Jonathan replied in a sharp tone. "I need your help." He said to the three other Shadowhunters as they carried on with whatever they had been doing before John came storming in.
"What? The mighty Jonathan Fairchild is in desperate need of our help?" joked Isabelle, before she met the distressed gaze Jonathan held and she stiffened immediately.
"Hey? What's wrong?" She asked more gently this time.
"I need your help breaking into the Silent City." he explained. He avoided the repudiating glances his friends sent his way and continued speaking, "I know it sounds crazy," "Crazy? Try foolhardy, reckless, and irresponsible and I don't know, illegal!" Isabelle cut him off.
"Hey, Izzy hear the guy out, it's not every day John is willing to break the law." said Jace with a smug grin on his face. Alec had kept quiet throughout the discussion, but a small smile cracked on his lips as his Parabatai spoke.
"They took Clary. She's in the Silent City and God knows what they're doing to her." Jonathan almost shouted at his stupid friends.
The three Shadowhunters turned a shade whiter after hearing Jonathan's exclamation.
Jace had informed the two Lightwoods about what had happened earlier, about Clary and her being Jonathan's supposedly dead sister.
"What do you mean they took her?" Alec asked carefully.
"They asked her gently if she would mind being dragged to the Silent City where she would be facing imprisoning and possibly questioning under the Mortal Sword. What do you think I mean Alec?" Jonathan's sarcastic voice rang in the air.
"Are you sure that's what they said?" Jace asked unsure.
"Yeah, I didn't mishear them. They said she was under suspicions of cooperating with.. with Valentine." Jonathan pressed out the name of his father with a timorous hateful voice.
"WHAT?" All three of the Nephilim asked shocked. "That's not possible." said Alec.
Jonathan didn't reply.
"Valentine is dead she couldn't be working with him." Isabelle completed Alec's sentence.
"So was Clary." Jonathan voice sounded almost like a whisper.
xxxx
Maggie looked up at her leader with a nervous smile. He had been acting ruthless the last few days and she knew that even she was on the tip of his dagger.
He stood silently gazing at the people standing around the room. They were all quietly discussing what to do before an obstreperous bang rang through the chamber.
"I know you are all waiting to hear what our next move will be. We are at war. The Clave have taken someone that belongs to us, and they will not get away without learning what they are getting themselves into." promulgated Valentine.
Nobody dared say anything as Valentine continued speaking in a strong voice that carried through the whole chamber.
"We will go to the Silent City and take back what is ours. Kill anything that comes in your way, I don't care how you do it as long as there are no signs of life left in the City as we leave." Valentine finished and he could detect the awed expressions of his followers.
Pangborn took a step forward with his head pointing towards the ground. "When will we attack?" He asked.
"Tonight." Valentine answered with a smug expression covering his face.
xxxx
"Ok, so we are just gonna storm the City and explode the goddamn cell she's in before taking her with us back here?" Jace asked with sarcasm filling every word.
"No. Of course we're not. We'll sneak in later tonight and try not to get caught. Then we'll improvise." Jonathan said with a shrug.
"Wow, that's probably the best plan you've ever had Johnny." Isabelle mocked.
"I don't know what else we can do. Our parents aren't doing anything useful, they just keep arguing with Inquisitor Herondale and the Council are sure as hell not going to do anything." Jonathan said in a frustrated tone. "And don't call me Johnny." he finished.
Isabelle cracked a small smile as she heard her friend speak.
"Fine, I'm in." She laughed as she saw Jonathan's shocked expression.
"You are?"
"Yeah, we're here to help each other right?" Izzy replied and gave him another reassuring smile.
"I'm in too. Nothing's better than a little adventure during the break." Jace agreed and looked hopefully towards his Parabatai.
Soon all eyes lay on Alec and he bit his lip nervously. He knew there was no point in trying to talk his friends out of this ridiculous rescue mission.
"God, fine. I'm coming as well. But if we get caught I'm selling all of you out." Joked Alec as he got up from his chair.
xxxx
Her face showed great fatigue as she sat leaning against the wall at the exact same place as before. She had tried to examine the prison to get the time to pass.
The cells were all identical; grey masonry and no windows. The iron-barred doors were thick and strong. Clary knew that nothing could possibly break through those bars, at least if they were normal.
She hated that there was no windows in the prison, of course it made sense; she was probably below ground and even if she wasn't there wouldn't have been windows here. Clary hated the isolating feeling she was felt with when they threw her in the cell; she hated not being able to tell if it was morning or night.
For all Clary knew she could've been here for days, but since she had only gotten one plate of food, she assumed it had only been hours.
Her cuts had begun healing a while ago, but the Mortal Sword had left deep wounds that had bled for hours. She looked at her skin and saw that the cold had started draining the colour out of her. She didn't feel the biting cold air anymore; it struck Clary that that might not be such a good sign.
Clary hated feeling vulnerable. She hated not being able to defend herself; and now she was in her most defenceless state.
As time ticked by slowly, Clary felt her eyelids became heavier and she had to fight to remain conscious.
Her head ached and she was shivering wildly from the cold air in the cell. Clary had fell into a fevered sleep; still sitting against the wall.
Her eyes flew up as she heard the sound of a door opening and closing swiftly. She didn't bother moving as it was probably the guard giving her breakfast or checking if she was still alive.
She heard hushed voices from the corridor of the prison. It was more than one voice, and it sounded familiar.
Clary's green eyes widened as she saw who it was; the shock that ran through her kept her from moving as the newcomers walked towards her cell with determination in their eyes.
So yeah, again sorry about the cliffhanger. I feel like I say that after every chapter. If you leave a review I'll update soon, like really soon..