Clary's POV
She averted her gaze from his own, knowing that she couldn't handle to see the look on his face as she spoke her reply in a whisper. "I can't be a part of this with you."
Jonathan felt as if she had stabbed him in the chest when she hadn't accepted his offer, making him loosen his hold on her just slightly as he couldn't help but notice that she was slowly slipping away from him. "Why not? Don't you believe that I will keep you safe?"
Clary bit down on her lip hard to not cry again as she dared to peek at him when she heard the hopeful lilt to his words as if he thought she would change her mind. "I can't be a part of something that will put the ones I care about in harms way."
"What if I promise that I will keep those selected few safe? Would that make you agree to my terms?" Jonathan was trying to grasp onto the last thread of hope as he pleaded with her.
She shook her head, brushing aside the stray strands of hair that now covered her face after that movement, giving her a chance to take a calming breath as she was trying her hardest to not give into him. "I can't harm those that are innocent. It's not who I am, and I still don't know if I can trust your word right now."
Jonathan let out a defeated sigh as he let go of her to pull back a little ways as he prepared himself to do something that was going to end up hurting him later. "I'm sorry to hear that, Clarissa. I don't think you deserve to have this right now. Not until you've come to your senses and see that what I'm doing is actually good."
Clary was confused by his words, not understanding what he was saying until he reached out for her hand, taking the ring off of her finger and before she could react he grasped her wrist so tightly, using his other hand to push up the sleeve of her jacket. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized what he was trying to do, making her attempt to wriggle out of his hold. "No, Jonathan! Please don't do that!"
Jonathan ignored her pleas as he went on to pull out his stele and drew a rune onto her skin as best as he could whilst she had been trying to break free of his hold. "I'm more than sure that we will cross paths again. By that time I hope you will be ready to take your rightful place at my side." He could see that the effects of the rune were starting to take affect. He leaned forward to place a chaste-like kiss against the corner of her mouth. "I really meant it when I said that I loved you, and when you finally see what I'm trying to do and decide you want to join me. I will gladly accept you back. Until then… Farewell, Clarissa."
Clary's eyes started to close on their own accord, and the last moments that she remembered were the kiss he gave her along with his parting words before she passed out.
Jonathan's POV
He caught her as soon as she had started to collapse, bringing her into his arms as he peered down at her now sleeping form. His heart ached when he knew that he needed to take her back to her temporary home. It was the only way to keep her safe until he would come back for her. Whether she wanted to come with him or not.
He also knew that when she would be found that she would be questioned severely and since he had already told her a little of his plan, he decided that he needed to hurry to retrieve the next Mortal Instrument that was on his list. And this particular one would make sure that Clary couldn't be properly questioned.
With that in mind he withheld a sigh as he adjusted her in his hold in order to pinch his fingers around his ring, letting the darkness envelop them as he was now going to take her back where she needed to be for the meantime.
~~
Jace's POV
It had been a couple of hours now since he was aware that Clary was missing after Simon had awoken in the middle of the night and immediately called to tell him that she was gone. Or rather he had called Izzy, and then she had disclosed the information to him. The fact that he had contacted Izzy had rose suspicion of something going on between his sister and Simon, but he decided to brush that aside for the moment.
After he had a clear mind after getting as much information as he could from Simon about where Clary might be, he had looked all over for her within those hours, but in the end he had failed to find her. It was as if she had vanished without leaving a trace of her presence in the midst of the choas that was sure to come.
And in that time he already pissed off everyone he came in contact with because he was beyond infuriated with himself. He had once again left Clary on her own, and in the hands of a puny mundane nonetheless.
He was now pacing back and forth in his room as he awaited to hear any news revolving around her return. What was making it worse was that he had been informed that the Inquisitor would be arriving to the institute alongside Maryse. He knew that if Clary didn't return home before they arrived that she would look guilty in their eyes.
That mere thought had him pause in the center of the room, pinching his eyes shut as he basked in this moment of silence within the confines of his room that managed to help calm him a bit for even just a brief moment. But his moment of silence was interrupted when all of the sudden he heard the familiar yowls that belonged to Church, who seemed to currently be outside in the hallway, making him grumble as he walked over towards the door, opening it enough to poke his head out whilst he glared at the cat. "Church be quiet."
Church ignored his request and began to circle around in front of Clary's bedroom door whilst his yowls became even louder than possible.
Jace threw open his door in order to exit the room and go over towards the cat, reaching out to pick it up, but ended up recoiling at last moment when Church hissed and tried to lash out at his arm. "I swear you're so annoying. She isn't in there, but if you want to go in then go right ahead." He retorted in an annoyed tone before he opened Clary's bedroom door, watching in shock as Church all but bolted into the room and darted over towards the bed, but that wasn't what shocked Jace. What shocked him was witnessing that Church managed to hop onto the bed where he then saw a familiar silhouette laying on top of it.
Jace blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating and when he realized it was Clary that was lying so still against the bed, his heart dropped. He ran over towards her, moving Church aside when he had been licking her face. He then gripped her shoulders to give her a shake to wake her up. "Clary!"
Jace was so distraught when Clary wasn't responding to anything, making him immediately check her pulse before he began to examine her body for any signs of injuries. It was that act alone that allowed him to notice that there was a newly placed rune against her forearm. His brow furrowed as he tried to decipher what it was, but after a moment it came to his mind. It was one that is used to render someone unconscious.
He then remembered someone telling him that if you managed to inflict enough damage on a rune it could stop its effects. With a slight grimace he reached down to his weapons belt, grasping a knife and without letting himself over think about his next actions, he had already slashed the rune with the blade of the knife.
It felt like an eternity as he watched Clary stay unconscious for a few moments before she sat upright with a gasp, making both him and Church jump in alarm, but unlike the cat who suddenly scurried out of the room, he stayed still as he watched her awaken completely.
Clary's POV
She had been stuck in a vat of darkness for only the angels themselves knew for how long, and then there was a familiar voice calling out to her. She followed it and found herself bolting upright into a sitting position, causing her to look around her whereabouts in a wild manner before her gaze fell upon a familiar face. "Jace!"
"By the angel. You had me so worried." Jace voiced aloud as he tried not to give into his instincts of just pulling her into his arms because he could tell that she still wasn't fully there. And instead he placed his knife back onto his belt without her seeing, and proceeded to remove his stele.
Clary looked down at her arm when she realized she was feeling a slight stinging sensation there all of the sudden. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw she had been cut, making her look up at Jace in disbelief. "Did you cut me?"
Jace felt his cheeks warm just a tiny bit whilst he tried to keep a neutral expression as he gently placed an iratze against her arm. "I only did it because you wouldn't have woken up if I hadn't. Can you tell me who placed that rune on your arm?"
Clary felt stupid that it didn't occur to her that Jace had actually done the right thing and she had just been too delirious to understand fully. It wasn't until he asked about who had marked her that made her chew on her bottom lip before she spoke in a low tone as she stayed still whilst he had been giving her an iratze. "I don't want to talk about it."
Jace stifled the urge to groan as both the lack of sleep and his earlier search for her was slowly catching up with him. "Clary… We don't have time for you to be stubborn right now. It would be wise to get our stories straight before the Inquisitor arrives at any moment with Maryse."
Clary stiffened ever so slightly in response to the mention of the Inquisitor coming here. She had been expecting it to be her going to Idris to come face-to-face with her instead. "What do you mean that she's coming here? Why would she risk her own life by coming here when Jonathan is still on the loose?" She had to make sure not to grimace when she said her brother's name as to not tip off Jace about what happened with him not so long ago. The memory of their confrontation was still fresh in her mind. As well as the hurt she felt when he had called her Clarissa instead of calling her by her nickname as he always had. That memory alone almost had her wanting to curl into a ball and give into her sorrows, but Jace's presence was giving her the strength she needed to not fall apart.
Jace shrugged his shoulder as his golden hues skimmed along her features to try and determine exactly how she was feeling in this moment whilst happening to notice that she skipped past the main thing he wanted to hear. "I have no idea why she is coming here. Maryse didn't think it was necessary to tell us more than to just expect their visit and to be on our best behavior. But enough with that. Will you please tell me what happened to you?"
A soft noise emitted from her lips as she moved to rest her back against the headboard of the bed and rested her hands in her lap whilst making a point to not look at Jace in order to keep her composure since she knew reliving her little moment with Jonathan might affect her. "I snuck off to see Jonathan a little after you left. He wasn't home at the time when I had arrived, so I tried to find any clues as to what he was planning, but I didn't get far into searching when he finally showed up. We discussed some things, and he told me just the gist of his plan." Clary couldn't bring herself to speak about their last few moments together, and found herself tracing the finger that once held her ring that he had gifted her in an absent-minded manner.
Jace's mind was reeling when she had mentioned that Jonathan had disclosed some information about his plans to her, and just as he was about to ask what those plans consisted of, they both jumped in alarm at the sound of people storming into the room.
"Step away from the girl." An authoritative voice demanded.
Jace immediately stepped into action, standing up to block anyone from getting to Clary. "No. I will do no such thing until someone explains what is going on. Why the need for them?" He inclined his head in the direction of the two shadowhunters standing by the woman's side. Whom he presumed was the Inquisitor, and she seemed to think she needed guards with her in response to both his and Clary's presence. That amused him somehow.
Clary moved to stand up beside the bed, taking advantage of Jace blocking her from the view of the people in the room as she went on to set all of her weapons down onto the bedside table and then proceeded to take a deep calming breath before she brushed past Jace, making sure to hold her head up high and stood up straight whilst keeping a blank expression. "It's okay, Jace. I will comply to whatever they demand."
The Inquisitor snorted as she met Clary's gaze. "Oh, how kind of you to want to follow orders. I can now see so much of your father in you. It's no surprise that both of his children are just as conniving as he always was." She retorted dryly.
Clary's verdant hues skimmed along the woman's features in front of her, taking in the old-fashioned shadowhunter clothing that she was dressed in, her pale blond hair that was neatly wound up and held by combs, whilst her gaze was all but burning into her. But she managed to make herself pay attention to what she was now saying to her. And to her amusement she wasn't offended by her words, but instead she found herself rolling her eyes with annoyance showing on her face. "Enough with the useless chitchat. Can we just get this over with? Do what you came to do already."
Jace sucked in a breath as he heard how Clary was speaking to the Inquisitor. "Clary! Please don't antagonize her." He hissed at her before he turned his attention back to the Inquisitor. "She has done nothing wrong. I'm sure that once we all sit down and discuss things through properly that you will see that she is innocent."
The Inquisitor tutted in response to Jace's words, but kept her gaze upon Clary. "Oh, how lovely. I see you're just like your father. Using others to protect your own skin. But I've had enough of all of this nonsense. Seize her at once!" Her last words were directed to the two male shadowhunters at her sides.
Clary shook her head when she saw Jace begin to reach towards his weapons belt. "Don't do anything stupid. I will be alright." She murmured to him under her breath before she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and then proceeded to take a few steps forward whilst holding out her hands in front of her. She made sure not to wince when handcuffs were placed upon her in a rough manner and quite tightly.
And then all eyes had turned towards the new person that came into the room that had elicited a gasp.
Maryse was appalled by what she was seeing before her very eyes. "Imogen! What is the meaning of this? She is merely a child!"
The Inquisitor narrowed her eyes in Maryse's direction. "You shall address me as Inquisitor or Inquisitor Herondale. And I have the right to do what I think is fit for this matter. For all we know she is here spying on all of us and reporting back to her traitorous sibling! Now step aside and let myself and The Council handle this act of treason."
Clary was pushed forward roughly in order to make her walk towards the door, causing her to grit her teeth as she turned around to look at who had laid their hands upon her, and made sure to remember their face before she turned her attention onto Jace when he had called out for her. She would never forget the look on his face as she was finally escorted fully out of the room.
Maryse's POV
"Maryse do something!" Jace said in desperation as he watched Clary being manhandled out of her bedroom.
"Calm down, Jace." Maryse murmured to him, silently pleading with him to behave as she was going to try her best to help Clarissa. If she had known that Imogen was going to arrest Clarissa upon her arrival she wouldn't have spent too much time greeting her children. She tried to clear her thoughts in order to focus on the matter at hand before she turned her attention solely on the Inquisitor. "Where is she being taken?"
Inquisitor Herondale merely shrugged a shoulder as if she was unfazed by what had just occured. "Clarissa Adele Morgenstern is currently being escorted to the prison of Silent City."
Maryse elicited another gasp, shaking her head in disbelief. "Why on earth would you decide to send her there? She is innocent."
Jace was beyond infuriated by this point, feeling rage coursing through his veins as he thought of his precious Clary being kept down in the eerie lower levels of Silent City all alone. There was no way that he was going to let this happen, and just as he even thought about making a move, Maryse signaled for him to stop. It took all of his willpower to stand still as his mind reeled with possible plans to rescue Clary as soon as he was able to do so.
Inquisitor Herondale scoffed as her eyes narrowed into slits as she held Maryse's gaze. "Are you really going to stand there and defend her? For all we know she's as vile as her brother, and is playing her part in wreaking havoc upon our people!"
Maryse held her hands out in a defenseless manner, trying her best to remain calm and trying to get Imogen to do so as well. "Until there is actual proof whether she is aiding her brother then leave her in my care. I will keep her confined in her quarters if that's what is needed."
The Inquisitor was baffled as she listened to Maryse's words. "Leave her in your care? She already was under your care and being watched along with being trained in your own home, but still she has been plotting with her brother against their own kind right under your nose. You have lost the trust of both myself and The Council."
All three of them suddenly stiffened in unison when they each heard a distinctive noise that was drifting towards them through the hallway. Someone was trying to reach them for help. And that was the end of their conversation.
Maryse instructed Jace to retrieve his siblings and make sure they were prepared in case they would be needed. She then had to watch as a clearly grief stricken Jace exited the room, feeling an ache of sadness wash over her when it became clear that Jace was more than attached to Clarissa. She just hoped that her son's heart wouldn't be broken beyond repair at the end of this matter. And prayed that Clarissa wasn't the reason that they were receiving what she thought was a distress call.
~~
Clary's POV
Her trip to Silent City had been fairly quick. It didn't surprise her that the Inquisitor managed to plan a way to get her here right away along with sending her with two guards whilst being handcuffed. It would have flattered her on any other day that she was being seen as an extremely dangerous threat, but that was soon turned to irritation when she was being manhandled again.
An exasperated noise emitted from her lips as she was shoved forward a little more harshly than necessary. She managed to bite her tongue as to not allow her companions to see how much they were annoying her. She wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her break and lash out at them. She knew that they would be expecting that. Instead she had to deal with listening to the end of their rather loud conversation.
"I always knew that the Morgenstern family were all monstrous."
"She's just a little girl. Too bad she was given such a poor example of a father. And don't get me started on her disgrace of a brother."
Clary was beginning to feel herself reacting to their words, making her struggle against her restraints, which caused her to wince when she felt the handcuffs bite into her skin. "You're both pathetic."
"Excuse me? Did you just insult us?" The dark haired man retorted with a tinge of animosity in his tone whilst his companion was looking at her with such hatred showing on his face.
A subtle laugh escaped her lips as she stopped walking in order to turn around to face her companions. "Oh, jeez. It seems as if you're both rather dimwitted as well. I would have figured that the Inquisitor would keep smarter acquaintances at her side. Instead of two imbeciles."
The blond haired man gritted his teeth before his hand whipped out to backhand her in a swift motion. "Keep your mouth shut! You will respect your elders."
Clary stumbled back a step in response to the force of the slap across her face. She clenched her teeth as she ignored the pain, feeling the trickle of blood that was now sliding down her mouth. She licked the trail of blood from her mouth as best as she could before a perilous smirk displayed upon her lips. "Do you feel better now after hitting a girl? I would admit that you have such balls for even daring to hit me, but since I'm not able to defend myself it makes you a coward. Why don't you remove the handcuffs and I'll gladly give you a lesson on how to properly hit a person. Cause it's now clearly proven that you were poorly trained."
The blond haired man clenched his hands into fists as he spared a glance at his partner as his face was beet red with embarrassment in response to her words. "I think that she needs another reminder in order for her to keep her mouth shut. Shall I do the honors or will you?"
"I'd rather have the both of you step away from my sister." A menacing voice retorted from behind her.
Clary bristled when she heard Jonathan's voice, making her turn around to look over to where he was standing. And if she wasn't already shocked by his sudden appearance it was worsened when she noticed that it appeared that he had been in a recent scuffle.
Both men retrieved their choice of weapons and moved quickly to keep Clary behind themselves as they faced their current threat.
"Drop your weapon!"
"Or we will have no choice but to kill you where you stand!"
Jonathan smirked in a malignant way as he kept his grip on his seraph blade. "I would say that it pains me to kill my own kind, but you both settled your own fates when you laid a hand upon my sister."
Clary watched in horror as the men charged towards her brother, and not even a full minute had passed when they both were dispatched of so easily and now were lying on the floor in their own pools of blood with Jonathan towering over them with the most sinister expression upon his face. It was that mere look that sent a shiver of fear down her spine with the knowledge of not knowing what was going to happen next.
Sorry for the late update. I promise to make it up to you all with the next update that will be faster. I also want to take the time to say thank you to those who have left reviews. I appreciate them very much, and they help encourage me to continue writing.
