Author's Note: Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me. Here is the new chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 10

In the ensuing madness, Henry brought Will to the weapons room. He forced Will to stand in the middle of a square, and then sunk four seraph blades into the floor in the four cardinal directions of north, south, east, and west. Henry drew a rune on the floor beside the northern blade. Solid panels of light burst from the floor and went up to the ceiling of the room, imprisoning Will in four shimmering walls of electrum currant.

"I'm sorry, but it's for your protection. Nothing can get into a Malachi Configuration, and nothing can get out," Henry said. "Careful not to touch the walls. They'll shock you, and could very well kill you."

Will nodded. All of the anger had gone from his body and he felt like slumping to the floor. The knuckles on his right had had swelled up and hurt terribly. It was clear that they were broken. Will could only imagine how hurt Gabriel was. If he died, Will might never see the light of another day… not that he even deserved to live.

"You've been under a lot of stress. The baby, Jem's death…" Henry listed excuses but Will only knew one reason for why he would have done such a terrible thing.

"I'm tainted," Will said. "I'm evil. I break everything I touch. I deserve to…" Henry looked up and met Will's eyes. Will lifted his right hand and moved it towards the gleaming panels of light. He stretched his fingers, then changed his mind and bent his hand back.

"NO!" Henry yelled. He stepped forward, but there was nothing he could do. Will pressed his wrist to the wall and watched as electrum enveloped his hand in swirling bits of blue light. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, Will felt something snap against his wrist. A shock ripped through his body and sent him careening backwards into the opposite wall. His heart stopped for a moment. Will closed his eyes as he fell onto the floor.

When Will opened his eyes, the panels of light were gone and his head was throbbing. His skin was hot to the touch and he thought he might be ill. Henry was leaning over him, and beside him stood Consul Wayland. Will tried to sit up but found that his arms were bound behind his back.

"William Herondale Jr., You have been accused of harming Benedict and Gabriel Lightwood. You are to report to the Silent City and will be judged by the Silent Brothers," Consul Wayland said. Henry pulled Will to his feet, walked him out of the weapons room, and kept a hand on Will's right elbow, not that Will planned on going anywhere.

The Institute was still in complete upheaval. Somewhere, someone was yelling. Everyone in the Enclave lined the hallway outside of the Infirmary and gave Will the respect of not saying anything to him. Will kept his head down as he walked the gauntlet of their anger and judgment. At the end of the hallway, Sophie stood with Tessa. Henry stopped, perhaps at Sophie's request. Tessa threw her arms around Will's neck and held him close.

"We're on your side," she said. Will nodded and kissed her on the cheek. Tessa stepped away and Will looked down at Sophie. She was crying and had her head in her hands.

"I asked you to prove to me you were better than all this!" Sophie exclaimed, "I wanted you to be the man Jem would have wanted you to be!"

"I'm sorry," Will said. He started to cry then, because Sophie's disappointment and pain was a terrible thing to bear. "I'm sorry, Sophie!" Sophie just shook her head and hurried away, with Tessa in pursuit.

Will was silent as they went downstairs to the Sanctuary. From there, they began their decent into the Silent City. The journey involved walking down tight passageways and stairs in near pitch black conditions. Will slammed into the wall again and again, unable to catch his balance. Henry kept a tight hold on his arms, and they did not speak.

Consul Wayland had gone ahead to give his report to the Silent Brothers. The only sort of justice system for Nephilim rested on the shoulders of the Silent Brothers, who would read over the report of the crime which Will had committed. Will could speak in his defense, but it was up to the Silent Brothers to determine his punishment.

"The Brothers are fair," Henry said. "Others have gotten into this sort of trouble before. You just have to defend yourself, Will. Tell them what Benedict said. Tell them about the trouble Gabriel has put you through. Tell them-"

"I've done a terrible thing," Will said. "I've hurt two innocent people. I should be punished."

"Benedict was practically goading you into it!" Henry exclaimed. He stopped on a landing and turned Will toward him, barely able to see Henry in the dim witch light. "Will, you can't take the blame for this. Benedict wanted this to happen. He hates you, and he hates your family, and-"

"My father betrayed the Clave," Will said. "I've done awful things, Henry. Benedict is right. My blood is tainted. I can't be trusted."

"You are perfect," Henry said. "There is nothing wrong with you."

"Then why did I want to kill Benedict and Gabriel?" Will asked. He remembered those few blinding seconds in the dining room when he had Benedict down on the floor. He had thought about snapping Benedict's neck. When Gabriel had pulled him away, Will had imagined smashing Gabriel's face off the dining room table and forcing him to drown in his own blood.

"You didn't want to kill them," Henry said. There was doubt in his voice. "You were just angry and upset, and…"

"That's no excuse. I still wanted them to die. I still wanted the entire Lightwood family to suffer immeasurable loss. I've done terrible things, Henry. I deserve to be punished."

Will stared into the dark abyss before them, and then began to walk downstairs, pulling Henry after him. He knew that he wasn't allowed to make mistakes, because whenever he made mistakes, people got hurt, or died. It had happened before and it could happen again. Perhaps being sent to the Silent City was a blessing in disguise. Maybe now, Will wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone but himself.

"You're perfect, Will," Henry said. "I wish you could see what an amazing man you really are."

"You must be mistaken," Will said.

After another few minutes, they arrived at the entrance to the Silent City. Near silence was expected to be maintained, but exceptions were made in the cases of parabatai ceremonies, and funerals. Will had been to the Silent City several times, but the most notable occasions were the time he swore as parabatai to Jem, and the time Will watched Jem's body burn.

They walked through various rooms in the Silent City. Will kept his tears at bay when he passed a mausoleum that might have contained Jem's ashes. There were so many mausoleums, it was nearly impossible to know where Jem's remains rested, but Will recalled that Jem had requested he be placed near his parents. The air in the Silent City felt thick and cold, with the smell of juniper and sage in the air. A funeral must have taken place recently, because Will could also smell smoke and fire as well.

Consul Wayland walked out of a room and approached Will and Henry.

"You're to appear at the Speaking Stars," The Consul said. "I'm sorry, Will." Will nodded and walked toward the place Consul Wayland had come from. Henry followed.

"I'll talk to the Brothers," Henry said.

"I have to do this myself," Will said. "I'm a man, now, Henry. I have to do this on my own."

When they walked into the Pavilion where the Speaking Stars were, several Silent Brothers had already assembled at a long table, as they had before, when Will swore his parabatai vow to Jem. The Brothers were all dressed in their long robes. With their faces hidden, Will forgot that time had passed and that Jem was no longer with him… until he looked to his right to see only Henry there. One of the Silent Brothers stood up, lifted his hands, and spoke without saying a word.

"William Herondale Jr., you have been accused of intentionally hurting two Shadowhunters. Please step to the Speaking Stars and plead your case," The Brother said.

Will walked over to several silver stars placed into the floor. He looked down at them, closed his eyes, and remembered.

Death had been the furthest thought from Will and Jem's mind on the night of Jem's death. So many other things had happened in the last 24 hours of Jem's life. They had always planned on one of them not making it back from a dispatch, but that night, their minds had been elsewhere.

More than a day before Jem had been fated to die, Will had made love to Magnus in a mausoleum and had let himself fall in love with him. They planned to go to Paris together, and Jem had planned to come with them.

Will had returned to the Institute just as Jem had told Sophie that the relationship they had found themselves in wasn't going to work out. Jem had broken Sophie by telling her that he was in love with Will, brought to light their four year sexual affair, and finished by saying that he wasn't in love with Sophie and never would be. When Will had walked upstairs, reflecting on the blissful afternoon he had spent with Magnus, Sophie was hysterical in the hallway and Jem was still in his room.

Jem had always been the one who cared to much, and Will had always cared to little about everyone but Jem. Jem would have never allowed a girl to cry uncomforted. He would have never allowed himself to get close enough to have to break a girl's heart, but he had. Jem had been so calm and composed as he stood in his room and watched Sophie's heartbreak. When Sophie had lashed out and scratched Will across the face with her nails, Jem had stood by, uncaring. It was then that Will saw Jem for the boy he had become. Jem was no longer the sweet boy who cared too much. He had become the boy who would hurt an innocent girl to make someone else happy.

Jem had loved Sophie. Even when Tessa came to the Institute, there was still a part of him that loved the shy maid. Jem had let her go so that she could find her own dreams to make true. He had given up the only sure bet of happiness he could have had, however briefly, so that he might be able to follow Will and Magnus to Paris. Even Magnus had given up the hope of Will's fidelity by allowing Jem to come along. Even Magnus had given up so much just to have Will with him. Everyone had given up something to make Will happy, but after witnessing Sophie's sorrow, Will he found himself undeserving of anyone's love.

So he had met Jem in the garden. They had made love beneath the apple tree and had been laying together, the evidence of their love still on display, when Magnus found them together. Magnus had walked away. Jem saw Will in the same way Will had seen him, uncaring and cruel, and had walked away as well. Suddenly, there had been no one else for Will to either hurt or love, and it had felt, however briefly, perfect.

That night, Will and Jem had gone to hunt demons. They also found an abandoned room and had kissed and groped in darkness until having sex was no longer just an option. Jem had bent over a table and Will had taken him by the hips as he thrust himself into Jem, giving Jem everything he begged for. They made plenty of noise and each enjoyed the encounter, but Will had noticed midway through that there was nothing between them anymore. He should have felt desire and lust, but instead, he felt empty. Will hadn't desired Jem the way he had desired Magnus. He didn't want to be with Jem this way, anymore.

Afterwards, Will had held Jem in his arms as Jem kissed Will's neck and mumbled how much he loved him. They had gotten dressed and went back out to fight more demons. It had been nearly dawn when Jem had been injured by a demon, and it had taken a little while longer before he finally expired in Will's arms. Will had brought Jem home and prepared him for burial before the Silent Brothers came to bring him to the Silent City. The next morning, Will dressed in his mourning clothes and had come to the Silent City and to a room that was less than ten feet away from the Speaking Stars.

The entrance to the funeral chamber was directly behind where Will stood. Here, the scent of sage, juniper, fire, and burnt flesh was stronger. Shadowhunters burned their dead and their ashes were supposed to protect the Silent Brothers from the evils of the world, but it was an ugly process.

Will had walked into the funeral chamber the morning of the funeral and found Jem laid out on a board. He had been dressed in white and his eyes were bound closed with white silk. In his right hand, he held his father's hunting dagger, and his left hand clutched a jade necklace that had belong to his mother. Jem's mouth had been set into a hard line of determination. Will had thought about Jem's eyes. He had spent years staring into them and had only known them as one of only many things that made Jem unique. Will had fallen in love with Jem's eyes when they had both been thirteen, and over the years, he found reasons to fall more in love with the rest of Jem.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Will heard. He looked up to see the Silent Brother's staring back at him. Will could hear them muttering to themselves. He looked back down at the floor.

"Come on, Will," Henry whispered, "Say something! Come on!"

Will could still hear how the fire roared like a thousand demons as it consumed the wood beneath the board Jem had lay on. The process hadn't taken long, what with the fire as hot as it had been, and Jem's body as tiny and disease- ridden as it was. Most awful about it was the sickly sweet smell of Jem burning. The smoke had wafted into Will's lungs and caused him to gag. When he had finally left the Silent City, the scent remained, clinging to Will's hair and clothing.

For weeks after the funeral, Will woke up in Magnus's arms from another awful nightmare in which Jem's burned corpse came back to life just before the fire consumed it. Will heard Jem's last, painful shriek time and time again, just before his eyes opened. Will had sworn to Charlotte that he wouldn't let Jem burn. There were some things Will knew he would never forget, or forgive himself for.

"Come on, Will!" Henry whispered.

Will looked back up at the Brothers and stared at them.

"I have done terrible things," Will said, "I deserve to be punished."

Will was sentenced to five days, solitary confinement, in the Silent City. He was taken from the Speaking Stars pavilion, brought to a cell he could barely stand up in, and was ordered to strip out of his clothes. He was given a scratchy robe, similar to what the Silent Brother's wore, one bucket full of water, and told to not make too much noise. Will turned his back as the cell door slammed closed behind him.

The cell contained a cot bolted to the floor and covered with a torn and dirty blanket. The air in the cell was cold and the only light that entered came from a witch light sconce down the hallway. The walls were concrete painted black. They absorbed the sound of Will's footsteps as he paced the short length of his cell a few times. He stopped to listen carefully, but heard no sounds to support evidence of anyone else close by. Will thought about all of the times he had thought he had been alone but hadn't been. This time, he was completely alone.

Will laid down on the cot and pulled his knees to his chest. The Brothers had taken everything, even his shoes, and Will began to shiver. There was a burn on his wrist that had started to hurt, and the knuckles on his right hand throbbed. If Will had wanted to suffer, he had followed the proper course of events to do so.

Over the next few hours, Will vacillated between pacing the confines of his cell and staring up at the ceiling as he lay on the cot. He drifted into an uneasy sleep, waking only when he felt someone's eyes on him. He looked out through the cell bars, and saw a solid black cat licking it's paw. The cat looked up at Will with two bright green and gold eyes, and then pranced through the bars of the cell. The cat hopped up onto Will's lap and shoved it's head into Will's hand, so Will began to stroke the cat.

Will fell back asleep, and when he woke up later, his mind felt heavy and his lips were dry. There was a ham sandwich sitting on a plate outside of the cell door, and a large rat was feasting on it. Will was still cold, but not as much as he had been. There was a wonderfully warm spot on his chest. Will lifted his hand and felt soft, silky fur. The cat purred and moved so that it's head was directly over Will's heart, keeping him warm. It looked up at Will and stared, unblinking into his eyes. Will opened his mouth to say something, then closed his eyes and drifted back to a dreamless sleep.

Early the next morning, Will awoke to the sound of a bowl of porridge being dropped outside of the cell. He rolled onto his side and stared at the wall. The cat had left for an hour, very early, but was now back, nestled against Will's back. Early in the afternoon, the cat disappeared when another sandwich was brought, as well as a fresh bowl of water. Will had a sip of water, refused the sandwich, and began to pace back and forth in his cell. The cat never returned and the rat came back to greedily consume on the sandwich. Will felt his eyes grow heavy. He laid down on his cot and fell back asleep.

Not surprisingly, all of his dreams contained Jem. He saw Jem sitting beside him at breakfast, cutting a muffin in half to share. Jem was talking, but Will could only see Jem's lips moving, with no sound coming out. Jem began to say Will's name, but Will still could not hear it, so Will began to scream Jem's name, but Jem never responded. Something hot pressed to the bottom of Will's foot and he jerked it away, finally waking from the dream.

Magnus was standing outside of the cell door, his right hand ignited with blue sparks. His left hand had been reaching through the cell door, trying to reach Will. Will sat up on the bed and pulled his knees to his chest. His face felt cold and wet.

"You were screaming and crying," Magnus said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Will said, "why are you here?"

"You kept the ring. That was the agreement: if you keep the ring, it told me you might eventually want to talk to me. So here I am. Talking," Magnus said. Will rolled onto his side and tried to pull the robe more tightly against his body. "Actually, I'm here to take you home. I have some pull with the Brothers... we are old friends. They've agreed to let me house you for the next four days. They've become concerned that you haven't eaten and you dying in their custody is frowned upon. So for the good of all, you're coming with me."

"But I haven't forgiven you. Why would you want me to come to your house if I'm still angry with you?" Will said. He looked up at Magnus.

"We have four long days together, my little Nephilim. I'm sure we'll find the time to talk things over," Magnus said.

"I'm your prisoner?" Will asked. Magnus smiled.

"In every sense of the word," he replied.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Here is, as usual, a teaser:

"You know what happens when you tell a Herondale to stop playing with fire," Magnus said. "They burn the house down to spite you."