Jace and I were taken to the City of Bones. When we arrived, we were pulled out of the car and dragged into the city. After many turns and long corridors, we arrived at the prison. I was thrown into one cell, and Jace was thrown into the one beside it.

They locked the barred doors and vanished. I tried to lay down and get some rest, but Aldertree had other plans. "Carly Fray and Jace Wayland..."

"Hello, Mr. Douche," Jace sassed with a big smile.

"What do you want?" I asked, getting to my feet and walking to the bars.

"I'm here to see if you're 'innocent'," Aldertree said, directing the last word to Jace. "Both of you will put your hands on the soul sword. I will ask you questions, and you will answer truthfully. This will determine if I can release you or if you'll be locked up for the rest of your lives."

"When do these tests start?" Jace asked.

"Now. Starting with you," Aldertree said, pointing toward me.

"Why do I have to go first?" I whined.

"Because you were with Valentine the longest. You might know more," Aldertree said, snapping his fingers.

Two monks walked into the room and unlocked my cell. They grabbed me by my arms as I tried to fight against them, but they were much stronger than they looked. Aldertree turned the corner as the monks dragged me after him. We twisted and turned through several tunnels until we reached a medium-sized cement room. In the middle was a podium and behind that was a monk holding the soul sword. I was carried to the podium as the monks backed away.

The one holding the soul sword put it on the podium and grabbed my hand, placing it on the blade. It looked like an average shadow blade with a few more carvings. I could feel a surge of energy go through my body, making everything feel tingly.

"Are you ready to begin?" Aldertree asked.

"Do I really have a choice, Aldertree?" I retorted.

Aldertree sighed in annoyance, his eyes meeting mine with a glare. "Is your name Carly Fray?"

"Yes," I said aloud, and then to myself, I whispered, "If these are the type of questions he's going to ask, this is going to be a piece of cake."

"I was testing to ensure it was working, Ms. Fray," Aldertree snapped, clearly hearing what I said. "Were you kidnapped by Valentine?"

"Yes, I was. I was trying to find a weapon to fight against him, but before I could, one of his goons found me. I was thrown through a portal, waking up in Valentine's lair," I explained.

"Did he treat you like family?" Aldertree questioned.

"No, he treated Jace and me like prisoners. We were beaten, and mind-controlled," I retorted

"I don't see bruising," Aldertree pointed out, looking me up and down. "If you were beaten, why do you look in good health?"

"I was healed by magic," I admitted.

"Why?"

"Because my mother shot me, so Valentine's warlock healed me and my bruises," I explained with annoyance rising.

"Why did your mother shoot you?" Aldertree asked.

"Because she didn't want Valentine to have me. Instead of trying to rescue me, she decided the only option was to execute me," I said angrily.

"Why would your own mother want to execute you?" Aldertree asked, knowing the answer to his question.

I could see it in his eyes that he knew, but he wanted confirmation. I tried to think of a lie, but every time I tried to speak, the air was knocked from my lungs. So, had one option; tell the truth.

"My mom wanted to execute me because of the demon blood coursing through my veins. She believed that Valentine would make me go dark, so she tried to solve the problem before it became a problem," I admitted sorrowfully.

"Did he experiment on you?" Aldertree asked

"Yes. He injected demon blood into me when I was still in my mother's womb. He did the same to Jace," I said.

"Did he do anything to Clary?" he asked.

"No. He believed she was weak."

"Did he make you kill that vampire?" Aldertree asked with a little sympathy in his eyes.

"Yes. His warlock put a mind-control spell on me. He told me to kill her, and my body did so without my consent," I replied swiftly. "I never wanted to hurt her…"

"The same warlock that healed you?"

"Yes." I said, excluding the name. Ethan would not get in trouble because of me, not when he just got back.

"How did you escape?" Aldertree asked with intrigue.

"The warlock had been kidnapped by Valentine a few weeks prior, so he helped us out. He put a loophole in the spell so that when we saw any of our friends, the spell would break. When it broke, they came to our rescue, and we got out," I said, excluding the fact I left on my own and got in a fight with another vampire.

"Final question, are you aligned with Valentine?" Aldertree asked.

"No, the man disgusts me. I have darkness in me, but I never plan to let it out. I will never join his side," I said, skipping over the part where I snapped a 2in lock with my bare hands. If Ethan's magic did unlock that dark side of me, I didn't want anyone to know, not until I was sure.

"Thank you, Carly. You will now be returned to your cell until Jace has been interviewed and the verdict has been decided," Aldertree announced as the monks escorted me out of the room.


After Jace and I were taken, the others walked back up to Magnus' apartment. When they arrived, Clary explained what had just gone down, and everyone became somber.

"We have to get them out of there," Ethan insisted.

"They are being put on trial for the murder of that vampire. If the soul sword test goes well, they should be able to come home," Alec said.

Silence followed as each of them was deep in thought. Clary's mind raced, her fingers twitching at her side. When an idea came to mind, she tapped Simon's shoulder.

"Simon, can I talk to you for a second?" Clary asked as the pair separated from the others, Clary whispering, "I think we should tell them."

"Tell them, what?" Simon questioned with a confused look.

"About the demon blood thing," Clary whispered. "It might help us, help them. Magnus might know what to do, or even Alec or Isabelle."

"Clary, you're my best friend, but sometimes you just don't get it," Simon sighed, shaking his head. "This is Carly's darkest secret, something she hates about herself. How would you react if you found out you had demon blood coursing through your veins and someone told all your friends before you could? The one thing you wanted to hide so no one would be afraid of you?"

"Then we'll let her tell them," Clary said, heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked.

"The City of Bones. I'll learn what I can."

"Be careful," Magnus warned as Clary left the apartment, closing the door behind her.

She got into her car and headed to the City of Bones. In little over a half hour, Clary arrived. She walked up to the mausoleum and studied it. She hadn't been there in almost a year, and it looked exactly the same. Clary opened the creaky gate and headed inside. After a set of steps, a monk appeared and showed her the way.


I lay on my cot, staring at the stone brick ceiling. Aldertree had taken Jace for questioning, so I sat there and waited for the verdict. I prayed everything would go well and we could get out of here in one piece.

I heard a familiar voice from outside my cell. "Carly, is that you?"

"It's me," I said as Clary approached the bars.

"Where's Jace?" she asked, noticing the other cells were empty.

"He's being questioned, but he should be back soon," I said, continuing to stare at the ceiling above me. There wasn't much to look at, but when you're bored, it's better than nothing.

"What happens after that?" Clary asked.

"They decide a verdict. If we're innocent, we leave. If we're guilty, we stay in jail for the rest of our lives in Idris," I said as the room grew quiet.

Clary stared down at her feet until she decided to break the silence, "Why do you hate me?"

"You really want to know why I hate you?" I questioned, rising up from the cot and walking over to the bars.

"Yes."

"I hate you because you got everything," I admitted. "Friends, boyfriends, and freedom. You got everything I wanted. You're the perfect daughter, Clary. I'm just the younger sister who's damaged beyond repair." I admitted, turning away from her.

Everything I had just said was true, and I was angry. Getting that off my chest made it better, but that didn't mean my anger was gone.

"I never knew you felt that way," Clary said, getting teary-eyed.

"That's because you never paid attention. You had a life, and all I had was four walls. The only person who really paid attention was Simon. When you guys were hanging out, he'd check on me because he knew I had no one. But all you did was sit there and watch me suffer," I said, punching the cement cell wall to my right.

The minute my hand made impact, the wall surrounded my fist. I pulled away and there was a medium-sized dent in the cement. I was surprised and scared at the strength I suddenly possessed.

Clary looked at the dent with worry, "That's the demon blood, isn't it?"

"Does anyone else know? Besides, you and Simon?" I asked.

"No, just us," Clary said as she got closer to the bars. "How come you've never shown signs before?"

"I'm guessing when I was healed by Ethan, his magic must've activated it somehow," I said, hiding the fact this had happened once before with the lock. I don't want people to be afraid of me.

Suddenly, a door opened on the other side of the room. Two monks carried Jace in and locked him up, two cells from mine. The door was locked, and Mr. Aldertree came in to inspect.

After everything looked good, he turned to leave when he noticed Clary, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting my family." Clary said, crossing her arms.

"Well, visiting time is over," Aldertree said as the two monks escorted Clary out of the room. Less than a minute later, all hell broke loose.

There was a loud bang from the other room and a lot of yelling. Aldertree took out his blade as a monk sailed past him, hitting the bars of Jace's cell. Aldertree walked out of sight only to come rolling back. He got to his knees as Valentine appeared, putting the tip of his sword under Aldertree's chin. But that sword wasn't any sword, it was the soul sword.

"You're not leaving with that blade," Aldertree spat, the blade digging deeper into his skin.

"Oh, I think I am. The monks are tucked away, and no one is here to save you. I think I'll be able to take the sword quite easily," Valentine said, lifting the sword above Aldertree's head.

"Leave him alone!" Jace yelled as he got as close to the bars as his cell would allow.

"Or what? You'll yell?" Valentine laughed as he got ready to lower his blade on Aldertree's neck.

I didn't like the guy, but I also didn't want to watch him die. I relaxed and used my strength to kick the cell door wide open. I walked out of the cell with surprised and excited glances.

"Let him go." I snapped.

"I see the magic must've activated your abilities. It's exhilarating, isn't it? The strength you have is only the beginning, for both of you," Valentine said with a wide smile.

I looked from Valentine to Jace and noticed something. Jace, for the first time in forever, looked nervous. For himself and what would happen if the blood in his veins was activated. I turned my attention to Valentine and focused.

"I said let him go and why not put the sword down while you're at it," I said, picking up Aldertree's shadow blade, and pointing it at Valentine.

"Both of you could join me. Both of you could join the right side," Valentine suggested.

"Not. Going. To. Happen," Jace enunciated.

Valentine smirked. "Then I can't let go of this sword or your friend."

He swung his sword up and then down toward Aldertree. When it was inches from his neck, I blocked the blade with my own. I told Aldertree to open Jace's cell as I fought with Valentine.

Once Jace was released, he picked up a blade nearby and fought off the 4 guards Valentine had brought with him. Victor tried to fight back but was knocked out from hitting his head on the cement wall. While Jace battled the others, I fought Valentine. I wasn't the best sword fighter, but I also wasn't the worst.

He'd block my attacks, and I'd block his. A little bit into the fight, I did get a knick in his arm, which really pissed him off. We continued this for a while until he got the upper hand, knocking me on my ass.

Valentine pointed his blade at me as he spoke, "Why are you so stubborn? The Clave will never accept you, nor will your friends and family. Your own mother shot you, do you really think any of them care? All they're going to see is a monster."

"That might be true. But at least I'm trying to be the better person," I said, knocking the blade from his hand and pushing him back. That's when Dot appeared, looking just awful, "Dot?"

"Sorry, but I must," Dot said as she moved her hands around in a swaying motion.

She put her hands together, and my brain felt like someone was running it over with a car. Jace collapsed silently screaming as I fell over. Valentine stepped over me, grabbing a hold of the sword and making his way to Jace. Dot opened up a portal while still mind stabbing us.

"Thank you for the fight, really got the blood pumping. I hope to see both of you soon. Goodbye, children," Valentine said as he went through the portal.

Dot gave me one last look as she followed after him. The portal closed and so did the pain. Jace gathered his strength and helped me to my feet as Aldertree woke up.

"Where's Valentine?" Aldertree asked.

"Gone," Jace replied.

"And the sword?"

"Also gone," I said as Jace and I helped him to his feet.

"What have you done…" Aldertree said to himself loud enough for both of us to hear.

"We saved your ass, that's what we did," Jace snapped, crossing his arms across his chest.

"And you let Valentine take the soul sword. The one thing that could end the downworlders for good," Aldertree snapped back.

"I didn't let him take that sword. We saved your life and tried our best. Yes, he has the sword, which is really bad, but we'll get it back," I reassured him.

"You better, or else we're all screwed," Aldertree said as he wiped the dust from his pants. "Thank you, for saving my life. I will let everyone at the Institute know you are on our side and not a menace. But we need to get that sword back, now."

"Of course," I said, trying to smile.

"I'll tell everyone to start searching when I get back to the institute," Aldertree said, running out of the room.

"Well, that could've gone better," Jace muttered.

"Yes, it could have."