Chapter Twenty-Six

Jace

That evening, as Jace played the piano in the sitting room and Jocelyn red one of the books she had purchased, there was a sense of something in the air that put him on edge. He waited, his fingers flicking over the keys, but Jace kept glancing up furtively. As the night came in and the moon rose, Jace felt truly panicked; Valentine was still out, and Clary hadn't returned from her studies. He supposed it was just his fear of Clary being alone with Valentine at all that was making him worry, but when he looked up for the fourth time, he noticed that Jocelyn, too, seemed preoccupied.

"How long is it now?" Jocelyn asked, keeping her tone even.

Jace pressed his lips together. "Dinner is in half an hour and they're not here. Do you think Valentine was kept late with the Clave?"

"He must have been," said Jocelyn, but her eyes didn't return to her book, and instead and rested on the window. After a long time, she said thoughtfully, "They must have escaped by now, they must be at Malachi's house with the Lightwoods."

Breaking Isabelle and Alec free and on their way here now, Jace thought hopefully. They'll be here in an hour, ready to help us escape as well. We just need Clary. "Probably already have Isabelle and Alec."

"I won't leave Clary," she said with a determined glint in her eyes.

"Did you think I would?" Jace said back waspishly.

They returned to their silence, and after a few minutes, Jace completely gave up trying to play the piano. He rose and paced to the window, looking out on the city. He saw only the darkness and the faint lights from the lanterns, and wondered what was keeping Clary. Jace, thinking that he might check on the dinner, just to give himself something to do, headed for the kitchen. It was empty, and the emptiness was even worse than the silence; it put him in the mind of loneliness and death.

She'll be here soon, and then we'll all go together. Valentine's just been caught up late with the stupid meetings and-

A noise near the back door alerted Jace to an intruder. It wasn't much more than the sound of crunching gravel, but was enough to make Jace reach out for a carving knife on the counter and take a fighting stance. He edged a bit closer to the door and waited, poised ready to leap into action should an enemy be near.

Enemy be near? You're in the house of the enemy! he scolded himself, but still raised the knife a bit higher. Maybe if you're lucky, it'll be Jonathan.

Another grinding of gravel and Jace reached for the handle to the door. He flung it open, ready to strike when the face the Alec Lightwood was illuminated by the glow from the kitchen. Jace stumbled as he tried to stop himself striking Alec, and fell into the doorframe. He dropped the knife and threw himself at Alec in a warm embrace.

This is right. This is your brother and your parabatai. This is who you should be bound to, thought Jace as he felt Alec squeeze him a bit tighter.

"Jace," hissed a voice, and he regretfully pulled away from Alec. "Are you ready?" Isabelle had come forward as well, and she was armed to the teeth with every weapon he could think of. When she saw him looking, she smile dangerously at him. "Well, what do you expect? If we're going to be fighting a battle against every demon Valentine can summon, it's gonna take more than a few daggers."

"Did Luke and Magnus and Simon-"

"We're here," said Luke, stepping into the light and then flinching slightly. "Valentine's not inside is he? It might be quicker if we just end it now."

"No, Valentine's not here," sighed Jace, "and that's the problem. He took Clary with him this morning, and she's not back yet either."

Something like alarm passed through Luke's eyes. "Did Valentine know what you were planning?"

"He can't have," Jace said quickly, his heart beating faster, because Luke had said exactly what he had been fearing. What if Valentine did know?

"Can you be sure?" Magnus asked, his eyes glancing into the house behind Jace. "If he knew, then it would make sense to take Clary; he knows how much she means to you, Jocelyn, and Luke."

"Glad to know how you feel," Jace said smartly, just to calm his nerves.

"I'm as fond of Clary as any of you, but Valentine doesn't know that," Magnus asked sharply. "He could have taken her, just in case you decided to act."

"Then why let us escape?" Simon asked now. "If he knew what Jace was planning, it seems the first thing to do would be to stop us escaping."

"Maybe it's just a game?" Magnus suggested.

This is the sort of game he would play. Jace could still recall a bitter childhood of psychological torment, where Valentine always seemed to have the upper hand in the end. He shuddered and pushed the thoughts away. "No, he can't know; we just barely thought this up a few weeks ago."

"We don't have much time to wait, though," said Luke, and he cast an unfriendly glance toward Isabelle and Magnus. "We might not have made quite as clean an escape as we would have liked from Malachi."

Jace stared at Isabelle who looked frustrated. "Well, he deserved it!" she said defensively. "After everything he put me and Alec through, and all the lying and scheming he did with Valentine, I think he deserves a bit of pain, don't you?"

"I'm not saying what he did was alright," Luke said consolingly, "I'm just saying that a bit of thoughtful action of your part might have gone a long way."

"What happened?" Jace asked.

"Malachi saw us," Magnus said when Isabelle wouldn't speak. "I mean, he's unconscious right now, but as soon as he wakes up I'm sure he's going to tell Valentine."

"Well, that could be hours," Jace reasoned, but his palms were sweating. "No one is going to suspect that he's been hurt."

"They wouldn't have," Magnus said delicately, "if I hadn't started a fire."

"A fire?" Jace demanded.

"I didn't mean to," he said indifferently, "but Malachi was going to attack us, so I acted. It's nothing big, and it should go unnoticed for a little bit, but I'm thinking Valentine might send a few of his servants to check if something is wrong."

"We need to get Clary," said Jace, his thoughts going immediately to her, currently being held prisoner by her father. "Jocelyn can go with you, and Clary and I will wait, and we'll follow after."

"We're not leaving you!" Alec said sternly.

"I'm not leaving Clary," Jace said back with a hard look. "If I leave her, Valentine will kill her; he only needs her to control Jocelyn and me, and the only thing keeping her alive is the two of us. The moment he sees Jocelyn is gone, he'll slit her throat."

"Then Jocelyn can't leave," Luke said softly.

"Not if I stay behind and say she went out looking for him when he didn't come back for dinner," Jace shrugged. "It's plausible, maybe he'll believe-"

"Jace," said Luke seriously, "you and I both know Valentine, and he's not likely to believe some flimsy lie like that."

"What do you want from me then?" Jace snapped. "I'm not leaving here unless I've got Clary at my side, and Jocelyn or I have to stay behind."

Luke bit his lip. "We'll wait. We'll wait until Valentine comes home with Clary. If you can, the three of you can break free and we'll be waiting, if you need our help we'll come, if it's too dangerous…" Luke's eyes moved to Jace, and Jace saw how sympathetic he looked. For a moment, Jace got the feeling Luke really did care for him. "…if it's too dangerous we'll go, but we'll come back as soon as we can."

"What?" Isabelle snapped. "No!"

Alec rounded on Luke. "I'm not leaving Jace with him!"

"But Clary!" Simon croaked.

"He's right!" Jace cried over all of them, and their faces turned to his, looking stunned. "Luke's right. You don't necessarily need us to raise an army and come back and fight. We can wait out Valentine's anger as long as you're free and fighting him. He'll kill all of you on sight when he finds out you've escaped anyway, and I'm not going to watch him do that."

Alec looked sickened by the thought of having to leave Jace behind, but he also couldn't see any alternative. He and Isabelle exchanged looks and he said, in a resigned sort of way, "We'll wait in the woods for your signal."

Jace had hoped Alec wouldn't be too strong headed to fight back, and he relaxed a little with the knowledge that neither of the Lightwoods was going to do something stupid and dangerous. His eyes switched now to Luke, who was looking rather speculatively at the door and the kitchen. It only then occurred to Jace that Luke might be just as worried for Jocelyn as he was for Clary.

"I don't think it's safe to go in there," said Jace carefully, watching Luke's face. "Valentine could be home any minute."

Luke turned away ruefully. "I'm sure he will be, but…I'm worried for her, for Clary, for you too, Jace, so don't look at me like that." When Jace raised an eyebrow Luke shook his head. "You're young and you think you can save the world, but just remember, there are people who care about you, people who wouldn't want to see you hurt. Maybe you should take a little better care for your own neck."

Jace flushed a bit, but more from surprise than outrage. "I didn't know you felt that way, Luke."

"That's the problem with you and Clary," he said, and then smiled that tired, worn smile, the one he always seemed to have when he watched Clary. "You never think about the people who care for you."

Jace swallowed hard and glanced sideways at Alec; his face was inscrutable, but Jace could tell he was aching to just drag him off into the woods before Valentine got back, and forget Clary and Jocelyn. "I think about them every day," said Jace. "I was thinking about them when I planned this escape, and when I sit around this house every day doing whatever Valentine tells me, and when I have to pretend to enjoy being Valentine's son in public-I think of them every day."

Alec turned away but Luke still looked unconvinced. "Some people might miss you if you were gone."

"Well, I won't have to be-" Jace froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening. "The door opened. It's Valentine, get out of here!" He didn't even let Isabelle say goodbye, just slammed the door in her face and returned to the dinner, the turkey baking in the oven and removed it just as the door to the kitchen opened and Valentine came in. He surveyed Jace with bland interest.

"I was wondering where you'd run off to. Jocelyn said she didn't know where you'd gone." He came in, closing the door behind him. "Not very nice of you to leave her to herself."

Jace set his face into a trained, pleasant mask. "I was checking on dinner. It's ready."

"Is it?" Valentine asked, and Jace knew something had gone amiss just by the way his eyes moved over the countertops and crockery. "Were you planning on serving us?"

"If you wanted," Jace shrugged carelessly.

"That might be hard to do, as the carving knife has relocated itself to the back door," Valentine observed with the merest glint on amusement in his eyes.

Jace turned slowly on the spot, cursing himself. You idiot, you utter, complete idiot. "I heard a noise at the door and I thought someone was trying to break in. It wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to harm a member of the Morgenstern family."

"And did you find anyone?" Valentine passed by Jace smoothly, plucked the knife off the floor, and opened the door. The light of the kitchen shone on the bare ground, the small patch of flowers, and the lawn beyond. "You must have been startled to have dropped the knife."

Think, think, think, Jace told himself furiously. "A raccoon."

"You were scared of a raccoon?" Valentine turned the carving knife in his hand, considering.

"I haven't seen one in a while," Jace said defensively. "Not since I lived with you." It was a poor lie and Jace thought Valentine was going to pursue it. Instead, Valentine simply shrugged and placed the carving knife back down on counter near Jace.

"Well, once you've recovered from your bout of shock, you can prepare the meal and join the rest of us in the dining room."

"Yes, sir," said Jace evenly, and let him pass without another word.

Something happened, something must have happened. Jace washed off the knife and began to cut the meal into sizeable slices. Maybe Clary just annoyed him today so he's in a bad mood. It's not like he can know about the escape already. But, Jace, who had grown up under that clear grey gaze that missed nothing, was worried Valentine had figured it out, and that he was already planning some elaborate punishment for them. Distractedly, Jace finished cutting the rest of the meat and took it out to the table.

Shit, was Jace's first thought as he entered and found Valentine, Jocelyn, Jonathan, but no Clary. His look must have alerted Valentine, because he smiled widely, and said, "Clarissa won't be joining us just yet, we've only just arrived and I won't have her eating dinner in her training gear. It's a filthy habit."

"Right," said Jace, and began dolling out helpings of the dinner. As he served, he felt something unpleasant and cold settle in the bottom of his stomach, and he felt sick.

"These are cut poorly," Valentine commented, eyeing his slice of jagged meat. "Preoccupied with something?"

"What do you mean?" Jace asked as he finished filling Clary's plate than sat down.

"Clearly, you weren't paying attention to what you were doing while preparing the meal." Valentine's smile widened. "Worried about more raccoons."

"Anxious to see Clary, I'm sure," Jocelyn said sweetly. "They're so rarely apart these days."

"Is that it, Jace?" asked Valentine conversationally. "Just can't wait to see my daughter?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I did propose to her, so I can rightly say, yes, I do enjoy her company."

"Of course." Valentine continued to eat, they all continued to eat, and still Clary didn't join them. After almost fifteen minutes, Jocelyn stirred.

"I should go check on Clary," she said. "She's probably run into trouble with the gown, you know she's not one for feminine things."

"Stay, Jocelyn," said Valentine, catching her wrist. "I've barely seen you all day; Jonathan why don't you go fetch your sister."

Jonathan made a rather ugly face, like he'd rather do anything but find Clary. "I'm sure she can manage herself."

"Jonathan, please," Valentine said again, his eyes still on Jocelyn.

He put his knife and fork down with unnecessary force and stood up, shoving the chair into the table. "Clarissa!" he called, and then left looking dark.

"He's in a mood," Jace said.

"Well, he's disappointed," Valentine said, rounding on Jace, but still smiling. "It was a long day, rather trying, though I'm sure you'd know nothing of it. Busy, I suppose you were, exploring Alicante."

Jace paused but Jocelyn took up the conversation easily. "I do enjoy shopping Valentine, and I know you have better things to do with your time than pander to my needs."

"Jocelyn, I would always pander to your needs, no matter what they be," he said casually. "For instance, if you were ill and needed medicine, I would, of course, go and fetch it."

Hell, Jace thought, his stomach turning. He knows.

Jocelyn opened her mouth to speak, but Valentine was quicker. "Or, if you were seeking…contraceptives, I would oblige you." With the easy grace of someone perfectly comfortable in themselves, Valentine reached into his pocket and retrieved the small bag of herbs Jocelyn had been sneaking. Aside from a flash of surprise in her eyes, though, her face remained perfectly even.

"Where did you find those?" she asked, politely curious.

"On our room," he answered with the same civility. "You carved out the inside of a book on your nightstand and hid them there. I was wondering why you never finished the book, you see, because you'd had it forever. Not very loyal, my dear."

Clary, Jace thought at once, and quickly pocketed the knife he was using to cut his food. He's got Clary with Jonathan.

"Not very loyal to spy on my things," said Jocelyn coldly.

Valentine's eyes narrowed, and he didn't turn away from her when he said, "You might as well relax, Jace, Jonathan is bringing Clary to us as we speak. She'll be here momentarily, which is quite good, because I think we all need to have a small chat."

"What have you done to her?" Jace hissed.

"Nothing," said Valentine coolly, "that the little traitor didn't deserve."

He only knows Jocelyn is using birth control, he doesn't know we helped Luke, Magnus, and Simon escape. Jace fingered the knife on his lap. "Whatever Clary has done, as my fiancé, I am implicit in it."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that," said Valentine, "but, as I'm not sure yet the depth of your betrayal, we're going to have to have a nice long chat about it. At the very least, I can assume the two of you have been helping Jocelyn."

"Clary hasn't been," said Jocelyn without even thinking, and she sounded so desperate, even Valentine knew she was telling the truth. "I didn't want to worry her, so I never told her."

"Then Jace knew?" he asked, glancing at the boy.

"I did," Jace said evenly. "I knew that if Jocelyn got pregnant you'd kill Clary, so I helped her. I also pushed for the engagement."

"I'm impressed," said Valentine slowly. "The two of you make quite a pair, scheming against me. No wonder you got on so well."

"Well, we were united in our hatred," Jace said with a smirk.

This seemed to irk Valentine, who turned his head ever so slightly and said, "Jonathan, hurry up, will you?"

Clary

"I suppose you thought you were being so smart, didn't you?" Jonathan asked, slamming Clary up against a wall of her bedroom, and holding her there. "Did you really think Father and I had no idea what was going on? Your secret little meetings with the Lightwood brats? And Jace…he's my parabatai, did you think I wouldn't pick up on it?"

Clary squirmed in her brother's grasp. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!"

"Calling me names won't do you any favors now," Jonathan growled, and he struck her with the back of his hand. Clary blinked away tears, but refused to cry out. "You three are so deep in it, you'll be digging yourselves out for the rest of your miserable lives."

Clary threw all of her weight against her brother and he stumbled away. She ran for the door, but it was pointless, as Jonathan was far faster and lodged himself between her and the door. "We've already won," Clary spat. "So it doesn't matter if you have me and Jace captive, everything already worked out."

Jonathan caught her hair in his hand and tugged her down so she fell to her knees. "Then I'm going to enjoy every moment Father gives me to punish you." Clary spat a mouthful of blood at him and he kneed her in the stomach. She fell forward, clutching her chest, and then kicked her side while she was curled up. "Now, how about we take you downstairs?"

Clary fought tooth and nail against Jonathan's hands, but his grip was like iron and there was no way to break out of it. He dragged her down three halls, two flights of stairs, and into the dining room where she found her mother and Jace under the furious glare of Valentine. When she saw them, her heart went up into her throat, and she twisted and turned in her brother's grasp.

"What have you done to our daughter?" Jocelyn demanded, her voice cold and her eyes burning.

Valentine sipped his wine. "Nothing less than what a traitor deserves."

Clary's eyes snapped up to Jace, who seemed unharmed but look horrified to see her there. Do I look that bad? Clary wondered, catching sight of herself in china cabinet glass door. She defiantly didn't look good.

"Clary hasn't done anything, haven't I told you!" Jocelyn rose to her feet, standing over him for once. "She knew nothing of the herbs."

"Herbs?" Clary croaked, and Jonathan tightened his grip on her.

Valentine now rose up, and towered over Jocelyn, looking down on her with an unknowable look. "Yes, Clarissa, herbs your mother was taking. Have you seen them?" He shook some of the contents into his hand and held them up for Clary's inspection. She didn't recognize them.

"I'm not surprised my mother tried to poison you."

"It's not poison you stupid girl," Valentine said, drawing near to her. "They're medicinal contraceptives. I suppose you know what that is?"

Contraceptives…? Clary's eyes moved from the herbs in Valentine's hands to her mother's shadowed face. "Is that-are you pregnant?"

"No, she is not," said Valentine, shaking his head at his daughter's foolishness. "That is what these are for. Though I must say, I am surprised, I thought you three were all together on this."

"I told you," said Jocelyn slowly, "that Clary didn't know. You've punished her unjustly for-"

"I'm not through yet," said Valentine silkily, and he drew nearer to Clary, who tried to move away but Jonathan held her firmly. "Tell me, Clarissa, did you know that just tonight, those friends of yours have run away?"

Clary stopped her struggling and stared up at her father. "What?"

"I believe you heard me," he said coldly, and then grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up. "You have nothing to say? I'm not surprised, to be honest, you never were one for many words." Clary opened her mouth to speak, but Valentine took the handful of leaves and shoved them in her mouth, watching her gag on them.

"Valentine, no!" Jocelyn cried, moving a bit toward him, but Valentine rounded on her.

"You stay where you are!" he snarled at her, and then curled his large hand around Clary's shoulder, putting enough pressure on it for her to rasp.

Though Jocelyn stumbled to a halt Jace had jumped to his feet and darted around the table. "D-don't!" Clary choked, coughing out the herbs.

"Now, as you can imagine, we have come to an impasse." Valentine's eyes moved from Jace, looking like a snarling lion, to Jocelyn, who was caught between her fear for her daughter and her anger at Valentine. "I take it you three were all in the know?" he said to Jocelyn.

"Yes," she said without preamble.

"No!" Jace said sharply, and he glared at Jocelyn. "She's lying to protect Clary; Jocelyn wasn't a part of this. Me and Clary planned the entire thing with the Lightwoods."

"Is that so?" Valentine hissed.

"No!" Jocelyn said angrily. "Valentine, Jace is just trying-"

"Mom!"

"Be quiet!" Valentine howled above the argument and cast each of them an unfriendly look. "All I can see from this is that you all have lied and contrived against me, though to what I degree, I'm not sure. For this, I have no choice but to punish all of you."

"Leave Clary alone," Jace said at once, and saw how hard he was gripping her. "It was mostly me, anyway."

"Jace!"

"You liar," Valentine said with cold certainty. He turned to size up Clary, and she forced herself to stare into his grey eyes. "I hardly know what to think, to see my wife, my daughter, and my adopted son have all tried to undo me with their scheming, with their escape planes and their…deceptions." He tossed the bag of herbs aside. "What shall I do with you?"

"Valentine," said Jocelyn calmly, "perhaps you and I should talk privately? I'll understand if you want to send Clary and Jace up to their room, and we can try and figure out what happened-"

"I know what happened," said Valentine with a look of disgust, and then, still staring at Jocelyn, cracked his hand with enough force across Clary's face to send her sprawling to the floor.

Over Jonathan's laugher and Jace's rushing to Clary's side, Jocelyn cried, "Valentine, please, no!"

He looked down his daughter with nothing short of hatred. "Jocelyn, you and I are going to have to discuss the raising of your daughter."

Clary rolled onto her side, clutching her face and seeing spots of light everywhere. She could hear her mother pleading with Valentine, and she could hear Jonathan laughing to himself, and finally, she felt Jace's hand cup her chin. At first, all she saw were his large, gold eyes, and her face reflected in them, but she blinked, and gave herself a small shake.

"Clary, Clary, can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said faintly, and tried to sit up but he pushed her back down. Above her, Jocelyn had grabbed hold of Valentine's arm and was dragging him away, Jonathan trailing after them looking predatory.

"You need to go out through the kitchen, as far as you can, and tell the others to run," he said urgently. "There's no way all three of us can escape."

"I'm not leaving you here with him," Clary said, fighting the painful feeling in her head.

"Clary," Jace laughed, sounding slightly insane. "I'm not asking you to leave, but I'm asking you to warn them to go. They're waiting for our word right now."

"Can they help us?" she asked, and Jace helped her sit up, covering her from sight of her father.

"I don't think so," he said. "None of them are in the condition for a fight, and Valentine must suspect they're coming. He's probably got something planned if they turn up. Here," Jace gave Clary his hand and helped her up to a crouch. "I'll see if Jocelyn and I can keep them distracted long enough for you to warn them."

"Don't let him hurt my mom," Clary pleaded, and Jace nodded, before pushing her in the direction of the kitchen.

Go, go, faster, get to the door, Clary urged herself, as she scrambled from the dining room and into the kitchen. Behind her, she heard Jace join the fray and the sound of someone's hand striking a face. Just get to the door and warn them before Valentine comes after you.

Clary's hand was on the back door when she heard her father's outraged yell when he noticed she was missing, and then, the call of, "Jonathan, get her! Get your sister!"

Now! Clary ordered herself and tumbled out into the dark backyard screaming at the top of her lungs, "Run! Luke, run! He knows, he knows and he coming. RUN!"

"Clarissa!" Jonathan roared, throwing open the door and Clary ran haphazardly into the dark, screaming for them to run.

She tripped over a loose stone and found herself rolling head over heels down a hill in their backyard. "Run! Go, go, get out of here! Leave us! Leave!"

"Clary, get back here!"Clary could almost reach the woods outside her house, and she swore she saw a pair of glowing, yellow eyes like a wolf, but something heavy grabbed her from behind and dragged her back.

"You little bitch," Jonathan hissed in her ear, turning her over and sitting on her hips. When she looked up into his face, he was flushed with excitement. "I should have known you'd run to your friends. I should have known you'd be a coward."

Clary managed to free one hand and punch Jonathan in the chest. He bent over, but, in his anger, grabbed the hand she'd used to hit him and snapped her wrist. Clary howled in pain and Jonathan laughed at her. There was a snarl from the trees and Jonathan glanced up, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Oh, Luke, go away, get out of here, he's too strong, Clary thought frantically. "Luke, no! Luke just go!"

"You be quiet," Jonathan spat at her. "Or do I have to make you?"

"Run Luke!"

Jonathan reached down and tore her shirt, shoving a piece in her mouth. He took her chin in two of his fingers. "I've been looking forward to this for a while, Clary; it seems that you and Jace are going to be in my care soon."

Clary tried to curse at him, but the cloth in her mouth was stopping her. Instead, she let Jonathan pull her up to her feet, and then he tossed her flailing body over his shoulder and carried her back into the house. They passed through the kitchen and back into the sitting room. Jocelyn was now seated in a chair, crouching over Jace, whose face was bruised and his lip split. Valentine was looking down on them dispassionately.

"She was trying to get out to the woods, Father," Jonathan said, dropping her on the floor. Jace, from his prostrate position on the couch saw Clary's new state and flared up. "I think she was trying to worn those freak friends of hers. None of them came forward, though."

"They're gone now," Jace sneered, and Valentine's eyes darted to his face. "At this very moment, they're going to raise an army and come back and stop you."

"Let them come," Valentine said mockingly. "They will be sorely disappointed, however, since I'm sending you two away."

Jocelyn sat up and Clary swallowed hard.

"Jonathan," said Valentine casually, "tomorrow, before the sun rises, I want you to set off for our manor house in the country with these two in tow. I want them out of this house and away from the public eye. Away from Jocelyn too."

"Valentine," she began, but he shot her such a cold look that her voice failed her.

"Until that time, Jonathan, escort you mother to her room and keep her there. I'll deal with these two."

"Please, listen to me," Jocelyn began, and Jonathan grabbed her forearm to pull her away. "You don't have to punish them, they were just doing what they thought was right."

"They can't be trusted," Valentine said cruelly. "And, as for you, you don't deserve to have your children, which, is consequently, something I will have to discuss with you later. Now get out of here."

Before Jocelyn could argue further, Jonathan had tugged her away, and the last thing Clary saw of her mother was her panicked face. After a moment, the three of them were left alone in the sitting room, the silence stretching out before them. After a bit, Jace sat up, and then slouched over to Clary, and wrapped her in his arms. Valentine looked down on both of them like the wrath of the Angel.

"I have never been so disappointed in you before, Jace," he said evenly. "As for you, Clarissa, I actually did expect something of this nature. Now, though, I find I must think of an appropriate punishment." Clary and Jace waited with baited breath. "You know I'm sending you out to the country, but for how long, I don't know. Not until I'm sure this home is suitable for you; I'll have to speak with Jocelyn."

"Leave my mother alone!" Clary screamed.

"Careful, now, Clarissa, you have much more to worry about than your mother." Valentine considered her a moment. "You two can sleep in the cellar tonight; I'll come to get you before dawn."