The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Part 2 - The Angels Rise // Chapter 32 - Truth and Pain

Part 2 "The Angels Rise"

Chapter 32 – Truth and Pain

The healer had arrived just minutes after Isabelle left my room. He must have already been there, just waiting for Isabelle to retreat. To my surprise, he wasn't a Silent Brother, but an ordinary Shadowhunter who had trained as a healer in the Basilias. He had treated the swelling on my neck and assured me it would go away soon. Before he had left again, he had given me an Iratze. It had been the biggest contributor to my recovery.

A few hours had passed and the swelling had almost completely disappeared. As the day drew to a close, I sat at the dressing table and brushed through my wet hair. After the healer had left, I had laid down to sleep for a short while. My eyelids had fluttered with exhaustion, and I had drifted off into a deep sleep the second my head had touched the soft pillow of my bed.

When I had woken up, the tiredness was gone, but the discomfort in my chest seemed stronger than before. Confused thoughts about my inability to defend myself against Jace, Kadir's dishonesty, and the disgrace with which I represented my family in Alicante had plagued my mind. I had showered to wash the dried sweat and negative feelings off my body.

I've gotten a little better now. The gentle movement of the brush in my red hair calmed me. I watched myself in the vanity mirror with a distant gaze as the brush went up and down. My neck looked the same as always. The few runes that adorned my body seemed to radiate from within and I could feel their energy pulsing through my veins. They were what made me a Shadowhunter.

I had chosen warm gray sweatpants and a matching tank top out of the closet. It had to be Isabelle's old stuff that she had outgrown over the years. Because I'd opened the window for ventilation before taking a shower, a blanket of soft sheepskin hung around my shoulders, obscuring most of my body in the mirror. Only my head, my recovered neck, and part of my cleavage were visible in the dim light.

The knock on the door made me jump. My heart jumped so violently that it took me a second to recover. The brush, which had just been stroking my hair in one gentle motion, stopped abruptly. I had been so engrossed in my trance that I had completely shut out the world around me. Suddenly I turned to the door. I wasn't expecting anyone at this hour. Also, no one ever knocked at my room. The Lightwoods avoided me as much as they could.

"Come in," I said, a little taken aback and went through all the possible people who would pay me a visit. Adam? He was certainly already at home with his family. There was hardly any reason for him to be here. Unless he wanted to put our argument aside. But he had to know that this wasn't a good time for it. Isabelle? Our reconciliation talks had gone well, but I couldn't think of any reason why she should try to talk to me again.

Several seconds passed. Then the door slowly opened and blond hair appeared in the dark hallway. My body stiffened as a voice in my head screamed Jonathan. But why would Jonathan knock on my door before he planned to murder me? I didn't have time to answer the question when Jace stepped into the doorway. The strained look in his eyes suddenly reminded me a lot of Isabelle's from earlier. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly, as if he hadn't even heard my answer.

I nodded speechless. Jace walked into my room and closed the door shut with a squeak. I didn't dare get up from the dressing table. A fog settled around my brain and I was unable to think clearly. Just the pounding of my heart told me that this was indeed real. Wasn't it odd that I was expecting Jonathan to visit rather than Jace? As Jace turned and walked toward me with hesitant, deliberate steps, I realized this was going to be a sensation. The last time he'd entered my room voluntarily, he'd tried to wake me from Ithuriel's vision.

Jace walked past me to the open window by the table, sat on the windowsill, and then turned back to me. He avoided my gaze, I noticed that immediately. As in the training room, he was having trouble maintaining his emotionless mask and I wondered why. I lowered the brush in my hand as slowly as possible. I feared that any noise, no matter how small, would set him in an uproar.