The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 47 - Time for Murder Pt. 1

Chapter 47 – Time for Murder Pt. 1

I was healthy. My demon sting had healed. My fever was gone. My muscles felt like I could easily swing a sword with them. I was healthy. The fact that I was no longer in the Basilias, but in my bed at the Lightwoods' home, confirmed it. My gaze swept sideways and I spotted Jace. I had to purse my lips to keep from smiling. Somehow I had gotten used to his presence next to my bed.

Jace's chest heaved silently, and the way he sat in the armchair his neck would be stiff when he woke up. At least the armchair was an improvement on the puny chair that had been provided for him in the Basilias. I couldn't remember being brought back here from there. Since there was a high probability that one or the other Silent Brother had been involved, I was glad about it.

Another question bothered me. How long had I slept this time? I could feel the morphine in my veins draining away. No sense of indolence remained. I stretched out an arm. My muscles felt rigid, but that had to be from lying around motionless for days. I felt surprisingly fit. My mind, which had been struggling to ramp up to peak performance for the past few days, was back in full force as well. It was refreshing not to get a headache from thinking.

I looked around the room. My things looked untouched. The last time I was here, I had prepared for the trip to my parents' estate. At least one week must have passed since then. Enough time for Valentine and Jonathan to throw the world into chaos. Aside from the Clave meeting and what little information I had from Jace, I had no idea what the state of the world was.

My gaze drifted back to Jace only to meet a pair of golden eyes studying me curiously. Had he really slept at all? He hadn't moved an inch. Nobody said anything for several seconds. We stared into each other's eyes and seemed to wait; I at least didn't know what to say. I searched my mind for the last memory, only to conjure up Adam's angry face. Isabelle was there, as was Alec. In hindsight, the picture seemed strangely pale to me, as if an eternity had passed since then. The thought made my heart beat faster with fear.

"How are you?" Jace asked at that moment and I felt like I'd heard that question a thousand times before. Just looking at him reminded me that not too much time could have passed. He didn't look any different than I remembered.

I hesitated, looking down once more at the blanket that wrapped my body; on my hand that rested on the down. Then I slowly let the air into my lungs and the words formed on my vocal cords; they pressed surprisingly softly against my throat as the vibrations turned into sounds. After days of sleep I would have expected more resistance. "I'm fine," I said softly but firmly, and perhaps the strength of my voice was actually due to my restored health. Speaking was no longer a problem for me. "Better than fine," I continued, sitting up in bed at the same time. "I'm doing great."

"The Silent Brothers did a great job." Jace looked pleased. "They're starting to figure out how much morphine your body need to recover. They took really good care of you."

It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up to think that I was doing well thanks to the Silent Brothers. Of course I was grateful, but knowing that they had been close to me was still an overcoming. At least I hadn't noticed any of it. "How many days has it been since Isabelle and Alec visited?"

Jace narrowed his eyes when I didn't mention Adam's name, but finally nodded. "Brother Shadrach decided last night that you were well enough to be dismissed. You've only been here since this morning, but ..." He paused, leaning sideways in his armchair and trying to peer out of the window across from the bed from his position. "... since the sun is setting, it's almost three days."

Almost three days. With the five more days that I had spent in the Basilias since the Clave meeting, more than a week had passed. I was running out of time and all I did was hurt myself and recover. I was too weak to be of any use. How was I supposed to face Jonathan and my father when I couldn't even remember my last workout? The panic that had already seized me in the Basilias crept up my spine again.