The Innocents' Hospital

Chapter 7: Of Hatred and Unsaid Words

Oh sovra tutte mal creata plebe

che stai nel loco onde parlare è duro,

mei foste state qui pecore o zebe!

[...]

tutta la Caina

potrai cercare, e non troverai ombra

degna più d'esser fitta in gelatina;

Beyond all others wretched! who abide

In such a mansion, as scarce thought finds words

To speak of, better had ye here on earth

Been flocks or mountain goats.

throughout

[...]

Caina thou mayst search, nor find a shade

More worthy in congealment to be fix'd.

Dante, Inferno, Canto XXXII vv. 13-16 and vv.58-60

As Beatrice saw Tosca lying dead on the floor, her heart sank inside her chest. The magpie had been a gift from Alwyne, they had trained her together, with just a touch of magic. A tremendous realization crept inside her head. She should have felt panicked, but instead a sense of protectiveness overcame her, she turned toward the others and shouted,

"Lucilla, Wolf, please evacuate our guests from their rooms and lead them to the basement. I don't know how, but I am sure Giovanni Cacc..."

BOOM!

The entrance door had come off from its hinges and had slammed onto the floor. Beatrice saw her father step inside the foyer of her Hospital. Although she had not seen him in almost 14 years, she could have never forgotten his glare. Fear had now taken control of her, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw Claudia being dragged inside by two men in their twenties; she had a bruise under her left eye, her lips were bloody, and her hands tied.

Everything else went out of focus, she suddenly felt feverish, and almost unconsciously she heard herself screaming, "NOOOOO!"

"Please let Claudia go," said Beatrice with a shaky voice. Alwyne had moved close to her. Beatrice glanced from Claudia to the two men who were holding her, another wave of shock hit her then. "Jacopo..." she mumbled.

The man flanking Claudia on her left stiffened and glanced at her for a brief second just to resume his previous position. Ignoring her plea, Giovanni Cacciaguidi addressed the four American Shadowhunters. "Why am I not surprised to see you here? I should have known that you could not be trusted. You found this, this traitor," he said while pointing to Beatrice, repugnance in his voice, "and you've decided to ally yourself with her and not tell us anything?"

"Are you delusional? You are a murderer, how-" blurted out Jace.

"Where is Angelica? What did you do to her?" snarled Giovanni, cutting the other Nephilim off. He appeared to be oblivious to what Jace had just said.

At that question, Beatrice felt as if she had been struck right across the face. She turned toward Lucilla who looked just as bewildered as she was.

"Mom died six years ago." Beatrice's voice faltered.

Giovanni's demeanor was feral, his words came out closer to a growl when he said,

"Lies, you did something to her, you are hiding her somewhere. You should be the one who is dead."