ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴʟʏ ꜰɪʀᴇ ~ ᴛᴍɪ

Chapter 18 - Fearless

The Inquisitor turned her icicle gaze on Robert. "I was the one who sent Allison with Jonathan to see if he was in league with his father. Yes, she has failed to make sure the boy does not run off to his father. But he came back because she won his trust, so now I can drill the answers out of his mind." She seemed livid now and prowled closer to Robert. "I will not let Jonathan corrupt my granddaughter's mind as Valentine did to my son. I will not lose her as I lost—" She caught herself with a sort of gasp as if gaining control of herself by main force.

Allison, who was a sickly shade of gray, sucked in a breath. She took a step back as if the intensity of the words of the Inquisitor hit her like a tidal wave. 

"So this is about Stephen and Allison after all," said Luke—so he'd guessed this before—with a sort of pity in his voice. "Imogen—"

The Inquisitor took in a deep breath to steady her emotions. "First and foremost, this is about the Law."

The look of disappointment on Maryse's face and disbelief in Clary's was because of him. He knew how much she wanted to prove her grandmother, to win her appraisal. And now...he had lied to her when she trusted him and Allison had to face the consequence. However, the next words from Imogen were definitely not expected.

"And Jace," Maryse said, her thin fingers twisted as her hands worked at each other. "What's going to happen to him?"

"He will return to Idris with me tomorrow," said the Inquisitor. "You've forfeited your right to know any more than that."

"How can you take him back to that place?" Clary, her emerald eyes which always had him entranced shone with anger, demanded. "When will he come back?"

"Clary, don't," Jace said in a plea. He had already disappointed everyone he loved and he knew deep in his heart that he didn't deserve to be fought for.

Of course, Clary battled on. "Jace isn't the problem here! Valentine is the problem!"

Something in Jace snapped. "Leave it alone, Clary! For your own good, leave it alone!"

Clary flinched away from him. 

And something else destroyed in him.

Before she could say anything else, Allison spoke, her voice. "If Jace went to his father, knowing the kind of father Valentine was," Her eyes traveled from Clary, Alec, Isabelle, Maryse, Robert, and even Luke. "It was because of you all, the ones who are considered his family, failed him. Not because he failed you."

Jace let the truth of the words sink in. His family—the ones who turned their back on him—looked horrified as the truth laid back.

Give it to Allison, to deliver a death blow. 

But...she seemed to be holding back something. Something seemed controlled in her. 

"Save your sophistry, Allison," said the Inquisitor, yet her gaze seemed to have softened upon turning to her granddaughter. If she loved her son so much that she is willing on revenge, she must love Allison, her son's daughter twice more. And he knew the words she said before, about Jace corrupting Allison's mind. She was a good person, however infuriating she was. And he didn't want another one to be hurt by him. 

"She's right." Alec was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his arms crossed and his jaw set. "Jace lied to us. There's no excuse for that."

Jace's jaw dropped.

Even Isabelle was staring at her brother in horror. "Alec, how can you say that?"

"The Law is the Law, Izzy," said Alec, not looking at his sister. "There's no way around that."