The Rise Of The Morningstar (Eng. Version)

Chapter 24 - The Rune's Impact

Chapter 24 – The Rune's Impact

A few minutes later, the wooden door to the office opened and the Inquisitor stepped out into the hallway. Her expression was unreadable as she studied me for a split second. Her eyes wandered to Jace and a tiny bit of her tension seemed to release from her. Then she invited us in.

Jace let me go first and followed me with feathery steps. It wasn't a polite gesture, the fierce look in his eyes let me know. He just wanted me in his sight in case I tried something stupid. He should have known better though. Escape was not an option, I was in the heart of Alicante. I might have caught Jace off guard for a few seconds, but not with the Inquisitor still in the room. What good would it do me? After all, I was here to clean up the lies.

Imogen invited me to sit in the chair in front of her gigantic table. I did as she said, not realizing that she wasn't telling Jace to do anything of the sort. A tiny detail and yet I didn't like this disparity. Jace positioned himself to my left, a meter away. He looked like a bodyguard who was supposed to watch over me. I felt like a prisoner.

But I didn't give him a look as I sat down in front of the Inquisitor with a loud thud and gave her the same emotionless stare she'd given me before. She drew her eyebrows together. "Just as rebellious as her father," she then remarked with disapproval in her voice.

"I'm not like my father," I hissed back, more angrily than I intended. "My whole life was withheld from me, so I'd rather not let my worldview be dictated to me by others any longer. I follow my own principles."

"Your defiance makes you short-sighted," Imogen replied promptly, staring at me almost bored. "The rule of law sets the principles and the residents have to abide by them. What is right and what is wrong was decided a long time ago."

I didn't answer her. I didn't want to get caught up in a never-ending discussion. She wouldn't change her mind, any more than I would. We both would have to accept this. But the Inquisitor took my failure to answer as a sign of her own triumph. She began by summarizing yesterday's interrogation in her own words.

Imogen was not kind to me, but that was nothing new. It didn't seem like she was obsessed with any deeper negative feelings towards me. I gave Jace an almost questioning look while his grandmother finished her report. He hadn't told her anything about last night. Yesterday he had stood so confident in front of me, so convinced of my supposed betrayal. How come? I tried to reach him with my gaze, but he ignored me. He stared at the desk and his eyes didn't move a bit, as if frozen solid.

"Well then." Imogen's voice made me flinch. I turned my head in her direction. Her blue eyes sparkled warily. "Do you think you're ready to tell the truth yourself or do you need the rune for truth again?"

A cold shudder ran through my body. For a moment I felt the burning on my skin again. I felt her cold looks on me and I wanted to burst into tears. I couldn't help where I came from. And that was the only thing that seemed to matter to the Shadowhunters. My blood. They defined everyone by their blood, not just themselves, but the Downworlders too.

I couldn't believe the Inquisitor had always been such a hostile person. I wondered if circumstances had molded her into this person, if she radiated such bitterness because of all that had happened to her family. I stayed silent.

"I need to know more about those ... angelic powers," the Inquisitor continued after a moment of silence. She didn't need to define it, I knew what she meant and Jace did too. "It can't be that we don't know about such things. This ignorance ... it is dangerous."

And to my own surprise, I nodded. She was right. What had happened to my rune during the interrogation yesterday hadn't been controlled by my consciousness. Whatever this was, I couldn't control it. And then there were those dreams only Jace knew about. So far, they had only been glimpses of the angelic blood's abilities, but no one knew what it could actually do. Nobody knew the actual dimensions. I looked at Jace. The disbelief from the library was written all over his face. It would probably take the archangel personally to convince him of the truth.