After a long argument between Allison and Jace, it was decided that they would stay back in Luke's house with Magnus; he wanted to keep an eye on Luke and Maia overnight. Allison wanted to return to Magnus' residence with Jace since they were not supposed to leave in the first place. Jace, who always looked for a way to aggravate her, said he wanted to stay at Luke's. The reason, his exact words were 'She'd kill me even before I step foot into your apartment. That would cause you a lot of paperwork, Magnus.'
Allison had argued back saying, 'If I killed you, I have to do a lot of paperwork and face Imogen's wrath. I guess I can handle your stupidity for a little longer.'
Jace, of course, retorted back. 'Well if we both are the only ones staying there, it would be scandalous.' His voice sounded light but something seemed fractured in his eyes.
Allison, in turn, growled and was about to make him shish-kebab when Magnus had held her back. Apparently, she couldn't stay without having thoughts on murdering Jace for mere seconds, so Jace won. Alec had forced a smile, but it faded soon. She should talk to him, but he left a little later to return to the Institute.
Feeling drowsy after the fight, Allison sat in the arm of Magnus' armchair. Magnus himself looked on the verge of passing out but still kept his eyes wide open, reading a book. Luke had fallen into a deep sleep, after-effects of the healing magic. Clary tried to have some small conversation with her, trying to catch Jace's eye. But he studiously ignored her, busying himself with the piano.
Clary finally decided to go to bed, because no one was in a mood to talk - either too sleepy or angry to respond. But, "You can crash in my room if you want." Her emerald eyes were trained on Allison.
"I've grown a liking for sleeping in armchairs."
"I," Magnus said without looking away from his book. "Am considered a gentleman, yet that won't let me give up this armchair."
Allison gave him an offended look.
"I'm afraid we're out of armchairs," Clary said. "Still, you can crash in my room,"
"I'll manage," Allison said, giving her a grateful smile. "You rest while you can,"
After Clary had left, drowsiness caught up on Allison. Her eyes were threatening close, mainly due to the fact she hadn't slept last night as well. Shit, she cursed, perhaps I should've headed to Magnus'. She could be convincing when she wanted to. And could smother her murderous thoughts for a while.
She stood up, careful of her wounded arm. The pain had subsided, but her entire arm was sore. The iratze was stark against her skin. Under the pale light in the apartment, she tried to figure out a way to make it to the kitchen.
She fumbled in the kitchen with the coffee beans and made slow work of making the coffee. After the fresh pot was ready, she poured a cup and settled into the countertop. The cool surface of the counter stung her bare arms. The coffee cup was the only warmth she had.
Though, her head drooped towards the counter, tiredness creeping in at last.
~~~~~
The fresh morning breeze, along with the stench of East River, skimmed Jace's face. He was perched on the railing of Luke's porch, trying to let that night's events settle in him. It was on pure impulse when he contacted Raphael for the motorbike. Torturing the Raum demon Allison had left alive was a gamble. It wasn't very bright, but he managed to learn that Valentine was on a boat. The guard demon of Valentine's, Agramon, had rattled him the most. The Demon of Fear. It lived up to its name, especially when it appeared as Clary, bleeding out and dying.
He thought he could bear his feeling for Clary if he didn't look at them too closely. But his father had a way of analyzing and cracking all of Jace's secrets.
His father had looked the same, eerily ghost-like as if he'd come back from haunting the Wayland Manor. He shut his eyes, his leather jacket snug against the cool winds, and a a particluar conversation replayed through his mind. It didn't make sense, yet it was the only important thing he'd learnt.
"If I recall correctly," Valentine began, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. "You are in fact familiar with Milton's Paradise Lost?"
"You made me read it ten or fifteen times," said Jace, "It's better to reign in hell that serve in heaven, etcetera, and so on."
"Non serviam," said Valentine. "'I will not serve.' It is what Lucifer had inscribed upon his banner when he rode with his host of rebel angels against a corrupt authority."
"What's your point? That you're on devil's side?"
"Some say Milton was on the devil's side himself. His Satan is certainly a more interesting figure that his God." They reached the front of the ship, where Valentine stopped and leaned against the guardrail.
Jace joined him there, and looked out the open water between Staten Island and Manhattan. After a moment , Valentine asked, "Why are you here, Jonathan? I wondered after I saw you in thr Bone City if your hatred for me was implacable. I had nearly given up on you."
Jace looked out at the water. "The Queen of the Seelie Court wanted me to ask you a question," he said, "She told me to ask you what blood runs in my veins."
Like Jace expected, Valentine only feigned shock. "You spoke with the Queen?"
"Surely, you knew of it from your spies. You're eidolon demons were stupid, by the way. You could've sent some other interesting demon against your children. Clary wasn't thrilled."
Valentine, to his surprise, only smiled. "The Investigator must've been quite excited. Yet, I am surprised she didn't dagger you on spot. That grandmother of her's would've driven her to do that."
"Oh, she's a handful...you know about her?"
"Of course I know of Amatis' daughter," His tone was speculative. "To answer your previous question, the blood of the Angel runs in her veins. For you and your sister as well."
"And in every Shadowhunter's veins," said Jace, disappointed. He'd hoped for a better answer. "That is normal,"
"Are you three normal?"
Valentine noticed the shift his his features, before Jace could mask it. Fuck.
"So you are aware of Allison Graymark's gift," Valentine's mood brightened. "Has she improved from the last time you've seen her? Is it—"
"The last time?" Jace interrupted. "What do you mean?"
"You won't remember, Jonathan. You were barely four years of age."
Perhaps the sheer horror made him sputter. "What the hell do you mean?"
"Amatis' daughter is our hope for a better future. To derail this corrupted government that has ruined the Nephilim true legacy. Her power will purify us," A manic glint entered his eyes. "If she is anything like her mother, then she will master the Heavenly Fire."
"How do you know of that?" Jace pushed of the rail. "Besides, she's the daughter of the man who betrayed you."
"Stephen was merely a pawn, which I miscalculated. Amatis Graymark...she was the true force in her days in the Circle." His eyes turned distant, "Her deeds for the Circle were truly splendid. She was good at keeping her side of the street clean. That's why she was never tried by the Clave. Most of the Circle's reputation was shaped by her."
"I didn't know that."
"Lucian was foolish with his actions. His transformation into a degenerate forced me to disavow her. If I had known before..." He shook his head.
"When did I meet Allison first?" Jace said, as his stomach threatened to empty itself.
"Amatis, despite her extraordinary skills, was quite careless with her daughter. Distraught over losing the love of her life, it made her unfocused. Young Allison was a curious one. She'd wander around our Manor. It makes sense, she'd be lulled there. Like calls to like." His eyes slid to his. "You spotted her from your window one day. I assumed it'd be a harmless threat. Yet, I was initially surprised to spot the Graymark. Rumors were that she was a frail child. That's why Amatis didn't bring her out. The moment I saw her, I knew Heavenly Fire coursed through her. I simply invited the child in. You were happy to meet another child your age. I did try to find a way to bring out her Fire, but she was an adamant child. Stephen's daughter through and through."
"You abducted a little girl? You really are an insane—"
"She was a covert guest." He corrected him. "Amatis would've raised hell if I she knew I talked to her daughter. Unfortunately, Imogen found out about the girl. Took her under her wing, and watched over her like a hawk. That woman must know something was up. I haven't seen her since then. My question is, will she manage all that power? Power is something that drives a person to the brink of insanity. Is she strong enough?"
"Why the hell are you asking me?"
"You seem to care about her, just as much as the Lightwoods. You must know her quite well."
"I care more about how you're trying to weaponize her," His anger flared.
"Her grandmother already weaponized her, Jonathan. Completing the Investigator's training is something I wouldn't dare to achieve."
"You began that when you experimented on us. Clary and I, it makes sense a madman would experiment on his children. Why Allison?"
"If anything, Clary was the default. You and Allison were the gamble. Two sides of the same coin." His voice turned wistful. "The legacy would fall on either side. It fell towards Tails, much to my shock."
The door slammed open behind him.
Allison stared outside, wild-eyed, until it landed on him. And she let out a long sigh of relief, clutching her heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack." She said to him and then looked up at the sky. "You must not hate me after all,"
Jace could only look away, his chest felt hollow.
After a long moment of consideration, Allison slid beside him on the railing and looked forward. "Went out for a walk?"
"I wanted to clear my head," He said the partial truth. He also wanted someone to talk to. Perhaps that's why he sought out Valentine.
She only hummed in response. Her arm had healed, the area bruised blue. She didn't show any discomfort though. Her hair shuffled around her face, and under the rising sun, a red undertone peeked through. Funny, considering it was a deep shade of brown. The morning sunlight lit up her eyes like gemstones. She wasn't the ideal angel anyone would've imagined. All golden wings, golden hair, and golden eyes. Two sides of the same coin.
He could've had that Fire.
"Lost you're beauty sleep, Investigator?" Jace asked at last when he saw her stifling a yawn. He'd seen her passed out on the kitchen counter. Must've been really uncomfortable.
"I'll catch up later," Her tired eyes were distant, but he knew there was something she was debating on whether to let him know.
"Spill it,"
"No."
"Then throw it."
"At your face? Tempting,"
"How's your newfound magic going on?"
Now, she frowned. "Not that great."
"You should try it out,"
"Here?"
"If you don't burn down your uncle's house, that is."
She straightened, and Jace knew he'd incensed her up. "Let's discover that," She opened her palm before, her eyes trained on the invisible flames that should rise. Her face scrunched up, her lips drawn to a flat line. Jace remained silent beside her, letting her concentrate. After a mere minute, she growled. "Fuck it,"
"Try again,"
"Later."
He narrowed his eyes. "You won't have—"
"Why are you so concerned?" asked Allison, a look of doubt crossed her face. And distrust.
Jace said coolly, "Does it matter, Investigator?"
"It does." Allison braced herself, "We had a deal. You would help me against Valentine. And I'd help you against the Clave. You seem to forget about that."
He sighed, "I—"
"I also get that you're going through some shit. I understand." she huffed. "But there are people around you who are going through shit as well. Have you ever considered for a second what Maryse must feel like? The son she raised is not who she thought he was. She knows, Jace, you're true nature. But you are the son of the man she had resented. She's trying. From what I've seen, you haven't. And don't get me started about Clary,"
With a groan, he put his head between his hands. "I really don't want to talk about Clary,"
"You don't want to talk about your little sister?"
"How about we talk about my parabatai, first?"
Allison laughed. "My world doesn't revolve around a simple...fascination."
Jace rubbed his eyes, trying not to taste bile in his mouth. "You know that he's—Alec doesn't—"
"I know he prefers men, Jace,"
Now that made him freeze, and look at her. Shock coursed through him. But a smile ghosted her face. "I'm not that blind. Speaking of him," she pointed towards the road. Alec strode up, his head bowed down to his phone. He was oblivious.
"So you do admit you eavesdropped?" Jace leaned forward to catch her eyes, but she pushed away his face. He knew she was there last night, listening to all of them talking. What Alec almost admitted.
"Piss off," She kicked him. "It's not my fault I find your parabatai attractive. It's definitely the height." When Jace gagged, she rolled her eyes. Yet, slowly, "I do appreciate you standing up for me,"
Now Jace smiled. "What was that again?"
"You heard it," she snapped.
"Why do you like him, though?" Jace asked, keeping an eye on him. "A lot of women do like his appearance...but I don't think that's your reason."
Her eyes darted towards Alec's nearing figure. Yet, he was far enough for their conversation to be inaudible. With a resigned sigh, "I don't know. It's just...most boys try to hit on me because of my family's status. That's prevalent in Alicante."
It took Jace a few seconds to realize the underlying meaning.
"Casual dating is outlandish. There are some couples like that but...it's more about tying the stronger bloodlines."
"By the Angel," For once, Jace was stunned.
"Or most try to get into my pants for a night and boast about it," She didn't look at his eyes. "I don't repeat the same mistake twice,"
Anger flared inside him. He did want to know who that asshole was. Not because he was envious. God, no. Jace supposed she was beautiful, in a way everyone was attracted to her. Jace, to his own surprise, wasn't.
"Alec is a fresh page," she continued, looking at him where he had paused, talking on the phone. "I've seen boys outside Alicante, obviously. But, Alec is decent. Calm. Actually considered me an Investigator, and respected that. You can't blame me."
Jace looked at her for a while. To fill in the awkward space she had left open to him, "Look, I suppose you could do worse than Alec. Like me, for instance. But...there are other rare guys who might like you for your own worth, not your family, I suppose." He paused. "If someone had told me earlier I would be giving Allison Graymark love advice, I would've laughed at their face."
Allison cringed. "Okay, let's forget that conversation did not happen. I don't want advice from someone who's in love—"
"I dare you to finish that sentence," he threatened her.
"I confused you both to ten-year-olds fighting for their food," Alec said, frowning and he finally reached.
"Especially with the blond, whiny one," said Allison, laughing. Jace flipped her off. She returned it.
"Took you long enough to walk over here," Jace said to Alec, gesturing his phone.
Alec just shook his head. "Izzy's driving me crazy. Apparently, mom wants to talk to you,"
"Let her know Jace is currently unavailable," said Jace.
"Busy licking his wounds," Allison added, giving him a grin."And to cure a morbid sense of blond frailty,"
Jace tugged his hair with consciousness. "My blond hair radiates the beauty of the sun,"
"So a big, round ball of gas? Get too close and you die of burns and farts."
"No one gets close to me, Allison darling, and leaves with their wits intact. I mean, who could withstand all my beauty?"
"Oh, who could withstand all that brain filled with pig sludge? The horrors!"
"Not as bad as an ego fragile as a snowflake, Investigator."
"At least my gut is not made of paper, unlike you."
"Why don't you slip into something more comfortable, like a coma?"
"I think I should buy you some fertilizer to grow the hell up."
"Then I'd better go and buy you a personality."
"Is that what you did?"
Jace mouthed infuriatingly. "Is that what you did?"
Allison's patience snapped visibly and she was about to start a full-out brawl when Alec stepped in the middle. "It's not even seven in the morning," He said in a worn-out voice. "And why the hell are you trying to kill each other?"
"We hate each other's guts," Jace stated the truth,
"And we hate each other's ego too," Allison added.
"Why am I surprised?" Alec rolled his eyes. He straightened suddenly, noticing Jace's muddy boots and jacket."I thought you were inside, Jace?"
"I went for a walk," Jace said.
"And you allowed him?" Alec asked in surprise.
Allison shrugged. "I didn't even know he was out for a while but I am not in a mood to care. But I'm sure Magnus would love to have a few words with you." She turned around and got down from the railing. The wooden floorboards groaned at the weight of her boots and she stretched her arms and back.
"Getting yelled at by a warlock early morning is definitely a new experience," Jace said as he walked up the stairs.
~~~~~
The living room was already filled with the occupants, smelling strongly of grapefruit. Clary was seated on the arm of the sofa. Magnus, in a blue satin tracksuit with silver stripes down the side, was seated at a chair with a towel wrapped in his head. Luke was sitting on the sofa, looking much better than last night. He caught Allison's eye but she looked away. She wasn't in a mood to talk to him.
However, there was another new face present.
It was Maia, the girl she first met in Hunter's Moon. She was probably in her clothes worn last night, stained with blood, with a big flannel shirt thrown over her T-shirt. But...her eyes were filled with tears.
Maia rubbed at her eyes. "Crap," she muttered. "I hate crying in front of Shadowhunters."
"So go cry in another room," Jace said, his voice devoid of warmth. "We certainly don't need you sniveling in here while we're talking, do we?"
"Jace," Luke began warningly, but Maia had already gotten to her feet and stalked out of the room through the kitchen door. Allison only stared at Jace, who was in a sort of good mood earlier.
Clary turned on Jace. "Talking? We weren't talking."
"But we will be," Jace said, flopping down onto the piano bench and stretching out his long legs. "Magnus wants to shout at me, don't you, Magnus?"
"Please do shout at him." Allison also flopped beside him.
Magnus had removed the towel and without the gel and glitter, his hair was dark and straight, halfway to his shoulders. Instead of turning to Jace, he looked at her. "I should be shouting at you. Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on him?"
Allison propped her elbow on the piano behind her. "He was miserable yesterday. A walk ought to clear his head up." Clary's wince was unmistakable.
"What if he escaped?"
"A kicked puppy will always return to its kennel."
Jace did not enjoy the metaphor.
"I thought he didn't have a choice," Clary said, scowling. "I thought he had to stay where you are. You know, because of magic."
"Normally, yes," Magnus said crossly, "but last night, after everything I did, my magic was depleted."
"Depleted?"
"Yes." Magnus looked angrier than ever. "Even the High Warlock of Brooklyn doesn't have inexhaustible resources. I'm only human. Well," he amended, "half-human, anyway."
"But you must have known your resources were depleted," Luke said, not unkindly, "didn't you?"
"That's why there was an Investigator here." He looked at her accusingly. "Did he really go for a walk?"
"I hope so." She really did.
Magnus looked livid at last, his voice turning sour. "Where were you all night, Jace? With Alec?"
Jace picked up an untouched mug of coffee and took a sip. He made a face. "Sugar."
"Answer me." Magnus' voice was on the edge which did make Allison straighten. She had to remind herself that he was a powerful warlock, centuries older than everyone present in the room.
"I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk," Jace said unfazed. "When I got back, I bumped into her, then Alec followed."
"Really?" Magnus drawled.
"I bumped into them mooning on the porch." Alec pointed out.
Allison rolled her eyes and pointed to the box in his hands. "Are you really going devour the whole box?"
Alec blinked. "Oh, it's doughnuts." He announced and opened the box to set it down on the coffee table. "Does anyone want one?"
Everyone, as it turned out, wanted a doughnut. Jace took two, passing one to Allison. In a voice only audible to him, she whispered, "If I don't deserve Alec, I at least deserve a dollar doughnut."
Jace choked on his doughnut.
After downing the Boston cream, Luke seemed moderately revitalized; he kicked the blanket the rest of the way off and sat up against the back of the couch. "There's one thing I don't get," he said.
"Just one thing? You're way ahead of the rest of us," said Jace.
He turned to Allison. "You said there were two Raum demons. You killed one but the other was lying half dead. What happened to that?"
"Jace went to take care of it later. Though I'm not sure what exactly he did outside."
"I killed it," His voice seemed tighter. "Because someone decided to take on two demons on their own."
"It would've been better if you alerted someone," said Luke.
"I'm trained to take out two Raum demons single-handedly," Allison said crossly.
"To death or to date?" asked Jace.
"I need to say something," Clary interrupted, as she noticed Allison preparing to take out Jace to death. "Better, I need to show everyone something."
"What is it?" Jace sat up, his gold eyes narrowing on her.
Clary blinked for a moment. "It's..." She raised her hand, turning it so that they could see the Mark on her inner arm.
There was a sudden quiet. Jace looked at her steadily, then away; Alec blinked, and Luke looked astounded. "I've never seen that Mark before," he said finally. "Has anyone else?"
"No," Magnus said. "But I don't like it."
"I'm not sure what it is, or what it means," Clary said, lowering her arm. "But it doesn't come from the Gray Book."
"All runes come from the Gray Book." Jace's voice was firm.
"Not this one," Clary said. "I saw it in a dream."
"In a dream?" Jace looked as furious as if she were personally insulting him. "What are you playing at, Clary?"
"I'm not playing at anything," Clary said in frustration.
An idea began to form in Allison's mind. She leaned forward, catching Clary's gaze, and rested her elbows on her knees. "In the Seelie Court, didn't the Queen talk rubbish about us being some kind of experiments?" She looked at Jace sideways. "She did say Clary had the gift of words that cannot be spoken, and both of ours was the Angel's own gift."
Something shifted in his eyes, but he shook his head. "That was faerie nonsense."
"Faeries don't lie, Jace. Words that cannot be spoken - she meant runes. Each has a different meaning, but they're meant to be drawn, not said aloud." Clary went on, ignoring his doubtful look. "Remember when you asked me how I'd gotten into your cell in the Silent City? I told you I just used a regular Opening rune-"
"Was that all you did?" Alec looked surprised. "I got there just after you did and it looked like someone had ripped that door off its hinges."
"And my rune didn't just unlock the door," Clary said. "It unlocked everything inside the cell, too. It broke Jace's manacles open." She took a breath. "I think the Queen meant I can draw runes that are more powerful than ordinary runes. And maybe even create new ones."
Jace sighed. "No one can create new runes - "
"It does make sense," Allison interrupted, shooting him a look. "But what about you? Do you have a skill? Something different than Clary's?"
"I don't know. Do you have an answer?" he challenged her.
Great.
Allison kept silent. She could say that she can burst into flames; the fire being the one from Heaven itself. Maybe she should consider her words carefully. She turned to Luke slowly. "While I was fighting the Raum demons...did you see a bright light? Or something like that?"
Luke also seemed to choose his words carefully. "I felt some kind of...presence there. Something primal and all my instincts--werewolf instincts--seem to repulse from it. Yes, I did see a flash of light but..." He trailed away, his eyes unfazed.
"Primal?" Alec asked. "What do you mean?"
Allison looked at Jace, who just shrugged. Go on.
Allison sighed deeply and turned to Alec and Clary. "You would have noticed that I never carry any seraph blades with me. It's because every time I touch it - without even saying a name to invoke it - I summon Heavenly Fire."
There was a sudden silence.
"Heavenly Fire?" Magnus asked after a long time.
"What is that?" Clary asked.
"Heaven's fire that angels wield," It was Luke. "The fire that burns in angels as blood."
"Can you summon it now?" Magnus asked.
Allison shook her head. "I can't control it. It's unstable. I'll probably burn down this house."
Everyone seemed to have different questions which she wasn't in a mood to answer. So, "Look, we need to find out who experimented on us. We know what gifts we have, save Clary. Why don't we try to find out if she could create a new rune? Why don't you get your book, Clary?"
"Okay," she said. "I'll be right back."
No one bothered to talk, so Allison leaned back and crossed her arms. Jace, sitting beside her looked ghastly, his shoulders slumped forward. Alec was now leaning against the piano behind them. He tried to catch her eyes, but Allison stared right ahead. Now wasn't the time. Besides, she knew she couldn't look away.
"All right, I got it," Clary said, coming back into the living room with her sketchpad in one hand and a box of Prismacolor pencils in the other. She pulled a chair out from the dining room and sat down, sketchpad in front of her. "What do you want me to do?"
Luke was sitting up straight but looked as if it were something of an effort. "You said you could draw new runes, Clary?"
"I said I thought so."
"Well, I'd like you to try."
"Now?"
Luke smiled faintly. "Unless you've got something else in mind?"
Clary flipped the sketchpad to a blank page and stared down at it. After a minute, she threw her pencil down. "I can't just do it on command like that. Not without an idea."
"What kind of idea?" said Luke.
"I mean, I don't even know what runes already exist. I need to know a meaning, a word before I can draw a rune for it."
"It's hard enough for us to remember every rune - " Alec began, but Jace, to Allison's surprise, cut him off.
"How about," he said quietly, "Fearless?"
"Fearless?" Clary echoed.
"There are runes for bravery," said Jace. "But never anything to take away fear. But if you, as you say, can create new runes..." He glanced around and saw Alec's and Luke's surprised expressions. "Look, I just remembered that there isn't one, that's all. And it seems harmless enough."
Clary looked over at Luke, who shrugged. "Fine," he said. She took a dark gray pencil from the box and set the tip of it to the paper. Then started to draw and muttered "Fearless. Fearless." After completing it, she tore the page free and held it up so the others could see it.
Allison leaned forward. The completed Fearless rune was a matrix of strongly swirling lines: a rune as bold and aerodynamic as an eagle. "There," Clary said and was rewarded by the startled look on Luke's face - so he hadn't believed her - and the fractional widening of Jace's eyes.
Jace got to his feet and crossed the room, taking the sheet of paper out of her hand. "But does it work?"
"What do you mean?" Clary asked.
"I mean, how do we know it works? Right now it's just a drawing - you can't take fear away from a piece of paper, it doesn't have any, to begin with. We have to try it out on one of us before we can be sure it's a real rune."
"I'm not sure that's such a great idea," Luke said.
"It's a fabulous idea." Jace dropped the paper back onto the table and began to slide off his jacket. "I've got a stele we can use. Who wants to do me?"
"A regrettable choice of words," muttered Magnus.
Luke stood up. "No," he said. "Jace, you already behave as if you've never heard the word 'fear.' I fail to see how we're going to be able to tell the difference if it does work on you."
Alec stifled what sounded like a laugh. Jace simply smiled a tight, unfriendly smile. "I've heard the word 'fear,'" he said. "I simply choose to believe it doesn't apply to me."
"Exactly the problem," said Luke.
"I'll gladly test it," She stood up, walked towards Clary, and extended her arm. "Mark my arm."
Clary seemed to hesitate. "Jace is better at applying runes than I am."
Allison shrugged and turned towards Jace.
Jace's hand curled on her arm to steady it. With his left hand, he started his work. There was already a permanent Mark on her upper arm, an elegant scroll of lines meant to give her perfect balance. They all leaned forward, even Magnus, as Jace carefully traced the outlines of the Fearless rune on Allison's arm, just below the existing Mark. She concealed a wince as the burning sensation increased. When Jace was done, he slid his stele back into his pocket and stood a moment admiring his handiwork. "Well, it looks nice at least," he announced. "Whether it works or not..."
Allison touched the new Mark with her fingertips, then glanced up to find everyone else in the room staring at her.
"So?" Clary said.
"I don't particularly feel anything other than usual hubris." She shrugged. "Not that I believe that fear is a word not applicable to me."
Jace threw his hands up. "So it doesn't work."
"Not necessarily," Luke said. "There might simply be nothing going on that might activate it. Perhaps there isn't anything here that Allison is afraid of."
Magnus glanced at Allison and raised his eyebrows. "Boo," he said.
Jace was grinning. "Come on, surely you've got a phobia or two. What scares you?"
Allison thought for a moment. What was she afraid of? Being a disappointment? A failure? Those where abstract fears. Not physical ones.
"Do you have aquaphobia?" Jace looked intrigued, "If yes, this may be the happiest day of my life. Come on, Investigator, I'll chuck you into the East River."
Allison was thankfully spared from replying by the buzz of the doorbell.
Clary looked over at Luke, raising her eyebrows. "Simon?"
"Couldn't be. It's daylight."
"Oh, right. Do you want me to get it?"
"No." He stood up with only a short grunt of pain. "I'm fine. It's probably someone wondering why the bookstore's shut."
He crossed the room and threw the door open. His shoulders went stiff with surprise; Allison heard the bark of a familiar, stridently angry female voice, and a moment later Isabelle and Maryse Lightwood pushed past Luke and strode into the room, followed by the Inquisitor.
"By the Angel," Allison muttered.
Behind them was - surprisingly - Robert Lightwood. He was a tall and burly man, dark-haired and olive-skinned, with a thick black beard. Magnus's head went up with a snap. Jace, beside her, paled markedly but showed no other emotion. And Alec - Alec stared from his sister to his mother and his father.
On seeing her eldest son in the middle of Luke's living room, Maryse did a double take. "Alec, what on earth are you doing here?"
Alec remained silent.
"Inquisitor?" Allison looked at her. "Is something wrong?"
Imogen's cold gaze assessed Allison from top to bottom, checking if she was unharmed. After being satisfied, her knifelike voice cut through the room, looking at Magnus. "Downworlder, you know perfectly well that Jonathan Morgenstern should not be in your house. He should have been locked up in your house."
"I have a name, you know," Magnus said. "Not," he added, seeming to think twice about interrupting the Inquisitor, "that that matters, really. In fact, forget all about it."
"I know your name, Magnus Bane," said the Inquisitor. "You've failed in your duty once; you won't get another chance."
"Failed in my duty?" Magnus frowned. "Just by bringing the boy here? There was nothing in the contract I signed that said I couldn't bring him with me at my own discretion. Your Investigator is also here."
"That wasn't your failure," the Inquisitor said. "Letting him see his father last night, that was your failure."
Stunned silence washed over her.
"That's ridiculous," Luke said angrily. "Jace doesn't even know where Valentine is. Stop hounding him."
"Hounding is what I do, Downworlder," said the Inquisitor. "It's my job." She turned to Jace. "Tell the truth, now, boy," she said, "and it will all be much easier."
Jace raised his chin. "I don't have to tell you anything."
"If you're innocent, why not exonerate yourself? Tell us where you really were last night. Tell us about Valentine's little pleasure boat."
"What?" Allison asked in confusion. "Jace would not—" She broke off. I went for a walk, he'd said. But that didn't mean anything. Maybe he really had gone for a walk. Allison felt sick.
When Jace didn't speak, Robert Lightwood said, in his deep bass voice: "Imogen? You're saying Valentine is—was—"
"On a boat in the middle of the East River," said the Inquisitor. "That's correct."
Allison stared at Jace, who avoided looking at her. But when Imogen glanced at her, was there something related to pity in the gaze? But it disappeared. And Allison didn't dwell on it. Because a voice, ancient and cruel echoed in her head.
The Morgenstern will betray you.
Word Count -5956
A/N -
Terribly sorry for such a late update. College has been hectic. But I'm back now for good! This chapter has also been quite hectic, but the serious stuff has just begun. Will be back soon with another update!!
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