Valentine's rage grew as Clary went on, he apparently couldn't stand reliving the monstrosities he had committed. "That's enough!" He roared raising his black sword at Clary once again. "Jonathan! Drag your sister out of my way, or by the Angel. I'll knock her down to kill the monster she's protecting!"
For a split second he hesitated at the thought of what his father was ordering him to do. Then he snapped out of it. "Certainly, Father." He said crossing the room to pull Clary away roughly by the arm.
"Jace," Clary whispered appalled.
"Don't," He said, digging his fingers painfully hard into her arm. "Don't talk to him."
She stumbled around like a rag doll against his grip looking over to where Valentine stood over Luke's crumpled body. He shoved Luke with his boot, who let out a groan in reply.
"Leave him alone!" Clary shouted, desperately trying to break free of Jace's grip.
While he tried to reason with Clary he sent me a pointed look. Right now i was frozen in shock, but that would soon wear off. He knew all too well that he could not possibly restrain me and Clary at the same time. If i was him i would of restrained me i was far more of a threat, but no one ever said he was the smartest shadowhunter.
Valentine chuckled from the other side of the room, the sound breaking me from my daydream. "If only i had thought," Valentine continued to taunt. "to bring with me a blade of real silver, i could have dispatched of you in the true manner of your kind, Lucian."
"Well it seems like this time your out of luck." I called out before launching myself at Valentine for the second time tonight.
This time the battle was evenly matched, his surprise left him unguarded as i attacked. Metal met flesh sending blood flying into the air. Despite the pain Valentine spun round to meet my second blow effortlessly. Then it began as we danced across the floor swords flashing, smell of blood heavy in the air.
Clary winced as she watched on. "Why are you letting this happen? Why are you lying to yourself?"
"I'm not lying!" Jace gasped back refusing to look at the fight happening before him. "I just want what's good in my life—my father—my family—I can't lose it all again."
"Your already have a family," Clary said. "She is your family like Luke is mine." She pleaded with him desperate. "She has cared for you far more than he ever has, are you really willingly to sit back and watch her die."
Then i screamed as Valentine landed a blow across my stomach, blood pouring out staining my shirt in seconds. I tried to go on but the blood loss made my swings sloppy and before long he had landed several more blows. Then with a swipe of his foot he knocked me to my knees raising his sword high preparing for the killing blow.
"Jace" Clary tried to plead.
"Get down," He growled shoving her to the floor before he moved so fast across the room it didn't even seem possible. As Valentine blade fell it found home in the floor, as Jace had pushed me out of the way.
"I think you should leave," Jace said standing over the quivering hilt of the sword.
Valentine stared at his son incredulously. "What did you say?"
Jace reached down to caresses the hilt of the sword that had been driven into the floor. "I think you heard me, Father."
"Jonathan Morgenstern—"
Jace grabbed the hilt of sword pulling it free from the floorboards in a flash, holding it up to hover a few inches below his Father's chin. "That is not my name," He said. "My name is Jace Wayland"
Valentine's eyes focused in on Jace. "Wayland?" He roared. "You have no Wayland blood! Michael Wayland was a stranger to you—"
"So," Jace said calmly. "are you." He jerked his sword to the left. "Now move."
Valentine shook his head. "Never. I will not take his orders from a child."
The tip of the sword kissed Valentine's throat. "I am a very well-trained child," Jace said. "You instructed me yourself in the precise art of killing. I only need to move two fingers to cut your throat, did you know that?" He eyes were steely. "I suppose you did."
"You're skilled enough," Valentine said. "But you could not kill me. You have always been softhearted."
"Perhaps he couldn't." It was Luke who had somehow gotten to his feet during the commotion. "But i could. And i'm not entirely sure he could stop me."
Valentine's eyes flickered to Luke and then back to his son. Jace stood as still as a statue, sword unmovig in his hand. "You hear the monster threatening me, Jonathan." Valentine said. "You side with it?"
"It has a point," Jace said midly. "I'm not entirely sure i could stop him if he wanted to do you damage. Werewolves heal so fast."
Valentine's lip curled. "So," He spat. "Like your mother, you prefer this creature, this half-blood demon thing to you own blood, your own family?"
At his words Jace hand began to tremble. "You left me when i was a child." Jace said. "You let me think you were dead and you sent me to live with strangers. You never told me i had a mother, a sister. You left me alone."
"I did it for you—to keep you safe," Valentine protested.
"If you cared about Jace, if you cared about blood, you wouldn't have killed his grandparents. You murdered innocent people," Clary cut in.
"Innocent?" Valentine snapped."No one is innocent in a war! They sided with Jocelyn against me! They would of let her take my son from me!"
Luke let out a hissing breath. "You knew she was going to leave you," He said. "You knew she going to run, even before the uprising?"
"Of course i knew!" Valentine roared in reply. His control cracked like ice the rage beneath seething. "I did what i had to protect my own, and in the end i gave them more than they even deserved: the funeral pyre awarded only to the greatest warriors of the Clave!"
"You burned them," Clary said flatly.
"Yes!" Valentine shouted. "I burned them."
Jace made a strangled noise. "My grandparents—"
"You never knew them," Valentine said. "Don't pretend to a grief you do not feel."
The sword in Jace's hand trembling more now. Luke placed a hand on Jace's shoulder. "Steady." He said.
"Then what of my parents?" I finally spoke up. "Their murders were not an act of war. They did not betray you."
"They refused to join me when i needed their help."
If i had been my hand holding the sword to his throat he would of been dead by now. "So you mutilated them."
"The grey's were always loyal," He explained. "but i knew they would inform the clave of my visit."
"You killed them for refusing to betray what they thought was right," I hissed at him. "You are the only monster here."
Clary stepped forward hastily sensing Jace was on the edge of murder. "Jace—we need the Cup. Or you know what he'll do with it."
Jace licked at his dry lips. "The Cup, Father. Where is it?"
"In idris," He replied calmly. "Where you will never find it."
Jace's hand was shaking. "Tell me—"
"Give me the sword, Jonathan." Luke said.
"What?"
Clary took another step forward. "Give Luke the sword. Let him have it, Jace."
He shook his head. "I can't do that."
Clary continued to move closer. "Yes, you can," She said gently. "Please,"
He didn't look at her, keeping his eyes locked on his father's. Finally after what felt like an eternity he nodded, but he did not lower his hand. He instead let Luke move to stand beside him and place his hand over Jace's on the hilt of the blade. "You can let go now, Jonathan." Luke said, before correcting himself at the sight of Clary's face. "Jace."
Jace released the hilt moving away from his father. Some of the colour came back to his face, in that moment no matter how much i wanted to comfort him, put my arms around him, he would not let me.
"I have a suggestion," Valentine said to Luke.
"Let me guess," Luke replied. "It's "Don't kill me," isn't it?"
Valentine laughed, though the sound did not have a drop of humour in it. "I would hardly lower myself to ask you for my life." He said.
"Good," Luke said, nudging at Valentine's chin with the blade. "I'm not going to kill you unless you force my hand, Valentine. I draw the line at murdering you in front of your own children. What i want is the Cup."
What sounded like footsteps in the corrdior outside could be heard, as the roaring got louder. "Luke—" Clary warned.
"I hear it," He snapped back.
"The Cup's in Idris, I told you," Valentine said, eyes shifting past Luke.
Luke was sweating now. "If it's in Idris, you used the portal to bring it there. I'll go with you. Bring it back." Luke eyes darted around as there was more movement in corridor outside. "Clary, stay with you brother. After we go through, you use the portal to take you to a safe place."
"I won't leave here," Jace protested.
"Yes, you will. You too Anna." Luke said as something thudded against the door. "Valentine, the portal. Move."
"Or what?" Valentine taunted.
"I'll kill you if you force my hand," Luke said. "In front of them, or not. The portal, Valentine. Now."
Valentine spread his hand wide. "If you wish."
He stepped back as the door exploded inward. Luke ducked out of the way, sword still in his hand. A wolf stood in the doorway, growling as blood ran from multiple gashed in his pelt. Jace swore softly raising his seraph blade. Clary caught his wrist. "Don't—he's a friend."
"Alaric—" Luke shouted, then continued in a language i did not understand. Alaric snarled in response crouching closer to the floor. Then i saw that Valentine still had a dagger on his belt. Jace shouted out Luke's name as Valentine threw his knife towards Luke. Though it never hit him as the wolf launched himself inbetween the two allowing the blade to stick into its side. The wolf crumpled at Luke's feet clawing at the blade that know protruded from it's chest.
Valentine laughed. "And this is how you repay the unquestioning loyalty you bought so cheaply, Lucian," He said. "By letting them die for you." He slowly back up, his eyes staying on Luke.
Luke looked at him then down at Alaric; shaking his head he dropped to his knees over the fallen werewolf.
"Stay here, you hear me? Stay here," Jace said to clary before hurrying after Valentine.
"Like hell i will," Clary muttered before moving to follow Jace, only stopping to grab the kindjal over the floor.
"My god," I muttered in frustration as i watched on. "Do any of these people ever do what there told."
The two corned Valentine over by the mirror he had take refugee beside. Suddenly after a few moments of muttered conversation i could not hear Valentine moved away from the mirror. The image inside of it changed like watercolours running in a painting. Revealing an image of green fields, thick emerald leaves of trees and a wide meadow sweeping down to a large stone house. After another moment Valentine stepped back into the portal so that he now stood amongst the scenery. Jace took a hasty step to follow but decided against it. I turned away deciding perhaps this was a moment only meant for family, a broken and messed up family.
Finally the two stepped away from the mirror as it returned to its natural state. "Are you alright?" Luke asked them.
Clary looked up. "We're fine," She said. "Alaric...?"
"Is dead," Luke finished her words grimly.
"My father got away," Jace said. "With the Cup." His voice was dull. "We delivered it right to him. I failed."
Luke lets one of his hands fall onto Jace's head. "It's not your fault," He said before turning away to head to the window, throwing it open to call out to the wolves below.
"It's all right," Clary said to Jace. "We have my mom back. We have you. We have everything that matters."
"He was right. That' why i couldn't make myself go through the Portal," Jace whispered. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't kil him."
"You act as if that is a bad thing." I say finally speaking up
His eyes flew up to meet mine and if the situation was not so dire he would of grinned. In a second i was wrapped in his arms. Shards of glass dug into my skin but i choose to ignore it. Then he moved his mouth to my ear to whisper one little word; my name, just my name.
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