CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE LAW IS THE LAW
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They ended up calling two cabs, one for the Inquisitor, Maryse, and Robert, and the other for Isabelle and Adrian. Adrian had expected for Maryse to tell the driver Magnus's address, and was surprised when she told him an address upstate, in the country. Confused, Adrian shot Isabelle a questioning look, only for her to shrug. She didn't know where they were going either. It explained why they were going to get Jace. If he had left Magnus's apartment, then either Magnus dragged him along somewhere, or he had left without permission. Adrian's head hurt just thinking about it. Jace was still imprisoned, no matter how much everyone wished otherwise. It was easy to forget, after all, when Jace could walk around the apartment freely, without manacles around his wrists or ankles. During the ride, Isabelle decided to fill Adrian in on the things that had happened in the few short days he had decided to seclude himself from the world. It turned out that a lot of things could happen in just a few days.
Adrian wasn't sure how much time passed before the cab pulled to a stop in front of a long line of trees. Adrian followed Isabelle out, searching the edge of the forest until he spotted a dirt road. There was a sign there that said Three Arrows Farm, with faded flowers painted beneath the words. The sign was shaped in an arrow, pointing down the road. He peered down the road, pleased to see that he could see a house at the end, surrounded by mountains and more trees. Maryse told both the cabs to wait before she, Robert, and Imogen set off walking down the dirt road. Adrian and Isabelle followed behind them, and Adrian took in the farmhouse, smiling at the front porch, which had two white rocking chairs. Almost every inch of the porch was covered with flower pots, though the flowers looked like they had missed a drop of water or two. The land was much bigger than Adrian had originally thought; he saw that there were acres and acres of land stretching behind the farmhouse. He was sure there was a barn back there somewhere. He briefly wondered why there weren't any animals, but then noticed Luke's truck. This was a perfect place to turn into a werewolf. It was secluded, the land was spacious, there was a barn he could lock himself away in if there were humans around.
Adrian let out a soft sigh.
"I want to live in a place like this one day," he said to Isabelle as they walked down the pebbled walkway. Imogen, Robert, and Maryse seemed even more tense than before, but Adrian was relaxed. Isabelle was taking in their surroundings with awed eyes. It reminded both of them of Idris. While Adrian didn't care for the people who populated Idris, he could admit that their homeland was beautiful.
"Not the Institute?" Isabelle asked as her eyes raked over Luke's truck. Recognition flashed across her face, and then she let herself smile. They had both only met Luke a handful of times, but they had both liked him. He was so different from the adults they had been raised by. They both envied Clary because of him, though neither would admit that to anyone but each other.
"The Institute isn't a home," Adrian said, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side. She grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a small squeeze. "It's a workplace. But this? This is a home." Isabelle looked over the space one more time before she gave a slow nod.
"You're right," she said, voice quiet. Her eyes were trained on the rocking chairs on the porch. "It'd be nice to sit out and just read, with nothing but quiet."
"Read what?" Adrian grinned. "One of your science books?" Isabelle sniffed and released Adrian, only to cross her arms over her chest.
"Maybe."
"Nerd." Isabelle tried to look mad at that, but she couldn't quite fight back her smile. Eventually, she let out a soft laugh and linked their arms together.
"What would you do?" she asked. Adrian thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I don't know," he admitted, eyes going back to the potted plants. "Build a garden, maybe." He didn't talk about how much he loved plants often, mainly because whenever he did, word would get back to his father, and then he had to endure lectures and long letters he was forced to respond to. All of them going on and on about training and failing to cover up the reek of what they thought masculinity was. Adrian couldn't imagine having one so fragile that they couldn't stand a warrior planting flowers in his free time.
"We have a greenhouse," Isabelle pointed out. Adrian scoffed.
"The greenhouse reminds me of Hodge," he admitted. The absence of Hodge was something he tried to forget, but it was hard not to notice when he was so used to seeing Hodge making a cup of coffee in the morning, or seeing Hugo, Hodge's pet raven, hiding in the rafters. Even though he betrayed them, Adrian still missed him. "Besides, it's not like I'm allowed to even use it. Your parents forbade me from spending time in there, remember? They said I was wasting my potential taking care of plants and planting flowers." Smirking, he raised his voice slightly when he added, "Honestly, I just think Robert's toxic masculinity couldn't handle it." In truth, they probably only forbade it because of orders from Adrian's father, but it was fun riling Robert up.
"I'm pretty sure they can hear us," Isabelle pointed out, trying to hide her smile when Maryse shot a cold look at them over her shoulder. Robert hadn't fallen for the bait. He had learned a long time ago that arguing with Adrian was futile. Like it or not, Adrian was still the Consul's son, and while everyone in that family probably knew there was no love lost between the father and son, Robert and Maryse still didn't want to risk Adrian reaching out to Malachi if they said the wrong thing. It just proved how little they knew about Adrian, because he wouldn't have reached out to his father even under the most dire of circumstances. He certainly wouldn't have reached out to him just to be petty. The only time he would even consider it was if one of his loved ones were in danger and he had no other option. Maybe Maryse would be included in that, because despite Adrian's conflicted feelings about her, she had been there for him growing up. Robert was another story.
"Good," Adrian said, voice traveling between them easily. Seeing Maryse and Robert's shoulders tense, he sped up his walk to catch up with them. Words came tumbling out before he could stop them. "You know, you two are pretty judgmental for people who joined a cult based around racism." Robert and Maryse came to an abrupt halt. Adrian could have sworn he heard their breaths leave their lungs. Even Imogen stopped and turned toward Adrian with a raised eyebrow. She did nothing to stop him. "Or is your time hunting down Downworlders and slaughtering them by the dozens one of the many things you guys ignore in hopes it'll go away?" Silence welcomed his words. Anger was quickly rising in his chest. He kept remembering Oliver, kept remembering the words he had said to Adrian when Adrian had confirmed that Valentine was back. "I have a friend who had to grow up without his parents. You wanna know why? The Circle killed them. They had a three-year-old son at home, and your friends killed them. Or maybe the two of you killed them. Were you there? It was Boston, March 3rd, 1991. I know you were both still part of the Circle in 1991. Do you remember their names? Or did you even bother learning their names at all?" When he once again received silence, his voice raised a little when he spit out, "Lorenzo and Mariana Lopez. Those were their names."
"That's enough, Adrian," Robert growled, twisting on his heel. More words died in Adrian's throat at his expression. Even though he loved riling Robert up, he had never made him truly angry, just annoyed. Robert was a large man, and Adrian couldn't help shrinking away from him, stepping closer to Isabelle, whose jaw was clenched tight. She was glaring at her parents, specifically Robert. She had started developing a friendship with Oliver, too, since everyone seemed to spend a lot of time at Magnus's place. She knew which friend Adrian was talking about.
"No, let him speak," Imogen drawled, making all four of them glance at her in surprise. Adrian released a breath of relief when he remembered how much Imogen Herondale despised Valentine and the Circle. He wasn't sure why, since she seemed just as prejudiced as any other Shadowhunter, so he assumed she had lost someone because of them, too. It wasn't just Downworlders who had died because of Valentine's cult. "His contempt and hatred for the Circle and its members is the one thing we can agree on."
"Former members," Maryse said, voice as cold as ice. Imogen gave her an unimpressed look.
"You did not denounce that godforsaken Circle until you learned Valentine didn't really care for you," Imogen said, sounding almost bored, though the coldness underneath was still there. "Not because you thought your actions were wrong. Time has not made me forget your trials under the Soul Sword, Maryse Lightwood. You will do well to remember that." With that, Imogen turned and started walking toward the farmhouse again, putting an end to the conversation. Sharing a glance with Isabelle, he grabbed her hand and hurried past the still frozen Maryse and Robert, reaching the door just in time for Imogen to pull the screen door back and knock on the door. A few moments later, Luke answered, white bandages placed over various parts of his body. One was bleeding through, and his brown skin looked ashen, like he was sick. He seemed to be supporting his weight with the door frame. Adrian's eyes widened at the sight before he politely pulled his gaze away and grinned up at him.
"Hi, Luke," he greeted, waving. Luke had blanched at the sight of Imogen, but he relaxed at Adrian and Isabelle's faces. The tension flew from his shoulders when he smiled at them. "Um, how have you been?" He glanced warily at the bandages. Usually werewolves healed quickly—unless, of course, it was demons who had injured them. Considering the Institute hadn't received a report, Adrian tried not to voice his concerns with the Inquisitor right beside him. He wondered if any of the adults behind him even noticed Luke was injured.
Luke smiled again. "Hi, Adrian. I haven't seen you around lately." Adrian took that as a sign that Luke was fine, healing, if a bit weak, so he let himself relax.
"I'm sorry, I've been...busy." Alec popped in his head. He quickly pushed him aside. "I'll drop by your shop soon, though. I finished those books you gave me, by the way." Stretching up onto his toes, he looked over Luke's shoulder when he heard hushed voices. "May I come in?" Luke moved aside and waved him forward. Adrian grinned and slipped past, laughing when Luke blocked the entrance before anyone else could enter. Isabelle scowled and stuck her tongue out at him over Luke's arm, then shrugged and simply ducked beneath it. Luke let her, eyes trained solely on Imogen, Robert, and Maryse. They walked into the living room. Clary, Jace, Magnus, and Alec were all there, all of them standing. They had probably got to their feet the second they heard someone knock on the door. Adrian stopped and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes landed on Alec, who looked away. Adrian already regretted the words he had thrown at Alec that morning. They hadn't been fair, he knew that now, but since they had an audience, he decided to apologize later, when prying eyes weren't watching. And when Maryse and Robert weren't in hearing distance.
"So when exactly were you guys going to tell me that Simon was turned into a vampire?" Adrian said instead, breaking the short, tense silence. He got the feeling things were tense between everyone, not just him and Alec. He wondered what, exactly, they had barged in on. "I had to find out from Izzy on the way here." Isabelle nodded along with him, earning an elbow in the side. "Gotta say, I'm feeling a bit left out."
"Well, I was busy being kept prisoner," Jace said immediately, earning disgruntled looks from Clary and Alec, while Magnus just gave him a droll stare.
"A lousy excuse," Magnus drawled. His eyes moved to Adrian. "I was busy healing Luke and Maia. I would have told you this morning, but you seemed upset enough. And before you ask, Oliver felt like it wasn't his place, since he doesn't know Simon well." Adrian scowled.
"I found him dead," Clary said, which, fair enough.
"And you weren't talking to me," Alec pointed out. It was also a fair point, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. Adrian opened his mouth to apologize, deciding that having an audience wasn't the worst thing, when Maryse burst into the room. Adrian pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. She froze when she saw Alec, who had gone still the second Robert and Imogen entered behind her. He sat down on the couch. Strangely enough, he didn't look afraid at the sight of them. He actually looked...determined about something. Adrian frowned at him.
"Alec?" Maryse asked, shocked to seem him in the living room of a werewolf. Adrian gritted his teeth together. "What on earth are you doing here?" Glancing up, Alec surprised everyone when he stood from the couch just as quickly as he sat down. Adrian, eyes going wide, immediately went to Clary's side, noticing when she went rigid.
"I have something to say," Alec said. Clary groaned.
"Oh, no," Jace whispered, looking just as wary as Clary. Even Magnus looked troubled, a frown twisting his features. Adrian looked between the three of them, growing anxious just at the sight of them.
"I'm interested in someone," Alec announced, making Adrian stare at him. "And not just any someone, it's—"
Magnus snapped his fingers, and Alec crumbled to the ground, unconscious. Jace had a hand pressed over his mouth, and Clary looked nothing but guilty.
"What...just happened?" Adrian whispered to her as Maryse, Isabelle, and Robert hurried to the unconscious Alec. Clary grimaced.
"I drew the Fearless rune on him and it didn't fade before you all showed up," she whispered. Adrian's eyebrows shot up.
"The Fearless rune?" he sputtered, making sure to keep his voice low. "Clary, we don't have a rune to make us fearless."
"We do now," Jace mumbled. Adrian grew even more confused, and Clary patted his arm lightly.
"I'll explain later," she promised. Adrian only dropped the subject when he heard Alec groan. He turned just in time to see him sit up. Adrian wanted to go to him, but his family was crowded around him. Adrian wouldn't have been able to reach him even if he wanted to.
"What was that?" Isabelle demanded once Alec was back on his feet. Alec blinked slowly and gave Isabelle a confused look.
"What was what?" Alec asked. When no one answered, his eyes grew wide. "Wait, did I say something?" He sounded anxious again. Apparently, the Fearless rune had finally faded.
"You know how we were wondering if that thing Clary did works or not?" Jace said. "It works." Alec's eyes went even wider. He looked horrified.
"What did I say?" he asked.
"You said you were interested in someone," Robert reminded.
"Why does he seem..." Maryse waved her hand in the air. Magnus cleared his throat and gave her a polite smile.
"Demon toxins," he lied easily, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "He'll be fine soon." Adrian narrowed his eyes. He was starting to feel even more left out. If he had just stayed with Alec that morning, he would have been all caught up before the Inquisitor came knocking. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest as Maryse's eyes widened in alarm.
"Demon toxins?" Maryse's voice went high. "No one reported a demon attack to the Institute. What is going on here, Lucien?" She rounded on Luke then, who was standing near the entrance of the living room, trying to stay as far away from the Shadowhunter drama as possible. Adrian didn't blame him. "You know perfectly well that if there's been a demon attack, you're supposed to report it—"
"Luke was attacked, too," Clary cut in, voice cold. "He's been unconscious." Imogen made a low sound, bringing everyone's attention to her, who didn't look very pleased with the situation.
"How convenient," she sneered. "Everyone's either unconscious or apparently delirious." She gave Alec a look that made him shuffle back and sit back down on the couch. Adrian didn't blame him for wanting to disappear. Imogen turned her burning, unforgiving gaze on Magnus. Magnus didn't look even a little intimidated. If anything, he looked bored. After a moment, she turned to look at Luke. "Downworlder, you know perfectly well that Jonathan Morgenstern should not be in your house. He should be in the warlock's care." Luke opened his mouth to respond, but Magnus was already cutting in, voice even colder than Clary's had been, or even Adrian's had been when he had tore into Robert and Maryse earlier.
"We have names," he said, voice dangerously quiet. He was trying to keep his face impassive, bored, but Adrian could tell he was struggling. "It's Luke and Magnus, not 'Downworlder' and 'warlock'. And there was nothing in my contract that said I couldn't bring him with me if I went somewhere."
"That wasn't where you failed," Imogen said coldly, turning her gaze back on Magnus, who raised his chin and met it without flinching. Adrian admired him for that. He would have loved to see Magnus put Malachi Dieudonne in his place. Adrian had the feeling his father was much weaker than Imogen Herondale was. "Your failure was letting him see his father last night." Utter silence welcomed her words. Even Magnus looked surprised, though he tried to hide it. Imogen turned quickly to face Jace, who was staring at the floor with an unreadable expression. "Tell the truth, boy, and this all will be much easier." Jace clenched his jaw before he raised his head and met her gaze.
"I don't have to tell you anything," he said. Imogen's jaw clenched. She took a step forward.
"Tell us where you were last night," she ordered. "Tell us about Valentine's little pleasure boat." Jace didn't respond, just continued staring at her. Imogen made a sound of disgust and spoke for him. "Valentine is on a boat in the middle of the East River."
"That's why I couldn't find him," Magnus said, face dawning with realization. He sounded frustrated that he hadn't figured it out himself. "All that water disrupted the tracking spell I was using."
"What's he doing there?" Robert demanded.
"Ask Jonathan," Imogen said, still staring at Jace. "He went there last night." Again, silence welcomed her words. All eyes were on Jace now. Adrian remembered the Seelie's Queens promise. If Jace asked Valentine one simple question, then they could count on the Seelie Court's support when they eventually faced Valentine in war. Adrian hadn't thought Jace would intentionally seek Valentine out. He had assumed Jace would wait until Valentine eventually found him. It begged the question of how Jace had found him in the first place. Imogen seemed to know what everyone was wondering, so she sighed and said, "Turn out the pockets of your jacket." Jace's jaw clenched, but since he couldn't disobey a direct order from the Inquisitor, he pulled out a small piece of what looked like a mirror. Adrian caught a glance of it as Jace turned it around in his hands and saw a flash of a bright blue sky.
"Give it to me." Imogen didn't wait for him. She yanked it from his hands, leaving a long gash against his palm. Jace clenched his hand into a fist. He didn't even flinch at the cut. "I knew you'd return to the Institute for this." She certainly sounded pleased now. Adrian clenched his jaw.
"What is it?" Robert demanded.
"A bit of a Portal in mirror form," Imogen explained, twisting the mirror around in her hands. "When the Portal was destroyed, the image of its last destination remained. In this case, that was the Wayland country house." Adrian's eyes returned to Jace, so he jumped when Imogen shattered the mirror by throwing it to the floor, not expecting the sound. Clary jumped too, flinching along with Jace. Imogen crouched and pulled a small piece of paper from the pieces. She stood and held it up for everyone to see. "I marked this paper with a tracking rune and slipped it between the mirror and its backing." Seeing Jace's rigid posture and frown, she smiled. "Don't feel bad about not noticing it. Older heads and wiser than yours have been fooled by the Clave."
"You've been spying on me," Jace said through his teeth. "Is that what the Clave does, invade the privacy of its fellow Shadowhunters to—"
"Be careful, Jonathan," Imogen said coldly, letting go of the paper, letting it flutter to the ground. "You are not the only one who has broken the Law. In releasing you from the Silent City and in freeing you of the warlock's control, your friends have done the same." Adrian, Clary, Alec, and Jace all went rigid. Luke and Magnus both glared silently but didn't say a word. Even Maryse and Robert seemed shocked. Surprisingly, it was Robert who broke the tense silence first.
"For God's sake, Imogen," he whispered, sounding horrified. They all knew what the punishment was for those type of crimes, and it wasn't pleasant. Adrian's skin crawled just thinking about it. "They're just children—"
"Children?" Imogen snapped, turning on him with newfound fury. "Just as you were children when the Circle plotted the destruction of the Clave? Just as my son was a child when he—" Abruptly, she broke off, but it was too late. She had revealed too much. Everyone had already known her vendetta against Jace was personal, but it was another thing having it confirmed. "Jace will return to Idris with me tomorrow. You've forfeited your right to know more than that."
Adrian couldn't stay silent anymore.
"We're his family," he snapped. "We deserve to know when he's coming back." Multiple voices agreed with him. They only stopped when Jace interrupted.
"Don't," he told them. He looked like he was very far away.
"If the boy went to his father, knowing what kind of father he is, it wasn't because he failed us," Luke said quietly, though his voice was loud and clear in the following silence. "It was because we failed him."
"You've gone as soft as a mundane, Lucien," Imogen sneered.
"She's right." Adrian's head whipped around when Alec spoke. He was staring at the ground, refusing to meet anyone else's gaze. "Jace lied to us. There's no excuse for that." Adrian narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He knew Alec better than he knew anyone, so he knew when Alec was lying. He just didn't know why he would lie about this.
"Alec, how can you say that?" Isabelle demanded. Alec shrugged.
"The Law is the Law," Alec said. The words had been repeated inside all their heads until eventually they all believed it, even if it was only a little bit. "There's no way around that."
Isabelle gave a low, infuriated shout before she turned and ran out of the house. Adrian, not wanting her to flee into the forest and get lost, followed her.
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edited: 11.5.19