Risk It All [Alec Lightwood]

Chapter Nine

Kiana Fray

Jace, Clary and I all enter the City of Bones. It was quiet - like horror movie quiet. We went further below and Jace and Clary stop in front of me to take a deep breath. I roll my eyes and go further down the staircase. I could hear the sound of water trickling. Jace and Clary met me down at the bottom and Jace held a light in his hands.

"What's that," I ask.

"It's witchlight," Jace said. "We carry it to remind us that light can be found in even the darkest places."

"And it's ten times cooler than a flashlight," I smile.

"That too," Jace smiles.

Jace hands Clary the light and points to the direction we need to walk to. His hand holds mine as he leads us through the dark. We approach a statue of an angel holding the Mortal Cup.

"Is that meant to be the Mortal Cup," Clary asks.

"Yeah," Jace sighed.

My eyes travel to the words below.

"What's that say," I ask.

"It's the ShadowHunter creed," Jace explained.  "Looking better in black than the widows of our enemies."

"My latin's pretty rusty but I'm positive that's not what it says," I said.

"For ShadowHunters the descent into hell is easy," Jace read.

"That should be a post card," Clary said.

"Or a tweet," I chuckle.

"A what," Jace asks.

"Never mind," I chuckle. "Let's go."

"It's this way," Jace sighed.

We follow after Jace as he leads us into another lit hallways. He takes the witchlight from Clary and turns it off and hides it.

"I'm sorry, about what I said before about your mom. I didn't know," Clary said.

"It's cute. You assume I have feelings," Jace said.

"It's cute you think you don't but you do," I said.

"Huh," Jace asked.

"You wouldn't be down here helping us find our mother. Most people would never risk their lives or break laws," I said. "Guess you do have feelings in there somewhere."

"Well I don't. Save the apologies for the Mundanes. Every one has a sad song. My mother died when I was a baby," Jace said. "My father died when I was ten."

"I'm so sorry," Clary said.

Jace sighed.

"Wait, is he, is he buried in here," Clary asked.

"No, Circle members are considered traitors," Jace said. "They forfeit their right to be buried here."

"Your dad was in the Circle, too?" Clary asks.

"My father tried to do the right thing and leave the Circle and it cost him his life," Jace said.

"That's why you're doing this. That's why you're helping us," I sigh.

"Valentine and his people need to pay," Jace said. "I'm going to make them pay."

Clary reached for Jace's hand and held it.