Heavens Shadow ▹ Jace Wayland (2)

7.

Clary's witchlight fell to the floor with a thud as she reached to stroke his hair back. In that moment i had to remind myself that she was his sister, though it did little to settle the jealousy boiling in my stomach.

His eyelids twitched and he groaned. Finally his eyes opened glittering gold outshining the discarded witchlight. "Clary," he said as his eyes focussed on her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," She said.

"You're really here." He said, clearly very dazed. "I'm not—I'm not dead, am I?"

"No," She said. "You passed out, is all. Probably hit your head too."

He struggled up in a sitting position as he took in the rest of us. Alec face was full of concern. "Are you all right?" He demanded kneeling down beside him. "What happened? Can you remember?"

Jace held up his uninjured hand. "One question at a time, Alec. My head already feel like it's going to split open."

"Who did this to you?" Isabelle croaked out.

"No one did anything to me. I did this to myself trying to get the manacles off." He looked down at his wrist and winced.

Here," Clary and Alec both said reaching out for his hand. Clary dropped her hand and Alec took hold of Jace's wrist tracing a healing rune over it with a few quick flicks of his wrist.

"Thanks," He replied. "Brother Jeremiah—"

"Is dead," Clary finished.

"I know." He said pulling himself up with the wall behind him. "He was murdered."

"Did the Silent Brothers kills each other?" Isabelle asked. "I don't understand—I don't understand why they'd do that—"

"They didn't," Jace said. "Something killed them. I don't know what." His face spasmed in pain. "My head—"

"Maybe we should go," I said nervously. "Whatever did this could come—"

"You scared of somethig?" Jace teased. "I think it's gone. But i suppose he could still bring i back."

"He?" I demanded. "Jace—" he didn't say anything his face was now paper white, Alec caught him as he began to slide down the wall.

"I'm all right," He protested, but kept a tight grip of Alec's sleeve. "I can stand."

"It looks to me like you're using the wall to prop you up. That's not my definition of 'standing.'"

"It's leaning." Jace remarked. "Leaning comes right before standing."

"Stop bickering." Isabelle said. "We need to get out of here. If there's something out there nasty enough to kill the Silent Brothers, it'll make short work of us."

"She's right." I said. "I don't feel like dying today. I have plans." Clary picked up her witchlight. "So let's go."

"Jace are you okay to walk." Clary asked standing up.

"He can lean on me." Alec said drawing Jace's arm across his shoulders. "Come on," Alec coaxed. "We'll fix you up when we get outside."

Slowly the both moved towards the cell door. Jace paused to stare down at the lifeless figure that had once been brother Jeremiah. Izzy knelt down to cover his contorted face with his hood.