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"We answered it," Alec said His gaze athered crowd Clary could hardly blaest crowd of adult Shadowhunters--of Shadowhunters in general--that she herself had ever seen She kept looking fro the differences between thee and race and overall appearance, and yet they all gave the same impression of iazes on her, exa silver hair, was staring at her so fiercely that there was nothing subtle about it Clary blinked and looked away as Alec continued, "You weren’t at the Institute--and we couldn’t raise anyone--so we came ourselves"

"Alec--"

"It doesn’t matter, anyway," Alec said "They’re dead The Silent Brothers They’re all dead They’ve been murdered"

This time there was no sound froo still, the way a pride of lions azelle

"Dead?" Maryse repeated "What do you mean, they’re dead?"

"I think it’s quite clear what he ray coat had appeared suddenly at Maryse’s side In the flickering light she looked to Clary like a sort of Edward Gorey caricature, all sharp angles and pulled-back hair and eyes like black pits scraped out of her face She held a gli silver chain, looped through the skinniest fingers Clary had ever seen "They are all dead?" she asked, addressing herself to Alec "You found no one alive in the City?"

Alec shook his head "Not that , Inquisitor"

So that was the Inquisitor, Clary realized She certainly looked like soeon cells for no reason other than that she didn’t like their attitude

"That you saw," repeated the Inquisitor, her eyes like hard, glittering beads She turned to Maryse "There may yet be survivors I would send your people into the City for a thorough check"

Maryse’s lips tightened From what very little Clary had learned about Maryse, she knew that Jace’s adoptivetold what to do "Very well"

She turned to the rest of the Shadowhunters--there were not as ht, closer to twenty than thirty, though the shock of their appearance hadcrowd

Maryse spoke to Malik in a low voice He nodded Taking the arm of the silver-haired woman, he led the Shadowhunters toward the entrance to the Bone City As one after another descended the stairs, taking their witchlight with thean to fade The last one in line was the woman with the silver hair Halfway down the stairs she paused, turned, and looked back--directly at Clary Her eyes were full of a terrible yearning, as if she longed desperately to tell Clary so After a moment she drew her hood back up over her face and vanished into the shadows

Maryse broke the silence "Why would anyone murder the Silent Brothers? They’re not warriors, they don’t carry battle Marks--"

"Don’t be naive, Maryse," said the Inquisitor "This was no random attack The Silent Brothers uardians, and very good at their jobs Not tofro to kill the Silent Brothers to get it This was premeditated"

"What oose chase that called us all out to Central Park? The dead fey child?"

"I wouldn’t call that a wild goose chase The fey child was drained of blood, like the warlock These killings could cause serious trouble between the Night Children and other Doorlders--"

"Distractions," said the Inquisitor disone from the Institute so that no one would respond to the Brothers when they called for aid Ingenious, really But then he alas ingenious"

"He?" It was Isabelle who spoke, her face very pale between the black wings of her hair "You h Clary, as if she’d touched a live current "Valentine," he said "Valentine took the Mortal Sword That’s why he killed the Silent Brothers"

A thin, sudden smile curved on the Inquisitor’s face, as if Jace had said so that pleased her very much

Alec started and turned to stare at Jace "Valentine? But you didn’t say he was here"

"Nobody asked"

"He couldn’t have killed the Brothers They were torn apart No one person could have done all that"

"He probably had demonic help," said the Inquisitor "He’s used demons to aid him before And with the protection of the Cup on hierous than Raveners," she added with a curl of her lip, and though she didn’t look at Clary when she said it, the words felt somehow like a verbal slap Clary’s faint hope that the Inquisitor hadn’t noticed or recognized her vanished "Or the pathetic Forsaken"

"I don’t know about that" Jace was very pale, with hectic spots like fever on his cheekbones "But it was Valentine I saw him In fact, he had the Sith hih the bars It was like a bad movie, except he didn’t actually twirl his mustache"

Clary looked at hiht, and looked unsteady on his feet

The Inquisitor didn’t see that Valentine told you all this? He told you he killed the Silent Brothers because he wanted the Angel’s Sword?"

"What else did he tell you? Did he tell you where he was going? What he plans to do with the two Mortal Instruments?" Maryse asked quickly

Jace shook his head

The Inquisitorsht horizontal lines "I don’t believe you"

Jace just looked at her "I didn’t think you would"

"I doubt the Clave will believe you either"

Alec said hotly, "Jace isn’t a liar--"

"Use your brain, Alexander," said the Inquisitor, not taking her eyes off Jace "Leave aside your loyalty to your friend for a moment What’s the likelihood that Valentine stopped by his son’s cell for a paternal chat about the Soul-Sword, and didn’t oing?"

"S’io credesse che e Clary didn’t know, "a persona che mai tornasse al mondo…"

"Dante" The Inquisitor looked dryly aenstern, though if you insist on lying to the Clave, you’ll wish you were" She turned back to the others "And doesn’t it seeht before Jonathan Morgenstern is supposed to stand trial by its blade--and that his father is the one who took it?"