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Jace stared down at his coffee "Yes"

Alec put his hand on Jace’s arm "What happened? Did you see him?"

"I was in the cell," said Jace, his voice dead "I heard the Silent Brothers screa I don’t knohat it was Like s eyes A demon, but not like any I’ve ever seen before He came up to the bars and he told me…"

"Told you what?" Alec’s hand slid up Jace’s arnus cleared his throat Alec dropped his hand, red-faced, while Sirinned into his undrunk coffee

"Maellartach," Jace said "He wanted the Soul-Sword and he killed the Silent Brothers to get it"

Magnus was frowning "Alec, last night, when the Silent Brothers called for your help, where was the Conclave? Why was no one at the Institute?"

Alec looked surprised to be asked "There was a Doorlder ht A faerie child was killed The body was drained of blood"

"I bet the Inquisitor thinks I did that, too," said Jace "My reign of terror continues"

Magnus stood up and went to theHe pushed the curtain back, letting in just enough light to silhouette his hawklike profile "Blood," he said, half to hio I saw a city all of blood, with towers made of bone, and blood ran in the streets like water"

Si by thehe does all the time?"

"No," said Jace, "sometimes he sits on the couch and does it"

Alec shot the?"

"The blood," said Magnus again "It can’t be a coincidence" He see on fast over the silhouette of the city in the distance: The sky was striped with bars of aluold "There have been several murders this week," he said, "of Doorlders A warlock, killed in an apartment tower down by the South Street Seaport His neck and wrists were cut and the body drained of blood And a as killed at the Hunter’s Moon a few days ago The throat was cut in that case as well"

"It sounds like vampires," said Simon, suddenly very pale

"I don’t think so," Jace said "At least, Raphael said it wasn’t the Night Children’s work He seemed adamant about it"

"Yeah, ’cause he’s trustworthy," muttered Si the truth," said Magnus, drawing the curtain closed His face was angular, shadowed As he ca a heavy book bound in green cloth She didn’t think he’d been holding it a fewdemonic presence at both locations I think someone else was responsible for all three deaths Not Raphael and his tribe, but Valentine"

Clary’s eyes went to Jace His mouth was a thin line, but "Why do you say that?" was all he asked

"The Inquisitor thought the faerie murder was a diversion," she said quickly "So that he could plunder the Silent City without worrying about the Conclave"

"There are easier ways to create a diversion," said Jace, "and it is unwise to antagonize the Fair Folk He wouldn’t have murdered one of the clan of faerie if he didn’t have a reason"

"He had a reason," said Magnus "There was so he wanted fro he wanted from the warlock and the olf he killed"

"What’s that?" asked Alec

"Their blood," said Magnus, and opened the green book The thin parchlowed like fire "Ah," he said, "here" He looked up, tapping the page with a sharp fingernail Alec leaned forward "You won’t be able to read it," Magnus warned hiatic"

"I can recognize the drawing, though That’s Maellartach I’ve seen it before in books" Alec pointed at an illustration of a silver sword, fa from the wall of the Silent City

"The Ritual of Infernal Conversion," Magnus said "That’s what Valentine’s trying to do"

"The what of what?" Clary frowned

"Every nus explained "The alliance of the Soul-Sword is seraphic--like those angel knives you Shadowhunters use, but a thousand tiel hielic name What Valentine wants to do is reverse its alliance--elic power"

"Lawful good to lawful evil!" said Sions," said Clary "Ignore hiel’s Sword, Maellartach’s use to Valentine would be linus "But as a shose deelic power it once possessed--well, there is much it could offer him Power over deht offer, but power to call de"

"A de on ar thenus finished

"I don’t knohy he’d want to go there," Simon said "That’s where all the demon hunters are, aren’t they? Wouldn’t they just annihilate the deuys?"

"Demons come from other dimensions," said Jace "We don’t kno many of thes keep h at once…"

Infinite, Clary thought She reine hundreds more of it Or thousands Her skin felt cold and exposed

"I don’t get it," said Alec "What does the ritual have to do with dead Doorlders?"

"To perform the Ritual of Conversion, you need to seethe the Sword until it’s red-hot, then cool it four times, each time in the blood of a Doorld child Once in the blood of a child of Lilith, once in the blood of a child of the ht, and once in the blood of a child of faerie," Magnus explained

"Oh ? There’s still one o?"

"Two more He didn’t succeed with the olf child He was interrupted before he could get all the blood he needed" Magnus shut the book, dust puffing out frooal is, he’s alreadythe Sword He’s probably able to garner so on de that, there’d be reports of disturbances, excess demon activity," Jace said "But the Inquisitor said the opposite is true--that everything’s been quiet"

"And so itall the deroup stared at one another Before anyone could think of a single thing to say, a sharp noise cut through the roo Clary start Hot coffee spilled onto her wrist and she gasped at the sudden pain

"It’s ht back" He went over to the , head down, voice too low to overhear

"Let ry red blotch on her wrist where the hot liquid had scalded her

"It’s okay," she said "No big deal"

Simon lifted her hand and kissed the injury "All better now"