ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴʟʏ ꜰɪʀᴇ ~ ᴛᴍɪ

Chapter 22 - To Conquer Misery

Imogen took two blades from her dark cloak, drawing forth two blades, whispering their names and several words Jace didn't know. She flung them, one on either side of them. A sheet of blue light erupted, walling Jace and the Inquisitor off from the rest of the ship.

Jace and Luke were fighting a battle to lose when the Conclave appeared. Though their number just brought them time to delay the end. And somehow, Jace got dragged away by the Inquisitor.

"Are you seriously locking me up again?" Jace asked in disbelief. "In case you haven't noticed, there is a battle going on with us on the losing side. Or is it just me?"

"I am old, but not mad," She said sharply. "You can get out of it if you want."

 He could no longer see the battle past the wall of white light, but he could still hear the sounds of it, the screams, and the howling of the demons. If he turned his head, he could just catch a glimpse of a small section of ocean, sparkling with light like diamonds scattered over the surface of a mirror. There were about a dozen boats down there, the sleek, multi-hulled trimarans used on the lakes in Idris. Shadowhunter boats. "What are you doing here, Inquisitor? Why did you come?"

"You were right," she said. "About Valentine. He wouldn't make the trade."

"He told you to let me die." 

The Inquisitor sighed deeply. "Allison told me all about you. She's not a fan of you, unlike others, so I did believe her. But she did a foolish thing. Oh, Allison—" She suddenly doubled over, startling Jace.

"Inquisitor?" He asked, a little alarmed. He caught hold of her arm, to steady her. "Please don't drop dead."

She straightened up. "I won't die unless I have made all amends. I owe you and your family an apology."

Jace ignored it. "Save that for later. What did Allison do?"

"She made a bargain with Valentine," Her voice sounded raw. "He said he'd return the Mortal Instruments if she had a conversation with him in private. She must be in this ship."

Jace felt light-headed. "Valentine would never agree to something like this. Unless..." He remembered his conversation with Valentine yesterday when he seemed to have wanted to meet Allison. "Shit. It is because of her Heavenly Fire." He said in realization.

The Inquisitor gasped and pulled away. "How do you know that?"

He ignored the question again. "We need to get her, now. Is Allison in this ship?"

"Yes, she must be," The Inquisitor looked grim when she met his eyes. "Will you help me find her? I know I cannot ask you that since I'm the reason we've ended up here. But you know Valentine. You would know how he thinks. You can help Allison."

Jace knew he had to find Clary. But the look on the Inquisitor's was almost begging. She loved her granddaughter. And now, he knew Valentine was the reason for the demise of her family. Allison was the last one left for the Inquisitor to save. He didn't know what panic must be going on inside her, not knowing whether Allison was safe. Around Valentine's, she definitely was not.

He didn't know whether it was Allison or the Inquisitor's almost pleading, but he said. "Alright, I'll help you. Your granddaughter is the only one who could put my ego down and sometimes it's necessary."

A small smile was all he got, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you, Jonathan. But it wasn't the only reason for this conversation." She was still staring at him, eyes searching. "I can't understand Valentine," she said. "For a father to throw away the life of his child, his only son—"

"Yeah," said Jace. His head ached and he wished she would shut up, or that a demon would attack them. And who knows if Allison was alive. "It's a conundrum, all right."