City Of Changes || ✔️

Chapter 16

Clary

It took her a while to process what Tessa said. Tessa married Will Herondale. A Herondale. That means, she would've taken the Herondale name. She could be related to Jace, Clary thought. Isabelle must've been thinking the same thing, because when she looked up, she saw Izzy staring at the water in surprise.

"Why did you both get so quiet all of a sudden?" asked Vanessa, indicating Isabelle and Clary.

Clary ignored Vy. "Wait, so you became a Herondale. Did you have kids?"

Tessa simply nodded.

"So, you're Jace's great-great-great-great grandma?" asked Izzy.

Tessa nodded. "Give or take a few of those greats, but yes, I am."

"Wait, did you guys not know?" asked Lily.

"And you did?" Izzy snapped.

"I didn't know until now, but I thought you both knew already. I thought Jace knew already." said Lily.

Clary shook her head. "We didn't know a thing." She turned to Tessa. "So, you never told him. You've had four years to tell him, but you didn't. Why?" Clary started getting angry. All those years, after he found out he was the last Herondale, he thought he was alone. But it turns out, his however many greats grandma was living about two thousand miles away from him, and he never knew.

"I was always watching out for him. Jem as well." Tessa replied, calmly.

"You moved to Los Angeles. How can you keep an eye on him if he was so far away?" asked Isabelle, through gritted teeth.

"I moved, because I wasn't needed here. Jace had Clary. He had a family. I moved, because Jem and I were needed in Los Angeles."

"Why were you needed there?" asked Vanessa.

"I have descendants in Los Angeles, and so does Jem. We are needed there."

"What descendants?" asked Clary, who was trying to contain her anger.

"You know them. Julian, Tiberius, Livia, Drusilla, and Octavian."

Isabelle's eyes got wide. "You married a Blackthorn? Not that that's a bad thing." She added quickly.

Tessa shook her head. "My daughter married into the family."

"And Jem?" asked Lilly.

Tessa looked over at Clary. "He is related to Emma Carstairs."

Clary felt stupid. She knew that Emma's last name was Carstairs, and she knew that Jem's last name was that too. It never occurred to her that they were related."

"Jem is all Emma has left." Clary said quietly. She looked at Tessa, who was looking back at her. Clary spoke louder. "You and Jem. You are all Emma has left. You are the only Carstairs remaining."

"Emma needs us. So do the Blackthorn children. Things are happening in Los Angeles, and it will be only a year, or a couple months, before it is here. I needed to be in Los Angeles."

Claire's anger died down, and so did Isabelle's.

"You need to tell Jace." said Izzy.

"I don't know when though."

"Soon. You and Jem need to tell him soon." said Clary.

Tessa nodded. "I will." She looked over at Isabelle, then pointed to her red, ruby necklace. "I see you've got the necklace."

Isabelle picked up the necklace with her hand, then looked at it. "I saw you looking at it at your wedding. What's wrong with the necklace."

Tessa smiled sadly. "Nothing is wrong with it, Isabelle dear. The necklace used to belong to Will's sister, Cecily. She married into the Lightwood family."