BLIND

Magnanimous Part 9

Clary shook as Jace brought her up to her room, his hand around her bicep. What she had seen was still registering in her mind, and she didn't know what to do. All she could think about was the poor condition Alec had been in. She'd seen the chains in the room, which had struck a chord with her memory of the Seelie Queen. The Queen had known, she had known and she hadn't helped him. She'd stood idle, laughing at the pain she'd caused. Clary cursed her under her breath.

She couldn't believe the way she'd found Alec. He had looked dead. He probably should have been, and would be soon. He hadn't been healing from the runes she'd drawn, his wounds too serious. It made her wonder about the video. The one with Alec slaying that werewolf, the one with his confession. Had he wanted to do that? Seeing him strewn out in Jonathan's basement cemented the idea in her mind that he hadn't been a willing participant.

"You weren't supposed to see him," Jace muttered as he pulled her into her room on the craft.

"Jace," Clary whispers. "What did Sebastian do to him?"

"We didn't do anything to him," Jace frowned. "I can't believe you think I'd hurt him. He's my parabatai."

"No," Clary says carefully, pulling away from Jace and wrapping her arms around herself. "Of course I don't. You're right. I—I'm sorry. It's just been stressful lately, and I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Jace grins. "We've got a date for tomorrow, then."

He presses a kiss to her cheek before turning towards the door.

When he's gone, Clary unfolds her arms from around herself. She walks to the bathroom connected to her room, staring into the dark before turning on the light. She takes a moment to look at her own reflection in the mirror, pale and pasty against her bright hair. Dark circles under her eyes, her visible collarbone a prominent reminder of her need to take care of herself.

She'd been so worried about Jace. She'd never thought something could be wrong with Alec. She'd been—God, she'd been so stupid. She blinked back tears as she looked down at her hands, tinted in red. She turned on the tap and pushed back her sleeves, though they had flaking blood on them. She let out a deep breath. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

She turned on the tap (where was the water coming from?) and dipped her hands under before lathering them in soap. Jace had told her that he and Sebastian hadn't touched Alec. She took a deep breath in through her nose. She had seen Sebastian cut a line across Alec's face, taking away his eyes. She let the air in her body seep out of her mouth.

Jace had lied.

The next day found Jace trying to impress Clary with fancy drinks in Venice. She laughed at his jokes, and they fell into the rhythm they'd always had. She was witty, so was he. She couldn't get rid of the unease under her skin, because this Jace, despite being so much like hers, wasn't. He was something else. A liar, and she held few doubts he'd hurt Alec with Sebastian. He was just a touch harsher in his jokes. A bit crueler around the eyes.

"Come on, I've got to go get some metheglin for Sebastain before we get back." Jace said, putting his hand in Clary's and pulling her up from her chair.

"What's metheglin?" Clary asked as they walked. "Is it some sort of potion?"

"Of sorts," Jace laughed. "It's mead, with spices in it, but for Sebastian we get the cilantro kind. Who even likes cilantro?"

Clary shrugged. "I do."

"Ugh," Jace's face twisted in disgust. "It tastes like dirty old soap."