city of fallen tears

Isabelle

Chapter 4: Isabelle

CPOV:

Clary stared in horror at the small body of Isabelle and Alec's younger brother: Max Lightwood.

She heard a familiar noise in the far corner of the dark kitchen.

Clary forced her eyes away from Max's body to see who it was that had made that noise.

Isabelle!

She wanted to say something, but couldn't..

Izzy tensed under Clary's stare.

"I didn't kill him Clary!" Izzy begged, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Clary had never seen Izzy cry, so it came as a bit of a shock to see it.

She tried to say something to reassure Izzy that she believed her, but only a breath of air came from her mouth.

"She did kill him," Sebastian hissed in Clary's ear.

Rage flickered in Isabelle's eyes.

"I didn't kill him! It was you! You did it! You murdered my brother!" Isabelle screamed at him.

Then suddenly it clicked in Clary's head.

While she, Alec and Jace had been at the Hall of Accords, Sebastian had killed poor Max. And now Sebastian wanted her to turn her back on Isabelle, thinking it was her that had killed Max.

But how am I supposed to believe it was Izzy when I know Izzy would never lay a hand on him?

Clary looked down at her Silent Rune, checking to see if it was fading yet. It was. It was now becoming a transparent color.

No doubt in a minute she'd be able to speak again.

"I didn't kill him Isabelle. It was you who did it," Sebastian told her calmly.

Izzy was tied to a chair, and was sitting near the counter, away from Max's limp form, which lay in the marble tiles beside the kitchen table.

A red pool of blood circled Max's dark head. His glasses askew on the floor.

Bile rose up in Clary's throat.

She'd promised him she'd bring him to Forbidden Planet.

Now she won't ever be able to bring him there.Izzy ignored Sebastian. Instead she looked at Clary, her eyes pleading.

"I swear on the Angel, Clary, that I never touched him. And that's an Oath!" Izzy told her.

"I believe you," Clary said, finally getting her voice back.

She looked down at where the Silent Rune had been. Now there lay a scar in the shape of it.

"WHAT! How can you believe her, Clary?!" Sebastian shouted, his eyes flickering with disbelief and rage.

"Because you were an awfully good actor, and, because I know Izzy enough, to know that she'd never lay a hand on her brother in any threatening way!" Clary shot back.

This time she saw it coming. She moved towards Izzy in a flash as Sebastian's fist flew at her head. He narrowly missed her. He took a threatening step toward Clary and Isabelle.

"Leave her alone!" Isabelle snarled.

While Isabelle was talking, Clary had taken out the knife Sebastian had stabbed her in the leg with. She sawed through the ropes as fast as she could, channeling all the rage and anger into her hand. The ropes gave way just as Sebastian punched her in the stomach.

As she fell to her knees, winded, she saw Isabelle shoot up out of the chair, and grab her whip.

Izzy disappeared from view when Sebastian body came into view.

"Leave her ALONE!" Isabelle shrieked, bringing the whip down."ENOUGH!"

A voice shouted from the doorway.

ISABELLE'S POV:

Izzy spun around, startled. She was surprised to see the man who'd ruined both Clary and Jace's lives: Valentine.

"What the hell?!" Izzy said, unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth.

Why is Valentine here? And how the hell did he manage to get past the wards?

"Oh girl, your not in hell yet," Valentine said.

His gaze went over to Sebastian. "I see you've captured her. Though I don't need this girl here," Valentine told him.

"I had to capture her. She witnessed me killing her brother."Isabelle flinched.

She made sure she didn't look at her brother's lifeless body. She was going to be strong, for Clary. She had to make sure that Clary wouldn't get hurt. She wouldn't cry. Especially in front of Valentine.Sebastian hauled Clary up.

"How could you be so foolish? I'll bring her, then. She might be useful," Valentine said.

She felt her arms being pulled back.

She kicked out at him.

"Let me go!"she shrieked.

"Shut up or I'll kill her right in front of you!" Valentine hissed in her ear, referring to Clary.

Isabelle froze. She was not ready to see another person her and her family loved, die. She wasn't ready to witness another death.

"Good girl. I see you're learning already," he said and twisted the wrist that held Izzy's whip.

She let go of it when a searing pain shot up through her arm.