The Mortal Instruments: City of Past Ghosts (Book 1)

Chapter 18: Mistress of Illusions

Chapter 18: Mistress of Illusion

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With one of the journals on his lap, Jace consulted an old version of the Codex.

He brushed his long hair aside as he read what Keayla Ashworth had written in these books. Some of the contents were gibberish mundane crap Jace didn't understand.

Every so often, he would look at the Codex, using it as a dictionary if he found any term in the journals he didn't understand, hoping it was an ancient term in the Codex.

This was the Codex that was given to Clary by Tessa. Jocelyn had given it to Jace for safekeeping after Clary had supposedly died.

Supposedly.

That word ran through Jace's head like a broken record.

As much as Jace was ecstatic and grateful that Clary was alive, he was also unbelievably furious. All he wanted to do was find who did this to Clary and chop them up into a million unidentifiable pieces that could double for kibble.

Jace sighed, picking up another journal and reading the words within it:

I'm thrilled. Clary and myself went dress shopping today. She bought this adorable one strap electric blue dress that ended right at the end of her knees. What she doesn't know is, I have set her up with Evangelyn Fine's son! I decided that she needs to get out there and live a little.

Evangelyn more than agreed, thrilled actually. I picked out this cute but expensive restaurant. I haven't seen Evie in ages and I guess, for Clary, it's worth it to reawaken the old ghosts.

Jace's hand fisted at the thought of Clary dating another boy. Now he was pissed. BEYOND PISSED.

Jace was never one for being jealous but this time, it was different. Clary didn't remember him—didn't love him.

There was the slight creak of the door and a long shadow spilling through the slightly open door. Jace looked up, pushing long hair out of his eyes.

"Alec?" Jace said. There couldn't be anyone else. Jace could always tell when it was his parabatai.

"Yeah." Alec said almost sheepishly as he stepped into the room, rubbing his neck with one hand. He shut the door behind him before walking towards Jace's bed. He threw himself onto the bed, groaning as he shut his eyes.

As usual, Alex was wearing a holey shirt and a pair of sweats to bed while Jace preferred the sweats-without-a-shirt look or the sexy-non holey-shirt-and-sweats look unlike Alec who seemed to prefer to look like a homeless person when he went to sleep.

"Please tell me you're not here for a sleepover." Jace groaned. Alec opened his eyes and glared at Jace.

"No." he said, sitting up. "I came to check on you, to see if you were asleep yet. Or now, rather, why you aren't asleep."

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"Because I sense a disturbance in the Force," Alec said. Jace knew his parabatai was trying to be sarcastic but he didn't understand what the heck Alec was trying to say.

"Never mind." Alec muttered, rolling his eyes. "I was up going through the notes and trying to decipher the pentagrams."

"Since when do you read pentagrams? We never took up Hodge's offer to learn."

"Magnus taught me." Alec said simply.

If only all of us had a warlock boyfriend to teach us pentagrams, Jace thought.