City of Heavenly Fire
 | |
| Author | Cassandra Clare |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Mortal Instruments |
| Genre | fantasy, Adventure |
| Publisher | Margaret K. McElderry |
Publication date | May 27, 2014 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 725 (hardback, first edition) |
| Preceded by | City of Lost Souls |
City of Heavenly Fire is the sixth and final installment in The Mortal Instruments which is a series of six young adult fantasy novels written by Cassandra Clare. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a proposed five in The Shadowhunter Chronicles.
Description
In the long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary's own brother.
Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell.
The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris—but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons?
When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee — even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned . . .
Love will be sacrificed and lives lost in the terrible battle for the fate of the world in the thrilling final instalment of the classic urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments.
Plot
Prologue: Fall like Rain
In December 2007, Emma Carstairs is dropped off by her parents at the Los Angeles Institute to train with the other Blackthorn children and their tutor, Katerina. The Carstairs were called to investigate demonic activity, while a meeting among the local Conclave members was ongoing at the Institute. In the training room, her friend Julian Blackthorn is annoying his older half-brother, Mark, who is later targeted by their younger brother, Ty, for the removal of the bees in his room. While Mark tries to appease Ty, Emma gets into a scuffle with Julian over his stele. At this point, Emma is conflicted and annoyed over her feelings as she realized that she was beginning to see the attractiveness of boys, particularly Mark and Julian. Soon, the Institute goes into chaos as it is seemingly attacked by unknown creatures and set on fire. While Mark and Katerina leave to investigate, the younger ones are left in the training room.
Deciding that it is much more dangerous for them to stay, against Mark's order, Jules takes the twins, Ty and Livvy, to the Institute's office to send a distress call to the Clave for backup, and asks Emma to fetch his younger siblings Dru and Tavvy and meet with them in the office. Emma agrees and goes straight to the Institute's nursery. There, she finds the eight-year-old Dru wielding a sword to protect the defenseless Tavvy. Escorting them out, Emma mistakenly makes a wrong turn and ends up at the grand staircase of the Institute, where she sees several Shadowhunters, both Conclave members and the Endarkened, and Jonathan Morgenstern, famously known as Sebastian, in the middle of the foyer, carrying the Infernal Cup.
There, Emma sees the father of the Blackthorns, Andrew, their tutor, Katerina, and Mark, whom Sebastian refused to Endarken. Letting Dru to take Tavvy to the office ahead of her, Emma threw a knife at Sebastian's chest, which the boy just took out and laughed at. With Sebastian's minions at her heels, Emma ran to the office and met with Jules, who waited for her and was pleading for the Clave to keep the Portal open. The pair manage to get through just as the Endarkened breaks into the office, and the Portal closes behind them.
Part One: Bring Forth a Fire
Jace Lightwood meets with Jordan Kyle in Central Park so that Jordan can help him learn to meditate, in an effort to help control his heightened emotions resulting from the heavenly fire in his veins. After Jordan leaves to meet Maia, Jace joins Clary, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec, who were hanging out nearby for moral support. Jace notices Alec staring at his phone, and makes fun of him for pining over Magnus, and ultimately breaks Alec's phone to prevent him from texting him anymore, an act that makes Alec annoyed and frustrated. The group then discusses the events that have occurred in the weeks since. Isabelle and Alec mention that many of the Nephilim have refused to believe that Sebastian and the Endarkened are a threat to the Shadowhunters as a whole, as none of them can imagine a world where Shadowhunters fight against their brethren. Jace brings up the fact that the Clave has had no luck in trying to track Sebastian or the Endarkened, which is making it difficult for them to plan an attack. They also discuss that the experts at Wrangel Island working over-time to reinforce the wards, while the Spiral Labyrinth are researching a cure for the Endarkened to restore them back to Shadowhunters. Isabelle also reveals that despite the Silent Brothers doing a multitude of tests to draw the heavenly fire out of Jace, they have yet to find a way to use it against Sebastian. Isabelle gets a call from her mother, instructing her and Alec to return to the Institute; she then convinces Jace to go to Magnus' apartment to talk to him about Alec, while Clary and Simon go Christmas shopping.
While shopping, Clary and Simon discuss the state of Simon's relationship with Isabelle, and she encourages Simon to make things official with her. Simon is preoccupied by his future as a vampire, and begins to worry about what he'll do after he and Jordan are no longer living together. The two are later found by Jocelyn and Luke, who interrupt their shopping date to inform Clary that they received a call for an emergency meeting at the Institute, and they both insist that she join them. Meanwhile, Jace goes to Magnus' apartment to convince him to get back together with Alec. He argues that Magnus is clearly just as miserable as Alec is, as evidenced by the fact that Magnus' apartment is dark and full of old take-out containers instead of the usual glitz and glamour. Magnus mentions that he's known many Shadowhunters in his long life, and he describes them as having the "thoughtless fire of angels." Before they can speak further, Isabelle calls Jace and orders him to return to the Institute for the emergency meeting.
At the Institute, the entirety of the New York Conclave, with the addition of Jocelyn and Luke, meet in the library, where Maryse announces that six Institutes have been attacked over the course of two nights: Berlin, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Oslo, and Los Angeles. Furthermore, all of the present Shadowhunters at each of the Institutes were either killed or Turned into Endarkened, with the exception of six children from the Los Angeles Conclave: Emma Carstairs, and Julian, Tiberius, Livia, Drusilla, and Octavian Blackthorn, all of whom survived the invasion. Maryse also reveals that something has happened to Mark Blackthorn, though they do not have any further information at the moment on what that could be. The members of the Conclave all agree that Sebastian and his Endarkened were behind the attacks, and as a result, Maryse informs them that all Shadowhunters are being called to Idris for an emergency meeting to come up with a strategy to eliminate the threat of Sebastian and his Endarkened warriors. She instructs them all to pack up their things, and insists that they will be leaving by Portal the following evening; once they've arrived to Alicante, the wards protecting Idris will be doubled, which will make them so strong that no one will be able to get in or out of the country.
In Idris, Emma wakes up in a bed in the attic of the Penhallow's home, where Helen Blackthorn is checking on her. She immediately asks where her parents are, but Helen ignores the question in favor of filling her in on the rest of the details she missed while she was unconscious; that all of the Blackthorn children managed to make it through the Portal to Idris from the Los Angeles Institute, and that Sebastian had not just invaded the Los Angeles Institute, but six Institutes in total. Emma sadly confesses that Helen's father was Turned and that Mark was taken hostage, which visibly upsets Helen, but Helen pushes past that information and continues on to inform Emma that the Clave believes Mark is still alive. Emma once again asks where her parents are, so Helen is forced to admit to her that her parents went missing after they had left to hunt a demon, and, shortly afterward, their bodies washed up on the beach of Marina del Rey. Emma is so shocked that she begins to scream at the top of her voice, and is only able to stop when Julian rushes into the room with Cortana and hands it to her. Emma, remembering what her father said about Carstairs having steel in their veins, hugs the blade of the sword so close to her that it cuts her arm.
The next day, Catarina Loss, who is filling in for Magnus so he wouldn't have to see Alec, helps the New York Conclave create a Portal to Alicante for the emergency Clave session. Clary and Simon both admit to the other that they're nervous about her leaving, though Clary is more concerned about leaving Simon behind all alone. Simon assures her that Jordan will protect him, and jokes that no one has tried to kill him in weeks. Clary catches him staring at Isabelle and insists that he go talk to her, reminding him that he needs to prove to her that he's someone she can trust so she can start to open up to him. Magnus arrives shortly after, despite his earlier protests, so he could say goodbye to Alec. Clary bids Simon goodbye, with a final instruction to go find Magnus, should an emergency occur, so that he can send them a fire message in Idris to let them know. After Clary runs to meet up with her mother and Luke near the Portal, Isabelle approaches Simon and suggests it's time for them to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, Magnus and Alec are talking nearby for the first time since they broke up. Magnus reminds Alec that Alec was the one who was so desperate to speak to him, and urges him to say what he wants to say; unfortunately, Alec is so nervous and surprised to see him that he is completely speechless. When Magnus brings up that he expected that Alec would at least say goodbye before he left, Alec argues that he couldn't, because Jace broke his phone, which both exasperates and charms Magnus. He then impulsively kisses Alec, unable to resist him, but immediately regrets it. Magnus reminds him that their relationship doesn't work, because Alec will get old and he won't, but Alec retorts that Magnus isn't innocent, either, because he is unwilling to be open and honest about his many years of life before they met. Magnus doesn't disagree with him, and, before he leaves, he confesses his real fear-- that the dreams he has of bone cities flooded with the blood of the Nephilim will ultimately end up being true-- before urging him to be careful while he's in Idris, because he needs Alec to stay alive.
Across the courtyard, Simon and Isabelle talk about her trip to Idris, and, when Simon admits he wishes he were going with her, she assures him that he's safer in New York and away from Sebastian. The conversation changes to Isabelle and the possibility that Simon could get hurt in a relationship with her, which Simon says is worth the risk, touching her deeply. She gives him her ruby necklace to wear while she's gone, in order to protect himself until she returns. He starts to tell her he loves her, but she cuts him off, not wanting him to say it under these circumstances.
Once in Idris, Clary, Jocelyn, and Luke arrive to Amatis' old house, where they plan to stay while they're there on Clave and Council business. Exhausted, Clary made her way to the spare bedroom to put away her things. She decides to look through Amatis' trunk of old clothes, where she eventually stumbles upon a white mourning dress and jacket, with runes of mourning and herons (to honor Stephen Herondale's death) on the cuffs. Jocelyn eventually joins her and encourages Clary to wear Amatis' mourning jacket to the Clave meeting the next morning, as a show of solidarity to all of the Nephilim whose family members were killed or Turned in the Institute attacks. Shortly afterward, Clary went to bed, where she slept fitfully for several hours. She awoke in the middle of the night and got up for a glass of water, only to stop in the hallway when she heard Jocelyn and Luke's whispered voices. She eavesdrops as Jocelyn explains to Luke that she found something in the cupboard, something she hadn't seen since Valentine stole all of their belongings. Jocelyn admits she assumed it had been blown up in the explosion in Valentine's old apartment, and after Clary listens a little longer, she eventually realizes that Jocelyn was talking about the box with photos of Sebastian, some of his baby clothes, and a lock of his hair, which she took out and cried over every year on his birthday. Luke gently reminds her that she has to tell the Clave about this, but Jocelyn is clearly not happy about having to confess this to them, and goes as far as to say she should have killed Sebastian when he was a baby.
The next morning, all of the Shadowhunters (including Jocelyn and Luke) attended the Council meeting held at the newly-renovated Gard to discuss the events of the past few days and all of the information they have gathered so far. Clary eventually meets up with Jace before the meeting begins, taking note that Maryse and Robert Lightwood were not seen together. She informs Jace about what she overheard her mother and Luke talking about the night before, and Jace replies that he thinks Sebastian left the box as a message to the Clave and to Jocelyn and Clary that even the wards can't keep him out. The meeting begins shortly afterward, when Consul Jia Penhallow and Inquisitor Robert Lightwood move to the center of the room to officially announce the news of the attacks on the six Institutes over the last 48 hours. Many Shadowhunters, including Diana Wrayburn, initially reject the idea that Shadowhunters are actually being Turned into Endarkened, leading Jia to emphasize just how dangerous and threatening Sebastian's new race of warriors are to the Nephilim. She also explains that while Valentine wanted to rid the world of all demon-kind, including Downworlders, Sebastian wants to use the demonic Nephilim as tools to destroy their fellow Shadowhunters until they're all turned to ashes. Nasreen Chaudhury asks if any progress has been made on a cure for the Shadowhunters who became Endarkened, and Robert reveals that one of the Endarkened, Amalric Kriegsmesser, was injured and left for dead at the attack on the Berlin Institute, where was found by the Nephilim and has since been in the care of the Silent Brothers and the Spiral Labyrinth as they research a cure.
When the topic turns to Sebastian and how powerful he is, Jia calls for Helen to bring her younger siblings and Emma with her to the front of the room. Once there, she calls Julian forward first, and asks him to take up the Mortal Sword to testify about what he saw. Many of the audience, including Clary and Emma, are not happy to see that the Sword is being used on such young children, but Jace argues that it has to be done, as Emma and the Blackthorn children were the only witnesses who survived the attacks, and, as such, they are primary source of information about what happened at the Los Angeles Institute. When asked to describe what he saw, Julian starts from the beginning, and explains that when Emma and Julian split up so that Emma could get Drusilla and Tavvy from the nursery, Julian, Liv and Tiberius went to the office to call the Clave; on the way, they passed the main entrance, where they saw Sebastian and his Endarkened army in their red gear, along with other warriors wearing all black who Julian couldn't identify. Julian watched Sebastian as he pulled out his sword, Phaesphoros, and held it to his father's throat until Amatis made him drink from the Infernal Cup. It was then that Mark yelled at Julian to run away, and when Julian took a last look at him before running to the office, the Endarkened warriors, Andrew Blackthorn included, had swarmed Mark and were holding him down.
Emma becomes so distraught watching Julian wince in pain as the Mortal Sword compels him to tell the truth about what he witnessed that she ran down to the front of the room and put her hands over the Sword so they could question her instead of Julian. She revealed that she was the one who threw a knife at Sebastian and stabbed him in the heart, and adds that she watched him as he pulled the blade out and laughed. She then quoted his message for the Nephilim-- "It's a shame that you won't live. Live to tell the Clave that Lilith has strengthened me beyond all measure. Perhaps Glorious could end my life. A pity for the Nephilim that they have no more favors they can ask of Heaven, and none of the puny instruments of war they forge in their Adamant Citadel can harm me now,"-- a message which cause the people of the Council to begin to chatter and speculate. Robert suggests that Emma missed his heart, and she becomes so upset by the way the adults have been treating her and her friends that she runs away to a back room in the Gard, but not before telling Robert that she knows where the heart is, though she doesn't think that Robert does, judging by his attitude and behavior.
Clary, feeling bad for what Emma has gone through, rushes back so she can talk to her. On the way there, she runs into Aline Penhallow, who also expresses sympathy for Emma and the other Blackthorn children, including Helen, who has found herself in charge of raising five of her siblings on her own unless their uncle agrees to be their guardian. Clary begs Aline to let her try to talk to Emma, so Aline reluctantly allows her into the room. Inside the room, Emma is curled up in a chair, and defiantly demands to know why Clary is there. Clary admits that she's been questioned with the Mortal Sword before, and insists that she thinks its wrong that they questioned Julian with it. She tries to help calm Emma down by asking her about her best friend, and by telling her about her own best friend, Simon, who she says she really misses. She also compliments Emma on Cortana, and tells her that heroes have famous swords. Emma quickly warms up to Clary and informs her that Mark Blackthorn wasn't Turned, as originally thought, but was instead taken captive because of his faerie heritage. Clary, worried that Emma's parents were Turned as well, hesitantly asks her what happened, but Emma clarifies that her mother and father were killed while they were on patrol. She laments that she wasn't there with them when it happened so she could save them, but Clary assures her that since her parents were clearly great fighters, like Emma is, she wouldn't have been able to do anything to save them, even if she was there. Clary also tells her that even heroes lose sometimes, but they keep fighting, because that's what heroes are meant to do. Jace stops into the room and interrupts their conversation by letting them know the meeting ended, so Clary replies that she'll meet him at the Lightwoods' house.
After he leaves, Emma gushes over Jace, and exclaims that he's the best Shadowhunter in history; when Clary replies that he's her friend, Emma grins and corrects her by saying that Jace is her "boyfriend", because according to Emma, everyone knows Jace Lightwood's girlfriend is Clary Fairchild. Before Clary leaves, she promises Emma that she can come talk to her or Jace anytime she needs, and makes sure she knows where they'll be staying in case she needs to find them. Emma then tells Clary that if she's going to be Jace's girlfriend, she needs a cooler sword, which makes Clary laugh.
Clary then runs over to the Lightwoods' new home in Alicante, where she has an awkward encounter with Robert before she heads upstairs to meet her friends.
In the room Alec and Jace shared, the three Lightwood siblings are all hanging out as they continue to discuss what the Shadowhunters will do. They're all concerned about what will happen to the world while the Nephilim are all in Idris, instead of patrolling for demons and taking care of rogue Downworlders who break the Accords. Alec believes that the Shadowhunters will ultimately prevail over Sebastian and the Endarkened once they convince the four factions of Downworlders to join them in an alliance, but both Jace and Clary are skeptical, as they know that is what Sebastian will expect them to do, and they know he'll be prepared for it. Jace fills Clary in on what she missed at the meeting; namely, that the Clave would like to try to use the heavenly fire within him to defeat Sebastian, but no one knows how to get the fire out of him. They also discuss the possibility of a cure for the Endarkened, though Isabelle believes they can't be saved, as their purpose was to create demons with the faces of the Nephilim's loved ones so it will be emotionally harder to fight against them. Alec warns Izzy to keep her voice down, as to not upset their parents, but Isabelle is visibly upset by their parents lack of interest in each other. Alec makes the mistake of replying, "A lot of people split up when they have a child who dies," which enrages Isabelle so much that she storms off, leaving Jace to walk Clary back to Amatis'.
Back in New York, Maia, Jordan, and Simon are hanging out at Jordan's apartment, waiting for their take-out to arrive. While they wait, they discuss the current state of Downworld without the Shadowhunters in town to enforce the Accords, and Maia admits she's surprised that Maureen, the newest leader of the New York vampire clan, hasn't been ravaging the city, but Simon assumes that Raphael and Lily are keeping her in line. While they talk, Simon senses something off between Maia and Jordan, but someone knocks at the door before he can investigate further. Just as Simon is about to answer the door, he feels Isabelle's ruby necklace pulse as it senses a demonic presence, which gives him just enough time to jump out of the way before the apartment is invaded by Endarkened. Maia and Jordan fight the Dark Shadowhunters as Jordan yells at Simon to get out of there and allow them to protect him, and Simon reluctantly leaves through the window and out the fire escape. Once he make it to the ground below, he's surrounded by a group of vampires, led by Lily and Zeke, who immediately capture him.
In Alicante, Jace and Clary take a nighttime walk around the city, where they discuss Emma. Clary admits that she likes her, because Emma reminds her of Jace, especially because of the fact that Emma lost her blood family, too, and she believes now the Blackthorns will become the same kind of family to Emma that the Lightwoods became for him. The two ultimately end up in an alley, where, despite Jace's hesitation, Clary succeeds in kissing him. Their kissing escalates so quickly that Jace loses control over the heavenly fire, which causes him to burn his hand-prints into the brick wall he was leaning against. He becomes so panicked and fearful that he hurt Clary that he quickly pulls away.
Meanwhile, in the Seelie Court, the Seelie Queen lays in her bed with Sebastian after a night spent romantically fooling around in her bedchamber. They begin to kiss again, only to be interrupted by Kaelie Whitewillow, the Seelie Queen's young pixie handmaiden, who arrives to inform the Queen that Meliorn needs to speak with her urgently. He is ultimately sent into the Queen's chambers so that he, the Queen, and Sebastian can discuss their further plots against the Nephilim. Meliorn reveals that Sebastian's Endarkened forces are waiting in Edom for their next mission, that Mark Blackthorn had been claimed by the Wild Hunt, and that survivors of the Los Angeles Institute's attacks have passed on their information to the Clave; though, he takes care to assure the Queen that the faerie warriors were not identified as working with the Endarkened, so the Fair Folk's alliance with him remains a secret to the Nephilim. When Sebastian asks about Clary and Jace, Meliorn regretfully informs him that since they are currently in Idris, they have to wait to capture them so as to not reveal their plans too soon, which does not please Sebastian. Meliorn's main reason for visiting the Queen was to advise Sebastian to launch an attack on at least one more Institute before all of them are abandoned for Idris, as they are in need of both more Endarkened and more weapons. Sebastian, after learning which Institutes haven't been evacuated yet, decides to take the London Institute after securing the Queen's blessing.
After the battle with the Endarkened at their apartment, Jordan went out searching for Simon while Maia, Luke, Bat, and the rest of the pack dealt with the bodies of the dead Endarkened. When Jordan returns, he admits that he only found Simon's cell phone, which was smashed at the bottom of their building's fire escape. Jordan laments the fact that Simon was captured under his watch, but Maia insists that it wasn't his fault, as he had asked the Praetor for additional security after Simon lost his Mark of Cain, and they didn't listen. Maia then begins to feel extremely guilty, as she has a confession she wants to make to Jordan, but before she can do so, Jordan receives a phone call from Teal Waxelbaum, the second-in-command of the Praetor Lupus, who instructs him to come to Praetor headquarters as soon as possible. Jordan, sensing that something was wrong with Maia, asks her if she'd like to come along, and she ultimately agrees, knowing that the Praetor can help them find Simon.
Simon awakens in a cage that is barely big enough to fit him and realizes with horror that he has been dressed in very tight leather pants and a gauzy white blouse. He begins to wonder where he is, until Maureen comes in wearing a crown made of bones and a rose and gray colored ballgown. She informs him that she's bought him a lot of new clothes, and then, when Simon asks where they are, she admits that they're in the Hotel Dumort. Simon is incredibly unnerved by Maureen's new personality since becoming a vampire as he listens to her explain that he's in his new room, and can come out of his cage when he's ready. Simon starts to interject, but she cuts him off and insists that all he needs is time to fall in love with her, and that when he does, they'll rule her kingdom, because now she is queen. Simon suddenly realizes what Camille and Lilith have done to corrupt her child-like innocence and becomes even more frightened of his current situation as Maureen tells him she has things to do and leaves him alone in his cage.
Maia and Jordan drive to the Praetor headquarters in his truck as the two sit in awkward, tense silence. Jordan asks her if she's okay, and when she lies and says she is, he reminds her that he loves her, to which Maia only replies, "I know. Thank you." Before the two can speak further, Maia sees what looks like flakes of snow out the window, but when Jordan holds his hand out the open window and catches one, he realizes that it's actually ash. As they got closer to the building, all they can see is thick black smoke billowing up to the sky. At the burning remains of the headquarters, the two find the bodies of dozens of recently killed lycanthropes lying on the ground, including that of Praetor Scott. Before Jordan can say a word, he is stabbed with a sword from behind. Once the sword is removed, Jordan collapses to the ground, revealing that it was Sebastian standing behind him with Phaesphoros, which is now covered in Jordan's blood. Maia clutches onto Jordan as the life slowly leaves him, and though Jordan begs her to run, she refuses. Sebastian cruelly informs her that Jordan is going to die, so Maia angrily asks him why he did this, because she thought his quarrel was with the Nephilim. Sebastian claims it's a long story, and only states that he wanted the London Institute, but when it turned out to be more well-protected than he had anticipated, he decided to attack the Praetor Lupus instead, due to its history with the London Institute. He adds that his war isn't just against the Nephilim, but their allies, and gives Maia a message to pass along his message to the Nephilim and Downworlders: "[...] They should remember their Shakespeare. I'll never pause again, never stand still, till either death hath closed these eyes of mine, or fortune given me measure of revenge. Tell all Downworlders I am in pursuit of vengeance, and I will have it. I will deal this way with any who ally themselves with Shadowhunters. I have no argument with your kind, unless you follow the Nephilim into battle, in which case you will be food for my blade and the blades of my army, until the last of you is cut from the surface of this world." He then points out that Jordan is dead before taking his leave.
Back in New York, Magnus goes to the Hunter's Moon with Catarina for some drinks, where Magnus stares at Bat Velasquez while he DJ's. Catarina calls him out on his spaciness, and he admits that his mind is on other things, prompting Catarina to warn him not to do anything stupid. Magnus claims he doesn't repeat his mistakes, but Catarina argues that he simply makes new and even worse mistakes instead. Catarina brings up Alec, and tells him she hasn't seen him so hung up on anyone like he is with Alec, adding that she saw him with Alec when they left for Idris in the Portal. She tells him that with Alec, he was actually happy, rather than miserable, like he was when he was with Camille. Finally, Magnus admits that his problem is that he can feel the world changing; he cites the fact that though Shadowhunters have endured for nearly a millennia, there are still warlocks who exist who remember when there were no Nephilim, and he's afraid that the world will soon have to learn to live without them again.
Catarina is skeptical that the Nephilim could be wiped out, but Magnus reminds her that he's had dreams of it happening, and she concedes that he does sometimes have true dreams, as a result of who his father is. He continues on to say that he can't shake the feeling that the apocalypse is coming, and adds, "Valentine Morgenstern nearly wiped out the Shadowhunters, and his son is twice as clever and six times as evil," before mentioning that he knows Sebastian has help from even more powerful demons than his father. Magnus also admits that he has been trying to track down Sebastian's allies, but he can't find any leads; he's not sure that he can help the Nephilim, and is worried that no one else can, either. Catarina realizes just how in love with Alec Magnus is and brings up Tessa as an example that sometimes love is worth the pain of death. She then insists that Magnus re-take her position as Council Representative for the Children of Lilith so he can go to Idris and make amends with Alec, before handing him an invitation to a dinner held by Meliorn for the Council Representatives. Suddenly, Sneaky Pete whistles from the bar, and all the werewolves rush toward him, indicating to Magnus that something has happened. He rushes up to join them, which initially makes the werewolves uneasy until Sneaky Pete, knowing of Magnus' friendship with Luke and Maia, allows him to stick around. Magnus assumes it is another attack on an Institute or Alicante, but Bat finally admits that Sebastian attacked the Praetor Lupus headquarters, burning it down and killing at least one hundred lycanthropes, including Praetor Scott and Jordan Kyle.
In Idris, the "war orphans" (the term the Shadowhunter used to refer to the Blackthorn children and Emma Carstairs) are in the attic of the Penhallows home, where Julian and Emma are feeding the younger children. Julian worries because Tavvy isn't eating enough, but Emma guesses he can just sense that bad things have happened and misses their dad and Mark. Julian worries about how he's supposed to take care of his younger siblings, because he isn't Mark and isn't as good at handling them as he is. Emma is about to go check on Dru and the twins when Helen arrives to break the news that the London Institute had been attacked by Sebastian's forces. Julian is immediately concerned about their uncle Arthur, who was supposed to take guardianship of the Blackthorn children, but Helen assures him that he was only injured, and will still be coming, just later than expected. She adds that there were actually no casualties at the attack, although they have no idea why. While Emma and Julian are happy that no one was hurt, Emma is still slightly upset that the residents of the London Institute survived, while her family had to die. Helen promises the children that they'll be able to catch Sebastian, and Emma angrily states that she hopes they kill him in Angel Square for everyone to see, which horrifies Helen.
The next day, Jace and Clary go to Diana Wrayburn's shop to look for a new sword for Clary. Clary and Diana briefly discuss famous swords such as Cortana before Diana shows her a shortsword, which is eventually revealed to be Heosphoros, one of the two Morgenstern swords made by Wayland the Smith. Diana explains the history of the sword, and informs Clary that Jocelyn had sold the sword to her father before she left Idris for New York. She believes the sword should be Clary's, now, but Clary initially refuses, citing the fact that she hates both of the men who wielded the sword's pair, and that there are no Morgensterns currently living who aren't dedicated to evil. She adds that she couldn't afford the sword anyway, as it's made of gold, black gold, and adamas, but Diana offers it to her for free, as no one will buy it because of its history. She insists that Clary should not let the sword have power over her because of its previous owner, and tells her to use it to kill her brother and take back the honor of her family's name. Their conversation is interrupted when Diana receives a fire message announcing the attack on the London Institute, which makes Clary so upset that she runs away from the shop. Jace ultimately catches up with her and gives her a scabbard that he bought for her before reminding her that the Morgensterns are an old, well-respected Shadowhunter family, and that she shouldn't let her father and brother turn her against her blood. He then takes her to bless her sword at the Accords Hall fountain.
Simon, meanwhile, is met by Raphael at the Hotel Dumort. Initially, he assumes Raphael is simply there to antagonize him. Raphael, however, admits that he wishes to be leader of the clan, and that he fears Maureen will destroy the Night's Children if she remains in power. In return for Simon testifying on the vampires' behalf to the Inquisitor, and in taking the blame for the Clave finding out about Maureen's slaughters, he will free him and reunite him with his friends in Alicante. Simon, though disliking Raphael's motivations, agrees, and Catarina sends them through to Idris via a Portal.
Clary, overseen by Jace, blesses Heospheros in the fountain. She notices how tense he is, and he admits he has been thinking about Sebastian. Jace is concerned of the growing similarities between the two of them, and how much easier he found it destroying the world rather than fixing the mess he made. Just then, the demon towers light up to signal a battle is coming, and Jace and Clary race to the Gard. There they find Robert and Jia sending Shadowhunters, some inexperienced and ill-equipped, to fight the Endarkened at the Adamant Citadel. Jace and Clary argue with Robert over sending those who seek to help the Endarkened into the fight, and Robert forbids them from going. With their usual disregard for the rules, they both escape through the Portal to face Sebastian. At the battle, Jace and Clary quickly discover it is hopeless, and Clary runs to make a Portal to get them to safety. She is apprehended by Amatis, whom she fights and eventually beats, while she threatens to bring her to Sebastian, calling herself his most trusted lieutenant. Jace, across the battlefield, cuts down Endarkened effortlessly, though the Nephilim are clearly outmatched. Sebastian fights him and goads him into losing his cool. When he stabs Jace, he is burned by heavenly fire, and jerks back with surprise. Sebastian's forces disappear into the ground, and Clary rushes to help Jace. Brother Zachariah attempts to aid him initially, but is burned by heavenly fire. Clary Marks Jace with an iratze powerful enough to somehow heal him, nearly dying in the process.
Back at the Gard, Isabelle attempts to follow the others to the Citadel, but is stopped by her father. Furious with him, she shouts that Max's death was his fault, and tells him, and Alec and Maryse, that she knows about how he had an affair before Max was born, and accuses him of being happy about Max's death, as it frees him of responsibilities. She then flees. Alec speaks with the Consul, but is interrupted by intense pain from his parabatai rune due to Jace's stabbing and heavenly fire burning.
Raphael and Simon arrive in Alicante, and discover it to be deserted. Seeing the red lights on the demon towers, and hearing from Raphael what they mean, Simon concludes the others are at the Gard. Raphael suggests they move to the vampire representatives' house, which Simon is slightly averse to, but their discussion is interrupted by Simon spotting Isabelle's approach. Still hurting from her argument up at the Gard, Isabelle is relieved to see him and embraces him. To explain about how he has come to be here, Simon and Isabelle retreat to her house.
Magnus, meanwhile, checks the silver box that Sebastian left with Jocelyn and Luke, and finds it bearing no sinister enchantments. He suggests slightly how the London Institute was protected, and goes on to say that his loyalty is to Downworlders over Shadowhunters.
Back in New York, Maia wakes to find herself back with the rest of her pack, and with Bat watching over her. He tells her of the extent of Sebastian's slaughtering of the Praetor, and shows her what he salvaged of Jordan's things. Maia is broken over the death of her boyfriend, though tells him Simon should have whatever Jordan had, and Bat tells her of the imminent mass Praetor funeral.
In Alicante, Isabelle roots through Alec's clothes to try and find something for Simon to wear. She fills him in on what has been going on in Alicante since they came here, and what is happening now, but does not mention any personal feelings. Isabelle, trying to forget about her arguments with her family, deflects his questions and attempts to seduce him, the two of them jokingly roleplaying as costume-drama-like characters and ending up together in Alec's bed before Alec himself arrives in the room. He is horrified to find the two of them together, and from him Simon finds out about Jace and Clary having gone through the Portal. He and Isabelle argue and she takes back her pendant, until Alec is again hurt by his parabatai rune. They head to Angel Square and the Basilias, where the injured Jace will be having returned from battle. While Isabelle and Alec go to see him, Simon speaks with Raphael, who chastises him for siding too much with Nephilim and remarks about how the Adamant Citadel lies on ley lines. Simon quickly forgets him, however, when he sees Clary exhausted and close to death from her miraculous iratze she administered to Jace. Luke also breaks it to him that Jordan has been killed, and gives him his werewolf friend's Praetor pendant.
Clary awoke in Amatis's spare room only to see her mother singing beside her. She immediately asks about Jace and his whereabouts. Jocelyn, along with Luke, calms her down and tells her that he is alright and she would never lie to her. They talk about what happened, and Clary tells Luke that Amatis is now Sebastian's lieutenant, but does not tell him more, as she doesn't want to hurt his feelings. Jocelyn asks about Clary's new sword, Heosphoros, that was brought with her. Clary answers that she is a Morgenstern and there is no way to deny it, she can't live with a surname [Fray] that doesn't mean anything. Jocelyn then tells her the origin of their surname, yet not revealing Tessa's name, referring to her as a "female warlock". Luke tells her that Jordan was killed, and Clary bursts in tears asking about Maia and Simon. Then Simon comes in and they hug. He tells her what happened in New York and two of them go out to the inquisitor's house to get him "food".
Meanwhile, on the beach at Rockaway, Bat approaches Maia, who was sitting and watching the ashes of the dead werewolves, along with Jordan's, cast into the sea. She tells Bat that she wanted to break up with Jordan the day Sebastian killed him. Bat encourages her to stop punishing herself, and that holding on for Jordan, as she did, was the best gift, she could ever give, to the good in him.
Back at Basilias, Jace confronts Brother Enoch, as he wants to leave. He finds out that Brother Zachariah is well recovered and wants to see him. Jace also finds out that all the Silent Brothers' attempts, to reverse Sebastian Endarkened army back to normal, were in vain. Then, he met with, now changed back to being Shadowhunter, Brother Zachariah. Jace and Brother Zachariah talk about their parabatai and that Zachariah now have all the feelings he felt during these years to deal with.
Clary and Simon visit the house of the vampire representative, Raphael, to ask for some blood for Simon. They have a bit of an argue and Simon realizes that Raphael is simply jealous, because of all Simon had that he didn't. Raphael, in turn, shuts the door in from of them, and later, it is discovered that the blood he gave to Simon was spiked. Simon appears to be drunk and tries to tell about his feelings to Isabelle. He starts shouting in front outside the Inquisitor's house and wakes up almost everybody on the street, including Isabelle and her father. Afterwards, Clary takes Simon into Amatis's house and lets him sleep on the couch. As she goes up the stairs to her bedroom, she finds Sebastian sitting in her bed waiting for her. Sebastian tells Clary that he will give her mercy if she will pledge her loyalty.
At the representative's dinner, Magnus, Luke, Jocelyn and Raphael enjoy themselves. They do until they realize that Fair Folk is on the Sebastian's side. Meliorn gives them a choice to join, which they all decline. Meliorn offers them a wine which is spiked and they fell unconscious.
Clary refuses Sebastian's offer and, in turn, he pins her against the wall. Before he does anything to her, Jace appears and challenges him. Sebastian leaves and Jace runs to Clary, who is holding onto the Heosphoros. The stay together until the Clave barges into the room.
Maia, still hurting from her loss, goes out to tell off Rufus for going against Luke and is followed by Bat. Their argument with Rufus, leads to him challenging Bat for the leadership, which Bat accepts, setting the date for tomorrow night in Prospect Park, and leaves. Maia shocked at his decision, as he could have refused because Rufus is not from their pack, follows him outside. She asks him to leave the town with her and he refuses, hinting that he still has feelings for her and she should save herself. He tells her to take the truck and get out of town, and that he will take care of the pack and Rufus.
At the Gard, Clary and Jace are recovering from the encounter with Sebastian. They start talking about Sebastian and Clary tells him about the time That Sebastian nearly raped her. Jace is totally shocked, but starts blaming himself for not being there and not being able to do anything even now, with heavenly fire within him. Clary calms him and they hug and softly kiss. They slowly drift to a sleep in each others arms.
They are woken up by Jia, who nearly forgets that they are there. She tells them that the Council meeting has begun and they followed her. There they find out that the Downworld representatives are kidnapped and Sebastian has left a message for them in a Council room.Veni-I have come. Clary, Jace and Simon reunite with Isabelle and Alec. Everybody start talking about the meaning of the message and where are the representatives, along with Jocelyn. Out of nowhere appears an Endarkened and seizes Jia threatening to slid her throat. He delivers a message from Sebastian saying that he will give them peace in return for Clary and Jace. Jace volunteers to be taken and it starts a commotion, during which Alec shoots an arrow and lets the blade, held against the Jia's throat, to break free. Jace dashes off to finish him but is stopped by Alec, right when the dais goes up in flames and the man disappears shouting that they have only two days to decide.
Back in New York, Maia comes back to the Simon's and Jordan's apartment to change clothes and pick up some weapons. There she meets Lily from the New York vampire clan, who she called for. Maia proposes her to ally with the werewolves and go against crazy Maureen. Lily brushes her off, saying to call her when she becomes a pack leader and walks away leaving Maia in thoughts.
In one of the meeting rooms at the Gard, Alec draws an iratze on Jace's arm. Jace is impressed by Alec's clean shot and Alec fells irritated at Jace's reckless actions. Alec tells him that he does not need to go, but Jace says that it might be the only way to save Magnus. Alec replies concerned if he wants to barter Clary's life too, to which Jace replies negatively. Alec just tells him that they can't let Sebastian drive wedges between all of them.
Jia discusses the matter of exchange with others in Clave, particularly Maryse and Robert Lightwood, and allows Isabelle, Simon and Clary to stay. Maryse claims that they would be killed the moment they will be exchanged, which Jia contradicts by saying that he said he won't hurt them. Isabelle snaps that Sebastian is a liar, when Jace and Alec come in the room. Simon backs up Isabelle, saying that Downworlders will start a war if they won't save the representative, however they shouldn't give Sebastian Jace and Clary, which leaves them at the dead-end. Isabelle suggests to go into hiding, to which Clary exclaims that there is nowhere they can hide from him. Brother Enoch and Zachariah come into the room, and the view of now-human Zachariah amazes the group. Especially Isabelle, who asks when did he get hot. The Brothers tell Jia that they cant' revert Sebastian spell which leaves Jia in despair. She sends Clary and Jace to rests and wait for them to be summoned, while the Clave will further discuss the matter. work in progress
Part Two: That World Inverted
Clary finds herself on stonewalk facing a manor set in the slope of a hill as its background. A voice in her mind tells her that it is the Fairchild manor, which has stood for four hundred years and will stand four hundred more. While standing there, she hears her mother calling for her from the balcony of the building, wearing an elegant champagne-colored dress with runes visible on her arms, and inquires whether it looks gorgeous. Clary following her mother’s gazes and notices the lawn leads to an archway of roses set up at the end of an aisle with scattered white flowers that grew only in Idris, and rows of wooden benches arranged on each sides. Looking back at the balcony, Clary sees that her mother is joined by Luke who is apparently still a Shadowhunter. They asked her whether she was ready, and disappears back to the house. Though she replies, they do not seem to hear her. When Clary takes a few steps along the path, Sebastian dressed in formal black approaches her with visible dirt on his cheek, and apparently has green eyes. The voice in her mind says that he has always had green eyes and people often marvel at how much they looked alike to their mother. The voice also assures that his name is Jonathan, her brother who has always protected her. When he was about talk to her, a small girl with red hair wearing a green lace dress reaches Jonathan. She held up her arms and he bent down to swing her up into the air and then held her over his head. The girl immediately starts pulling his hair; Jonathan calling her Val threatens that he will hold her upside down. The voice in Clarys mind says that she was named after Valentine, a great hero of the war and when Luke married her mother, they honored his memory in the name of their daughter. She soon learns that the dirt on Jonathans face was actually chocolate from the wedding cake, which her little sister had eaten half of the roses from, and he was trying to cover it up. He also points out that she might want to wear some shoes before the wedding. Much to her surprise, she finds that the wedding is between her and Jace, which Jonathan remarks as being inevitable. But before she could ask anything more, Jonathan concerned asks whether she has cold feet, in which case he is ready to take her to France even if it means that he won't get to see Isabelle in a strapless dress. Clary is astonished by this comment and esquires if he likes Isabelle, but he doges the question, and asks Clary if Isabelle will go out with him if he asks. She is shocked by this and asks about Simon, whom Jonathan does not seem to know. Clary then feels the ground give away and reaches out as if to catch at her brother but her hand went through him. The illusion broke and Clary finds herself lying on the bleak ground of Edom.
Simon was watching a beautiful view of Manhattan. His life has been busy with promotion, touring, signings, and appearances, that it is sometimes hard to remember that his main job was making music. There was a vase of hydrangeas on the kitchen island, a gift from his mother, congratulating him on playing a gig with Stepping Razor the week before, with a note: I love you, I’m proud of you. It was odd, since his mother knew that his favorite flowers were roses, and not hydrangeas. Turning away from the window, he looked more closely and realized it was indeed white roses. He hears the rattle of keys and sees Clary enters his apartment who complains about the rush in the lobby. She comes to give brief kiss to Simon, who teases Clary to wear heels because of her height. After making some small talk about Simon's band members, she kisses him again, more heated this time, murmuring that she had always loved him. When he replies he says "I love you, Isabelle" instead of Clary. Simon feels felt her stiffen in his arms and then the world around him seemed to sprout black lines like shattered glass. He heard a high-pitched whine in his ears and staggers back before the illusion gives away.
Isabelle and Simon were shuffling forward together as he held his hands over her eyes for a surprise. Isabelle was in the apartment that she and Simon shared, which according to her was small and cozy, a hodgepodge of their interests : guitars and katanas, vintage posters and hot-pink bedspreads. Simon had brought his cat, Yossarian, when they had moved in together, which Isabelle had protested against. but secretly liked since she had missed Church after she left the Institute. Simon led her into the kitchen where many people had gathered to celebrate her birthday: her mother and father, Alec, nine-year-old Max and Jace along with Clary, Jordan, Maia, and Simons band members Kirk, Matt and Eric. Magnus was holding a silver sparkler and winking, waving it back and forth as the sparkles flew everywhere. Clary was holding a sign that read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISABELLE. Isabelle whirled on Simon accusing that he had planned this. He pulls her towards him and says that Shadowhunters may not care about birthdays, but he does and that she should have everything. There was a whirl of hugs, presents and birthday cake, baked by Eric and decorated by Magnus that according to her, tasted better than it looked. Robert had his arms around Maryse, who was leaning back against him, looking on proudly at Magnus. Max claimed that he had made the sign, but after seeing Clary wink at her, she knew otherwise. Max said that he was going to put what birthday it was on the sign but Jace said that after twenty, people are just old and so it does not matter. Simon joked about making everyone feel ancient. Isabelle felt a sweet pain inside her chest, she could not remember a time when she had not loved him or trusted him. She then asked whether Max knew how old she was, to which he replied that she was twenty-two. She swallowed, as she realized that it meant her brother should be fifteen and not nine years old. Everyone was still talking and laughing around her but it sounded distant and echoing as if it came from very far away. Isabelle asks him how old he was and her surroundings start wavering when he replies that he was nine and would always be, and then he touched her face but his fingers passed through her as the voices fainted. Isabelle felt her knees give and she sank to the ground. She wasn't in the kitchen anymore, but surrounded by gray, powdery ash and blackened rock.
Alec was in the Hall of Accords, which was hung with blue banners, each gilded with the flaming symbol of the Lightwood family. Four tables had been arranged facing each other, with a raised speaker's lectern in the center. Alec sat at the longest table in the highest chair, with Magnus at his left, and his family stretched out on his right. His father kept boasting to everyone that Alec had won the battle and that his family have always been fighters. Then, Robert Lightwood rose to his feet and tapped the side of his fork against his glass. The room fell silent as the Shadowhunters looked up expectantly to Robert. He delivered a speech to honor Alec, who had apparently single-handedly destroyed the Endarkened army and defeated Sebastian Morgenstern. Robert goes on to say that he had also saved the life of his brother, Max, and was the greatest warrior he had ever known. Alec's father then announces that his son had gotten engaged to Magnus Bane, to which a chorus of cheers broke out. After Alec was congratulated, Jace admits that he knew that Alec used to have a crush on him and that he returned the feeling. Jace tells Alec that the Clave would probably let him do anything he wanted, since everybody loved him. He gestured out at the room full of Shadowhunters, who were all cheering or wiping tears as Robert spoke. A girl at one of the smaller tables held up a sign that said, "Alec Lightwood, we love you." Isabelle suggests that Alec and Magnus should have a winter wedding with five or six hundred people. As Alec rejects the idea, Magnus snapped his fingers in front of Alec's face and told him that the entire event was not happening. He explained to him that it was a hallucination brought on by their entry into the demon realms. A demon near the entrance that feeds on the dreams of travelers might have induced the dream, which is supposedly the deepest wish of the traveler's heart. Alec's deepest wish was that his father was proud of him, Magnus loved him, and everyone accepted him. The hallucination seemed real, but Alec couldn't remember defeating Sebastian, or winning a war, or saving Max. Magnus explains that demons don't understand human hearts, and they see as through a distorted glass and show you what you desire, but warped and wrong. Alec pushed himself out of the demons using Magnus's advice. He felt the world around him crack, as if he were tapping his way out of a shell. The voices around him vanished, along with the feel of the chair, the smell of the food, the clamor of applause, and the touch of Magnus's hand on his face. His knees hit the ground. His eyes opened to a gray landscape and the stink of garbage hit his nose. Alec spotted a mass of smoke with glittering yellow eyes in the darkness. Alec shot the demon with an arrow and it vanished.
Desperate, Magnus agrees to call on his father, revealed to be the Prince of Hell Asmodeus and the ruler of Edom. Asmodeus agrees to help them return safely to their world get back home, in exchange for Magnus—his immortality, and thus his life. Magnus agrees, though the process, seeing his whole life flash before his eyes, will kill him. Simon, not wanting to sacrifice Magnus but willing to sacrifice what he sees is his damned life as a vampire, volunteers to take his place. Asmodeus agrees, eager for the power of a Daylighter. To match Magnus' almost 400 years of life, Asmodeus tells him that he will also take Simon and his friends' memories of the Shadow World, including Clary and the rest of them, and, in exchange, he will give Simon back his life as a mundane. Simon agrees, much to the horror of the others, and as Asmodeus takes Simon's immortality and memories, he sends them back to their world, to Alicante. The group return just as the battle has began to die down, and in the midst of the confusion, Clary breaks down and grieves for Simon. In the days following, A council meeting is held to discuss the matter of the farie. Kalie, the fay waitress from Taki's steps forward to represent the fey in the meeting. She argues that the "treaty" between the nephilim and the Seelie court is too strict, and begs for leniancy. Magnus agrees with her, saying that the strictness will only create harsher feelings. However, the council forces Kaylie to accept the terms. They then decide that Helen should be banished to the institute at Wade Island. They then go further and decide to cease the search for Mark, angering Mark.
Epilogue: The Beauty of a Thousand Stars
Five months after the war, the Shadowhunters try to resume their life's normalcy. Isabelle, Magnus, and Clary seek out Simon. Though he does not fully remember his former life, bits of memories haunt him, enough that he named their band "The Mortal Instruments". He feels a hole in his life, though he cannot understand what it is. When Clary approaches him one morning in May outside his school, he is surprised and confused at the girl's seeming attachment to him. She invites him to her mother's wedding, and Simon gives her a brochure of his band's concert.
Clary, too hurt to look at the brochure, leaves. Isabelle, however, sees the band name on the brochure and immediately tells Magnus, who told her that even the slightest hint of Simon's recollection is enough for him to work with. Magnus approaches Simon, later followed by Isabelle, and further confuses the already bewildered Simon, who feels that he has lost his mind. Magnus immediately tells Simon about the Shadow World and his connection to it. He tells him that a way to help him off his curse, to help him regain his lost memories, is if he Ascends and becomes a Shadowhunter himself. Simon is partly fascinated and partly skeptical to believe them, though Magnus leaves the choice to Simon.
At Luke's farm, Luke and Jocelyn finally get married. The guests are happy for them, and several of them are resolving their own personal issues. Robert approaches Alec, and he tells him that he does love Maryse, even though they have decided to separate. Robert tells him that he has always been proud of him, and while he said some unforgivable things to him before, he does not see him as less a Shadowhunter just because he's gay. He explains to him that his old parabatai Michael Wayland once told him that he was in love with him, and he took it harshly, and they were no longer close since; he tells him that he is ashamed of himself, and he is proud of Alec for being a better man than him. Pleased and appreciative of his father's confiding in him, Alec thanks him, taking the first step towards possible forgiveness.
Magnus, who was busy with Simon and was unable to attend the ceremony, then arrives and takes Clary away from Jace to reunite her with Simon, who has agreed to Magnus' first spell and has regained a few of his memories. He remembers Clary, and his faerie ring on her finger, as his best friend, and Isabelle as someone whom he cared for and meant so much to her. He later dances with Isabelle and tells her that he wishes to work to once again become the man who deserves to be called a hero, and the man who deserves to be with her.
Alec goes to Magnus and tells him about Robert. Magnus tells him that if he chooses to forgive Robert, he should do it for himself. Alec asks him why he forgave him, and Magnus says it's because he loves him and wants to be with him. Alec makes it clear to Magnus that he does not want to be immortal, and that he will stay with Magnus until he grows old and dies; Magnus points out that he may not grow old, as the life of a Shadowhunter may be dangerous and brief. Alec decides that it won't matter as long as they are together until then.
Also at the wedding is the now mortal Zachariah and his fiancée, Tessa Gray. They discuss the past and the present, missing their shared love and worrying about Emma.
While Jace and Clary dance, Jocelyn asks Jace to play the piano, as Lily had gotten tired. He obliges, and Jocelyn takes Clary to meet Tessa, the warlock who performed the protection spell on her when she was young and from whom their surname Fray was derived from (F for Fairchild, and ray from Gray). Tessa and Clary talk about old friends and families, revealing to her that she is particularly attached to the Blackthorns, Herondales, and Carstairs. Tessa then gives Clary her old copy of the Codex, and asks her to pass on a Herondale ring, one that belonged to James Herondale, to Jace. Zachariah, who has just taken Church, arrives, and he and Tessa leave for Los Angeles.
Magnus is watching the others from afar when Catarina approaches him. Having seen Tessa earlier, Catarina inquires if his bothered about the "past and future colliding." He reveals that the conundrum with the Clave and the Fair Folk scares him, and that he is worried for this and the next generations of his loved ones. Catarina reminds him that, especially to them as warlocks, it is "better to love and fear than feel nothing."
In the end, the group share a view of the lakeside scenery. Magnus and Alec are happy and together once again, Simon is making Isabelle happier than she has been in months, Maia begins to welcome Bat's advances, and Clary shows Jace the gifts they received from Tessa.
References
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