So you feel entitled to a sense of control

And you make decisions that you think are your own

You are a stranger here, why have you come?

Why have you come, lift me higher, let me look at the sun

~ Mikky Ekko, Who Are You Really?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

REBECCA

Rebecca's first instinct was to run to the Gard - in fact, she was almost there when she turned abruptly, her feet carrying her down familiar roads to the Lightwood house. She hoped that at least Robert would be there, even if the others weren't. As Inquisitor, he would know what to do. And as her father, he would hear her out... wouldn't he?

She arrived only slightly out of breath, tugged at the gates and sprinted up to the front door. "Robert!" she screamed. "Dad!"

The door opened almost immediately, and Isabelle stood there, covered in a long silk dressing gown. "What in the world-" she started to say. Then her mouth fell open.

But Rebecca paid her no heed. She darted past her sister and into the house, still yelling for her father. He came, barely ten seconds later, also in a dressing gown, his dark hair sleep mussed. He looked astonished to see his daughter standing there in the entrance of Lightwood manor, dressed in scarlet gear, shouting something about Sebastian.

But Robert had not been made Inquisitor for nothing. In less than two minutes, he had gleaned the whole story from Rebecca, and had roused half a dozen guards to go to Amatis's house, and half a dozen more to meet them at Lightwood manor.

Rebecca waited alone in the drawing room for the guards to arrive, her fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the polished wooden table. It had been only five minutes since Robert had informed them, but it felt like an eternity.

The door to the drawing room opened, and Robert walked in, flanked by six guards. He inclined his head in Rebecca's direction, and the guards immediately strode over to her. One of them, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a buzz cut, grabbed her by the elbow.

"Hey!" Rebecca tried to shake herself free, but the guard held on to her with a grip like iron. She turned desperately to Robert. "Dad, what's going on?"

But Robert paid no attention to her. "Take her to the Gard," he said to the soldier holding Rebecca. He nodded stoically.

Emotions raged around in Rebecca like a storm - confusion, anger, hurt. In one swift motion, she twisted away from the guard, snapped up his sword and held it at his throat. But the others closed in swiftly, grabbing her arms, her shoulders, and snapping cuffs on her wrists.

Rebecca struggled desperately. "Dad, why are you doing this? You need to get Sebastian-"

Her voice cut off as abruptly and quickly as if someone had stolen her vocal cords. Rebecca choked, trying to say something, anything, and then she spotted the rune that one of the soldiers had marked her with - a rune of Quietude.

Robert met her eyes briefly, and though his face was expressionless, his eyes were filled with a deep sorrow. He quickly looked away as the guards marched his daughter out of Lightwood manor and up to the guard.

JACE

"I must say," Jace said, leaning against the bars, "that it has been quite dull without you around."

Rebecca looked up with a smile, which was in stark contrast to her surroundings. The prison at the Gard wasn't exactly sunny and cheerful. He could barely make out her face in the gloom.

"Hi, Jace," she chirped. They could have been greeting each other at the park. "The Inquisitor told you, then?" With some difficulty, she got to her feet and moved closer to the bars. Jace could hear the rhythmic screech screech of her metal chains on the stone floor.

The Inquisitor, she called him. Not 'Dad'.

"I see you've got a new accessory." Jace nodded at the chains around Rebecca's feet. "Looks good on you."

"Hm." Rebecca's lip curled. "You're pissed at me."

Jace simply shrugged.

"I don't blame you. You have every right. But please, please ­– wait until the trial-"

"Trial?" Jace said, before he could stop himself. "What trial?"

"The Clave has decided to hold a trial to 'determine my fate'," she said, making air quotes with her fingers. "Apparently, the guards didn't find Sebastian when they went to look for him at Amatis Herondale's house, and that doesn't bode well for me."

"That's unfortunate." Jace tutted sympathetically. "If only you hadn't sided with a homicidal lunatic."

A flash of hurt crossed Rebecca's face. "You don't know the whole story."

"I don't think I need to."

"Yes, you do," Rebecca said impatiently. "I swear, there is an explanation for it all-"

"Ooh, I would really love to hear the explanation behind why you stabbed me. That was a real brother-sister bonding experience."

Rebecca sighed and shook her head. Jace felt a savage sense of triumph laced with guilt. He didn't know how to feel towards Rebecca anymore. They had been close before, as close as siblings, but Jace couldn't help but feel a certain sense of anger towards her. It had been determined that she wasn't an Endarkened, so why on earth had she decided to side with Sebastian? Was she even on his side? Had she been pulling some kind of double-agent stunt the whole time? All these questions and more whirled around inside Jace's head, but he kept his face impassive.

"I knew you would be safe," Rebecca said quietly, her gaze on the floor, her hands gripping the bars of her cell. "I knew about the heavenly fire. Magnus told me." Then she looked up. "Where is he?"

Jace crossed his arms. "What do you want Magnus for?"

"I need him as my defendant."

Jace frowned. "But he's a Downworlder. The law doesn't-"

"Specifically exclude Downworlders," Rebecca continued smoothly. "They probably figured a Shadowhunter would never dream of going to a Downworlder for help. Magnus is my defendant. And until I see him, I don't talk."

Frustrated, Jace pulled out his witchlight. "Looks like you're going to be waiting a long time. He's at a dinner meeting right now."

He could almost see Rebecca's ears perk up at that bit of information. "Dinner meeting? With whom?"

"Meliorn," Jace said slowly, taken aback by her eagerness. "It's a meeting of Council representatives."

"Meliorn," Rebecca repeated, her brows furrowed. Her fingers tapped the bars impatiently. "But why would he-" Her expression cleared. "By the Angel," she whispered. She grabbed Jace's wrist through the bars. "Jace, listen to me. You can't trust Meliorn. He's going to do something to-"

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you," Jace interrupted.

"Because their lives are in danger!" Her grip on his wrist tightened. "Sebastian wanted to take hold of the Citadel – I know he did, and he's pissed that he couldn't. So he's going to come after those we care about."

"What does this have to do with Meliorn?"

"The faeries are working with Sebastian!" Rebecca's voice was close to a panicked shout.

"But we asked them if they were, and they said they stood with us-"

"Yeah, and who did we ask? Meliorn!" When Jace's expression remained blank, Rebecca sighed impatiently. "Meliorn's half-human. He can lie."

Jace wrenched his wrist out of his sister's grasp. "Why do you even care?"

Rebecca closed her eyes, as if praying for patience. "Look, I understand that you feel you can't trust me right now. But I'm trying to help-"

"Yeah? Well, yesterday, your idea of help was to stab me in the shoulder. You nearly killed me, and you nearly killed Brother Zachariah."

Rebecca sighed. "I'm sorry. But I didn't know how else to summon the Iron Sisters! You were being slaughtered out there."

Jace gripped the bars so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Some sort of painful internal struggle was going on within him. He badly wanted to believe her, wanted to trust her, but every time he let his guard down, he was reminded of all the reports of the attacks they had received from Institutes - reports of people dying, of Shadowhunters being turned, of families being torn apart.

And she had been there through it all. She had watched it happen, and hadn't raised a finger to stop Sebastian.

"Jace..." she made to take his hand, but as soon as her fingers brushed his wrist, she leaped back as though she'd been burned.

"What is it?" Jace said.

"It burns." Rebecca was clutching her hand, wincing. "Must be the heavenly fire." She looked up, and Jace could see alarm reflected in her eyes. "Your hair is literally glowing."

Jace leaned against the bars and willed his breathing to slow down, his heartbeat to revert to a steady drum. "I don't understand," he said. "Why would it burn you?"

"Because she's demon-blooded." Jia Penhallow stepped out of the shadows. Around five or six Shadowhunters stood behind her, wearing gear and carrying weapons. Jia herself was dressed in black, with an elaborate cape that gathered itself obediently around her feet.

"Demon-blooded?" Jace demanded, stepping away from the bars. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rebecca smiled serenely. "Hello, Consul Penhallow."

"It means she's got demon blood in her, Jace Herondale." Jia strode to the bars of the cell and peered in. "She's just like Jonathan Morgenstern."

A cold pressure, like water solidifying to ice, was seeping through Jace's heart. He whipped around to look at Rebecca, his eyes mutely asking a question.

"It's true." Rebecca kept her gaze on the Consul, refusing to meet his eyes. "After the battle, I was... badly injured. I almost died. Sebastian injected some of his own blood into me to help me heal."

Jace's throat closed up. How is that possible? Were you really going to die? Does that mean you're really on his side after all? He couldn't decide what to ask first. But he needn't have bothered, because apparently, Jia had other plans for Rebecca.

"Guards, get her out." Jia stepped back.

The five guards approached the cell. One of them unlocked the door, and the other four immediately formed a tight-knit circle around Rebecca, weapons held at the ready. Their faces were tense. They were afraid of her, Jace realized. The thought was so bizarre he almost laughed out loud. Four trained Shadowhunters, afraid of his sister?

As they marched her out of the cell, Jace was finally able to get a good look at her. She looked about the same as she always had – brown hair, and a tall, slim frame. But as Jace met her eyes, a shiver ran down his back. They were black – black as obsidian, just like Sebastian's.