City of Lost Souls

“What?”


There was a pause. “You don’t need my permission to come here and see Jace,” Isabelle said. “You don’t need anyone’s permission to do anything. You’re Clary Fray. You go charging into every situation without knowing how the hell it’s going to turn out, and then you get through it on sheer guts and craziness.”

“Not where my personal life is concerned, Iz.”

“Huh,” said Isabelle. “Well, maybe you should.” And she put the phone down.

Clary stared at her receiver, hearing the distant tinny buzz of the dial tone. Then, with a sigh, she hung up and headed into her bedroom.

Simon was sprawled on the bed, his feet on her pillows, his chin propped on his hands. His laptop was propped open at the foot of the bed, frozen on a scene from The Matrix. He looked up as she came in. “Any luck?”

“Not exactly.” Clary went over to her closet. She’d already dressed for the possibility that she might see Jace today, in jeans and a soft blue sweater she knew he liked. She pulled a corduroy jacket on and sat down on the bed beside Simon, sliding her feet into boots. “Isabelle won’t tell me anything. The Silent Brothers don’t want Jace to have visitors, but whatever. I’m going over anyway.”

Simon closed the laptop and rolled over onto his back. “That’s my brave little stalker.”

“Shut up,” she said. “Do you want to come with me? See Isabelle?”

“I’m meeting Becky,” he said. “At the apartment.”

“Good. Give her my love.” She finished lacing her boots and reached forward to brush Simon’s hair away from his forehead. “First I had to get used to you with that Mark on you. Now I have to get used to you without it.”

His dark brown eyes traced her face. “With or without it, I’m still just me.”

“Simon, do you remember what was written on the blade of the sword? Of Glorious?”

“Quis ut Deus.”

“It’s Latin,” she said. “I looked it up. It means Who is like God? It’s a trick question. The answer is no one—no one is like God. Don’t you see?”

He looked at her. “See what?”

“You said it. Deus. God.”

Simon opened his mouth, and then closed it again. “I…”

“I know Camille told you that she could say God’s name because she didn’t believe in God, but I think it has to do with what you believe about yourself. If you believe you’re damned, then you are. But if you don’t…”

She touched his hand; he squeezed her fingers briefly and released them, his face troubled. “I need some time to think about this.”

“Whatever you need. But I’m here if you need to talk.”

“And I’m here if you do. Whatever happens with you and Jace at the Institute… you know you can always come over to my place if you want to talk.”

“How’s Jordan?”

“Pretty good,” said Simon. “He and Maia are definitely together now. They’re in that ooky stage where I feel like I should be giving them space all the time.” He crinkled up his nose. “When she’s not there, he frets about how he feels insecure because she’s dated a bunch of dudes and he’s spent the past three years doing military-style training for the Praetor and pretending he was asexual.”

“Oh, come on. I doubt she cares about that.”

“You know men. We have delicate egos.”

“I wouldn’t describe Jace’s ego as delicate.”

“No, Jace’s is sort of the antiaircraft artillery tank of male egos,” Simon admitted. He was lying with his right hand splayed across his stomach, and the gold faerie ring glittered on his finger. Since the other had been destroyed, it no longer seemed to have any powers, but Simon wore it anyway. Impulsively Clary bent down and kissed his forehead.

“You’re the best friend anyone could ever have, you know that?” she said.

“I did know that, but it’s always nice to hear it again.”

Clary laughed and stood up. “Well, we might as well walk to the subway together. Unless you want to hang around here with the ’rents instead of in your cool downtown bachelor pad.”

“Right. With my lovelorn roommate and my sister.” He slid off the bed and followed her as she walked out into the living room. “You’re not just going to Portal?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems… wasteful.” She crossed the hall and, after knocking quickly, stuck her head into the master bedroom. “Luke?”

“Come on in.”