City of Ashes

Clary returns to the Institute after Izzy texts that Jace angered the Inquisitor Imogen Herondale. Jace has been imprisoned in the Silent City and will stand trial before the Soul Sword to determine if he is truly in league with Valentine. The Soul Sword, one of the Mortal Instruments alongside the Cup and the Mirror, compels truth, and Valentine killed the Silent Brothers to seize the Sword.

Clary, Izzy, and Alec race to the Silent City to mount a rescue, but arrive just too late. Clary unleashes an amplified opening rune she subconsciously conjures in a moment of panic to free Jace from custody. The act briefly breaks him free, though the danger remains.

The Inquisitor arrives with a troop of Shadowhunters and accuses Jace of aiding Valentine, threatening drastic measures. The confrontation underscores the seriousness of the charges and the tension of a possible high profile trial.

Magnus Bane is summoned by Alec and offers to keep Jace imprisoned at his apartment while the group searches for Valentine's plan. The moment also signals the growing romance between Magnus and Alec that fans notice in the series.

Jace receives an invitation from the Queen of the Seelie to visit her court and seek aid against Valentine. The queen hints at dark secrets about Jace and Clary being experiments created by their father, sowing doubt about whether help will come.

Clary is tricked into faerie food and learns she can only escape by kissing the one she desires most. Simon offers to kiss her, but the queen says he is not the one. The moment leads to the possibility that the kiss might be from Jace, setting up the later revelation.

The kiss occurs and Clary and Jace confess their love, complicating their sibling bond. Simon reacts with heartbreak, realizing the kiss was not for him, and storms away as the group returns to their realm.

Raphael arrives at the Institute with Simon, who is near death after a mishap at Hotel DuMort. Simon is buried and transforms into a vampire, altering his life and relationships with the group.

Maia arrives badly wounded and Luke is attacked outside the house as demons threaten the group. Jace, Simon, and Clary fight off the demons, who flee when they see Clary's forearm rune, a symbol of the power she discovered in a dream.

Clary reveals she can create runes on her own rather than angels' runes. She forges a new Fearless rune at Jace's suggestion and tests it on Alec, after which they suspect it has altered his capacity to love a Downworlder.

Jace secretly takes Raphael's motorcycle to visit Valentine aboard a ship, where Valentine offers protection if Jace joins him. The next morning, the Inquisitor imprisons Jace again, planning to trade his life for the Soul Sword and vowing revenge on Valentine.

Maia is attacked by a demon in the form of her dead brother, and Valentine kidnaps her. Clary and the others, aided by Magnus, mount a rescue, but Simon has suffered further blood loss in the attack.

Valentine drains Simon's blood, and Jace revives him by feeding him his own blood. The Inquisitor arrives and, after seeing Jace's star-shaped shoulder scar, sacrifices herself to save him from a demon, her loyalty shifting in her final moments.

Valentine confronts Clary on his boat and taunts her with Jace's loyalty. Clary draws an opening rune on the ship, causing the vessel to break apart and explode. The group escapes by truck, and Clary is saved from the river by nixies summoned by the Queen.

Simon learns that Jace's blood has made him tolerant to sunlight, a Daylighter. Luke talks with Clary about love and not telling her mother how he feels, while Clary resolves to tell Jace about her love and to pursue a relationship despite the risks. Jace reveals he will only act as her brother from now on, breaking Clary's heart.