City of Bones Quotes

(There is a statue of an angel holding a cup and on the base there is an inscription: 1234 – NEPHILIM: FACILIS DESCENSUS AVERNO.)

Clary Fairchild: Is that meant to be the Mortal Cup?

Jace Herondale (nods): And that’s the motto of the Nephilim, the Shadowhunters, there on the base.

Clary Fairchild: What does it mean?

Jace Herondale: It means “Shadowhunters: Looking Better in Black Than the Widows of our Enemies Since 1234.”

Brother Jeremiah: It means… “The descent into Hell is easy.”

Clary Fairchild: Nice and cheery.

Jace Herondale: We haven’t had the Cup for years now, and a lot of us die young. So our numbers slowly dwindle.

Clary Fairchild: Aren’t you, uh… Reproducing?

(Jace laughs)

Jace Herondale: Sure. We love reproducing. It’s one of our favorite things.

Clary Fairchild: Does Isabelle always make dinner for you?

Jace Herondale: No, thank God. Most of the time the Lightwoods are here and Maryse, that’s Isabelle’s mother, she cooks for us. She’s an amazing cook.

Clary Fairchild: Then how come she never taught Isabelle?

Jace Herondale: Because, it’s only been recently that women have been Shadowhunters along with men. I mean, there have always been women in the Clave—mastering the runes, creating weaponry, teaching the Killing Arts—but only a few were warriors, ones with exceptional abilities. They had to fight to be trained. Maryse was a part of the first generation of Clave women who were trained as a matter of course—and I think she never taught Isabelle how to cook because she was afraid that if she did, Isabelle would be relegated to the kitchen permanently.

Clary Fairchild: Would she have been?

Jace Herondale: Not Isabelle. She’s one of the best Shadowhunters I’ve ever known.

Clary Fairchild: Why are you always such an asshat?

Jace Herondale: An asshat?

Clary Fairchild: What you said to Simon…

Jace Herondale: I was trying to save him some pain. Isabelle will cut out his heart and walk all over it in high-heeled boots. That’s what she does to boys like that.