Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/the Mortal Instruments.
Sequel to: Jace Morgenstern's Unlucky Streak
BOLD - Reality
Normal - Alt!Reality
Italics - Vision
…
The angel Raziel hovered over the water, the Mortal Cup in one hand, and the Mortal Sword in the other. Jonathan Shadowhunter stood by the water, listening to the words the angel imparted to him, words which were muffled and indiscernible. With the Warlock by their side, the angel sliced his palm and bled into the Mortal Cup, passing it to Jonathan, who also sliced open his palm with the Mortal Sword and mixed his blood with the angel's.
More words were exchanged, and then Jonathan Shadowhunter took the first sip from the Mortal Cup, and became the first Shadowhunter, the first in a race which would dedicate their lives to fighting demons and eradicating them off of the face of the earth.
"Are you okay?" Sebastian's voice shattered the images like glass, his touch on her shoulder warm and startling. "You look in pain."
Fingers pressed hard against her temple, Chloe leaned hard against the wall and frowned at the pounding in her head. She'd been running for what seemed like before when that vision had hit her and nearly sent her to the ground. "It doesn't make sense. This is a manifestation of my nervous breakdown… I shouldn't be having migraines like this." She rubbed her fingers under her nose, relieved to see them bloodless. "Well, at least I don't have nosebleeds like I usually do when I see things."
Sebastian hesitated, shared a look with a breathless Clary, then asked: "See things?"
"Yeah, Mortal Cup things." The blonde flinched at the pain throbbing in her head.
Sebastian once more shared a look with Clary, yet this one was much more worried. He then returned his attention Chloe and opened his mouth.
She didn't hear whatever he said, because another vision took over as her head erupted in pain.
Moira Laneara placed her hand on her flat stomach and smiled. Three months. Every single child she'd conceived up to that point had been miscarried long before this point. This child would be the one, this child would be born.
The thought filled her with joy unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She glanced over where Michael and Jonathan were playing together behind Wayland Manor. The love she had for them made her feel like she was about to burst, and the knowledge that she'd be growing their family, that Jonathan would have a little brother or sister – Michael another child – made her want to cry with happiness.
They'd win this war, the Circle would change the world and it was in this new world that she'd raise her child – the child she owed to Valentine.
Speaking of Valentine, Moira went into the kitchen and pulled out the many vials in the cupboard. She didn't know what was inside the supplements that she took three times daily, but she didn't care. Whatever they were, they were keeping her baby alive, were helping it grow. Because of them this baby would be born, unlike the many others Moira had lost.
Sometimes the vial contents differed, but there were three that were always the same. One held a flowery purple liquid, the other a sweet and honey-colored liquid, and the third a black, almost licorice tasting liquid. As always, Moira unscrewed the tops of the vials and downed them one after the other after the other, and then put the container of vials away. She was almost halfway finished, she'd need to let Valentine know so he could refill them.
"Moira!" Michael called from outside. "Come join us!"
"Come join us!" Jonathan echoed.
Smiling, Moira moved to the back door and joined her happy family outside.
…
Jace prided himself on his ability to multitask, and that was how he was able to keep vigilant around them and yet also keep an eye on Sebastian and Chloe. He found himself more and more curious in regards to Chloe's friend as the hours dragged on. The guy wasn't much of a talker, and considering Alec wasn't either Jace was used to that. Sebastian was strong though, admirably so. Despite beginning to sweat slightly (proving the fever was beginning to set) he didn't falter, didn't show his unease or sickness other than the sweat and slight glaze of his eyes.
This guy was a warrior, through and through, and Jace recognized it. "So, got any brothers or sisters?"
"No." Sebastian shook his head as he rearranged Chloe in his arms. "My parents were the heads of the Paris Institute, but they died while raiding a demon nest near Calais when I was very young. My aunt Elodie took over as head of the Institute, she's the one who raised me. "
"Chloe and I don't have siblings either," Jace announced.
"She had an older brother, Jonathan Wayland," Sebastian surprised him by reminding him. "Valentine Morgenstern killed him when he killed her father, Michael Wayland. Both you and he assumed their identities for years. This is now common knowledge."
Jace flinched. "Michael and Jonathan Wayland were killed in a fire. My father saw an opportunity and used it to save me. He didn't kill them. They were faithful to him, he would never hurt someone faithful to him."
Sebastian eyed him silently for a moment before asking: "Do you really believe that?"
Jace opened his mouth yet closed it, unable to respond.
"She claims you fiercely," Sebastian surprised him by saying. "You should protect her better than you do."
Usually Jace would be annoyed that someone else was telling him what to do, but given the fact that this guy had just saved Chloe's life at the risk of his own he felt he didn't have the right to. So instead he focused on a different part. "Claims me fiercely?"
Sebastian nodded. "Our first conversation was full of her feelings for you, and her utmost trust in you." He snorted. "Our last was of that trust being completely shattered, but she still loved you."
"You told her to stay with me." Jace sidled him with a sideways look. "Why? You don't know me, don't owe me anything."
"It wasn't for you," Sebastian informed him with no hostility, merely stating a fact. "She went on and on with these odd hypothetical situations, and I answered her truthfully. If she wants someone she shouldn't care why the other person wants her as well, just that he does."
Jace smirked because she was right, this guy actually did think similarly to him. It was refreshing to hear his own thoughts being spoken by someone else, and not worry that Alec or whoever else was there would give him this 'that's not right' look.
"You know, I've heard so much about 'Jace Wayland' and 'Jace Morgenstern'…" Sebastian eyed Jace thoughtfully. "I've been curious to meet you for a while now. I must admit that when the Clave called this emergency Council to try and deal with Valentine I was hoping I'd finally get to see the guy behind the stories." He smirked. "I didn't expect to meet you like this though."
"The stories?" Jace asked curiously.
"You're quite the legend," Sebastian informed him. "Both in a good and a bad way."
The grin that appeared on his face was large, toothy, and genuine. "Yes, well-." He never got to finish when he'd been about to say because he sensed something and all humor disappeared in a second. He motioned Sebastian to hide and followed him into the bushes, both keeping low and quiet as they peered in the same direction.
Minutes passed with nothing and no one appearing… and then they did. They were two men, two Shadowhunters. Jace didn't recognize them but he recognized the look on their faces. They were looking for someone, most probably them. Their seraph blades were drawn and their eyes narrowed. If Chloe wasn't unconscious, and Sebastian fighting off the effects of the fever, Jace would've attacked, but he had to think of them first and so he bit down his desire.
"She has to be here somewhere," one of the men hissed. "Where is she?"
"He's not going to be happy," the other mumbled. "He says he needs her."
"We've got to find her," the first groaned. "Come on, she's probably still ahead."
With that the men left.
Sebastian's dark eyes were on Jace's, clearly saying: I told you so.
Jace groaned. This had just gotten more complicated.
Not only were they days from Alicante, with two Shadowhunters who'd been within the toxic waters of Lake Lyn, but Chloe had also ingested the waters, and Valentine's men were after them. They'd have to waste time they didn't have hiding until the men were out of the area, otherwise they'd run the chance of being caught and captured.
Great, just great!
…
The bus had been very full when it's finally arrived, and there hadn't been two seats together. There'd been three seats vacant (how convenient) and the one by itself was up in front and next to a very large gentleman who left enough space that Clary was the only one who'd be able to sit next to him comfortably. The other two seats were at the back of the bus, and Chloe and Sebastian sat there, basically hidden from sight.
"Why won't you let us take you to the Institute? Or to see the Silent Brothers?" Sebastian asked softly, worriedly. "You don't look good… Chloe! At least tell us where we're going!"
"You don't have to come," she informed him, pressing her forehead against the window's glass, peering outside.
Sebastian sighed darkly and pulled out his phone, yet instead of calling, began to text someone, most probably Clary.
…
"You can't be serious!" Lois Lane glared at the douchebag in front of her. "We have to go looking for them! They could be in danger!"
"We have men searching for Jonathan Morgernstern and Chloe Wayland," the douche informed her. "You, and the others, will remain here."'
"But-!"
"Others have been misguided by the portal and are beginning to appear, to make their way towards Alicante," the douche interrupted. "They will be as well."
"The others didn't just escape a Forsaken attack!" Lois snapped.
He frowned at her. "Do we need to restrain you, Miss Laneara?"
She almost told him that yes, they did, but she managed to keep her cool. "No."
"Good." And with that he left.
She threw her shoe at the door after he closed it behind him.
…
A whimper escaped Chloe's lips as pain stabbed her brain once more. With a deeply inhaled breath she leaned her forehead against Sebastian's shoulder. She was about to complain when the pain returned tenfold in her head and she closed her eyes tightly.
…
Jace was surprised at just how far they'd gotten in one day. He'd figured that they'd have only made it a half the distance considering one of them was ill, and carrying someone ill as well, but Sebastian was tough as nails. Always an admirer of strength, both inner and outer, Jace found himself growing more and more impressed with this guy. Chloe had off-handedly mentioned that Sebastian reminded her of Jace but with subtle differences, and Jace now decided he'd take that as a compliment.
"Are you sure you can continue only after a couple of hours sleep?" Jace wanted to know as they sat together in the hidden spot they'd found to spend the night in, both on either side of Chloe.
"I have to," Sebastian replied, voice hoarse, dark shadows under his eyes. "We don't know how close behind us those guys are."
That was true. They were lucky they hadn't been caught already.
"How jealous of a person are you?" Sebastian asked out of the blue.
Intrigued with the question, Jace raised an eyebrow. "I'd call it being possessive more than being jealous," he admitted.
"How possessive are you then?" Sebastian reworded the question.
"Like a lion," Jace responded immediately.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, apparently amused. "How possessive is a lion allowed to be? One male has numerous lionesses."
Jace opened his mouth and then closed it. "Okay then, let's just say I'm extremely possessive. Why?"
"Because." Sebastian rubbed his hands together. "We can't light a fire or it'll give away our position. But I'm freezing here, and I do not want to curl up with you."
"The feeling is reciprocated," Jace assured him, wrestling with his inner voice, which wanted to snap at Sebastian all the many things he'd do if he touched Chloe. But the thing was Chloe was alive because of Sebastian, hell, Sebastian was in the state he was in because Jace had failed his girlfriend. In the end, what right did he have to complain about a situation he'd caused? "If you try anything funny with her I'll cut off something I'm sure you'll miss."
"I mightn't be Jace Morgenstern but believe it or not fully conscious women seem to like me just fine, thank you very much." Already Sebastian had laid down and curled an arm around Chloe, his body shivering slightly with cold. He looked, to Jace's relief and amusement, extremely uncomfortable as he cuddled for warmth, clearly not used to cuddling or enjoying it in the last bit. "I don't know where to put my hand," he admitted at last.
"Around her waist is fine," Jace directed, unable to believe this conversation was happening. "You put it anywhere else and I'll dismember you."
"Yeah, yeah," Sebastian muttered, getting as comfortable as he could, ending up curled behind Chloe, arm around her waist, forehead leaning against the back of her head. He was out soon afterwards, snoring even.
Jace raised an eyebrow at the sight before he forced himself to look away and keep on guard.
…
"I am not killing Moira, she is vital to my campaign and to lose her over something petty like this would be a tremendous waste. After Stephen's death she's been my right hand, she is no doubt the most valuable and loyal Circle member, I would not be as far as I am now if it wasn't for her."
Moira froze on the steps leading to Valentine's laboratory. She'd been on her way to break the news she'd just uncovered. Jocelyn had betrayed them, she'd joined with Lucian Greymark – now a werewolf – and was plotting against Valentine –against the Circle. It hurt Moira so much to have to go against her Parabatai like this, but she knew that it really wasn't Jocelyn's fault. Lucian had used her postpartum depression, her problems, against her. He was at fault, and she knew that Valentine would agree. They needed to do away with Lucian, to bring Jocelyn back into the fold, and without Lucian's influence on her Jocelyn would be able to work though her issues – would be able to hold her son in her arms without looking so distraught – and would be healthy once more.
"I do not mean for you to kill her this instant, the baby couldn't survive being removed from her womb at this stage," a woman declared darkly. "But once the time of birth is at hand, she must be taken. She must be given to me."
"She'll be yours," Valentine declared. "I promised you the baby, it will be yours to raise, but Moira will not die because of this."
Moira stood on the staircase, eyes wide in horror. What was she hearing? Valentine – he'd promised her baby to someone else? No! She had to be hearing this wrong!
"Do not fail me, Valentine," the woman, whom Moira did not recognize, snarled. "Do not give me a reason to go back on our deal."
"Do not threaten me, it will not end well for you," he replied easily. "If that baby survives Moira's womb I'll wait until she is at the end of her pregnancy and then induce the labor. I will give the baby to you and will tell Moira that it was a stillbirth. That was our agreement. That stands. Moira will not die."
"I do not want my child to have ties to that woman!" The woman snapped. "That child is mine! I do not want her confused as to who her mother truly is! I do not want her thinking that that woman is anything more than a surrogate womb!"
Moira stood, eyes wide in horror, hand to her mouth to smother her gasp. Tears of betrayal filled her eyes. How could Valentine have done this to her? How could he have used her pain, her suffering, and experimented on her – made her go through countless miscarriages – only to promise the only child who survived to someone else? How could he have planned to let Moira live believing that the only child she'd managed to carry to term had been a stillborn?
She'd trusted him! She'd worshipped him! She'd been his staunchest supporter! She'd been about to betray her Parabatai for him!
"Listen to me closely L-."
Moira didn't stay here to hear Valentine and the woman arguing. Instead she crept back up the stairs and tried not to look so heartbroken, so shocked, so disgusted. She walked passed other loyalists with a smile and a small nod of her head, acknowledging their greetings. Some stopped her and she chitchatted with them, pretended her world wasn't falling apart. No one could know what was truly going on within her. No one.
That day, Moira's heart broke.
That day, she made a choice that would forever alter her life.
That day, she joined Jocelyn and Lucian in their plot against Valentine.
Chloe whimpered. Somehow they'd ended up with her resting her cheek against Sebastian's chest, and his arm around her shoulder.
She wasn't sure how or why, but she felt herself slowly falling asleep to the sound of his rapidly beating heart.
…
Jace tried to stay awake, but it was incredibly hard, he was more tired than he'd expected. Then again, he'd fought Forsaken, had been flung around Alicante's barrier, and then had trekked for miles until the sun went down. Even with an endurance rune that was a lot for one day. He fought to stay awake, to stay on guard.
One look behind him proved that Sebastian's face was flushed with fever, similar to Chloe's. That worried Jace. How would they make it to Alicante with both of them ill? He moved towards the guy and pulled out his stele, burning more iratze into his flesh. It proved just how out of it Sebastian was that he didn't even flinch at the burning of his skin. Jace did the same to Chloe, going over the faded runes, before he finally returned to his original elevated lookout spot.
Feeling his eyes closing, Jace slapped himself, hard, and the sting took away a bit of the buzz but not everything. He groaned yet forced himself to sit uncomfortably straight, hoping the discomfort would help him keep awake.
Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake!
…
Lucy lounged in Ragnor's living room with a smile. She'd been interrogated by the Clave (she knew it was the first of many sessions) and was spending her time in Ragnor's enchanted cabin. She was one of the only non-Warlocks who knew its location, and she knew that more than once Ragnor had regretted telling her it. She didn't let that phase her, of course, in fact, it made bothering Ragnor all the more fun.
"Shouldn't you be with your sister?" Ragnor wanted to know as he entered the living room. He was tall and very visibly a Warlock. Every warlock had a feature which gave them away as inhuman (like Magnus Bane's yellow cat eyes), but Ragnor's was much more prominent. His skin was green, his hair white, and pointed horns decorated his forehead. How he managed to pull it off was beyond her, but Ragnor was a verifiable beefcake.
"Lois can take care of herself for one day," Lucy assured him. "Plus, with Chloe bounced to Angel knows where her mind's going to be on that."
"Aren't you worried?" Ragnor wanted to know. "This sounds like something Valentine would orchestrate."
"Jace is with her, I figure she's okay." Lucy shrugged and picked up a small Peruvian statue. "When are you going to tell me about what really happened in Peru?"
Ragnor took the small statue from her and placed in on the mantle before sitting down. "I had a chat with your rival the other day in Alicante. She's fascinating."
Lucy glared at him, honest to angel glared. "She's not good enough to be my rival. She's an annoyance at best."
"And yet you know exactly who I am talking about." Ragnor's expression was serious but his voice teasing.
Lucy flushed darkly. She hated the person in question with a thousand burning suns right now. Jocelyn Morgenstern's niece had been Lucy's biggest competitor and bane while studying in the Shadowhunter Academy, and after graduation the girl had still somehow managed to make herself a nuisance. "Why you can't see that we detest each other is beyond me."
"Is that so?" Ragnor hummed.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Enough about her." She stood up and went to sit next to Ragnor on the sofa. "I, uh, thought—."
Ragnor sighed. "You're too young."
Lucy's lips parted. "I didn't even say anything yet!"
"You were going to ask me on a date again," he informed her.
Damn it, how did he—? "You're always going to think I'm too young for you because you're ancient," she grumbled instead of giving up.
Ragnor acknowledged that with a small grin, but shook his head nonetheless. "If you're still interested once you're twenty one, come back."
"Twenty one?" Lucy shrieked. "Why not eighteen?"
"Because I am not Magnus Bane," Ragnor assured her self-righteously. "I do not date children."
"Oh get off of your high horse, eighteen is an adult," Lucy snapped. "Plus with the lives we lead, Shadowhunters never are given the opportunity to be children. We do everything young, even marry, because with our lifestyles we die young."
Ragnor frowned as he watched her. "Tea?" And without giving her a chance to tell him no, he got up to make it.
Sighing, Lucy watched him go.
…
Somehow Sebastian was once more on his feet, lucid and able to carry Chloe's weight. They'd been walking in silence for a couple of hours now, and every time Jace glanced over at his companion he expected to find him collapsing, but while Sebastian's face was incredibly flushed, and sweat pouring down his face and body, causing his dark hair and cloths to cling to him, he continued on. That sort of endurance was something Jace hadn't seen before, and couldn't help but admire more and more the longer he stayed in this guy's company. This was a guy he could see himself becoming friends with.
Chloe, on the other hand, was really worrying him. Usually it took a couple of days untreated for someone poisoned with the water from Lake Lyn to lose consciousness, but Chloe had been out all this time. She rested in Sebastian's arms, her cheek against his chest, her eyes closed, lips open and parched. Little whimpers escaped her lips now and then, and she'd move slightly, but other than that she was incredibly quiet and silent. It sometimes scared Jace when he'd chance a glance in her direction, because sometimes she looked as good as dead.
Stumbling slightly, Sebastian shook his head and forced his dark eyes opened wider, blinking rapidly, visibly fighting the way they would haze over. He was barely keeping conscious, and Jace had no idea how he was awake and carrying Chloe. The weight alone should be bothering him. It wasn't that Jace thought his girlfriend fat or anything, but baring weight constantly, for hours, was bound to hurt anyone. But Sebastian soldiered on without complaint.
If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't have his own seraph blade, or that Jace was beginning to suspect that struggling on with Chloe was the only thing helping Sebastian keep half-what lucid, Jace would've taken his girlfriend away a long time ago. But he couldn't. They could be attacked at any minute, and he needed Sebastian lucid.
…
"Hey."
Jocelyn glanced up to see a dejected Lois seconds before the girl sat down next to her. "How are you holding up?"
Lois shrugged. "You know, given the fact that they're treating us all like we're Public Enemy Number One, I'm surprised they don't have us locked in some dark dungeon somewhere."
"Well, they've taken away our weapons and stele, and also have us under a constant watch." Jocelyn eyed the guards not even trying to pretend that they weren't spying on them. "How they figure it we're right where they want us and we can't do anything nefarious without 'blowing our cover' and exposing ourselves as Valentine sympathizers."
"They're keeping Clark away from the rest of us, they're saying that they don't want us influencing his report, or something like that." Lois glared. "And you'd think that they'd be a little more worried about the fact that Chloe and Jace are gone!"
Jocelyn agreed with that, but then again she'd seen the Shadowhunters deployed to search for those who hadn't made it. The Clave was doing its best to find them. That doesn't mean that… she stopped herself and glanced down at her parabatai rune. It was faded, like it had been for years. But it was still there. The bond was still there. She rubbed her thumb over the mark and took in a deep breath. "We're going to get back everyone, Lois, I promise." She smiled. "And when we do you can go back to bullying Lucian."
"I don't bully…!" Lois opened her mouth and then closed it with a pout. "I like to think of it as unconditional nurturing."
"It's bullying," Jocelyn assured her with a smile. "But Lucian needs that. I've known him and his sister since we were children, Lucian is headstrong and needs someone to reign him back sometimes, to force him to take care of himself."
"He really does," Lois agreed with a small smile. "I mean, it's a full-time job, but someone has to do it."
…
Filling his mouth with water, Jace tilted Chloe's head back and brought his lips to hers, forcing the liquid down her throat. Her skin was bright red, her body covered in cold sweats, and she was visibly dehydrated. He gathered more water from the river and forced it down her throat a couple of more times until he was certain that was enough for now.
Sebastian stood waist deep in the chilly water, flinging it on his body and washing his face over and over again. "We've made good time."
They'd made great time, actually. Jace still couldn't believe it.
"I'm starting to hallucinate," Sebastian muttered under his breath.
Jace was surprised it'd taken him this long to admit it. "Anything fun?"
"My hallucination you mean?" Sebastian turned to face him and then made a face. "It's like I'm watching a movie from the POV of one of the characters but with no control over what my character says or does." He glanced passed Jace and groaned. "I keep flashing back and forth between reality and that weird place. It's throwing me off a bit."
All in all, that wasn't the worse hallucination one could have Jace supposed. He noticed Chloe's shiver and frowned as he felt her forehead again. In seconds she was in his arms and the both of them submerged to their chests in the river. The water was incredibly chilly but perfect for someone with a fever, so he bore the cold for her sake.
Sebastian watched them in silence for a moment before he returned to washing his face with water.
Jace sent him a little glance yet kept his gaze fixedly on the shore and his seraph blade. "Rest a little. We've made good time, we can afford to give ourselves an hour." He stared down at Chloe's feverish face and sighed. "C'mon, Chloe. Wake up."
…
"Jace?" Chloe gasped as she gripped her head tightly as his voice seemed to echo softly around her. "It hurts!"
"Chloe, you're bleeding!" Sebastian's voice was loud, worried. "CLARY! SOMETHING'S WRONG!"
…
"Jace?"
He immediately looked down at Chloe in shock to find her staring up at him in feverish confusion. "Hey." Jace peered down at her with a small smile, relief spearing through him to see her awake, even if visibly disoriented. "How are you feeling?"
"What's—?" Chloe whimpered and closed her eyes tightly in visible pain before she opened them once more and visibly fought to focus on him.
Jace wanted to explain things to her better, but he could already see her eyes clouding over more and more as the disorientation and fever kicked in. "Chloe, you're sick, and so is Sebastian. We're almost to Alicante, but my father's men are chasing us and Sebastian is getting sicker, the iratze is starting to lose all affect on him. We won't make it if this keeps on, and if he loses consciousness I'm going to have to leave him behind and take you the rest of the way myself. Between your safety and his… I won't even blink." He took in a deep breath. "But I'd like to avoid that, so I need your help."
"Sebastian's here." Chloe closed her eyes tightly. "I'm still in my delusion." She opened her eyes and stared up at him. "At least you're here now too." The blonde forced herself up into a seated position, swaying only slightly as she visibly narrowed her eyes on him to focus on him, to keep awake.
"Your ability to create runes…" Jace cleared his throat. "I know you're not a hundred per cent right now, but… If there was any way to help yourself and Sebastian, anything you can think of, please try it."
Chloe was silent for a moment before she shrugged. "This is a dream anyway." She took in a deep breath and straightened up. "So, I know Shadowhunters only use angel runes, but I've been looking into ancient Nordic runes as well, and there's this one called the Fehu. Is does a whole lot of stuff, but part of it is it supposedly opens a channel for power transference, its called the sending rune. That in its own isn't that specific and you could instead get the luck part of it, since it really primarily deals with luck, success and stuff like that."
She was incredibly coherent and articulate for suffering Lake Lyn poisoning.
"So I was thinking of combining it with Uruz to make a new rune," Chloe informed him wobbly. "Uruz is useful for using primal power to create sudden change. It's also a rune of vitality that is useful in healing magic, especially when a patient is very weak and needs some extra strength, so I figure that by pairing it with Fehu, thus creating my own rune, and concentrating on the aspects I want them to draw in from the other, I might be able to do it." She blinked a couple of time, five times rapidly, in fact. "Do I have your permission or would that make things more difficult for you?"
Jace stared at her in confusion. "What?"
She frowned. "I don't?"
"You haven't told me what exactly I need to give my permission for," Jace reminded her.
"Oh." Chloe blinked once more, seeming quite a bit drunk. "You're my delusion though, you should get it."
Jace sighed, wondering if maybe he shouldn't…
Chloe rolled her eyes. "You need Sebastian to be strong, right? You're strong, right? If I put this rune on the both of you it will open up a channel between the two of you so you can help him, and the healing aspects of the Uruz will help heal him as well." She frowned. "Why does this part of my delusion have Shadowhunters in it though?
"Can you Uruz yourself?" Jace wanted to know what in the world she was talking about, but there wasn't any time. They could be ambushed at any second. "It might help you more than the Iratze has."
"It doesn't work that way," she muttered as she reached into her jacket's inner pocket and pulled out her stele. "The Iratze exists already. I only imagine that when I think of a straight-out healing rune. I can only imagine the amalgamated Fehuruz because it's not actually doing anything a rune that already exists can do."
Jace realized more than ever just how important it was that they get Chloe to Alicante and get the antidote to the poison. "So you said this Fehuruz will allow me to share my strength with Sebastian and keep him healed enough to get us to Alicante, right?"
Chloe didn't answer, her gaze fixed on his collarbone, the stele slipping out of her hands as her eyelids slowly closed in sleep.
Reaching out, Jace shook her. "No! Please stay awake a little longer!" It just showed how badly Sebastian was that that didn't wake him up. "The Fehuruz… do it." He yanked down his collarbone so Chloe could have access to his flesh. "Do it."
"How do you know about the Fehuruz?" Chloe wanted to know confused, obviously falling back under the effects of the fever.
"This is a dream," Jace informed her quickly. "You want to try it on me and Sebastian. C'mon."
"Why's Sebastian here?" Chloe wanted to know in disorientation.
"Chloe, I need you to concentrate." Jace reached out and grabbed her chin, bringing her attention back to him. "Please."
"Ok," she responded, clearly trusting him as she gripped her stele once more and stumbled over on her knees. She blinked, looked pale, and then shook her head as she got to business burning the rune on his skin. It took longer than he'd expected, but when it was done he felt nothing different. Chloe moved away from him and instead went to Sebastian. She peered down at his sleeping, sweaty face, and then reached down and booped his nose with her fingertip, making the "boop" sound and everything. She was seriously out of it. "Here we go. It's a good thing this is a dream because it would be completely stupid to make me do this in this state if this was real life."
More like desperate.
Swaying slightly, Chloe steadied herself and begun burning a matching symbol into Sebastian's chest. She stopped at one point, blinking like crazy, and then she finally finished the design.
Jace caught her when she swayed backwards. She smiled up at him before her eyes finally closed and she succumbed to the fever. He moved to rest her down when suddenly the rune on him and Sebastian lit up visibly, power falling between the two of them. Jace's eyes widened as a bridge of light seemed to emerge from between his chest and Sebastian's, going towards each other, before finally meeting and joining. When it did heat and power unlike anything Jace had felt before clashed visibly, the blowback throwing him onto his back.
He could see flashes, way too quickly for him to make out, but one of them he was sure was of him staring down at a masked girl.
Before he could wonder what the hell that was, Sebastian shot up, gasping, eyes wide and completely clear as he breathed heavily. "What…?" Pulling away his shirt from his chest, he stared at the rune and frowned. "What?" He turned to Jace.
Instead of feeling weaker, as he'd expected, Jace felt nauseous, but he also felt powerful, and that shocked him. "You think you're strong enough to keep walking tonight?"
Sebastian was confused, visibly so, yet after a second he nodded. "Definitely." He pushed to his feet. "You going to explain what exactly happened?"
"We'll walk and talk," Jace assured him.
…
TBC
