Chapter 4

Jace had lost count of how many times he'd activated his stamina rune. All he knew was that no amount of adrenaline boosts was going to help them find an answer any quicker. If there even was one.

The inability to feel his parabatai wasn't new, not after that rough patch he and Alec had gone through when Clary first entered their world. This was different, though. This separation wasn't of their own petty doing, but because Alec was literally lost to another dimension that no one ever came back from.

Jace admired Clary's stubbornness and tenacity to keep searching for a way to save Alec and Magnus, but Jace knew better. And that was killing him in a way that was ten times more painful than his own actual death had been.

He glanced over at Izzy. Her expression was just as drawn and wrecked with despair as she pored over the ancient text in front of her. Like Jace, she was trying, but deep down she also knew the likelihood of them succeeding. At some point, Robert and Maryse would need to be told. There would be a funeral…but no body to shroud according to their customs. Alec's name would be spoken to an empty pyre, no resting place of honor in the City of Bones.

Jace didn't know how warlocks mourned their dead.

He reached up to rub his eyes, the tears welling forth despite his attempts to keep them at bay. It wasn't fair. If one of them had to die, it should have been him. Jace briefly wondered if this was the consequence of Clary's wish; if his brother had taken his place instead.

He felt a throb in his side, and let out a gasp. His parabatai rune. Pushing away from the table, Jace frantically tore at his shirt to get a look underneath. Was his rune fading? Was his connection to Alec finally being severed?

When his eyes finally landed on the rune, Jace's breath froze at how faded it looked. Alec was dying.

"Izzy," he choked.

There was a set of scraping chair legs, and then both Izzy and Clary were at his side.

Isabelle sucked in a sharp breath. "No."

Jace lifted a watery gaze to Clary, and found her eyes filled with unshed tears as well. His heart clenched. "Alec!"

Something stirred within the bond, and for a second, Jace thought he could feel his brother, albeit faintly. There was something else, though, a trace of energy that Jace thought might have been…Magnus? It was like the warlock's magic was trying to fuel the parabatai connection.

Jace let out a ragged gasp. "Wait, I can feel him. And Magnus. I think- I think they're still alive." And were trying to reach out? But what was Jace supposed to do? They hadn't found any answers on their end.

Clary jerked ramrod straight. "Jace, if you activate your parabatai rune to track Alec, then I can open a portal directly to them through our angel connection."

Jace blinked at her uncomprehendingly for a moment. It sounded impossible. But, then, they'd already proven they could do wonders with their angel blood powers.

Izzy hauled Jace to his feet. "Do you think it'll work?" she asked desperately.

Clary pulled out her stele, expression fierce and determined in a way that Jace knew meant nothing could stop them.

He nodded shakily. "Only one way to find out." He looked around the confines of the library. "Upstairs, though."

They headed up to the training room where Jace and Clary took up position, stepping in close to each other as she drew one of the strange runes on her arm to intensify their connection. Jace felt his angel blood stir and ignite, activating his runes.

The communion on such a deep, soulful level, was like ecstasy and easy to get lost in, but Jace forced himself to concentrate, to think of his brother. His parabatai rune grew warmer, strengthening the connection, and Jace could feel Alec again. His relief was short-lived when he sensed how weak his brother was. They had to hurry.

Clary drew the portal rune on her palm, it glowing brighter and hotter than Jace had seen her do before. She then thrust her hand out, shooting out a ball of radiant light that imploded into a swirling vortex.

"Alexander," Magnus whispered, cradling Alec's cheek. His attempts to anchor Alec to something back in their world had failed, and Alec was still fading. There was an almost mirage quality to his skin now, and he was barely conscious.

Magnus leaned down to kiss him. "Come back," he pleaded.

But true love's kiss hadn't been enough to bring Alec back when he'd been lost in the parabatai bond, nor was it enough to stave off this realm's sinister intention to claim him.

A strident wail echoed through the air, and Magnus twisted around as amorphous revenants swished back and forth in the sky and started to descend toward them. He leaped to his feet and shot off a ball of crackling red magic at them. They banked sharply to avoid getting hit, but that didn't stop their attack.

Magnus threw another spell, and another. One hit a specter and its dying shriek nearly shattered his ear drums. The others sent up hair-raising howls in response and increased the fervency of their attack. One made a dive for Alec, and Magnus frantically threw a fireball to intercept it. His aim struck true, but only just in time, and exploded one of the tree branches as well. Charred wood and rot rained down around Alec, who didn't even stir.

Magnus felt rage born of terror coursing up through his veins. "I won't let you take him!" he shouted at the phantoms, firing spell after spell at them.

But the ruckus was only drawing the attention of more, and even in the distance, Magnus could make out bulbous shapes galumphing over the ground toward their location. In a matter of minutes, they would be overrun.

A frigid gust of wind hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Magnus instinctively threw an arm up over his head as the apparition sailed over him. His magic sputtered from the brief, otherworldly contact that leeched his strength like the parasitic beings they were. The phantom veered up and around to come at him again, while another went for Alec, now undefended. Magnus wanted to scream, but before he could, the air exploded in a hurricane of blinding light and roaring wind. The specters shrieked and twisted to get away.

Magnus whirled in disbelief. Was that a portal? It was nearly painful to even look at, its edges blazing a brilliant gold that Magnus had never seen before… Oh, he prayed he was right about who was on the other side.

He ran to Alec, and noted with a surge of hope that his parabatai rune was glowing under his shirt. Magnus slung one arm over his shoulder and started hauling Alec to his feet.

Alec jolted and lolled his head back and forth. "Jace?" he mumbled.

"That's right, Alexander," Magnus grunted, heaving him up. "Think of Jace."

Taking a deep breath, he turned them toward salvation, and with a few staggering steps, fell into the vortex.

Clary gritted her teeth against the pressure of such a violent portal. It was different than the last one she'd made, stronger, like it was waging a battle on the realm it was invading. And with the runes linking her power with Jace's, Clary felt the thread of the parabatai bond stretching through the rift in space and time.

Come on, come on, she urged, focusing all her effort in pushing the portal toward their target in order to scoop him up. She could only hope Magnus was with Alec, like Jace said.

And then there was a burst of wind as Magnus and Alec came tumbling through and landed on the training room floor in a dirty and disheveled heap. Clary wrenched away from Jace in a rush of shock and elation, breaking their connection and collapsing the portal in a shower of tinkling shards.

"Alec!" Izzy cried, and hurried over to her brother, prone on the floor.

Magnus swayed on his knees, looking around in bewilderment until he met Clary's eyes. "You have no idea how good your timing was," he said breathlessly.

Clary broke into a half-giddy smile of relief, but it was clouded with worry as she took in their state. "Are you two okay?"

Magnus swiveled back to Alec, who was blinking lethargically as Jace and Izzy crowded him on either side. He reached out to clasp Alec's hand ardently. "Alexander?"

Alec squinted groggily. "Mmph, are we…back?"

Magnus visibly sagged. "Yes, we're home."

"Thank the angel, Alec," Izzy breathed, brushing his hair back.

"Don't you ever do that again," Jace said.

"Fine by me," Alec mumbled, eyelids fluttering closed.

Izzy shook her head. "We should get you to the infirmary."

Clary moved in to help Magnus stand, but it was clear that Alec was still too weak to get off the floor. Izzy called for a gurney, which Clary noted with concern that Alec didn't even try to contest.

"What happened to you?" she asked, eyeing Magnus's ripped shirt, which appeared to have been used to bandage Alec's arm, but other than that, neither of them seemed to have any other wounds. "You were in limbo, right?"

Magnus nodded, a haunted glimmer in his eyes. "Alec's soul was starting to fade."

Jace shot him a startled look, but was distracted by the medics arriving.

Clary's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's what happens to those who get lost in that plane." Magnus watched worriedly as Alec was lifted onto a stretcher. "I tried activating his parabatai rune, hoping the connection to Jace would anchor him. I'd actually thought I'd failed until that portal showed up, right before we were almost ripped apart by the local spirits."

Clary shook her head in disbelief. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Now that we're back, my magic should work better. I can heal any lingering effects…" He took a step to follow the others, only to stumble.

Clary quickly caught him and braced his shoulder. "Looks like you need some healing, too."

Magnus shook his head. "Alec…"

"Jace is looking after him," Clary said. "Come on."

She helped Magnus to the infirmary where Alec had already been transferred to a bed and the medics were removing his shirt and the makeshift bandage on his arm. Jace had his stele out and ready, as runes drawn by one's parabatai were stronger and Alec needed an iratze. Clary eased Magnus onto the next bed over.

"How is he?" Magnus asked, leaning to see around Clary.

"He's stable," Izzy replied as she studied the readings on the monitors. "Heart rate and blood pressure are a little low, but he could just be exhausted."

Clary watched Jace place a hand on Alec's chest over his heart and activate the healing rune. It smoldered to life, and the wound on Alec's arm mended to not even a scar. His vitals also went up a few points.

Clary turned back to Magnus. "See? Alec's going to be fine. Do you need us to call Catarina for you?"

He shook his head. "No, Biscuit, but thank you. I just need to rest. It's been a…very trying day."

"What was limbo like?" Izzy asked with a trace of fascination.

Magnus's eyes darkened a fraction as his gaze slid back to Alec. "It's definitely not a place I'll be putting on my list of vacation spots," he replied lightly, but Clary saw the hints of just how close it had been. Looking at Jace hovering over Alec, she saw it there, too.

"How about I bring you something to eat," she offered Magnus.

He gave her a wan smile and nodded, so Clary and Izzy set off to the kitchen to make something. Clary tried to limit their selection to microwavable items so Izzy wouldn't have to cook. Magnus had been through enough as it was.

When they arrived back at the infirmary, Jace pulled himself away from Alec long enough to draw Clary aside, while Izzy took Magnus the food tray.

"Listen," Jace said quietly. "I just want to thank you."

Clary quirked a confused look at him. "For what?"

"For being here," he said sincerely. "For not giving up. If it weren't for you, I would've lost Alec."

Clary softened her expression and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Alec and Magnus are my family, too. I'm just glad it actually worked."

Jace's lips twitched. "Clary Fairchild, everything you set your mind to works."

She smirked.

Jace straightened, and Clary knew before looking over his shoulder that Alec was waking up. She followed Jace as he moved to Alec's bedside and reached to take his brother's hand. Alec still looked sleepy, but more aware this time, enough to offer his parabatai a soft smile.

"Hey, Alec," Jace said quietly. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Tired. But…heavy."

Jace frowned.

"In a good way," Alec explained. "I felt…thin, before. Like I could evaporate."

Jace squeezed his hand tighter. "You're back now, and you're not going anywhere. No missions for a while."

Alec rolled his eyes, but then lifted his head. "Where's Magnus?"

"Sleeping," Izzy put in, and stepped aside so they could see the warlock passed out on the other patient bed.

Alec relaxed against his pillow. "What happened at the auto shop?"

Now it was Jace's turn to roll his eyes in exasperation. "That is literally the last thing you need to concern yourself with right now."

"I'm still Head of the Institute. Unless they replaced me that quickly."

"Definitely not," Izzy said. "But as Head of the Institute, you get to delegate. So someone else is dealing with the paperwork for the raid. Just get some rest, big brother. You and Magnus deserve it."

Alec sighed, but conceded the point by closing his eyes.

Clary smiled to herself, secure in the knowledge that her friends were safe. And she was always going to do whatever it took to keep them that way.

A/N: And that finishes off this little adventure. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I have another Shadowhunters fic that's a bit longer (and way angstier) that I'll start posting next Tuesday. Hope to see you there!