"Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit!"
He blinked open bleary eyes and gave a breathless pant as Livvy jumped up onto his bed, one knee either side of his chest. He wondered if she knew how alike she and her twin were, how he'd done exactly the same thing to wake Kit up so long ago.
"Yes?" he wheezed.
"Hey, firstly, cut that out. I'm not that heavy," she said and he laughed.
"Livvy, I think having a person of any size throw themselves on your chest will take your breath away."
"I take your breath away?" Livvy asked, swooning across him in mock-flirtation. "Wait until I tell Ty."
She gave a little gasp. "Maybe we shouldn't be Parabatai then. I don't want us to have…urges."
He gave a little desolate wail and shoved her off him. "Livvy, no, that whole conversation still haunts me," he shuddered.
She rolled off him and laid down next to him on his bed. "Are you excited to become Parabatai?"
"Being bonded to you forever?" He shook his head. "Oh no, that's too much Blackthorn." She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder and he writhed away from her. "I surrender! I'm sorry! You can never have too much Blackthorn!"
"That's better," she grinned.
Now at the end of October, summer had fully given way to a crisp Fall that brought bitter winds and bracing waves that lapped at the shore of the beach. From his room, Kit could hear the thrash of water against rocks at night. The whole ocean sounded angry. Today though, everything was calm. Kit took this as a sign the world approved of them becoming Parabatai.
"I'm surprised Julian hasn't come to wake us up and drill into us how perfectly we have to act in front of the Clave witnesses," Livvy grinned. On cue, there was a knock on his door.
"We only have two hours before we have to set off," Julian called, sounding frayed.
"It takes at least that long for Kit to do his hair," Livvy giggled, and Kit punched her lightly, making her laugh harder.
"Come on," Julian said, knocking again – more insistently this time. "We have to get breakfast, and everyone needs to get ready."
"Okay, okay. We're coming. Hang on," Livvy sighed, scrambling to her feet and flinging Kit's comforter off mercilessly. He shivered, giving a yelp of surprise at the sudden cold. "Motivation to get up," she explained, and Kit glared at her grin. "I'm gonna go see Dru," Livvy announced, leaving in a whirlwind of excitement.
Kit laid flat on his back, splayed out like a starfish. Today would be hectic. Julian was stressed, Kit was stressed, Ty would be stressed. Livvy, however, converted stress into excitement. Kit just translated it into boundless adrenaline. Ty didn't do excitement or adrenaline. Ty did planning. Kit walked into his room to see the boy laid on the floor on his stomach, paper around him like some kind of study session.
"What is this?" Kit asked, sitting down on the bed.
"I'm planning to make sure everything goes smoothly today. Every prospective problem is accounted for and has a written solution. I have plastic wallets for all the final plans," Ty said quickly, words falling over one another.
"You know, in the mundane world, people pay good money for people to do stuff like this for weddings?"
"I did it for Helen and Aline for free," Ty pointed out.
"You should've made a profit," Kit laughed. Ty's hands were running under the lines of writing, muttering under his breath. Kit slid off the bed and sat down beside him, putting his hands on Ty's shoulders and pressing down, applying pressure. Ty relaxed and leaned his head back against Kit's chest happily. "I'm really nervous," Kit admitted, and Ty turned to look at him.
"It's okay. Livvy is the best Parabatai anyone could have."
Kit gave him a crooked smile. "And you're sure you don't want to be her Parabatai? Last chance."
Ty shook his head. "We want different things and it wouldn't be fair. It's not fair on her to have a fighting partner who doesn't intend to spend their life fighting."
Kit nodded. "That's kind."
Ty shrugged. "I love her. I want to do what's best for her. I know you'll make her happy."
"This…this doesn't change anything, you know?" Kit clarified, but he sounded a little like he was seeking reassurance himself. "It doesn't change anything between us that Livvy and I are Parabatai. I don't…this doesn't mean I prefer her."
Ty nodded, turning around to face Kit properly. He looked at him, holding eye contact. That was happening more and more as of late, that Ty would make eye contact, that Ty would make eye contact with Kit. He'd even started doing it with other people. The first time he'd had a whole conversation with Julian whilst maintaining eye contact, Kit had thought Jules might cry. He'd dragged Ty into a hug and Ty had hugged him back quickly before retreating, disliking the fuss.
"I know," Ty said quietly. "It's even now. Livvy and I are twins, you and Livvy are Parabatai, and you and I are…" he trailed off, blushing. "We all have an important connection to one another now." Kit nodded. "You should get ready. It's on the schedule I made for now," Ty said, and Kit agreed, getting to his feet and holding the door.
"I guess that's my cue for leave," Kit laughed amusedly.
"You have forty five minutes," Ty prompted, and Kit gave a wave of assent as he went to get dressed.
"Wow."
Ty flushed and rubbed his neck in pleased embarrassment. Kit was looking at him, wondering why Ty didn't wear a suit twenty-four a day, seven days a week. Ty in a suit was like a lake in a desert. His hair was combed out, long locks of floppy hair that needed cutting brushing the band of his headphones around his neck. Affixed to one lapel was a silver bee pin. Ty touched a hand to it self-consciously when he saw Kit looking.
"What?"
"No, it…it looks great," Kit said, stumbling over his words a little. Ty in a suit made him feel a little tongue-tied. He could feel himself starting to blush now, and Ty gave a shy smile.
"You look nice," he said, and Kit made a vague dismissive snort of dismissal.
"You two about done?"
The boys turned to see Livvy, coming down the stairs like something out of the cheesy rom-coms she loved, where the girl descended the staircase in her prom dress looking like a million bucks – at least that's what Livvy said they looked like; Ty just thought she looked pretty and wasn't sure what that had to do with money. She was wearing a long black dress that brushed her ankles and her bangs were curled to make them look professionally messy.
"You look like Izzy," Ty said and Livvy beamed, dancing to the bottom of the staircase and up to the two boys.
"Do I? Mission accomplished," Livvy grinned. "Break up the weird compliment 'oh wow you look so good' fest. The others are about ready." Kit shoved her affectionately in the shoulder and Livvy shot him a devilish look. "Even in heels, I could knock you flat on your pretty Herondale butt."
"Touché," he laughed.
"It's pronounced tush," Livvy countered and the two of them laughed, Ty casting them both despairing looks.
"You all look most dapper," Mark said, appearing behind them in that odd way he did. No one ever heard him coming; he was like a ghost.
"As do you, fair brother," Livvy said with a curtsey that made Mark's eyebrows knit in confusion. Ty and Livvy exchanged a mischievous look. They'd been confusing their siblings their whole life; it was their favourite game.
"No fur coat this time?" Ty asked innocently and Livvy cracked up, eyes crinkling with laughter. No one would ever let Mark live down the time he'd believed the twins when they informed him that a huge fur coat – and just a fur coat – was completely acceptable formal attire. Julian claimed he was still traumatised. Emma claimed she was just jealous Mark had better legs than her.
Dru appeared not long after with Tavvy in tow, both dressed in their smartest clothes. Dru was wearing a too-small black dress that was a couple of years old. Unlike Emma and Livvy, she didn't really care enough about fashion to buy a new formal dress every time she went to a party. Tavvy was tugging at the tie around his neck, and Dru had to stop every few steps to fix it. Mark, Emma, and Julian weren't long after, and they all congregated in the foyer to head off to Idris for the ceremony. Kit was mumbling the Parabatai vow under his breath, trying to get it to stick in his head. The closer the ceremony got, the more it slipped from his mind, the nerves teasing him cruelly. Ty put a hand out and squeezed Kit's arm quickly in support.
"Okay, let's get going," Julian said calmly. That was the thing about Julian; he might panic about everything, but he was always a perfect model of comforting calmness when everyone else was stressed. "Livvy, Kit? You both ready?" They exchanged a look, nodding, and Emma gave a happy clap of excitement. Julian laughed. "Okay, we'd better head off then."
One by one, they stepped into the portal until just Kit, Ty, and Julian were left. Kit was staring at the portal, not moving. Ty gave Julian a quick glance and jerked his head to the side, signalling for Julian to leave them for a moment. Julian turned away and Ty took Kit's hand.
"It's okay," Ty said, linking his fingers in Kit's. "The more you do it, the less sick it'll make you feel."
"It's not just that. It's this whole thing. The whole Parabatai thing. I…I don't know what I'm doing," Kit whispered.
"That's okay. I do." Ty replied, squeezing Kit's hand. "Just trust me."
"What if Livvy changes her mind?"
"She won't. And…and she'd be stupid to anyway because you're…" Ty glanced back briefly at Julian, who was leaning against a pillar and badly pretending not to be interested in the two younger boys. "Brilliant."
Ty said something Julian couldn't hear into Kit's ear that made him smile and he let Ty tug him into the portal. Julian watched them go, ready to close up the portal behind him. It was like a spell. Ty could whisper some magic words into Kit's ear and give him some immense wave of confidence. A few months ago, Ty would never have instinctively known what Kit needed, what was wrong. If he was half as good for Livvy as he'd been for her twin, Julian had no qualms about the two of them being Parabatai.
The hall where Livvy and Kit's Parabatai ceremony was taking place was crowded. Julian was mingling and Emma had immediately thrown herself at Cristina, who had taken some time out of her trip home to be there for the ceremony. All of the gang from New York were there, and Izzy had captured the attention of both soon-to-be Parabatai. Kit shot Ty a furtive look at Ty, who was sat against a pillar, and Ty rolled his eyes amusedly. Kit understood why Livvy wanted to be like Isabelle; she was awesome. And attractive as well. But Kit wasn't sure why Livvy wouldn't want to just be like Livvy. She was attracting a fair amount of attention herself and holding social court like it was second nature. Kit was beside her, as felt appropriate for her future Parabatai, but he felt a little out of place. In a crowd of so many Nephilim, he was a little unsure of how to talk to them. Ty had put his book down and was suppressing jealous looks at Julian, Emma, and Livvy for their social ease. Kit gave Ty a wave over. He raised an eyebrow at Kit, shaking his head, but Kit persevered happily. Ty got to his feet and joined them, shifting on his feet uncomfortably. He could feel his hands flapping anxiously and he squeezed them into fists when he saw the others in the group looking.
"This is Ty, my twin," Livvy said proudly, giving his arm a quick squeeze. "He's the brains."
"She's the beauty," Ty said, with a small smile, keeping his eyes toward the ground. The circle of Shadowhunters their age all laughed and Livvy gave Ty a pleased little nudge.
"Do you two want to come with us to grab some punch before the ceremony?" one of the girls grinned, looking between Livvy and Kit. She glanced at Ty, who flicked his eyes away from hers uncomfortably. "Some Dutch courage will shake those nerves."
"Can Ty come?" Livvy asked. The circle exchanged looks.
"Uh, sure," the girl shrugged.
Ty gave Livvy a microscopic shake of his head. "We're good thanks," Livvy smiled, and took Kit and Ty each by a hand and dragged them away. It had always been this way. When they went to Clave parties or meetings and they had to socialise, Livvy stuck by her twin's side. Ty remembered once Livvy had punched a girl in the face for calling Ty a freak. Helen had dragged her out of there and their father had grounded her. When she explained, Andrew had caved and just told her not to do anything like that again – unless she had good reason to.
Kit bagged them one of the tables that was set up around the room, laid with black cloths and silver cutlery. Kit laid his head down on the table top and sighed. However, they'd barely been sat down a couple of minutes before a familiar figure drew up to their table, casting a tall shadowy silhouette on the white tablecloth.
"Hey, Magnus," Livvy said, and Kit sat up to give the warlock a nod of greeting.
"Hello, Parabatai-to-be," Magnus said, and turned to Ty. "And to you, detective Blackthorn." Ty laughed happily. "Right, I'm sorry to bother you all, but I must borrow you two," the warlock went on, nodding to Livvy and Kit. "Last minute Parabatai business and all."
Livvy cast Ty a quick look. "Can Ty come too?"
"Sadly not. Strictly confidential between Parabatai," Magnus said, and watched Ty give Livvy a little smile, waving her away, and Magnus spoke again. "Um, actually Ty, can you come with us? I think Alec wanted to talk to you, but he's over with the kids. Do you mind coming with us? He'd come and find you, but he's got his hands a bit full with Rafe and Max."
Ty nodded enthusiastically, standing up and looping his headphones over his neck. When they got over to Alec, Magnus smiled down at his boyfriend.
"Ty is here. I was telling him you wanted to talk to him about coming back to us in New York next week for that meeting." Alec nodded, immediately understanding, and patted the chair next to him invitingly. "Well, I should whisk these two off for the Parabatai discussion. I'll be back soon," Magnus said, dropping a kiss onto both his sons' heads and then Alec's, who blushed a rosy pink colour and laughed. Kit wondered how long it took for that affection to become easy and to ignore glances from the more conservative Clave members. Alec sat with Max on his lap and Rafael nuzzling into his father's silky suit jacket. Alec leaned in to talk to Ty when Livvy cast one look back before the door closed behind them and they entered the hallway. Magnus ushered them into a parlour room and they took seats together on the sofa while Magnus went over to a teacart.
"How do you take your tea?" he asked, and Livvy and Kit exchanged looks, shrugging.
"Milk and two sugars," Livvy said eventually, sounding sure – though her uncertain grin at Kit said otherwise.
"I'll have the same," Kit added.
"Copycat," Livvy whispered, giggling. "Copy-Kit."
Magnus had his back to them but they could see his hands moving, brewing and steeping the tea in a pot that made Kit feel like something out of Ty's Sherlock Holmes stories. In a couple of minutes, Magnus presented them on saucers, laying them on the coffee table before them.
"I'm just going to grab the Silent Brother who's going to be leading your ceremony to let him know you're ready to be debriefed. Please, drink up. It'll make you feel better. You're both white as sheets."
He gave them a comforting smile as he went, a flicker of something in his eyes. Kit couldn't figure out what is. Sadness? Or…guilt? He shook it away. Most likely, it was that he felt bad they were both nervous. "It'll be okay," Magnus added kindly. "You'll be celebrating with your family before you know it."
Livvy picked up her teacup as the door clicked shut behind Magnus. She stared down at the liquid inside for a while before she glanced back at Kit.
"I don't actually like tea," she admitted.
"Me either," he replied.
"It seems rude not to have any," Livvy sighed, and took a sip, then a longer drink. Kit lifted his cup and did likewise. It was so dainty, the little handle so fragile. But when it slid from his hand and hit the floor, he didn't even hear it smash.
Kit woke up on the floor of the Institute training room, feeling dizzy and confused. He vaguely understood that he'd fallen asleep in Idris and woke up in Los Angeles, but he wasn't sure how or why. He dragged himself to his feet and went out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. However, the second the door closed, Kit's world shifted. From behind the door he'd just shut, into the room he'd just left perfectly normally, a blood-curdling screech wrought the air. From a distance, Kit heard the shouts of terror. It sounded like it was coming from outside. He ran to the window and looked out, looking at all the Blackthorns yelling up at him. No, at the window next to him. In his panic, he still managed to count them all. Emma, Julian, Mark, Ty, Dru, Tavvy…Livvy? Where was Livvy? He turned to the training room door and the scream came again.
"KIT!" Livvy cried, and Kit's heart sank. He threw open the training room door open and shrank back. This wasn't the training room. At least, it wasn't the training room Kit had just been in a couple of moments ago. A raging inferno had engulfed the space, flames high enough to lick the wooden beams of the ceiling Ty had laid on to tie up the punching bag he made Kit. How could this have happened? He'd just been in here and it was fine. Then he remembered. Livvy. He immediately spun to try and find Livvy, but everything around him was enveloped in smoke and fire.
"Livvy!" Kit cried, eyes watering with the smoke.
The wall of flame grew higher at his voice, and Kit braced himself, plunging through. All logic screamed at him to escape; but all logic didn't take Livvy into account. She was lying, eyes closed, under a fallen beam, trapped and breathing thickly. Through the smoke, Kit could only just see her. But he could. Just. He could always see her. Fire snatched at his clothes and he went to apply a Fireproof rune that dissolved ineffectually on his skin the second he finished drawing it. Already, he could feel the exposed skin on his hands and face beginning to blister. He gritted his teeth and called out Livvy's name, gulping in smoky air that caught in his lungs and made him choke. Her only response was a weak cough that, if anything, only scared Kit more. He surged forward toward her, only stopping when a creak wrought the air above him. He looked up in time to see one of the rafters burn and splinter away from its supports and threw himself back in time to not be crushed. He vaulted the beam as it fell to rest and stopped. Crouched before Livvy, guarding her from Kit, was a man. He was familiar, and it took Kit only a heartbeat to realise why.
"Dad?" he whispered.
Johnny was quiet, but the boy knew he was right. Here was the father he saw murdered before his eyes. He felt sick.
"I need…I need to get to Livvy! Dad, let me past! That's my Parabatai!"
The name 'dad' sounded ugly in Kit's mouth. Johnny had never been any kind of real father to him. Julian had been more of a dad to him than Johnny was. This was the man who had lied to Kit his whole life, who never let him be the Shadowhunter he was, who brought him up to believe that the people he loved most – Ty, Livvy, their siblings – were monsters. He ran toward his father, trying to push past. Johnny caught him, pulling him roughly back, throwing him to the ground. As his back struck the floor, the wooden boards shattered beneath him. He screamed, throwing out his hands. A sob rose in his throat, and his father sneered.
"You are a disgrace," he spat, making Kit flinch. "No some of mine goes running to Shadowhunters when times get tough. A son of mine is tough enough to stick them out. You are not the man I brought you up to be. They've brainwashed you. You've always been a failure, but at least before you weren't a coward."
Kit's fingers tightened on the wood, voice just as splintered. "I need to get to Livvy!"
"Do not cry!" Johnny yelled, and Kit hid his face as his father turned away. "I'm so ashamed of you. I have no child. You are no son of mine!"
"Maybe not," Kit said, so quietly, voice raw with smoke and choked-back tears, that Johnny didn't even hear. "But I am her Parabatai."
This man, his father or not, could kill Livvy. He yanked himself up and wriggled through the hole in the floorboards he clung to, pulling himself into the training room that was roaring with flame. His hands were stuck with splinters, clothes torn by jagged wooden edges. The man – he refused to call him Johnny, let alone 'dad' – had resumed his position in front of Livvy.
"Move," Kit demanded. His voice was hard, even though tears ran down his cheeks and cut tracks through the ashy soot covering his face. The man stared at him, grinning mockingly. Kit's fury surged. "Move or I swear to God I'll kill you," Kit shouted.
He pulled a dagger from his belt, a dagger he didn't remember putting there when he was getting ready, and raised the weapon. When the man cast Kit one last look, then took a step forward toward Livvy, Kit lunged forward and plunged the blade into the man's back. He collapsed to the ground, looking so like Kit himself that he started sobbing. He ignored the body, pushed the beam off of Livvy with a strength he didn't know he possessed. However, as the beam fell beside her and she turned to look at Kit, her eyes widened in fear. Her mouth formed his name as the ground splintered beneath her, engulfing her in flames and a cacophony of cracking and crackling, making it look like she was being dragged into the fiery pits of Hell.
"NO!" Kit yelled, reaching for her hands. Her fingers slipped from his, and she fell. He didn't hear her hit the ground. He didn't even hear the floor beneath him burn and break away, only felt the stomach-churning falling sensation. He wasn't sure how far through the fall he lost consciousness. He wasn't sure he cared. Livvy was dead. What did it matter that he lived anymore?
Kit jerked awake like he was coming out of a dream where he was falling. He couldn't breathe. Where was she?
"Livvy?" he croaked breathlessly.
"Whoa, whoa. Hang on. Let's take it slowly." Magnus put a hand on Kit's back, supporting him. "She's okay. You're okay. It was a test, an illusion."
Kit was furious. He turned to glare at Magnus, who gave Kit a soothing, apologetic smile. He helped Kit to his feet and settled him on the sofa. Kit was puzzled. He was sure he'd been on the sofa. How had he ended up on the floor?
"Okay, have a glass of water," Magnus said, and Kit gave him a suspicious. "It isn't going to give you horrible dreams. I promise."
Kit took a sip and Magnus gave him a sympathetic squeeze of the shoulder.
"I'll go and grab Livvy and your Silent Brother. Drink up. Have a cookie from the plate on the side if you like. They're chocolate chip. Alec and I baked them earlier. We managed to save them before Max and Rafael could get their hands on them and eat the lot."
With that, Magnus disappeared down the hall, leaving Kit to slouch back against the sofa, finally relaxing for what felt like the first time in hours. Though the whole illusion of the fire couldn't have lasted long, he was exhausted. It felt like he'd run a marathon. Kit could still feel tears clinging to his eyelashes and rubbed them away fiercely as he heard footsteps outside the door. It was bad enough that Magnus had seen him like that. He wasn't about to let this Silent Brother think him weak. However, when the Silent Brother walked in, followed by Magnus and Livvy, Kit started. He didn't look like any person Kit had seen before. Angry-looking runes slashed his cheekbones, and his eyes were turned to the floor so they looked as if they were permanently closed. Then Kit remembered where he knew the man from; the Shadow Market, so long ago. He'd been accompanied by a brown-haired girl.
"Kit," a voice said, and it had the lilting tone of an age gone by. "My name is Jem. I will be performing your Parabatai ceremony."
"You…you don't look like the drawings I've seen of Silent Brothers," Kit commented, and Jem smiled.
"I am technically a retired Silent Brother. But it was a kind of favour to one of your ancestors. He meant a great deal to me. I thought I should reprise my role one last time in his honour."
He moved forward, his motions ethereal. It was somewhere between a glide and a step. When he got close to Kit, he beheld the boy with a sadness that was tinged with nostalgia. Kit raised his eyes to look at Jem as the man lifted his own gaze, letting Kit see his dark eyes streaked with lines of silver. Kit drew in a breath at almost the exact same moment Jem did.
"You have his eyes," Jem said quietly, and smiled a delicate smile that made Kit's heart ache with a loss that was not his. Jem took a deep breath and straightened up, turning to Livvy. "My apologies, Livia. Please, have a seat. We must discuss what happened."
"Gladly," Livvy laughed shakily. It wasn't a laugh of amusement but one of someone to deny fear from her voice. "What was that?" she said, turning accusingly to Magnus. "What did you do to us? None of that was real, right?"
"Correct. It was an illusion," Jem said, pouring Livvy a glass of water and offering her a plate of cookies. She took the glass and a cookie, keeping her eyes on Jem. "The test of the waters."
"The waters?" Livvy asked.
"Of Lake Lynn," Magnus elaborated and Livvy's mouth fell open.
"The water of Lake Lynn is dangerous! You can't disrupt the mirror! It could have killed us!"
Kit almost choked on his drink. "We could have what?" he coughed.
"We were monitoring you very closely," Jem assured them in his even, calm voice. "You were never in any real danger. You are – and always were – most safe. Now, let us know what you saw in your illusions."
"I…I don't want to," Kit said, turning his gaze to his feet. "It's stupid. It wasn't real anyway."
"It felt real, did it not?" Jem pointed out, and Livvy reached a hand out and stroked Kit's hand in the same way she did to Ty when he was stressed. He caught at her and interlinked their fingers as she began to talk.
"I…I was in the training room. There was a scream out in the hall, but when the door closed, I heard Kit calling out inside. When I went back in, the whole place was in flames. I…Kit was trapped and Uncle Arthur was there. I killed…" she broke off, choked, before composing herself enough to continue. "I killed my uncle. I killed him to save Kit."
"Same here," was all Kit could manage. "I killed my dad." He squeezed Livvy's hand and she returned the gesture empathetically.
"Well, I am pleased to tell you that you have proven yourself worthy Parabatai to one another. After this, the ceremony will not feel quite so frightening. It will be a welcome relief, I should expect." Jem smiled sympathetically. "Would you like a moment alone, or are you ready now?"
Kit gave Livvy a quick look and she nodded.
"We're ready," he said, and pulled Livvy to her feet by their joined hands. They didn't break apart as they left the room, as they entered the hall; they only parted when they stepped into their respective circles opposite each other in the main hall before the gathered crowd.
"Christopher Herondale, Livia Blackthorn," Jem said, acknowledging them solemnly. "Do you accept the weight of the Angel's burden and honour in the ceremony of becoming Parabatai?"
"Yes," they said at the same time, and exchanged quick smiles from inside their separate circles.
"Do you swear to uphold the values set by the Angel's Parabatai, Jonathan Shadowhunter and David the Silent?"
"Yes."
"And do you swear to one another never to break your bond, to love each other always with the power of the Angel's bond within you until death do you part? Your bond is a sacred one, never to be frayed, broken, or compromised. Do you accept these terms and vow to adhere to them?"
"Yes."
Kit heard the conviction in Livvy's voice and hoped she heard the passion in his own reply.
"Speak your vows, and then join your Parabatai in the centre circle to place the sacred runes upon one another's flesh," Jem said, and stepped back from the middle circle. The rings on the floor began to burn with an amber glow like lava.
Kit had spent all morning perfecting his vows, sure he'd get them wrong. When they began speaking, however, he didn't stumble.
"Entreat me not to leave thee,
Or return from following after thee—
For whither thou goest, I will go,
And where thou lodgest, I will lodge.
Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried.
The Angel do so to me, and more also,
If aught but death part thee and me."
The two of them stepped forward together and met in the middle circle. All around them, a wall of fire flared and grew. Kit saw the panic in Livvy's eyes, saw his own same fear reflected in her pupils. Who could blame them, after all, with the nature of their water trial? Nevertheless, Livvy's hand was steady as she poised her stele. Kit bore his waist to her, lifting his shirt carefully, and she drew the mark clearly and cleanly against his skin. She pushed down the strap of her dress on one side, displaying the canvas of unmarked skin of her shoulder for him to mark. He drew the rune as perfectly as he'd ever practised it and she tugged her dress back into place. The fire died down and Livvy flung herself into Kit's arms, making him stagger back. She was squeezing him so tightly he felt as if they might be squashed into one person. He supposed, now they were Parabatai, they almost were a single entity.
It felt like milliseconds before Livvy was running away to show Ty her rune, practically dancing across the hall to her twin in excitement. Ty's own hands were moving frantically at his sides with uncontainable emotion. Kit beamed. It wasn't often Ty would do that in public – only when he was uncontrollably nervous or excited. Kit could guess which it was from the grin on his face. Jem gave Kit a little push, nudging him toward the Blackthorns.
"Go," Jem said softly, kindly. He bent down to Kit to speak gently in his ear, a hand resting on the boy's shoulder. "Be with your family."
Kit gave him a quick smile and then ran after Livvy into the fray. She'd turned away from her twin and to Julian, the rest of her family crowding around her, enveloping her in the signature hurricane of Blackthorn enthusiasm. All except Ty, who was watching Kit. They'd celebrated Kit's birthday since he'd arrived at the Institute – it didn't seem to be a big deal in the Shadow world. That was okay; it was never a big deal at home with his dad either – but even though he was technically older than Ty, he was still the shorter of the two of them. He had to tilt his head a little to look up at Ty, who pulled him into a hug so tight Kit could feel the material of his blazer bunching where Ty hung on. Ty was resting his head on Kit's shoulder, his cheek pressed into the softness of his shoulder-pad. Kit could hear the muted but undeniably happy noises Ty was making, that he had become so used to. Over Ty's shoulder, he could see most of the attendees were occupied with Livvy. Three faces seemed, however, to be watching the two boys; Jem, Magnus, and Alec. Kit blushed and buried his face in Ty's lapel. Let the moment last a little longer, Kit decided. Few moments in life were as content as this.
