Just finished this chapter and decided to not let it end with a big cliffhanger... wanted to be nice today. Have fun^^

Chapter 26

Jace's POV

I must've slept like a stone, all I know is that I awoke very early. It was still dark outside, so I took some fruit bites from the tablet on the bedside table and began to train a little to relax. Then I took a shower as it began to become lighter outside, my muscles ached, sweat ran down my back but it felt good. With a towel wrapped around my waist I looked into the wardrobe, it was filled with only black clothes, as if we would never wear something else. Or Asmodeus wanted to extra-mark us as nephilim in this white hell. I picked out a shirt, underwear and socks, but I would have to wear the rest of my gear from yesterday again. I turned around to lay the clothes onto the bed and let them fly to the ground in a big circle... "What the fuck! Who are you?" I caught hold of the towel before it could follow the rest of the clothes and looked down on the child that was sitting in the bed munching some grapes.

"You haven't been here a few seconds ago!" The boy swallowed my food and smiled. "Hi! I'm Ezekiel!" I fixated the towel and pulled some boxers up under it. "Good for you! Aren't you too young to be one of Asmodeus' minions?" The boy crawled over to the end of the bed and handed me my shirt over. "I'm not. I'm his son. And you're the other nephilim, a friend of Magnus..." I grabbed the shirt and pulled it over my head and torso. "I wouldn't say friend..." He handed me the socks and watched me closely... were the clothes slightly sticking? I shook that thought off and threw the towel away before sitting next to the kid and pulling on the socks. "You're here to save him and Alec so I will help you. Mom says that's part of the deal. And I talked to Magnus after you had to leave, but your other friends want to know if you still have something very important or if you 'lost' it. Then we will tell them what you tell me and you what they tell us..." He's going to explode when he has to stop talking, right? "Okay, okay! Stop talking! I still have what we need, so stop rambling."

I walked over into the bathroom and picked up my gear, searching the pockets and hidden weapon holdings for the dagger. I went back into the bedroom looking at Ezekiel, but before I could say something, the door was opened and Asmodeus walked in. "No, no, no Ezekiel. You stay where you are!" Ezekiel froze in his position, his father's pointing finger moved from him over to me, his glare followed. "Are you missing something?" I looked at him as if I don't know what he's talking about and threw my pants onto the bed. "Yes. The wardrobe is not completely filled. I miss a fresh shadowhunter gear." I smiled sweetly at him as I pointed down to my legs. "It's a little fresh..." Asmodeus snapped his fingers and I nearly coughed as I saw the female slave which entered the room. First I thought it's Clary, with the red curls and thin stature, but then I recognized that she's too tall, the red has another tone and relaxed a little. The woman offered me a new gear. I took it out of her arms and watched her leaving before locking my eyes with Asmodeus again. "Where did you get it from?"

He just grinned and answered: "I have my ways..." He sat down in the chair at the window, his gaze gliding over Ezekiel, who chewed on his lower lip and tried to become invisible, to me. "... that was Emerald. You like red-heads, don't you? She has a very talented tongue, you should try her." I stepped into the fresh pants and pulled them up, closing them as I answered: "No, thank you." He took a glass of whiskey from Emerald and played with it, letting the liquid circle in the glass. "Ah... So you're just here for Magnus." "And Alec." I said and sat down next to Ezekiel who tried to look as non existent as possible. "You're into threesomes! Thought like that about you, but not about your parabatai... I thought he would be more... old fashioned." I just rolled my eyes, he could think what he wants, it didn't matter. Asmodeus looked to the door as I heard footsteps. Magnus followed a keeper into the room, looking confused as he saw Ezekiel and me sitting on the bed. A few seconds later Alec stepped in, as Asmodeus took the chain of Magnus' collar from the keeper and let it snap back to his wrist. "Wonderful! We're complete!" He gestured for Magnus and Alec to sit down somewhere. "Aaron, Kilian thank you. You can wait outside and close the door please. Emerald should wait with you."

Magnus turned around to Alec, his arms closed around Alec's neck and their lips connected instantly, even before the guards left and Asmodeus stopped talking. Magnus was in a slave outfit again, this time the loincloth was in a dark green. I watched Alec's hands glide down Magnus' bare back. The contrast of his white, pale fingers sliding over the caramel colored skin, pressing into it to close the distance between them, was just hot. My gaze wandered down Magnus' back, to his ass, where Alec's hand was now, squeezing the ... I shook my head and registered that Alec and Magnus made the air too thick to breath with their actions. Asmodeus snickered and looked very pleased, but I cleared my throat loudly. I stood up from the bed and walked over to the other end if the room, getting as much distance between us as possible. Alec broke the kiss and looked deep into Magnus' eyes, this was hell for him, everyone could see it in his expression. "Hey. Are you alright, honey?" His hand caressed Magnus' cheekbone, Magnus closed his eyes and I had to look away, it just seemed way to intimate. But I thought Magnus looked as if he's going to cry any second.

Asmodeus sat there with a bored expression now. "Okay, okay. Enough now! We Don't have time, you wanted an answer today..." He looked at Magnus, who glared at him over his shoulder. Alec walked past Magnus, gently touching his shoulder and came over to me. I opened my arms to embrace him and his fist connected with my nose, making a cracking sound and me stumbling backwards until I hit a wall. "Ouch! What the hell Alec!" I held my nose, it was definitely broken, and tried to stop the bleeding. "That was for kissing and fumbling my boyfriend, you dickhead! You're glad that you are my parabatai!" I looked at him hurt... and confused... and somehow understanding after a second. I shrugged and nodded as his arms closed around me in a tight hug. "Took you long enough to get your ass into this realm." It was just a whisper into my ear, but I had to laugh at that, but stopped hissing. "Ow... You broke my nose... now I'm just stunning and not god-like anymore." He slapped the back of my head and let go of me smiling brightly. He went over to Magnus and both sat down on the bed, holding hands.

I let myself lean back against the wall and waited for Asmodeus to say something. "You don't carry a stele around with you, right?" He made a move with his wrist into my direction and I felt my nose snap back into the right position. "Ouch! A little warning would have been nice! Jerk..." Asmodeus took a sip of his drink while his gaze wandered over all of us. "It was a very good idea to use the bones of John the Baptist to go against me. I have to confess that you can hurt me with those daggers and although one of them is in my property now, I have to negotiate with you brats. Magnus nearly gave me everything I need to know..." We all looked at Magnus but he just shook his head saying: "He read my memories. He saw the talk Jace and I had after the games yesterday. It wasn't my intention to reveal everything." Asmodeus waved with one hand in a bored gesture to get our attention. "Yeah... he's not a traitor. So... I have to save my image, you have to get out of here. All together, friends, family, parabatais, boyfriends friends of friends, brothers, bla bla bla... My proposal is, you will play in the games today with the last candidates and win Magnus like it was intended. You won't come back in two years and play for him again, I will let..." He took another gulp of his drink, looking pissed. "... I won't bother you after that. Both of you will be able to survive the game." He watched us one after another, waiting for a response.

Magnus was the one who answered first. "That's it? We play your last fucking game and then you will send us home? No more fighting after that?" "You still have to fight for Magnus. You won't automatically win this game, like I said, I have to save my face. And... I will erase your memories of the good old John. That's something that shouldn't be talked about everywhere. You tell me about everybody who knows it and I will send someone who deletes that knowledge in their mind. It's not that bad, or do you realize that Magnus stole memories from you just yesterday?" Asmodeus looked at me and Alec as he said that, Ezekiel looked guilty as well, but stayed silent. What did he mean? I knew my confusion was as visible in my face as on Alec's. "What is he talking about, Magnus?" Alec asked turned to his boyfriend, who looked as if he wanted to vanish instantly, but answered: "I will tell you another time, just trust me now. I had to make a decision and I don't really remember myself, I let my own memories being erased, too. He wants to manipulate us, sow anger and distrust... Believe me, I will tell you, but not now..."

I have to say I was shocked, Magnus' lips were quivering slightly and I saw a tear escape his eyes and running over his cheek before Alec could catch it with his thumb. Magnus Bane... I thought I saw him in the weakest condition in Edom, but I was wrong... it was now. Alec whispered something in Magnus' ear, I couldn't understand and Magnus nodded weakly. Alec looked at me over Magnus' shoulder and I nodded in understanding before he turned to Asmodeus. "We accept." Asmodeus smiled and raised his glass to us. "Wonderful! Than we nearly have all we wanted, right? Ezekiel, my beloved son..." Ezekiel jerked in fear and tried to hide behind Magnus without effect. "... I think it's your part to bring some information to the other nephilim. Leave now... and don't forget to say goodbye to your Mom. When your brother leaves with you, you won't see her again, right?"

His grin was evil and we all understood the threat behind his words. Ezekiel understood, too. The panic in his eyes showed it. I walked over to the bed and laid my hand on his shoulder, softly rubbing over it with my thumb. "Ezekiel, don't leave now. We have to talk a few minutes more, but your father will leave us instantly." I glared at Asmodeus. Oh how I hated people who threatened children and would harm them without thinking about it twice. Asmodeus gulped down the rest of his drink and stood up, walking to the door he said: "Five minutes. Then the guards will guide you to the arena. Good luck... or something like that." He closed the door after leaving the room and I saw Alec turning around to Magnus, touching his face softly and kissing him with all of his heart. I looked at Ezekiel and turned his face in my direction gently, before sitting next to him and letting Magnus and Alec some privacy. "Ezekiel, are you sure about coming with us? We all understood what your father meant... your Mom..." "I know. It wasn't my decision, my Mom made it... She knew that he will find out some time, but she wants me to leave... I will be careful, I know he will let someone follow me, but they won't find your friends." "Thank you, Ezekiel. Take as much time with your Mom as you can."

He nodded weakly and vanished, as if he had never been here. I felt the air becoming thicker again, but not so much that I couldn't control myself around Magnus anymore. Their moment was about love, not lust. Although it took all my strength to not stare at them... I picked up the long sleeved shirt from the shadowhunter gear and changed into it, before pulling the jacket over it and closing the weapon belts over that at the end. I sat down on the bed to put on my boots when someone came into the room again. I looked over my shoulder and saw Magnus and Alec parting. Magnus stood up and walked over to the door, whispering that he loved Alec and still looking as miserable as ever. When he really did what Asmodeus said, when he felt like that because he manipulated our memories... I didn't know if I wanted to get them back. Magnus and not looking intimidating, proud and as if nothing could frighten him, just wasn't right.

I tied up the other boot and stood up too, turning around to face Alec. "Alec, I will do everything to get you out of here, you know that, right?" He smiled at me and picked up the t-shirt I threw on the bed. "I know that, you're my parabatai, Jace. Here..." he handed me my shirt over. "... Asmodeus may have healed your nose, but your face is still bloody." I wiped over my nose, lips and chin and looked at him again. "Yeah... nice punch by the way." He just grinned and nodded to the bathroom. "Doesn't work, you have to wash your face or Clary will get a heart attack when she sees you." I shrugged and turned around to leave to the bathroom. "Hmpf... not because of that anymore! She saw me in much more bad conditions.." I washed my face and my hands and went back into the bedroom.

Alec's POV

Jace came back into the bedroom, looking like an Angel ready for a fight, like always. But I didn't see him in that way anymore, he was good looking and arrogant and annoying sometimes and... it was different now. "Alec... Will Magnus get through this? Don't get me wrong, but he looks miserable." He was good at those things, look through people, even when you didn't realize something yourself, he already knew it. It was just rare that he spoke out what he thought, most of the time he waited until none of your own decisions worked out or he was asked for an advice. "We have time to discuss everything when we're back home. And I hope he'll get through it. He really looks bad, doesn't he?" "Bad?... Mentally destroyed seems more fitting to describe him. He really has it bad with a joke of a father like Asmodeus." I was a little shocked because of his straight reply, but nodded... he was right.

I looked down at my watch, which was absolutely senseless cause it didn't work here... but it was a habit. "He said five minutes, right? Do you think the deal is really set? They take too long." Jace sat down on the bed and watched me, his expression still serious. "I'm sorry that I kissed him." "It was part of the game and it was more of him kissing you... you only have to be sorry because you liked it." Jace shivered and made a face as if he had bitten into a lemon. "Then I don't have to be sorry at all. I just liked it because of that neko thing." I smiled at him and answered playfully: "Come on, Magnus is a hell of a good kisser." Jace scrunched his face again but shrugged after that. "Nah... He's not too bad at it." We both laughed at his jokingly confession and it just felt so good. It was too long ago that I was alone with my parabatai, seemed like ages, not like days. "You're just jealous. I can drown in his kisses, so deep that I sometimes wish I wouldn't need to breath." Jace nodded at that, looking to the ground and a smile on his lips, he was thinking of Clary.

Before he could answer, we were picked up too. Maybe they wanted to bring us into the arena at last, like they did it with me the yesterday, to show us off. I asked myself if the audience made bets on the candidates. We heard the cheering and screams before we even went outside and I was right, we were the last ones. We both passed the vampire girl, the warlock and Rosier, who looked at me with the most hatred of all of them. Our guard opened small portals and we collected our weapons and steles. Jace put the last throwing knife into his weapon belt and mumbled: "I'm missing my dagger... demonic thieves." I snickered and wanted to retort something, but was interrupted as Asmodeus entered his balcony. I nodded into that direction to get Jace's attention over there. Izzy stood a few feet behind Asmodeus and was about to serve him a drink. I could just hope that he didn't remind her, that was very close. I couldn't find Jem, Clary or Simon before Asmodeus began to speak. Instead of searching any farther, we marked each other with runes.

"My friends! Welcome to the last round of these games to win the neko! I hope you enjoyed it so far and have a lot of fun today!" He let the audience cheer a few seconds before he went on: "The last game is all about the candidates' willingness to make sacrifices. What will they sacrifice to get the neko, to save what they want? This game would be a hard task and I offer you all a way out..." Five slaves came into the arena, each with a pillow balanced on their palms. There was a silver bracelet embedded in the pillows, we all took the one from the slave who stopped in front of us and wrapped them around our wrists. "... in each bracelet is a blue colored stone, which can easily been broken by smashing down on it. You can destroy it and will instantly be saved from the game. You have to save the neko to win him, when you activate the bracelet to save your life, you loose... Have fun!"

I looked at Jace and said: "When he offers a way out... that will hurt." "For sure..." He couldn't say anymore before I stood in a part of the maze on green grass and surrounded by hedges. But this time you could see the way you have to go, right to the middle where the light seemed to glow red and flickered because of great heat rising up. My breath hitched, through the flickering you could see Magnus, unconscious, his hands and feet chained to a stake. "Magnus..." I made a few steps forward, but then stopped, a second later I heard the first scream. "Yes... that will hurt..." Another scream broke the silence but I walked forward cautiously, watched my surroundings and listened to every sound. I could draw aside from the first few blades, hearing the air cutting sound they made as they passed me, but I felt them cut through my skin on my upper arm, thigh and stomach. The gear saved me from deep wounds, but it went through and I felt the blood run down my skin under my clothes. I groaned at the pain and just hoped the blades weren't poisoned.

I drew an Iratze to stop the bleeding and tried to ignore the screams and sound coming from the other corridors of the maze. It sounded like is was formed as a sun with Magnus on the middle isle and the candidates in the shafts of sunlight created corridors. I walked a few feet in Magnus' direction and saw a way going to the left and right side. So it was possible to fight against the other candidates or work together maybe. I saw blond hair and black clothes stumbling over. "Jace?" I ran over to the other corridor and saw Jace fighting against the vampire girl, who was wrapped around him with her whole body, her teeth buried deep in his neck. She must've been surprised by the knife-trap, she was covered in cuts and still bleeding. She clasped Jace's torso like an iron statue, but Jace could pull her head back by her hair, ripping her teeth out of his flesh. "Ahh! God dammit! Let go!" I closed the distance as fast as possible and after a second of analysing what's best to do, I let my fist crash down on her bracelet. She immediately disappeared as if she had never been there. Jace stumbled back one step before he found his balance again without her weight pressing down on him.

"Jace! Are you okay?" I pushed his head to the side and drew a rune to replace the blood faster. "Really... What do you have with the vampires?" He looked at me and grinned. "I'm just tasting very delicious, I think. Good reaction, by the way." I also drew an Iratze, he couldn't dodge all knives, too. "What do you think about saving Magnus together?" He nodded and straightened out his clothes. "Sounds good. Let's go?" His eyes scanned my body fur injuries, but there wasn't something for him to worry about. "Yeah, let's go." We just walked a few feet before a thick green smoke began to surround us. It blocked our view of the corridor and made breathing hard. We leaned on each other in the matter of seconds, both coughing and hearing the sizzling of our clothes which blistered in the acid smoke. My skin began to burn like fire, my eyes were filled with tears as we stumbled out of the smoke and fell into the grass, choking up blood and spitting it into the green.

I grabbed my stele and felt the skin over my knuckles tear open as I closed my hand around it. I couldn't breath, everything hurt, really everything and I couldn't suppress the sounds of pain anymore. But I managed it to turn to Jace, roll onto my side and start drawing an Iratze on my parabatai who looked like a piece of ember. Jace did the same for me and before we could draw other runes, the physical symptoms lessened. Breathing was possible again and Jace's skin became the color of a human being again, the blisters were getting smaller and vanished. And it was painful as hell! We both screamed, my hands fisted the grass, ripping it out and trying to get more hold on the ground by boring my fingers into the earth.

We both just laid there a few minutes after the healing ended, leaving us healthy and breathing normally again, but also in destroyed clothes. The material was thin now, a lot of holes showed our skin beneath it. Jace turned his head in my direction and said: "You were right. This hurts..." I looked at him, nodding slightly. "Yeah... Wish I were wrong. He wants to bring us to activate the bracelets... you can still do that, you know? He will send us back home even when only one of us wins this game." Jace didn't say anything, he just looked at me as I'm totally stupid. "Okay... I get it. Ready to go on then?" I stood up slowly and offered my hand to help him and he took it. "Don't know, man." I tried to guess the distance to Magnus, we nearly had passed half the way. I wondered if the warlock could just fly over those traps, but I believed that Asmodeus could prevent him from cheating like that.

We knew that we activated the next trap... it was like walking through a wall of electricity. As we reached behind us, we could feel the invisible wall but the first seconds it seemed like nothing else happened. We walked farther into Magnus' direction and I heard the grass under our boots. I looked down and saw water puddles building, turning the grass into mud. "Jace... there's water coming out of the ground... and it gets faster..." Jace looked down too, our boots were soaked now. "Oh shit... Run!" The water was going higher every second and we couldn't run very far. The water swelled continuously and we recognized that the were in between invisible walls. We were swimming as we arrived at the other end of that room and tried to destroy the wall with raw force. Nothing worked, not our fists, the seraph blades, throwing knives, sword... We were pushed higher until we hit the ceiling and there was no air left to breathe. I felt the water filling my lungs as I had to breathe in, I just couldn't stop that reflex anymore. It burned like hell and nearly made me try to breathe in again, I tried to concentrate on finding a way out, but it got heavier any second.

I took a deep breath, water flowed into my mouth, down my throat, filling my lungs, burning inside of me. I was so tired, so exhausted... I wanted Jace to stop shaking me. The last thing I saw was Jace pushing the stele onto the invisible wall before I became unconscious... "Alec... Alec... Come on! Don't do that to me!... Alec!..." I felt a hard pressure on my ribcage and someone's lips on mine, air invading my aching body. I coughed and choked out water from everywhere in my body as it seemed. I rolled onto my side, still spitting out water and tried to open my eyes. "Thank the Angel! You scared the shit out of me!" I saw gold... and light... I felt hands on my face. "You're alright... aren't you?" I managed to open my eyes and looked into my parabatai's worried face. "Hey..." I sounded like I haven't used my voice for ages. "...I'm okay... thanks to you." Jace let himself fall next to me and closed his eyes. "Now we're even again. Next turn is yours to save me again." I recognized that we were laying in the wet grass and puddles of mud like pigs. "How did you get us out of there?" Jace smiled and then looked at me again. "I remembered Valentine's ship and Clary's unlocking or... opening rune and drew it on the invisible wall. A few seconds later and that would have been it... I really thought about activating your bracelet."

"Thank you for not doing it." "Don't thank me for that. I almost lost you." I pushed myself up onto one elbow and looked into Magnus' direction. "I have to save him, no matter what it takes." Jace stood up and helped me to do the same. We were close now, maybe there would be another trap or that was it and we could reach him without another incident. I was curious if we were the only candidates left or if the warlock or Rosier made it through the traps. We walked over to Magnus and saw what the red glow was and why the air seemed to simmer. Magnus was literally on an island surrounded from a deep chasm, in which lava flowed in a slow pace. "That's a joke..." Jace looked at me and I just shrugged, I didn't believe in something funny and joking anymore, when it came from Asmodeus. "We can jump over it... It's not soooo wide." Magnus was still unconscious, definitely a spell not some natural phenomenon, Jace watched him too and said while wiping the sweat from his forehead: "He looks fine... Maybe we should just let him sleep." I slapped the back of his head and said nothing, just glared at him. "Alright! It's jumping then."

We walked a few steps back to take some inrun, there wasn't a sound or a sight of the other candidates. The other corridors were completely silent. We started to run and the second our feet were about to leave the ground, it broke away under us. I instinctively grabbed Jace's wrist and tried to get a hold on the cliff. My arms were strained to their maximum and I felt Jace connecting with the wall hard. "Argh!... Don't let go, Jace!" I felt Jace's other hand grab my wrist too, his feet searched for some hold on the stone wall. A second felt like a year and I just couldn't get some grip to get us up. I felt the sweat running down my back, my arms and forming on my hands, making it even harder to hold Jace. "Alec... Alec..." "Jace, don't even think about it!" "Let go. We are to heavy. You can't save both of us, let go and save Magnus. Save yourself." I shook my head, my arms felt as if they were ripped off slowly, but I wouldn't let go. Never! "NO! NEVER! Stop talking like that!" I tried again to get some more grip, somehow this has to work! "Argh!" I felt Jace's right hand leave my wrist. "NO! Jace... NO!" He opened his left hand and I felt every single drop of sweat that ran between our connected skin, making my grip slippery. "Jace... Don't do that..."

He looked up to me and his expression changed completely as if he understood something now. He opened his mouth and slipped through my fingers. "JACE! NOOO!" I didn't know whose scream echoed from the stone walls longer, mine or his. I saw my parabatai disappearing in the lava. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think, I just stared down to the point where Jace was seconds ago. "Jace..." I felt my fingers scratch over the stone and grabbed the edge with my other hand too, without thinking about it. I pulled myself up, groaning at the pain, but pushing my torso back over the edge. I swung my legs up too and just laid there, my mind went blank. I thought it would be more painful, I felt nothing, I thought nothing and did nothing.

I don't know how long I just laid there before the thought to save Magnus came up again. I was on autopilot when I stood up and jumped over to the isle, rolling over the stone ground as I landed. I stood up and drew runes on the chains to open them. Magnus fell down and I held him in my arms, kissing his forehead softly. I turned around and we were in the middle of the arena, cheering and clapping everywhere around us. "Here is the winner! He was willing to sacrifice everything. I hope you enjoyed the games! Mister Lightwood earned every right to rest now." I sank to the ground, Magnus still in my arms. I didn't listen to what Asmodeus was saying I just looked from Magnus still unconscious form to Asmodeus' balcony. Jace! He was standing beside Asmodeus, together with Rosier, the warlock and the vampire girl. He was okay! Asmodeus clapped his hands and I felt the tears streaming down my face. He's alive... and Magnus was in my arms... it would be okay.