"Absolutely not!" Maryse protested, jumping to her feet.

A chorus of agreement followed her. All the Lightwoods came to their feet, even Robert. Their faces scrunched and turned red as they hollered objections. Magnus sat in his chair, making no move to dispute the families view, simply letting them vent their rage at his statement. He had known that they would react this way; any parent would if their child was in danger. But this was the only way to get Clary back and stop Jonathan.

Alec stood behind Magnus's velvet chair with much the same reaction to his family. He understood why they were so against it, even he wasn't completely for the idea. The grief from losing Max was still raw and the thought of losing another loved one so soon was terrifying. But Alec trusted Magnus. He knew that his other half wouldn't put them in this situation unless he was sure they would come to no harm. Whether he would admit it or not, Magnus had become quite fond of all the Lightwoods and Clary.

The screaming and nonchalance from the respective parties continued for a while longer before someone noticed that the sullen figure on the couch had yet to speak or move. Alec let Magnus's hand slip from his and, ignoring the warlock's curious stare, drifted across the room to stand in front of Jace. He knelt down on one knee in front of his parabatai and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked into the emotionless gold eyes, usually alive with a molten spark and frowned. There was no recognition, no response.

"Jace?"

At the sound of his brother's voice so close Jace's eyes snapped up. The intensity of his stare startled Alec. Their gazes stayed locked, reading, studying, and learning until Alec turned his head suddenly registering the echo of his name being called. Glancing once more at Jace for any sign of return he stood and walked toward his family who were looking at him pleadingly.

"Alec please, make Magnus see sense. This is insane," Maryse implored.

"It's suicide Alec, we could lose them both," Isabelle pressed.

"We have already lost one son in this war, how can we risk another?" his father urged.

Guilt twisted Alec's heart painfully, "But if we don't we still lose a brother anyway. Can you not imagine the consequences of allowing Jonathan to remain? If we were to lose Clary as a result? Jace would never recover from something like that."

"And if we were to tell the Clave that I'm sure they would put as much effort into finding this monster as we would. This is just too big for us to handle alone Alec," Robert insisted.

An incredulous snort. That was the only sound it took to silence the room. All eyes snapped to Jace. He still sat unmoved and eyes downcast except now a humourless smile tweaked his mouth. When he did lift his head there was life, emotion. Hatred.

"And here I thought you were smart," Jace murmured.

Robert's eyes tightened, "Now Jace I understand you don't trust the Clave but maybe you should-"

In a blur of motion Jace jumped up from the sofa," I should what? Have an open mind? Trust them? That's rich. They openly admitted today that they would prioritise the high society families' protection over our lives. Now you want me to ask them to do a job you know only I can do. That's more suicidal than using me as bait.

Jace finished his speech panting with arm useless at his sides after gesturing frantically before. No one spoke, only stared with looks of disbelief. Everyone except Magnus, who just quirked a smile and folded his arms. Then Jace turned to him.

"What do you need me to do?" Jace asked.

"Jace-" Maryse began but was silenced by her son with a sharp glare. He nodded for Magnus to continue.

"We need you to find him. Jonathan is smart, he calculates his every move. He will deliberately keep you one step behind him to drive you to maximum frustration. He will break you down to weaknesses you never knew you had. The hallucinations will be you biggest enemy. They will be of every scenario you fear, with every person you care for in them. He will torture you to the brink of a mental breakdown but you have angle blood which in itself will act as a defence but not for long," Magnus explained.

Jace's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Magnus's last sentence took on a hesitant tone, "What aren't you telling me Magnus?"

The warlock shared a glance with his shadowhunter looking for an answer to the unasked question. Once he got a nod of approval he focused again on Jace.

"To find Jonathan we need to find his trace. With nothing left at his last known location we have nothing to go in reality," he started.

"In reality, you mean..."

"To get Jonathans trace you have to get as close to a fresh 'scent' as you can. That scent will be with Clary. He can't let her go which means he has to keep a part of him there in the 'realm'. That part will be linked to his body and we can trace the fragment scent to it. But you will have to do as he is doing in order to find it. Clary will know your there but he won't," Magnus clarified.

"Alright then, we should start now then shouldn't we?" Jace said and turned for the stairs.

Everyone in the small room moved to protest but Magnus dominated and faced Jace with authority.

"Jace you need to swear on something first," he waited for the angle-boy to nod then continued," when you enter that world and see Clary you are going to want to stay. Now you must swear that no matter how painful it is you are in and out as soon as you have the trace, any longer and you risk exposure."

Jace nodded gravely and drifted toward the stairs ignoring the reaching arms of his family. He didn't look back to see Alec restraining them, he just kept walking toward the antique gold doorknob that sealed in his beauty. His hand grasped the cool metal and he opened the door and stepped through, leaving it open for Magnus.

Jace went straight to Clary's bedside and sat down. He reached over and cradled the side of her face as the sound of the door clicking shut reverberated in the room. His thumb slid side to side along her rose petal cheek. She looked like a china doll that never aged but silently brought joy to all generations in its life.

Magnus politely cleared his throat to bring Jace back to the present. He handed the dreary boy a crystal blue bottle he'd pulled from his purple trench pocket.

"Drink that and the effects of the original tonic. You have ten minutes from the moment you touch her skin to find the trace and return. Any longer and the barriers will begin to break down and Jonathan will find you. Stand by your oath Jace and good luck," Magnus rumbled.

Jace brought the vile to his lips and drained the content in one swipe. He nodded to Magnus then turned to Clary.

He sent a small prayer to the angel then touched his fingertips to hers.