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“I knew there was a reason you were my parabatai”
The words echo in the dark room, replacing tense silence with familiarity. But it doesn’t last for long. In moments, a hoard of Forsaken is pouring in through every opening of the tomb like snarling cockroaches. Alec never enjoys killing, but there is a particular feeling of guilt that comes with slicing up what used to be a person. These creatures are just as dangerous and corrupt as any demon, but it’s harder for him to remain unfazed while cutting through an elderly man’s chest.
Suddenly, what Alec thought was a wall splits open behind him, and a pair of strong arms pull him into a horrific embrace.
Jace shouts his name, and Alec yells his in return. He catches a glimpse of his brother’s terrified eyes before he is pulled backwards through the remaining wooden boards.
Alec lands hard on his back, knocking the air out of his lungs. The Forsaken pounces on his chest, trying to claw at his eyes, but the Shadowhunter deflects and punches the creature in the face. The blow gains Alec enough time to grab his Seraph blade from where it had fallen, and he pierces the Forsaken through the throat. Blood spurts over Alec’s face and chest, and he shoves the squirming body off of him.
He’s still finding it hard to breathe.
The fall couldn’t have affected him like this; they had activated their stamina runes before the fight. He wasn’t having a panic attack.
Why couldn’t he breathe?
Clutching his throat through shaky and halting breaths, Alec stumbles through the opening made in the boards and returns to where he had last seen Jace. But his brother was nowhere to be seen.
“Jace?” Alec calls hoarsely, but the only response he hears is Isabelle and Clary fighting upstairs.
His parabatai rune aches and Alec understands with horrific clarity. Sebastian must have taken him.
That bastard.
Steadying his breaths as best he can, Alec runs up the stairs to find even more Forsaken streaming down a dim hallway toward Isabelle and Clary. They are covered in blood but seem to be unhurt. Alec nocks an arrow and fires it straight through the heads of the last two Forsaken.
“Alec!” Isabelle hugs him. Her relief is obvious until concern overtakes her features as she notices his labored breaths. “Are you okay?”
“It’s Jace. Sebastian’s got him, we have to hurry.” He can feel Jace’s fear and anger through their connection.
Isabelle nods and moves with Alec towards the exit before Clary stops them. “Guys!” They turn and see even more Forsaken pouring into the hallway, teeth gnashing and eyes hungry. Alec quickly fits another arrow into his bow – his weapon is ideal for getting rid of them quickly.
Clary talks quickly before the creatures can reach them. “Izzy, Alec and I got this. Go get Sebastian. You’ve got the whip – the electrum, we know it can hurt him. Go!”
Alec wants to argue. His rune is aching and he wants nothing more than to run as quickly as possible to Jace’s aid. But he knows Clary’s reasoning is sound, and so he focusses on breathing and killing Forsaken as Isabelle makes her escape.
He and Clary make quick work of the creatures and soon the hallway is strewn with bodies. Suddenly, Alec can breathe again. He leans against the wall and takes gulping breaths, holding his hand over his hip. “What’s wrong – is Jace okay?” Clary asks, grasping his arm tightly.
Alec sees the panic in her eyes and tries to explain. “Before, when Sebastian took him, I couldn’t breathe. It was like he was being strangled somehow.” Her green eyes widen and he puts up his hands before she can interject. “He can breathe now. But he’s still in danger. We have to go.” Alec can feel Jace’s spike of adrenaline combine with his own. He leads the way out of the tomb and Clary follows close behind.
They are running out of the cemetery grounds when Alec collapses with a shout of pain.
Clary returns to him and grabs his shoulders. “Alec, what’s happening?” she demands.
He’s clutching his right side and groaning. “Jace. It feels like he just got stabbed in the lung.”
Her eyes widen and she stands up. For a second, Alec thinks she’s going to leave him lying here, but she seems to reconsider. He grasps her offered hand and gets to his feet with a grunt.
“Hurry” she yells over her shoulder, running once more.
“I’m trying!” he replies, fighting through the phantom pain and picking up his pace. Sometimes, being Jace’s parabatai was not the easiest job in the world.
They follow sounds of fighting and find themselves approaching a bridge. Two figures can be seen in the moonlight. Isabelle is standing strong. On the other end of her whip is Sebastian, pulling her towards him slowly. Alec and Clary watch as another figure appears – Jace, rising up and plunging his seraph blade into Sebastian’s back. They break into a full sprint and arrive on the bridge just as Sebastian is grabbing Jace by the throat. The two grapple to the side of the bridge before Jace makes a move, placing his boot firmly on Sebastian’s chest and kicking him off the side of the bridge.
Alec catches Jace as he stumbles back, and they all watch as Sebastian’s body makes a splash in the river below. Alec holds his brother close and gently lowers him to the ground to draw an iratze. “Are you okay?” He asks. It’s a stupid question but it’s all he can think of.
Jace chuckles and more blood dribbles from his lips. “Never been better.”
Alec holds his brother close and tries to steady his racing heart. His parabatai rune no longer aches, and he slowly relaxes as the iratze takes hold and repairs Jace’s punctured lung. Jace reaches up and places his hand gently over Alec’s where it’s clutching the front of his jacket.
“Hail and farewell.”