Chapter Text
Alec stood rooted to the spot, relatively sure he was about to throw up.
Jace, however, spun on his heel to lock eyes with Imogen, his face red with rage. “Are you insane?! Twelve hours with the Agony rune?! That could kill him!”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Jonathan,” Imogen quickly dismissed. “The rune I’ll be using has, of course, been altered. The pain will start off slow and gradually increase with time. It has been used as a method of punishment for centuries, and I assure you, it’s perfectly safe and will not result in any lasting damage.”
“It’s torture!” Jace spat back, protectively placing himself between his alleged grandmother and his Parabatai.
“It’s a lesson to be learned. Such forms of discipline would hardly be effective if they were pleasant. Be glad I did not push for twenty-four hours instead of twelve.”
Jace took a step towards the tiny woman with a feral growl, perfectly willing to get into a physical altercation if that’s what it took to stop this nonsense, but a strong hand suddenly landed on his shoulder from behind and squeezed tightly.
“Jace, that’s enough,” Alec commanded, and Jace obediently backed down, albeit reluctantly. As pissed as he was, there was no way he was going to undermine Alec’s authority in front of the High Inquisitor. There was too much at stake.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t silently seethe at her though.
Alec stepped around his Parabatai and faced his accuser. After all, Lightwoods broke noses and accepted the consequences.
“Where and when?” he asked, relieved to hear that his voice came out steady and calm, the exact opposite of how he was feeling.
“Here and now,” Imogen responded, pulling out her stele pointedly. “No sense in delaying the inevitable. The sooner we begin, the sooner it'll be over and done with.”
Not willing to trust his voice a second time, Alec gave a succinct nod and began rolling up his sleeve to receive the rune.
“Ah ah… I’m afraid a wrist isn’t going to cut it for this one,” Imogen stated and Alec glanced up through his bangs at her in question. His heart sank as she gestured towards his torso. “Remove your shirt and kneel down, Mr. Lightwood.”
Alec ground his back teeth together and tried to ignore the blush he felt creeping up his neck at the thought of disrobing in front of everyone present.
To be fair, Jace and Izzy had seen him topless on countless occasions. It was par for the course when living in close quarters and sparring together.
But in front of Clary and the High Inquisitor? That was just plain awkward.
Nevertheless, he let out a slow, steadying breath and did as instructed, his fingers fumbling slightly as he began unbuttoning the front of his white dress shirt.
Feeling Alec’s palpable discomfort emanating through his Parabatai rune, Jace made eye-contact with Clary and jerked his head towards the door.
She immediately got the message and dismissed herself, giving Izzy’s hand a quick squeeze for support and whispering to her friend to come find her later if she needed anything.
As much as she had come to care for Alec, she understood that this was a family matter and there was plenty of work that would need to be done in his absence.
Jace turned to Izzy next, about to suggest she go with Clary, but Izzy held up a hand before he could make a sound. “Save it, Jace. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jace clapped her gently on the back in acknowledgment, then stepped forward to accept Alec’s shirt from him, draping it carefully over his arm like a prized possession. He knew how OCD Alec could be about wrinkled fabric.
Alec’s eyes connected with Jace’s for a brief moment, and the gratitude in them was plain as day. Then the eldest Lightwood swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and lowered himself to his knees in front of the High Inquisitor.
He had never felt so vulnerable and on display in his life. Not even at his own disastrous wedding. It took all of his willpower not to shrink in on himself for protection.
Instead, he kept his back ramrod straight, head held high, as was expected of him.
Imogen’s eyes slowly raked over Alec’s muscular torso, searching for a big enough section of unmarked skin on which to leave her brand.
Dissatisfied with her limited options, she waved Jace out of her way, then circled around to the back of her prey, making Alec tense up even more as she passed out of his peripheral view.
She was toying with him, and he hated her for it.
Alec was so on edge that he jerked forward in surprise as her cold fingers wrapped around his bare shoulder to steady him, then had to quickly stifle a grunt as her stele began to seer into his skin like a fire poker.
Imogen had chosen a spot right in the middle of Alec’s back, between his recently acquired flexibility rune and the one for courage in combat.
He clenched his eyes shut and instinctively arched his shoulders back to try and escape the fiery pain, but Imogen’s firm grip kept him in place.
The pain was so intense that Alec missed Jace’s echoing gasp, but Izzy did not. She shot the blond a worried look as Jace cradled his side, sympathy pains burning through his Parabatai rune like a bolt of lightning.
Izzy took a step towards Jace but he shook his head at her and she backed off, now dividing her attention equally between both of her suffering brothers.
Alec fought to remain still as Imogen applied the final flourishes. Eyes still squeezed shut, he bit his bottom lip to the point of drawing blood, counting the seconds in his head as they languidly ticked by.
When the cruel woman finally released him, Alec slumped forward onto all fours, breathing heavily through the pain as he tried to control it, his arms shaking with the strain of keeping him from face-planting on the floor.
He needed to get back up on his feet; to prove to Imogen that he could handle whatever she put him through. But the harder he tried to fight the pain, the worse it got until he submitted to it with a cry and dropped down to one elbow, head bowed as he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Alec?!” Izzy called out in fear for her brother as she watched him falter, then she was by his side with one hand on his upper arm and the other wrapped protectively around the nape of his neck.
She guided his head to her chest when he let slip a muffled sob, his entire body trembling. “It’s okay, big brother,” she whispered softly to him. “I’ve got you.”
“Give him a minute,” the High Inquisitor instructed coolly. “The activation process can be rather intense, but the initial effects will recede shortly.”
Imogen looked around, then quirked an eyebrow at Jace’s hunched form. “Something wrong, Jonathan?”
Jace quickly forced himself to straighten up again under her scrutiny, dropping his hand from his side and fighting to ignore the intense burning that was emanating through every nerve ending in his body.
“Indigestion,” he grunted back sarcastically. “Turns out being in the presence of a sadist doesn’t agree with me.”
He didn’t want the horrid woman to know that he was sharing in Alec’s pain.
That was what the Parabatai rune was all about, after all. Their souls were bound together to share the burden of any emotional or physical trauma that was too great for one Nephilim to bear alone.
Jace knew he was partially responsible for his brother’s harsh punishment. The least he could do was share in the consequences. After all, their bond could very well be Alec’s only salvation by the time the twelve-hour marker was finally up.
Jace brushed past Imogen and made his way over to his siblings. He bent down and carefully draped Alec’s shirt back around his shoulders to conceal the angry looking brand marring his brother’s pale skin.
Alec hissed as the cloth came into contact with his burning flesh, but nevertheless, he was grateful to get some of his modesty back. “Th-thanks…” he grunted out in return.
Jace’s hand rested lightly on Alec’s shoulder blade, steadying him like an anchor until he was able to catch his breath. The pain was finally relenting, and they both felt the blessed relief.
After another few tense seconds ticked by, Jace leaned further down until he was close enough to Alec’s ear that only he could hear.
“Can you stand, buddy?” he asked softly, his hand now moving in soothing circles along Alec’s upper back.
Alec squinted up at his brother and blinked a few times, swallowed down the nausea that seemed to be hitting him in constant waves, then latched onto the proffered hand in front of him when it finally swam into focus.
“I… Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”
The sooner he could get away from the High Inquisitor, the better. And Jace, of course, knew exactly how he felt.
“Let’s get you outta here then. Come on.”
Alec rose shakily to his feet with Jace and Izzy’s assistance, then turned around to face Imogen once again. He schooled his features into a stoic expression, ignoring the drip of sweat trickling down his temple as he awaited further instructions.
The High Inquisitor stood a few feet away, giving them space and looking perfectly relaxed- almost bored- as she returned her stele to her pocket. She then checked her watch to make sure she was still on schedule for the day.
“Right then. My job here is nearly complete. The rune will disappear on its own when the twelve hours are up. Till then, I suggest you find a secluded place to pass the time, away from prying eyes. Don’t want to hurt that reputation of yours any more than it already has been, now do we? You are dismissed, Mr. Lightwood.”
Jace and Izzy began to guide Alec towards the hall, intending to bring him to the quiet salvation of his bedroom, when Imogen called out to them again.
“Jonathan, one more word before I take my leave. In private.”
Jace grumbled some choice words under his breath, then handed Alec over to their sister’s care.
“Get him to his room, Iz. I’ll meet you there in a minute.”
Izzy gave him a calculating look as she wrapped an arm protectively around Alec’s waist to limit his swaying. “Don’t do anything stupid, Jace.”
“Who, me? Wouldn’t dream of it,” Jace replied with a forced wink.
He wasn’t afraid of Imogen, and he had no qualms about letting the older woman know it, especially if his siblings were safely out of her reach.
Izzy opened her mouth to respond, but Alec suddenly yelped, clutching at his stomach as another bolt of pain shot through his entire torso.
Instinctively, Alec’s other hand shot out and latched onto the sleeve of Jace’s jacket as he doubled-over in pain.
Izzy placed her free hand against her brother’s chest to keep him from ending up on the floor again. “Easy, big brother…”
“Breathe, Alec,” Jace coached through gritted teeth, keeping a firm grip on his Parabatai’s bicep and wrapping his captured hand around Alec’s wrist to help steady him.
Hearing the pain in the blond’s shaky tone, Alec lifted his head and his eyes widened in fear as the reality of their situation became clear to him.
“J-Jace…” he rasped out, clutching tighter at his brother’s forearm, hoping to convey his apology with his eyes since his voice didn’t seem to be cooperating.
“It’s okay, Parabatai,” Jace whispered back, resting his forehead against Alec’s in a familial embrace. “For whither thou goest, I will go. We’ll get through this, Alec. Together.”
When Jace pulled back, Alec had turned an ugly shade of green and was trembling violently beneath Jace’s hands, but the pain was already waning again and there was no time to lose.
“Go,” Jace instructed firmly, and this time, Izzy didn’t hesitate. As soon as Jace relinquished his hold on Alec, Izzy guided her big brother to the door and made it out into the hallway.
Jace kept his eyes glued to his siblings till they were out of sight, watching for any signs of Alec wavering. But once they successfully turned the corner, Jace’s worry was immediately replaced by hatred for the woman waiting patiently behind him.
He rounded on her, fire blazing in his eyes. “Alec doesn’t deserve this,” he growled.
Imogen sighed dramatically with a roll of her eyes. “We’ve been over this already, Jonathan. The law is the law, and Alexander...”
“No, you are the law. You can stop this. Alec is the most law-abiding person I know. Any line-crossing you mentioned was either out of his control or at my behest.”
“I see. So you’re saying the Head of the Institute has been taking orders from a subordinate?”
“What? No, of course not. I…”
“Then you threatened him in some way, shape, or form that forced him to comply with your demands?”
Jace knew what she was getting at and he pursed his lips in frustration.
“Look, I asked him to bend the rules for me once or twice, as my Parabatai, in order to protect Clary and bring down Valentine. He only did what he thought was right.”
“And there it is. The crux of the problem. The Lightwoods only ever do what they think is right, regardless of how it affects the world around them.”
Imogen leaned close enough to the blond that he could smell the faint traces of her skin cream that she had apparently applied the night before.
“Perhaps if you had still been in charge, as I had previously appointed, none of this would be happening.”
“So that’s what this is really about,” Jace gritted back, any attempts at self-control quickly going out the window. “You’re pissed that I handed the reins back over to the Lightwoods without consulting you. That was my decision to make, and mine alone. So if you want to punish someone, punish me. Not Alec.”
Imogen smirked confidently up at him and Jace’s blood boiled as her master plan finally hit him.
“My dear boy, don’t you see? I am punishing you. I know what Valentine put you through on that ship. I know you have an incredibly high tolerance for pain, and I know half a day with the Agony rune would be no more than a slap on the wrist for you.
“You’d heal, then move on, and continue to make the same mistakes. Trust the wrong people. Break the same rules. But to witness your Parabatai suffering needlessly for your decisions? That lesson might actually stick.”
“You won’t get away with this.”
“I already have. Although, there was one outcome I had previously overlooked and must rectify immediately…”
She snapped her thin fingers and Jace suddenly found himself being held in place by her trained henchmen, his arms pinned painfully tight behind his back.
“Get off me!” he yelled in outrage, struggling against their strong grips, but to no avail. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he demanded of the woman as she smugly approached him.
“I can’t have Alexander’s pain putting our best soldier out of commission, now can I?”
Jace instantly paled, realizing Imogen knew he was sharing in Alec’s punishment, then struggled even harder when she brazenly reached out and lifted his shirt just high enough to reveal his Parabatai rune.
“Don’t,” Jace threatened as Imogen’s stele moved towards his skin.
“It’s for your own good, Jonathan,” she stated, emotionless.
“It’s Jace,” he growled back, then bit his tongue as the stele burned against his left side.
The pain was almost as bad as the time Alec had tried to track him through their Parabatai rune, and that attempt had nearly killed them both.
Imogen was slicing them apart. Cutting their tether and separating their souls.
The burning increased until Jace couldn’t help but cry out in agony, every fiber of his being getting torn to shreds.
Then he felt absolutely nothing.
All the emotions and sensations he had been sharing with his Parabatai mere moments ago were now gone. It was like being accustomed to the rhythm and deafening noise of a nightclub, then stepping outside and feeling that disconnect as the door slams shut behind you.
His ears were ringing with the sudden silence, which was so overwhelming, he barely dared to breathe.
Jace hadn’t felt this alone, this empty, since his time on Valentine’s ship. Back then, the water had separated him from his Parabatai, weakening their bond till it was nearly inexistent. But it had been for Alec’s protection, and that was what made it tolerable.
But now… Now, he had promised Alec that he would share in his brother’s pain until the very end, and Imogen had forced him to break that promise.
Jace heard Alec scream his name in the distance and it shattered him. He needed to go to his Parabatai, to protect him, but his legs refused to cooperate.
Imogen’s minions released Jace and he staggered a few feet over to the nearest wall for support.
Leaning against it, he shakily raised his shirt and stared in dumbfounded horror at the angry red binding rune that severed his connection with his other half.
“What did you do?” he whispered out, even that quiet verbalization too loud for his mind to accept.
“Relax, it’s only temporary,” Imogen stated, as if that fixed anything. “I couldn’t have the two of you sharing his punishment through the Parabatai bond or the lesson wouldn’t be nearly as effective. Trust me, you’ll thank me later when things start to get really bad for Alexander.
“Oh, and a word to the wise? The Agony rune is tamper-proof. An iratze won’t heal his pain, and neither will magic. In fact, any attempt to interfere with Mr. Lightwood’s punishment will simply increase his suffering tenfold. You may want to inform the warlock of this before he tries to meddle in Shadowhunter affairs again, as he is wont to do.”
With that, she turned on her heel and left for the elevators, her entourage trailing obediently behind her.
Jace slid down the wall like a puppet with its strings cut, his eyes filling with tears that he was too numb to shed.
TBC