Euphoria in your eyes | Alec Lightwood

12: Parabatai

"So I drown it out like I always do

Dancing through our house

With the ghost of you"

- Ghost of You, 5 seconds of summer

"Alec, don't do this out of anger. Jace is still your parabatai." Lydia pleaded.

"Lydia's right. I'm not letting Jace sacrifice my sister for his girlfriend's pointless crusade. We're doing this. And if you don't want to help, get out." Alec looked from Hodge to Lydia. Both of them had offered to help him track Jace.

"I'll help... but on one condition. You don't let it go too far. Now your bond with Jace can

withstand a certain amount of strain. But you have to promise me that you won't let it break." Hodge replied. Alec looked Hodge straight in the eyes "Jace is dead to me."

Hodge shook his head in disbelief. "Alec?"

"You don't know how dependent you are on the bond, or how dependent you are on each other." Lydia added. "I have to do this. For Izzy and Viola" Alec urged them. He took of his shirt and laid down on the bed.

"Prepare yourself. This will be very, very painful." Hodge kneeled down next to him.

"Do it."

_

"Concentrate. Reach out with your mind... and your heart. Use every strand, every fiber of you that

is connected to him."

"It's working. I can see him. Jace!" Alec called out in pain.

________

Alec entered the room where Viola and Isabelle were in with sweat on his face. He had come up after trying to track Jace but had been unsuccessful. Seeing him some, Isabelle got up. "Alec, what's wrong?"

"Our parabatai bond, it's just...so weak. He's like a ghost." He sat down in a chair next to them. Viola was again, reading a book on Isabelle's bed.

"Alec, what did you do?"Isabelle turned on him.

"Lydia and I thought we could stop the trial if we gave the Cup to the Clave."

Viola looked up from her book at Alec, "Lydia helped you? For us?"

"It doesn't matter. She has no choice but to go through with the trial now." Alec shrugged.

"It's okay, big brother. I know you tried." Isabelle sat down next to him, comforting him.

Alec looked at Viola who looked back at him, their eyes meeting as she silently reassured him with a nod of her head.

"I'm sorry." He sighed.

____

"All I know is, we gotta get you out of here. All right, who do we know in Idris?"

"The only people who care are Mom and Dad. But they're under suspicion themselves." Isabelle replied.

"Uh, what about Lydia?" Alec looked around unsurely.

"Lydia? Why do you keep going there?" Viola spread her arms. "She is prosecuting us. You said she had no choice." Isabelle pointed out.

"She doesn't." Alec argued."Everyone has a choice, Alec. I made mine. " Isabelle replied.