Forgetting the Past

Chapter Twenty: Further Complications

"I've found it," Magnus announced from his office the next afternoon. He had been searching for a way to enter Pandemonium, and found that the same portal he had resisted years ago was the only solution. He had also concluded that Sebastian's portal in the woods of Idris's countryside was only thanks to his demonic power. Then it had become a search for the instructions to the ceremony. It was nearly impossible to find, but with some of the connections he had, Magnus had obtained a few leads.
Jace rushed into the study. "You did?"
"Yes. Right here," the warlock answered, pointing to a page in a book written in a complex demon language. Jace didn't understand it, but he knew the warlock did.
"Will you be able to perform it?" He asked.
"I think so. But it's risky, and very dangerous. We'll try, but I can't guarantee anything." Magnus ran his fingers through spiky, mussed hair that still glittered faintly. His eyes liner was smudged from sleep deprivation and stress.
Jace sighed, restraining himself. He shouldn't be mad at Magnus if he might not be able to do it; he knew Magnus wanted to save Clary, too, and he was trying his best. "Okay. We'll try then."
Magnus nodded. "Since that's out of the way, i think I'll try to catch some sleep. Just don't barge in in me again, if you can help it."
"I hate to deny anybody the pleasure, but I think I can restrain myself enough for you to get some rest," Jace replied.
"Thank you," the warlock replied, rising from his chair and leaving.
It was going to take a lot more sleepless nights if they were going through with this.

Alec peeked into Jace's bedroom around noon. Since their conversation that morning, Jace had kept his hands busy by organizing and reorganizing his portable weapons collection. The swiping of blades against stone had echoed through the house over and over.
"Jace, let's go to Taki's and grab some lunch," he said.
His patabatai shrugged. "Alright."
The two left the apartment, making their way slowly down the sidewalk until they managed to hail a cab. Once in, the ride was silent and somber.
Alec worried about Jace. He could be unpredictable when things out of his control started getting to him. And when he stressed this much about something, he started coming undone.
They stepped out of the cab, Alec handing the driver a wad of bills. When he turned around, Jace was already through the doors, without as much as a glance behind his shoulder.
Following him quickly enough to catch up, Alec strode to a booth and seated himself across from his patabatai. Jace was already browsing the menu, wearing the same stony expression he always did when he was forcing down emotion.
"Jace," he said. No reply. "Jace." What was he, deaf? "Jace!"
The blond sat up a little straighter, looking at Alec in a startled way for the first time in a while. He quickly regained his composure, though, and recovered his slightly bored yet strained expression.
"Yes?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Tell me what's got you so stressed."
Jace let out a dry and sarcastic laugh. "You want to know what's got me stressed?" He asked in a voice tight with tension. Alec nodded. "Well, I don't know, my fiancée was captured by her demonic brother who wants to hurt her in every way imaginable, and we are trying to save her but really have no idea what we're doing."
Alec took a deep breath, paused, and said, "Oh."
The waitress returned to take their order, and then quickly left. Jace was sitting frighteningly still, his face a stony facade. Only his fingers, laying on top of the table, traced restless patterns onto the smooth surface.
"I'm sorry," Alec said, breaking the silence. "I should have thought about what you're going through before I asked such a stupid question."
"You should have," Jace agreed. "But it's fine. We've both been there," he said, finally making eye contact with his parabatai.
"I'm glad we have that settled then, because if we're going through with this, we'll need to solve a few more issues."
"Like?" Jace asked, face smoothed into his strategizing mode.
"How we'll take down Sebastian, for one."
He took in a sharp breath, staring down at his now stilled hands. Jace paused a moment before speaking. "I had thought about that. I thought perhaps since he had been invincible to ordinary weapons as a human, it might have carried on to his existence as a demon now. But I'm pretty sure that the protection would have been removed when he died. So we're basically facing a Greater Demon."
Alec nodded. "Which is bad enough," he said. "The last time we faced one, Simon was the one who got rid of it by breaking the skylight. But we still didn't kill it."
"If we can banish him for a lifetime or two, that will be good enough," Jace said.
"What about our descendants, though?" Alec asked.
His parabatai paled visibly. He stared down at the table. "Jace, I'm sorry..." Alec said, feeling extremely regretful that he had brought up the sore subject of descendants. Jace became wretched at anything that reminded him of his child that was in danger. He was going to be a fiercely loving and protective father if everything worked out, Alec thought.
Suddenly his jaw clenched and his expression smoothed out. "No. You're right. We have to think about them, too."
Alec sighed. "You don't have to hide your emotions from me, Jace. I know it's hard for you, but it's only going to be harder if you can't talk about it. You can tell me."
He shook his head, once again casting his eyes down. "You don't understand. If I talk about it, everything seems too overwhelming. I can't-" his voice broke, and he cleared his throat to regain composure. "I can't try to face it all at once. It's too much."
"Okay," Alec replied. "Let's just get this figured out, then, and get her back."
"Ya. That sounds good."