Exit Signs I Missed (A Dark Artifices Fanfiction) ✔️

Until I Had You On The Open Road

Underneath the sheet was Julian, looking stiff and pale, his colour waxy, but breathing. Alive. 

Not dead. Not at all the way she'd seen him in her dreams, but Emma couldn't shake the creeping sensation, the absolute chaos she had felt, ready to pounce when she'd thought Julian, her Jules, her parabatai was dead, the utter terror and sorrow and havoc that she'd been on the verge of submerging herself in.

There was a strange, numbing feeling in her shoulder, where the rune was carved, the Mark that tied her to Jules till death or worse parted them. Looking over at it, she saw that it was not the typical dark hue of runes, but had a strange glow instead, not unlike the one she'd seen in her dream on Julian's parabatai mark.

Impossible. She was seeing things; the dream had confused her; there was nothing wrong with the parabatai rune. She was with Mark, meaning she and Julian would be fine, would not be a tragic warning sign against parabatai falling in love or some disaster waiting to happen.

"Listen to me, Emma," Magnus was saying. Her head snapped up, braid hitting her back, arms at her sides, ready for battle. "Are you listening?"

"I am," she replied, tensing, squaring her shoulders back. She was Emma Carstairs, and did not run; she fought.

He waved a hand idly over the bed; blue sparks flew out of his fingertips. Magnus wasn't looking at her. "What did Malcolm say to you before he died, Emma?"

A jolt of dread hit her like lightning and sparked a fire, coiled in the pit of her stomach, made her brace herself for the news after her answer. "He said... that he could tell me about the parabatai curse. That if he died, no one would tell me about it."

Doesn't matter now, she thought. He was dead, and she knew anyways. It was better this way. Better that she knew, so she could save Julian instead of them hurting each other.

"You love him," Magnus said bluntly. "Julian. You're in love with Julian, aren't you?"

"Of course not!" Emma snapped, busying herself with fluffing the pillows by Jules' head.

Unbelieving, Magnus raised an eyebrow, and dropped his typical snarky facade. "You can tell me, Emma." His voice, his face, were surprisingly soft. It broke her heart, because even he, Magnus, who was wise and all-knowing and never-endingly sarcastic, didn't know. "Who I am to judge?"

On top of the blankets, Julian's hand twitched. She took hold of it, wishing he would wake. "The curse is awful, Magnus. Sed lex, dura lex. The Law is hard for a reason. If parabatai fall in love... they'll have too much power. The magic will overcome them, and they'll go insane, and kill each other and everyone they love. I can't love him, Magnus. Not like that. We were going to, but then - then Jem told me and I broke things off. We're going to be fine." Right?

Now he was silent. Magnus put a hand on her shoulder. "Emma, I'm afraid that won't work."

The question she asked was futile, pointless, something to fill the silence. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, looking at once very young and a thousand years old, having seen lifetimes of misery. "The spell he cast was supposed to weaken you, but it was also meant to be a catalyst for the parabatai curse. But because the effects were already starting, it only strengthened the curse. The only thing I can do for Julian, if you don't want the curse to kill you both, is break your bond. But we both know - " he cut himself off when he saw her face.

"Even if I heal his illness, it won't do him any good. The parabatai curse will just destroy the both of you, Emma. I'm sorry. I think we need to call in the Clave." Magnus' eyes were sympathetic. Emma tried not to let show that she was falling apart on the inside. Julian stirred.