Jinxed - An Alec Lightwood LS

Chapter 9: Adamas Stone

So, she tried to offer her own deduction. Whether or not Jocelyn cared about Jace, that was another topic. However, it was clear she wanted her daughter back. "'Cause of Clary? And no one said you had to trust her. But, if Clary is in the same ship or place as Jace, then shouldn't at least the first part of her plan be useful to get him- them back?" Although she wasn't completely sure those side it would be right to be on, Ethel didn't want any harm to come to Clary. On the short time they had known each other, she felt like perhaps they could be allies. Not friends, no. That title had been reserved to just one person on the planet- and she was dead. From then on, anyone she met would either be enemies, allies, or acquaintances those fate on her trusting circle had yet to be determined. 

"I'll be there in half an hour. And thank you." And then he hanged up, seemingly agreeing with her assessment. Ethel let out a sigh and placed her phone back in her pocket. She glanced back up at Aldertree, and noticed he had been none the wiser about her actions. That brought a small smile to her lips. Maybe she was getting better at this. 

--------------------------

And so, when Alec and Izzy returned to the Institute, they met up with Jocelyn and had a discussion about her plans. As Ethel expected, he ended up agreeing. Now, the three of them, alongside Ethel herself, were in Alec's bedroom. He was now laying on his bed, waiting to start the tracking process. 

As for Isabelle, she wasn't all that convinced about the situation. "If Luke's had the stone all along, why didn't he say anything when Jace first went missing?"

"Because they wanted Jace dead?" Ethel suggested, earning herself a stern look from Jocelyn. However, it wasn't really a lie. "What? We were all thinking it."

The woman in question deviated from the topic. "I'll be honest. There are some serious risks involved." Nobody had mentioned risks. 

Izzy crossed her arms, realizing that her feelings of apprehension had been spot on. If her brother was going to go through with this, she needed to know what to expect. "What kind of risks?"

As everyone stared up at Jocelyn in anticipation, she let out a long breath. "The parabatai that initiates the contact... it can be taxing on his body, on his mind."

"Izzy, it's fine." Alec insisted, not wanting to let go of this opportunity.

"I'm not liking the sound of this."

Ethel had to agree with Izzy. However, she felt like more information was necessary. "How taxing are we talking about? Like, he'll need a few days of rest after this? He'll turn comatose, what?"

"We're not sure." Jocelyn's admission alarmed the two other girls in the room. "Of the few people who have tried it, not many have come back to talk about it."

As a result, the younger Lightwood immediately tried to stop the process before it even began. No one had told her death was an option. "Forget it. He's not doing it."

Alec protested. "Don't listen to her."

"No, Alec." Isabelle rose her hands in the air, shaking them on either side to express her dislike towards the idea, and hopefully physically block him from proceeding with it. "I've already lost both parents to Idris and a brother to Valentine. I'm not gonna lose you, too."

"Izzy, you said it yourself. We have no choice."

Quickly, she explained why she was going back on her word. "That was before I knew you can die. No. Get up!" She tried tugging her arm to get him off the bed. Unfortunately, he was stronger than her.

"He needs me, Iz. And I can't... I can't live without him."

In desperation, Izzy turned to Ethel. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"You think I can say something to change his mind? I'm a total stranger."

"But you'll be honest." Izzy insisted, believing that perhaps that could make an impact. "Tell him how stupid this is."

Chewing her lip in nervousness at the attention she was receiving from everyone in the room, Ethel wondered what to do next. It seemed to her that Alec was far too stubborn to be swayed by a stranger, much less one that barely knew anything about the Shadow World. Why would her input be important at all? "He knows he could die. Yet, he won't change his mind. And I suspect that if you manage to say anything that will make him say otherwise, it will be a lie. He'll just do it behind you back. That will likely just increase the risk- not having support. So, either find a way to physically restrain him, and destroy that crystal, or be by his side."

"She gets it." Alec retorted with an approving nod. And Isabelle knew Ethel was right. There was no denying the extend of her brother's stubbornness, and putting the responsibility of changing his mind to Ethel was neither fair, nor possibly effective. 

After admitting that, Ethel let out a sigh and turned to Jocelyn. "You said 'most' don't make it. But some have, correct?" Earning herself a nod, she continued. "Does that mean there's instructions he could follow to avoid that fate?"

Fortunately, Jocelyn did have the information she was looking for. "Yes. It won't guarantee that nothing will happen. But if he follows on the advice, that will reduce the chances of the risks."

Alec nodded and got into a more comfortable position on the bed. "I'm ready." Then he turned to Izzy. "Are you with me, or not?"

That made her glance at Ethel, whom nodded, letting her know that she would be here too, regardless of her choice. So Isabelle accepted the situation reluctantly. "Always. But you have to do what Jocelyn says."

After the Lightwood siblings came into agreement, Jocelyn began guiding Alec on how to do this properly. "According to Luke, you need to stay near the surface. If you go too deep, nothing can bring you back." Alec took in the information and nodded. Surely that couldn't be far too complicated. 

"If you go too deep, by the Angel, Alec, I will kick your ass when you get back." Izzy replied with a playful anger towards her brother. The threat had been inevitable, even though they all knew it would be impossible to accomplish. 

Taking in a breath, Alec glanced at his sister, and Ethel, before turning to Jocelyn. "Give me the stone." So, she did as told, and handed it to him. Following that action, Alec grabbed a tight hold onto it and concentrated. Almost immediately, he began getting flashes about his parabatai, and himself. That was the start of the problems, for Alec would be unable to remain near the surface, being dragged down too deep and beyond help.