Finding Will Herondale (TID fanfiction)

XXII

-*-*-*-*- Jem -*-*-*-*-

Jem had been listening to the conversation between Magnus, Tessa and the two strangers for the last five minutes. Not that they knew that. They thought he was completely out of it just because he was giving all his energy to Will. Even when Cecily came in and sobbed, he didn't exactly respond more than shifting in his seat. But heard everything, including the fact that they were future Herondales.

That was a little bit hard to chew, but if it meant that Will would live, Jem would believe anything right now.

And so he forced himself to stand despite every muscle in his body screaming at him to stop. He practically dragged himself to the door just as the younger stranger told Tessa and Magnus of a cure.

"Tell me," he demanded, making everyone turn to him in surprise.

"Jem!" Tessa exclaimed, reaching for him to keep him steady. "You should sit down and rest. You need to conserve all the strength you have for Will." Jem only smiled grimly, kissing her temple lightly before turning to the two boys in front of him.

"You said you were Herondales," he said to the boys. After Magnus allowed the older one to speak again, he confirmed their story, telling Jem of where they came from and how they got here. They said that their names were Jace and Kit Herondale, although Kit didn't look entirely comfortable with the name and said he preferred Rook. After explaining who they were, Tessa looked to him for an answer.

Considering their words and clothes, Jem believed them, knowing that just about anything could happen nowadays, especially with the Black Volume in possession of the Unseelie King.

"And in the future, there is a cure for demon metal?" Jem persisted.

"My dad said there was," Kit said with a shrug. "So yeah."

"What is it?" Jem asked forcefully. "Where can I find it? You need to tell me how or my parabatai, your ancestor, will die." Jace glanced at Kit.

"You better know this kid, or we aren't going to be born," he said. Kit gulped.

"Well, dad always said that everything in the world has to have an opposite for there to be balance," he said slowly. "You know, vampires against werewolves, demons against Shadowhunters, light against dark and so on."

"So you're saying that we have to find the opposite to demon metal?" Magnus said curiously.

"Yeah," Kit said. "That's what dad said." Jem turned around, running his hands through his hair. He took deep, ragged breaths as he stared at his motionless parabatai, his mind racing at a hundred miles an hour. He knew that Will didn't have a lot of time and Jem couldn't keep giving his strength to him forever. So he had to work this out.

For Will.

"There's only one thing that I can think of that could be the opposite of demon metal," he said slowly. "And that's adamas."

"Of course," Magnus said, nodding. "Fight the weapons of demons with the weapons of angels." The boy, Kit, nodded too.

"Yeah, that could work," he said. He then looked to Jace. "So we've helped them, can we go home now?" Jace gave him a grim smile.