The four teenagers ran from the silent city as their legs would carry them. James went first, then Amelia, Cordelia and Matthew. In mere moments they had reached the final staircase.
But they had lost track of James.
Matthew swore under his breath, rushing out the exit to the Silent City, leaving Amelia and Cordelia to scramble up the stairs.
"This way," said Matthew, grabbing Amelia's hand and leading them through the trees.
He seemed to know exactly where he was going, and they eventually caught sight of James. He had thrown his jacket to the side, even though it was rather cold.
Amelia rushed towards him. "Jamie, are you alright?"
He pushed his sleeve up to show nail marks. He looked at her, silently telling her to do the same. After all, they had both held Christopher's hand.
Amelia let out a shaky exhale, pulling up her dress sleeve. Sure enough, she had the same marks he did, veins dark around the crescents. Anguish coursed through her veins, but not on her behalf.
A gasp escaped James's lips. "Mila—"
"Poor Thomas," she whispered. "He's working so hard on the antidote. If he doesn't get it in time—"
Matthew voice shook as he spoke. "We need to get the both of you to the silent city."
"It's not safe there," said Cordelia. "If we could get Jem to the institute—"
"No," James said, looking off into the distance.
Matthew groaned. "Bloody hell, he's hallucinating."
"James, what do you see?" Cordelia asked, her dark eyes full of worry.
"There," said James. "In between the trees."
Sure enough, there was something resembling a portal between two cedar trees. James walked towards it, stretching his arm towards the dark light and making a fist. Blood ran through the nail marks and into the portal.
"James," Matthew said, rushing towards his parabatai. "Dont do this—"
"Dont touch me, Math," said James. "It isn't safe."
"If you're going, I'm going with you," Amelia said, stepping forward to place a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "If I must die, let it not be in vain. Let me use my final moments of life for good."
Cordelia looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Is that why you're going? Because you think you're going to die?"
James chose to ignore her comment, instead turning to Amelia. "Mila, you're not going. Thomas could have the antidote in hours—"
"Please," she said, her voice low. "Let me be a part of this. This can be my penance."
"Penance?" James echoed.
"Let me go instead. I am his parabatai. 'Whither thou goest, I will go.'"
"It won't work," James said, his voice soft. "Nobody can follow me into the shadows,
Math. Not even you."
Matthew sighed in defeat. "Does anyone have rope?"
Luckily, Cordelia still had the rope they used to climb Gast's window. Matthew tied one end around James's waist, then the other around his own. "There. If you need us to pull you back through, tug on the rope three times."
Cordelia quickly kissed James on the cheek. "Come back," she said.
James nodded. Then he stepped through the archway and disappeared as the others looked on.
Matthew turned to Amelia. "Sit down. Save your energy, Lia."
She went to sit down, but something—someone— caught her attention. Dark hair, big smile, hazel eyes the same as Amelia's. Her breath hitched. Could it be—?
"Amelia?"
"Matthew," she said, not moving her eyes for fear her sister would disappear. "Do you see?"
"What are you seeing?" Cordelia asked.
Amelia began to walk towards Barbara. "My sister—"
Matthew yelped and Amelia could hear a distant thud, but all she could see was Barbara. Her sister, with her pleasant smile and her arms open, as if she was inviting her to the other side.
But then she was gone, and black spots slowly creeped into Amelia's vision. Pain washed over her body, blocking her senses until it was all she felt. She allowed herself to silently drop to the floor, writhing in pain.
Matthew was at her side in an instant. "Amelia—"
"What about James? Is he back?"
"No. Cordelia went through the archway. She's with him now."
More of her vision was turning black. "Matthew, if I die, tell Thomas—"
She heard a scream. Lucie. She was by Amelia's side in an instant, frantically drawing iratzes on her cousin. "Amelia, can you hear me?"
"Lucie, is this it? W-will I see her again?" Amelia's voice, despite the circumstances, was full of hope. If she got to see Barbara again, dying was worth it.
"What is she talking about?" Lucie asked, turning towards Matthew.
"She said she saw her sister."
"What happened?"
"Christopher must have scratched her—"
Matthew cut off as screams came from the sky. Everyone immediately left Amelia's side, forgetting about her completely.
Was this how she died? Alone, with no one to comfort her in her final moments? It certainly fit her life: years of struggling, never saying anything to anybody. Years of being someone other than herself. She never even mentioned her pain to her parabatai.
She would have done things differently if she knew she would die so young. She took everything for granted; she thought that her life would be a long one, and that she had plenty of time to accomplish her goals.
If she knew she were to die at seventeen, she would have lived. Truly lived. She would have shown her poems to her friends, maybe even the world. She would have followed her dreams, had she known they would be gone so soon.
She would have been completely honest—both with herself and those around her. She would have shared her pain with her brother, and hopefully he would share his pain with her.
Thomas. Surely he felt the pain she was in. She had heard stories from her Uncle Will about the agony of losing a parabatai. He had spoken of the pain, both physical and emotional, and how it racked through your body. The knowledge that your partner in battle was gone. Amelia had always secretly hoped Thomas would be the first to die so he would never have to go through that.
Her eyelids were growing heavier by the second. As she began to surrender to the darkness, the last thing she saw was a flash of gold, rushing in her direction. "Amelia!"
"Matthew?" She whispered.
He lifted her into his lap. "I'm so sorry—"
"Don't be," Amelia said, nearly choking on her own words. "I get it. You had to help James. I would've done the same for Thomas. Tell him I'm sorry."
Lucie shook her head. "No. You have nothing to apologize for, because you won't die. You—you can't."
Tears fell down Matthew's face. "No. Amelia, love, don't close your eyes. P-Please. Stay with me."
"It's alright, mi amado." Before she closed her eyes once again, she saw a third figure by her side, just behind Lucie.
Her eyes fluttered shut once again, and her breathing slowed. These were her final moments. She felt a variety of emotions: fear, anticipation, sadness, anger.
They always said that right before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. But Amelia didn't see her past; she saw what could've been. Millions of images flashed behind her closed eyelids, showing her what her life could have become had she been more bold. More brave. Had she not died at seventeen.
Amelia lived an entire life in a matter of seconds. And it was better than she ever could have imagined.
•••
Matthew hung his head, his arms tightening around Amelia's limp body. "Mila, my love, wake up. For your family, for Thomas, for me. "
Matthew felt a hand rest on his shoulder. It was silent, apart from the quiet sobs of Amelia's friends. Nobody spoke, for nobody knew what to say. Their friend—a member of their family— was slowly being consumed by the same poison that had killed her sister.
The shallow breaths she took were the only signal that she was still alive. The dark veins were spreading across her skin, slowly creeping towards her heart.
A wave of regret washed over him; if he had done things differently, what would have happened? If he had told her how he felt, what could have been?
"Amelia!" The shout caused the group of Shadowhunters to look up from their dying cousin and friend.
Thomas came running, a case in his hand. He dropped at Amelia's side, breath uneven and face contorting in pain. "She's not gone," he said. "Not yet." He opened the case, giving her some sort of drug. "The antidote."
For a few moments, Amelia remained pale and still. Nobody spoke, focusing entirely on her. Matthew silently pleaded her to open her eyes. There was still so much he needed to say to her, and now he may never get the chance. How he wished to hold her, kiss her like he had at the Hell Ruelle. But now, that hope was fading away, along with Amelia's life. Now—
The dark veins began to fade. The color returned to her skin, and her ragged breathing became more even.
There was no noise as the Shadowhunters watched their friend. She was going to be alright. She had to be.
Amelia's eyes fluttered open. Matthew immediately embraced her, a sob of relief escaping his lips. "You're alive."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her head in his chest. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"I would never even dream of trying."
Thomas cleared his throat, causing the pair to break apart. "As her parabatai and the person who saved her life, I think I should get the chance to hug Amelia."
Amelia practically lunged towards her brother, wrapping her arms around him fiercely. He hugged her just as tightly, letting his case fall to the ground with a soft thud.
Once they pulled apart, they saw the path to the tombs was lit with witchlight. Amelia was able to recognize many faces: there was Will and Tessa, Gabriel and Cecily, even Anna.
Lucie gave a short cry before rushing to his father. Tessa ran to James, beginning to fuss over him. Gabriel and Cecily followed, and soon the group of teenagers was being both scolded and praised at the same time.
Giving Amelia a kiss on the forehead, Thomas disappeared into the silent city, case in hand. There was hushed chatters among the group; Amelia could make out some of the concerns being voiced.
"The Mandikhor has been defeated," Cordelia announced, as loudly as she could. "It will not return."
"And how do you know that?" A man asked.
"James killed it. James killed the Mandikhor demon. I saw it die."
Amelia tried to walk towards Cordelia, but she stumbled and nearly fell. Matthew caught her, picking her up gently. "Don't overexert yourself, Lia. You almost just died."
"I can walk fine," she insisted.
"Can you? Because last I checked, you almost had an encounter with the ground."
"I tripped."
Matthew let out a low hum of disbelief and amusement, placing Amelia in the carriage.