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limit. There should be time for you to Ascend and then for you two to become parabatai immediately—if that’s what you want.”
    “Some people are uniquely suited to be parabatai ,” said Magnus. “Born to it, you might say. People think it’s about getting along, about always agreeing, being in sync. It’s not. It’s about being better together. Fighting better together. Alec and Jace haven’t always agreed, but they’ve always been better together.”
    “It has been spoken of often to me,” Jem said in his soft voice, “how much the two of you were dedicated to each other. The manner in which you have always stood up for each other and put the other first. When a parabatai bond is true, when the friendship runs deep and honest, it can be . . . transcendent.” There was sadness in his eyes, a sadness so profound it was almost frightening. “We needed to find out if what had been observed about the two of you was true for your sake. You’re about to witness the ceremony. That can cause a powerful reaction in true parabatai . We had to know for sure that it was true and that you could withstand it. The test told us what we needed to know.”
    Clary’s eyes had gone very wide. “Simon . . . ,” she whispered. Her voice was raspy.
    “It’s a bit of a technicality,” Magnus added, “but Shadowhunters have no problems with technicalities. They love a technicality. Look at Jem. Jem is a technicality in the flesh. People don’t come back from being Silent Brothers, either, and there he is.”
    Jem smiled at this, the sadness in his eyes receding.
    “Parabatai,” Clary said again.
    And in that moment, something settled over Simon. Something like a blanket on a cold day. Something completely reassuring.
    “Parabatai,” he said.
    A long moment settled between them, and in that moment, all was decided. There was no need to discuss it. You do not need to ask if your heart should beat, or if you should breathe. He and Clary were parabatai . All of Simon’s anger was gone. Now he knew. He had Clary, and she would have him. Forever. Their souls knit.
    “How did you know?” Simon asked.
    “It’s not that hard to see,” Magnus replied, and finally some of the usual levity was in his voice. “I’m also literally magic.”
    “It’s pretty obvious,” Catarina added.
    “Even I knew,” said Jem. “And I don’t know you very well. There’s always something about true parabatai . They don’t need to speak to communicate. I saw the two of you having entire conversations without saying a word. It was like that with my parabatai , Will. I never had to ask Will what he was thinking. In fact, it was usually better not to ask Will what he was thinking. . . .”
    That got a smile from Magnus and Catarina both.
    “But I see it between you. True parabatai are linked long before the ceremony takes place.”
    “So we can . . . we can do the ceremony?” Clary asked.
    “You can,” Jem said. “Not tonight. There will be some discussions in the Silent City about it, surely, as this is an unusual case.”
    “All right,” Catarina said. “Now the nurse is taking over. That’s enough for tonight. You two need sleep. That water packs a punch. You’ll be fine in the morning, but you need to rest. Rest and hydrate. Come on.”
    Simon went to stand and found that his legs had left him and had been replaced with a wobbly, leg-shaped substance. Catarina caught him up under the shoulder and helped him. Magnus helped Clary to her feet.
    “There’s a room for you here tonight, Clary,” Catarina said. “In the morning we’ll have the dress gear brought to you both for Julian and Emma’s ceremony.”
    “Wait,” Simon said as he was being ushered out. “Jace kept saying something about how I had to remember how he and I met. What does that mean?”
    “That’s for you to figure out,” Jem said. “The visions caused by Lake Lyn can stir very powerful feelings.”
    Simon nodded. His body was giving