The Road to ‘Lord of Shadows’: Sever My Soul

It’s Tuesday again so welcome to the second part of The Road to Lord of Shadows! Like I’ve previously said, today is all about Julian and Emma’s parabatai bond. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us wants these two to find a way to be together without any bad consequences, right?

Before I dive into ways to break the parabatai bond, let’s have a look at what we found out in Lady Midnight.

Here’s what Jem told Emma in chapter 27, Sever My Soul (page 658f.):

“The ritual of parabatai was created so that two Shadowhunters could be stronger together than they were apart. It has always been one of our most powerful weapons. Not everyone has a parabatai, but the fact that they exist is part of what makes Nephilim what they are. Without them, we would be infinitely weaker, in ways it is forbidden for me even to explain. Ideally, the ceremony increases each parabatai’s power— runes given to each other are stronger— and the closer the personal bond, the greater the power.”

“It was not long after the ritual had been in use for some generations,” Jem said, lowering his voice, “that it was discovered that if the bond was too close, if it tipped into romantic love— then it would begin to warp and change the kind of power that was generated by the spell. One-sided love, a crush even, all that seems to pass by the rule— but real, requited, romantic love? It had a terrible cost.” “They’d lose their power?” Emma guessed. “As Shadowhunters?”

“Their power would grow,” Jem corrected. “The runes they created would be unlike any others. They would begin to wield magic as warlocks do. But Nephilim are not meant to be magicians. Eventually the power would make them mad, until they became as monsters. They would destroy their families, the others they loved. Death would surround them until eventually they died themselves.”

By the Angel! Although I’ve read this part so many times, it never loses its shock moment. Like Jem said, romantic parabatai love (eros) truly comes at a terrible cost.

We’ve already come across one parabatai pair that ended badly: Silas Pangborn (Gideon, Gabriel and Tatiana’s maternal uncle) and Eloisa Ravenscar.

From Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale (page 130):

Pangborn had introduced her as “Eloisa Ravenscar, my parabatai” with the same proprietary air as he might have said “my wife.”

In Clockwork Prince (page 219f.) we find out what happened to Silas:

“If you don’t mind my asking,” said Tessa, “what was it that your uncle had done?”
“Silas? Fell in love with his parabatai. Not, actually, as Gabriel says, a minor infraction but a major one. Romantic relationships between parabatai are absolutely forbidden. Though even the best-trained Shadowhunter can fall prey to emotion. The Clave would have separated the two of them, though, and that Silas couldn’t face. That’s why he killed himself. My mother was consumed with rage and grief.“

Cassie also later confirmed

Yikes! Let’s now have a look at the different ways to break a parabatai bond (that we know of):

1. One parabatai dies: This defeats the whole point of a Happily Ever After for Julian and Emma so no thank you!

2. One of them becomes a mundane: First, this would mean that either Emma or Julian gets stripped off their marks which we know is very painful (see Vampires, Scones and Edmund Herondale). Second, if Julian were to become a mundane, he’d have to leave his family behind and there is no way that this is happening because he lives for these children! They are his. So mundane Emma would be the only “option” and then they’d be breaking a different law because a Shadowhunter isn’t allowed to have a relationship with a mundane. The Shadowhunter must leave the Clave or the Mundane can try to ascend.

3. One parabatai becomes a Downworlder (see Luke and Valentine): This is also problematic because who would actually want to be a vampire or a warlock (if the latter option is actually possible)? They would live forever and have to watch the people they love die one after another (poor Magnus, Tessa and Catarina). This leaves the werewolf “option”. We know they have a good support system with the reinstated Praetor Lupus and I’m sure Luke and/or Maia would help as well, but let’s be honest, we want Julian and Emma to be together as Shadowhunters.

So the last three options are runes, Clary’s powers or (warlock) magic.
4. Julian becomes a Silent Brother/Emma becomes an Iron Sister: Also problematic because Iron Sisters have to swear off men and from what we’ve seen in TMI, they also seem to harden which I wouldn’t want for Emma. Julian wouldn’t become a Silent Brother for the same reasons he wouldn’t become a Downworlder – his family.

5. Clary has done amazing and impressive things with the gift that was given to her by the angel Ithuriel; the Alliance rune, the fearless rune, the Mark of Cain, the open rune, the rune that brought a Shadowhunter back from the dead (although we all know how this turned out) and least but not least the heavenly fire rune. I believe that Clary would be fully capable of severing the parabatai bond between Julian and Emma.
5a. There’s another “person” who could help our Star-crossed lovers: an angel (maybe even Raziel although he’d probably be very miffed to be asked for help again, especially for something so trivial, so he might smite whoever is asking). But maybe Clary could somehow summon another angel who could try their luck?

6. Magic is also a possibility. We know that Cassie is working on an adult trilogy about Magnus (The Lost Book of the White, The Black Volume of the Dead, The Red Scrolls of Magic) and there are still so many things we do not know about warlocks. There could be a warlock spell or a ritual that severs the bond. Who knows what the warlocks are hiding in their Spiral Labyrinth? There’s also the faeries who can do magic although we do know that their help always comes with a price so the warlocks seem like the safer bet.

Technically, asking for demonic help could be a seventh option although I’m very much against it and doubt it’d work. We know that demons seem to really like memories and I’d rather everyone in TDA kept theirs.

So these are the options I could think of. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look that great for Julian and Emma. 😦

Do I think that Julian and Emma stand a chance and will manage to be together without the terrible curse? Absolutely! Every couple in Cassie’s The Mortal Instruments (Clace & Malec), The Infernal Devices (Wessa & Jessa) and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (Sizzy) got their HEA. Even “minor” couples like Maia x Bat, Luke x Jocelyn, Henry x Charlotte, Gabriel x Cecily, Gideon x Sophie found love.
Yes, there was a twist for some couples but I fully believe that love will conquer! ♥

14 days until Lord of Shadows is released and we may find out more! Please share your thoughts in the comments below or on twitter @TMI_Source.

Next week: Everything we know about Lord of Shadows!