"I don't have - " The rest of the comment faded away as he took off after Jace. Without runes to improve his speed, he might have had difficulty keeping up with his best friend but he'd trained hard so that Jace would never leave him behind in battle.

Except he had...

For a moment, Alec nearly stumbled, suddenly dizzy. A breath-stealing shock erupted through his chest then disappeared.

Lengthening his stride while trying to ignore the images that had accompanied the startling pain he'd felt moments before, he caught up with Jace. His hand drifted to his side and the mark beneath his shirt. Something terrible had happened to them both, but he couldn't remember what. "Jace?"