West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Twenty-Four 🗝

The last thing Varian expected one day into his three-day holiday with Ragnor was company from the outside world.

After the yellow-blue story of Elizabeth Crawley, Varian and Ragnor delved back into the books, and at half past three, there was a knocking on the door.

This was of course strange, for the only reason that neither Varian or Ragnor's magic felt the presence of anyone else. The look shared between the two was near panic on Varian's side and calm worry on Ragnor's, but they both stood. Varian stood, his sword materializing in between his shoulder blades as he reached for it.

Ragnor held his hand out to the boy, but not in a way of protesting it's use, rather telling Varian that he would take the lead. Ragnor stepped forward, slowly opening the door.

Varian kept on his toes the entire time, watching the rippling of the wards as the door creaked open. Ragnor's shoulders slumped, and for just a moment Varian thought that there was an attack just outside the door.

"Magnus Bane." Ragnor's voice was muffled as he faced the other way, but Varian relaxed at the confirmation that it was a friend. "It's good to see you again."

Varian shook his head at his baba's  antics, but stowed his sword away, and with a wave of his hand the sheath and sword disappeared from visible sight. At first, Varian found joy in his baba's  appearance, but as he stepped inside, the joy deflated. He was accompanied by the distinct red hair of Clarissa and the blonde locks of Jace, and a frown found its way on Varian's face.

"I thought I was getting a few days away baba." Varian muttered in a disappointed way, he did not wait for a response, rather he turned on his heel and walked back the way he came.

Varian sat firmly on the same stool as before, pretending to be entirely entranced by the books on the table in front of him. Though it wasn't fully pretend, he was still interested on the written word, he just shared his concentration with the spoken ones.

"You have your mothers talent with art." It was Ragnor speaking, and though Varian leaned towards the noise, he couldn't hear the muttered reply of Clarissa. 

"I made her the potion, at her request." Ragnor again.

Varian heard footsteps, and once again pretended to not be eavesdropping.

... to wake your l... home at... long ago be... a separate piece...

The words on the pages ran together in Varian's mind, but he just shook his head and tried to continue to read.

His eyes found their way to the clock on the wall, and he realized that it was just two hours until Alec would walk down the isle and he would never get the chance to speak his mind.

"You should really join us." Ragnor muttered, as he hurried back into the anti-library that Varian sat in.

Varian hummed as a reply. "No, I think not." Varian turned on his stool, watching as Ragnor dragged his hands across every book on the shelf. He was searching for something and was gone from the room before Varian could ask what.

Though he had told Ragnor that he wouldn't join the rest, he stood, and made his way slowly through the hallways of the manor. He could practically see the anxiety radiating off of Clarissa as he walked, though he could not see the girl through the walls.

Some part of him still felt awful about continuing to lie to Clarissa about their much stronger connection, he couldn't bring himself to have that final conversation.

That seemed to be the usual situation nowadays, Varian couldn't get himself to have any form of unpleasant conversation. Whether it was to Alec about the affection he felt towards him, or to Clarissa about their being twins, or even to any number of Shadowhunters about his connection to all of them.

A roar shook the house, and Varian felt himself pale. 

He hurried forward, picking up the pace and pulling his sword from its spot once again. Varian expected to find the source of the roar in the room with the other three, but was sorely disappointed to see that it was not.

Another roar came, and this time a scream followed it.

An unmistakable terrified scream, and the body of Ragnor Fell tumbled to the floor between Varian and his baba.

The Shax demon leaped into the air, and Varian acted on instinct. A burst of flames shot from his hands, hotter than anything for those in the room but cool as ice on his fingers. The demon screamed as he burned in the air, the sound awful, but not long-lived.

Varian fell to his knees beside Ragnor, pressing his hands into the wounds the demon had caused and willing the emerald of his healing to come forward. It was pale, and Varian knew it was because of the burst of fire that he had brought forward, but he forced himself to continue.

"V-Varian," Ragnor's hands pulled his own out of the air. "It's no, no use."

Varian felt the presence of his baba  beside him but pushed it away, trying to convince Ragnor to let him heal his wounds.

"Shax demon." Ragnor groaned loudly, "Caught me, caught me by surprise." His baba  spoke comforting words to the man inbetween the pair of them, and Varian could feel the tears dripping from his eyes.

"Ragnor you can't go." A sob broke through Varian's mouth, but he squashed it back down. "I'm not ready, I'm not worthy of all of it. Please."

Ragnor's eyes moved from his baba  to Varian's, and he smiled brightly, as if that could distract Varian from the fading aura around Ragnor.

"You are worthy my boy."

It was the last words spoken, and a pulse passed through the house.