West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Forty-Eight 🗝

It was a disappointingly long time to wait.

Varian had already searched the entire place to make sure that all of the Mundane's had left as well as double check his wards, and other than that there had not been anything to interest himself. For sake of sanity, he kept a few feet of distance between himself and Alec, despite every part of him that wanted a kiss or a touch from the Shadowhunter.

A crackle of lightning from outside of the gym made Varian painfully aware of where he was in this time and space. Thunder made him panicky, and lightning was always worrying, but even just being in the same room as Alec was a calming action. Varian's hands started to move on their own accord by his side, spelling out the words he hoped to say but found himself so strangely unable to say.

"Varian I-" Alec was interrupted by another boom of thunder, and Varian visibly flinched, a ripple of lilac pulsing through the room. Varian looked up blushing pink in embarrassment for his unconscious actions. Alec just smiled in an encouraging way, closing the distance between him and the Warlock in just a few steps. "Breathe Varian, it's alright."

A comforting hand was placed on Varian's cheek, and he leaned into the touch, his eyes falling shut as the world faded away. Light blue calmness pushing through the skin to skin contact, he smiled his mouth opening to say something, the unspoken words interrupted by a crack of thunder and the sudden appearance of a portal.

Varian stumbled out of Alec's touch, lifting a hand, ready to act should he need to. Alec stepped by his side, his bow in hand and an arrow notched steadily, drawn and ready to fire on Valentine's man.

He couldn't be but a few years old then Varian, and that is what threw him off kilter, so when the boy threw everything into attacking the pair of them Varian could not find himself attacking back.

Alec shot an arrow before the boy could get within feet of them, the arrow found its mark in the boys shoulder but did not cause the boys attack to falter in anyway. Varian side stepped the swing of his sword, a hand lifting in an easy way but not finding himself able to cast any form of spell. Alec grabbed Varian by the shoulders, pulling him out of the line of danger and grabbing his sword and pulling it from its sheath.

Varian was entirely unbothered by the action, knowing for a sure fact that Alec would benefit better from the sword in this moment rather than Varian. He took a deep breath, ignoring the way that the boy fought like he was in pain, Varian's only focus on Alec and every powerful arc of his sword.

In a moment of sheer dumb luck the boy caught Alec in the side, his blade making a sickening sound as it entered the muscled flesh of his stomach. The injury prompted Varian's response, and in an attempt at keeping his cool, Varian lifted a hand and clenched his fist. His magic acted accordingly, wrapping itself around Valentine's man and throwing him across the room, his sword fell from his hand.

It was a difficult thing for Varian to walk away from Alec while he was injured, but his concentration rested solely on Valentine's man, and the information that he could potentially provide.

When Varian spoke it was in a flat and calm voice, "Where is Valentine?" The boy shook his head, forcing himself against the magical bonds, grunting with effort. "Tell me where he is."

Varian would not loose his temper, he stepped closer to the man, repeating his question with a sigh. His hold loosened accidentally as he fed magic to Alec without looking at him, green entwining with the lilac in a beautiful dance.

Alec was by his side seconds later, a hand still pressed to the healing wound in his side, oh how they must have looked to the Mundane turned Shadowhunter laying on the floor in front of them. Alec's dark hair a wild mess as green blew through his hair and clothes, slowly giving him the ability to stand to fill height. Varian was most likely the first Warlock that he had seen, that much was nearly obvious by the wide curious eyes that followed the lilac and green as it flew through the air.

"Tell me where Valentine is, and I'll set you free." It was true in more ways then one.

Valentine's man considered it, before pushing one more time at the unseen bonds surrounding him, Varian let them fall away, hoping that it would prompt the man to be a little more vocal.

The action caused the exact opposite, it took seconds for the man to pull a knife from his waist, dragging it across his throat in a swift motion that caused a horrible squelching sound to follow. Alec shouted in protest, reaching for the man as if he could stop it from happening.

He was dead, and Varian was already blaming himself.

"Merde." Varian muttered, slamming the palm of his hand into the side of his head, the dull thunk comforting in this moment of intense frustration. Forgetting that he wasn't alone, Varian did it again, and again, dropping to the ground as he let his magic run wild across the body of Valentine's fallen soldier. The pounding of his fist against his temple stopped on the fifth time, moving instead to tap aggressively against his knee, he found himself muttering the word over and over again. "Merde, merde, merde."

He trailed off, a hand smoothed against his hair, the other gripping tightly around the offending appendage, stilling the beat against his leg. Varian found himself unable to concentrate on the connection that Alec was trying to form, his magic had stilled in its wandering over the fallen soldiers body, something flickered from within his coat. Varian reached out, flicking the coat open in a quick action, and pulling the paper from the pocket. 

It was not much, just a chicken-scratch of words on a paper much to small to fit all of the words necessary. A sound of excitement from the man above Varian alerted him to the fact that it was most likely Jace's awful handwriting.

Varian stood, Alec's hands falling from his hair as he did, Varian tried to smile to let him know everything was okay but he was much to distracted by the body of the Mundane that he had a hand in killing however indirectly.

His mind would not silence as he waved his hand for a portal, smiling unconscionably as Alec kissed his cheek while passing by. Alec stepped in, and the portal shudder closed behind him, leaving Varian alone with the Mundane, he muttered an apology to the body, a Latin phrase tumbling forward, the boy became dust, stars to decorate the sky.

Varian stepped out into the cold of the rain, the thundering fallen on numb ears, his clothes plastering to his dry skin. He could not breath through it as he usually would, one shuddering sob pushed through his lips it was all that he would allow himself to feel. The boy was no older than him, and yet he found himself so entranced by the words of Valentine.

Varian would not let his father hurt anyone else.