A Malec Story

Chapter 54: What if I lost you?

Alec

The world was spinning out of control. First Jace had gone over to the dark side. Then they'd summoned a demon to get him out of there. That turned out to be a disaster. Clary had joined Jace and Sebastian, acting as a double spy, which was dangerous as hell. And then Simon had come up with the idea to summon an Angel. Before the Mortal War Clary had given him the Mark of Cain on his head. Whoever would lay a hand on him would pay for it sevenfold. And Simon gambled on that Mark, thinking it would save him from the Angel's wrath.

Isabelle had been furious, saying it was too dangerous and Simon could easily be killed. Alec wondered what it was between Simon and his sister. He couldn't think of any other time that Isabelle had cared so much, when it wasn't him or Jace. He thought she might be falling for the vampire. How happy his parents would be, Alec thought bitterly. First losing their son to a warlock and then their daughter to a vampire. Not to mention their adoptive son to the dark and their youngest to death.

Alec shook his head as he prepared for the coming battle. He couldn't get carried away now. Simon had gotten a sword from the Angel. A sword fueled with Heavenly Fire, a fire that was capable of severing the bond between Jace and Sebastian. All that was needed now was a way to stab that demon child, Sebastian, to death with it.

Clary had found out what Jace and Sebastian's evil plan was and where they were going to execute it. They'd created a new mortal cup, were going to fill it with demon's blood and create a new, dark race of Shadowhunters. Shadowhunters who would do Sebastian's bidding and turn the world into ashes. To stop them, Alec, Magnus, Simon, Isabelle and a dozen Shadowhunters from the New York Institute were going to Ireland, where they were gathered to perform the ceremony.

Magnus had made a portal and they were on their way to the Seventh Sacred Site. Upon arrival on the plain, Alec saw dozens of Shadowhunters standing there, lined up before a tall figure clad in red. His white hair blazing in the wind. Sebastian.

Behind him Alec saw Jace and Clary. He sucked in a breath at seeing his parabatai again. He knew Jace was turned, possessed, but there was no sign of that. He just stood there, seemingly relaxed, his arms around Clary, as if embracing her tenderly.

Alec scanned the crowd of Shadowhunters and noticed they were lining up to drink from the Mortal Cup. He saw one of them drink and collapse, only to rise again with a renewed grace. An army of dark Shadowhunters, Clary had told Simon. Sebastian was creating an army of dark Shadowhunters.

Alec jumped on a flat stone megalith, and aimed his bow at the next Shadowhunter reaching for the cup Sebastian was holding out to him. He let go and the arrow flew right into the Shadowhunter's throat. Alec grinned in satisfaction and reached back for another arrow.

Behind him his fellow warriors moved forward, Magnus was protecting Simon who carried the sword with Heavenly Fire. Alec stayed standing on the dolmen, having their back, shooting his arrows one after the other steadily into the crowd, not wavering, but standing tall and strong as a Lightwood should.

As the group moved through the crowd, the fight was bursting all around them. The turned Shadowhunters were drawing blades and attacked. Alec had a good overview on top of the dolmen and shot his arrows with a blinding accuracy.

His head jerked up when he heard Isabelle scream. He saw Magnus, standing next to her, but the next moment he collapsed and sank to his knees. A dark Shadowhunter bent over him, intending to deliver the death stroke. Alec aimed and let an arrow fly, hastily and not precise enough. It hit her in the shoulder instead of the throat and Alec swore under his breath.

He stood frozen upon the large stone, staring in the direction where Magnus had fallen down. He saw him lying on the ground, Isabelle on her knees beside him, her hands on his chest. By the Angel, he's dying.

A cold spread over Alec as the idea of Magnus dying dawned on him. Never in his mind was there a world conceivable where he was alive while Magnus was not. It simply wasn't a possibility. He couldn't imagine how he could live without Magnus. To lose him, he didn't think he'd ever be okay again. Losing Magnus meant losing his own heart.

Automatically Alec reached back to grab another arrow, fit it to the bow and let it fly. His movements were mechanical, he needed to continue to fight. No matter what happened or who was fallen or dying. He was first of all a Shadowhunter, he needed to fight.

The last time he reached up for an arrow he found his quiver empty. It was then that he looked into the crowd, looking for Magnus and his sister. A light started to flare up in the distance as Alec scrambled down from the stone tomb and launched himself into the crowd.

Magnus

It hurt. Magnus couldn't remember the last time he had been in this kind of pain. He saw black spots swimming before his eyes as the endarkened Shadowhunter pointed her blade over his heart. Alec. He thought of him now. He knew once that blade would find its aim, he'd be gone. Away from this earth, finally, after four hundred years. And yet it was too soon. He had Alec now, and he didn't want to lose him. No matter what was going on now, no matter what was wrong between them. That could be solved, whatever it was. Magnus wanted to live now, more than ever. To solve it and be happy with Alec. He wasn't ready to die.

But if there was no escaping it, the last thing he could do is think about Alec as he died. He heard the arrow sizzle through the air before he saw it hitting the endarkened woman in her shoulder. She jerked away and Magnus closed his eyes as the world slowly receded. Good, he thought, Alec had shot her. Now he could die in peace.

The blackness was pressing in on him, and he conjured up Alec's face in his mind's eye. His blue eyes were sparkling as he laughed. "You're adorable," he said as he pulled Magnus in his arms in the hotel room in Paris. The edges of the vision darkened and Alec slowly faded away into oblivion and then there was nothing.

"Alec." Magnus heard the voice of a girl in the distance saying his lover's name. "Alec, he's breathing."

And then there was Alec's voice, sounding far away but very real, "Dagger."

Magnus knew he was there, close, next to him and he wanted to reach out for him, but he couldn't. He felt the life seeping out of him as a dagger sliced through his clothes. Suddenly there was a pressure against his ribs, where the blade had cut him. The sharp pain brought him back to life and he could finally open his eyes. The first thing he saw were Alec's blue eyes staring down at him.

"Ouch," he said weakly. "Quit leaning on me."

"Raziel," Alec whispered. "You're all right."

Magnus felt Alec's hand reaching under him, pulling him towards him. His thumb brushing his cheek. "I thought..." Alec said, glancing away for a second and then back into Magnus's eyes.

"I saw you fall," Alec said and then he bent down and kissed Magnus's lips tenderly. "I thought you were dead."

Magnus smiled up at him, infinitely happy that Alec was there and he knew he'd live to see another day. Another day to spend with Alexander Lightwood.

"What, from that scratch?" he said and he stared down at Alec's jacket, which Alec had pressed against his side. The black jacket was wet with his blood.

"Okay," he amended, "a deep scratch. Like, from a really, really big cat."

"Are you delirious?" Alec said.

"No." Magnus said, serious now. "Amatis was aiming for my heart, but she didn't get anything vital. The problem is that the blood loss is sapping my energy and my ability to heal myself."

He tried breathing deep and coughed, knowing he needed strength he didn't have.

"Here, give me your hand," he said to Alec and Alec laced his fingers through Magnus's.

"Do you remember," Magnus whispered, breathing with difficulty, "The night of the battle on Valentine's ship, when I needed some of your strength?"

"Do you need it again now?" Alec said. "Because you can have it."

"I always need your strength, Alec," Magnus said, wishing Alec knew how true those words were as he closed his eyes. He couldn't whisper the spell but chanted it in his head and felt the energy of Alec course through him. Healing him.

Alec, everything is going to be okay now.