West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Seven 🗝

The Shadowhunter looked extremely nervous the second Varian said what he had.

"Do what?" Alec looked between Varian and the door.

"There's to much going on, to many emotions. You just need to cross the room and get into the office and then I can get to you in there." Varian spoke quickly, before hip-checking Alec towards the door and watching him go.

Varian concentrated on the emotions coming from the room, he hadn't left his apartment in a lot longer than he'd care to admit, and the few times he did he portaled to his cafe which also has wards. So being exposed to the world so suddenly was throwing him off, and as he tried to concentrate on muting the emotions he watched as Alec crossed the room and stepped into the office.

All it took was a blink.

Varian blinked once and he was across the room and in the office with Alec. "Look around. Clary said it was a tarot card."

If Alec was shocked he didn't show it, instead he turned and started searching through the office. Varian snapped his fingers and the door locked shut with an audible click before he started searching.

"I've never understood why Mundane's insist on tarot cards." Varian muttered it in a distracted way, as he flipped through a box of possessions. "A-ha." He pulled the deck out carefully, flipping through the deck and noticing how beautifully done the cards were. "Though I do admit I see the appeal."

Alec appeared beside him, hovering just behind Varian as he passed the cards over to the Shadowhunter. Alec searched the deck, muttering the names of the cards under his breath as he read them. Varian could see the obvious yellow-grey tendrils of confusion and happiness spiraling off of the Shadowhunter next to him.

"There it is." Alec's voice was soft as he spoke. The card that he held was the Ace of Cups, and looked perfectly normal. Varian reached for it, and the Shadowhunter didn't think twice before passing it to him.

At first glance, Varian would have sworn it was a normal card. But the second he touched it he could feel the power inside the card. The power of the Mortal Cup. A feeling passes over Varian, and he feels himself lean into the power of the cup, but before he could let himself get any further in he passes it over to Alec. His hand shaking as he does.

"Let's go." He waves his hand, conjuring a portal and offering Alec the change to step through first. Alec took him up on it, and just before Varian stepped through he turns, snatching the rest of the tarot cards off of the desk and stuffing them into his pocket.

The feeling of being squished came over him again as he stepped into and through the portal. Clary was already looking at the card when he joined the rest of them, this time, he was able to hold himself standing rather than falling to his knees.

"Right, it's bloody fantastic that we found whatever it is, but considering we just stole from the cops, I suggest you all hurry out of here." Varian spoke quickly, looking across the parking lot in an attempt to keep an eye on anyone joining them.

A flashing appeared to his right, and when he glanced at it he recognized the familiar sight of the demon ruby his baba  had told him about. His excitement at finally getting to see it was quickly squashed at the realization that it was pulsing.

"Well, at least we know the demon necklace works." Izzy spoke before he could get the chance too, and they all turned, hurrying in the opposite direction. Varian shook his head as he followed, throwing a little bit of magic back at the demon to knock it off of it's feet.

Varian kept a close eye on everyone as they walked away, they did not bother to ask him about creating a portal, so he did not offer.

"Oh! Sorry." The words of Clary knocked him out of the distracted trance that he was in, and when he looked at her he realized that she couldn't see past the glamour that was in place. The grandmother that Clary had bumped into roared loudly, and before Varian could react, Jace had already stabbed the demon through the stomach.

"How did it find us?" Clary sounded terrified, and it took Varian a long pause to realize that she still had trouble seeing through the glamour. He would need to deal with that in a moment, but for now he hurried the group into the cover of a building.

"You can't see through glamours?" Varian asked as the others paused beside him in the room.

"No we're still working on that." Jace spoke for her, and I squinted at him before turning to face Clary.

"May I have your stele?" Varian held his hand out, acknowledging the fact that there were four Shadowhunters in the room and that at lease one of them would pass it over. None of them did. "I'm not going to take it don't worry."

That seemed to encourage Alec, because he passed it over to him. Their hands brushed, and Varian had a sudden spike of colors and emotions that did not belong to him.

"This will help." Varian mutters as he turns Clary's hand over and started to trace a rune into the back of her hand. The rune disappears the second he finishes drawing it, but it does as he wanted, a flash of gold passes across Clary's eyes and she looks like she is seeing the world a-new.

Varian steps back, twirling the stele in his fingers, he avoided the gaze of the Shadowhunters, easily understanding why they were looking at him so intently, but not wanting to discuss it further.

He passes through them, glancing around the room and already sensing the presence of the demon's around the building.

"Right, you go, all of you." Varian slams his heel into the ground, a portal appearing a few feet away from everyone. "Get to the Institute. If the demon's get the cup they'll be hell to pay so go."

Jace did not have to be told twice as he grabbed Clary by the arm and pulled her into the portal after him. Izzy looked at me, as if making sure that she should really go. Varian nodded, and the was gone.

"What about you?" Alec was concerned, but Varian waved it off as concern for the demons getting away rather than concern for him.

Varian reaches over his head, pulling his sword from it's sheath and smiling at the Shadowhunter. "I'll hold them off, now go."

Alec looks as though he wants to protest, but Varian reacts first, pulling the portal across the room and into Alec. He goes through and the portal disappears. Varian breathes out, and the doors to the rooms break, drawing the attention of all of the demons.

Varian brandishes his sword, "Let's do this."