West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Fifteen 🗝

That feeling lasted for a long time.

Varian felt it the entire time he was in the Institute, and then later when his baba  set a hand on his shoulder as they left. It was like dejavu or like there was something slightly off in the world.

And then it ended suddenly, and Varian was jolted at the feeling of it missing.

"Baba."  Varian muttered. "There's something wrong."

His baba  started to turn and look at him, and Varian reached for his hand, but they never made contact. Suddenly Varian wasn't standing in front of the Institute anymore.

Varian was ripped through time and space and it was worse than portaling. When he landed on the other side he fell to his knees, all of the oxygen gone from his lungs and his blood felt ice cold in his veins.

He coughed and wretched, trying to breath after what had just happened.

"Who's there?" The voice that spoke could have been familiar, if Varian wasn't so distracted by the lack of oxygen in his lungs. "Varian?"

A hand landed on his back and Varian lurched away from whoever it was, moving instead to lay on his back and look up at the concerned face of Jace who he did not expect to see.

Varian took a deep breath, looking up at the blonde Shadowhunter with an obviously confused face. "Jace? What the-" Clarissa's face appeared above him and he was suddenly more confused than he was before.

He held one hand out to Jace and the other to Clary and the pair of them pulled him to his feet.

"What the fuck did you do?" Varian was angry, they had tampered with something, changed the way that everything was working to drag him here.

"Whoa hey, I don't know what you mean, you're the one who showed up here!" Jace matched his anger, raising to his full height and glaring down at Varian. "Maybe we should question your motives?"

Varian glanced around the room, immediately noticing the archaic symbols decorating the walls and the distinct coloring of black evil.

"Where the hell am I?" Varian took a step forward, trying to get a closer look at the symbols on the walls before quickly regretting it as his knees started to buckle under the weight.

Clary caught him, setting him back on his feet. "Wherever Valentine is, or last was."

"How did you get here?" Varian still felt dazed from coming through whatever brought him here, but was slowly able to regain some spacial awareness.

"We came through a portal-"

"Bloody well likely." Varian interrupted, "What were you really doing?"

Clary sighed, glancing at Jace before explaining. "Meliorn took us to the Seelie Realm, and sent us through a portal which let us get a sort of alternate universe." Varian wanted to ask a question, but debated against it. "There was a portal in that world that he said would lead to Valentine, we stepped through and it brought us here."

"As well as me," Varian muttered, glancing around the room.

A banging started to sound, interrupting whatever any of them was going to say.

Varian started forward, cautiously taking charge and waving his hand at the closet against the wall and the doors flung open.

A man was laying in the floor of the closet, and the second the doors were opened he fell out on the floor. Varian could feel both Clarissa and Jace tense up behind him but ignored it, he stepped closer to the man.

There was a ripple over his form, but it was gone before Varian could react and the man started to stand.

"Father?" It was Jace who spoke, and he rushed forward, wrapping a hand around his fathers arm and helping him stand to his full height.

"Son." The man threw his arms around Jace's neck, showing an odd amount of affection for a Shadowhunter. "Oh Jace I can't believe it."

Varian didn't step closer, the grey coloring of lies rippling around the man which was too much of a worry for Varian to approach the man.

"Son, you're hurt, how did you find me?" Varian still wasn't sure what the man's name was, but at the mention that Jace was hurt Varian started forward despite his previous worry.

Varian grabbed at Jace's shirt, lifting it and immediately pressing a hand into Jace's wound. Jace winced, loudly, and his father tried to push Varian away. He stood firm, letting the emerald green spread from his finger tips and start healing the wound in his side.

It was a Raevenor demon bite, Varian noticed that immediately, and healed it in a matter of minutes.

"There." Varian muttered, dropping Jace's shirt and backing up a few steps from the two. Wayland, Varian suddenly remember Jace's last name, and made the connection that this man was Michael Wayland, or suppose to be. Varian still wasn't sure about the truth in this situation, but he could tell there was some sort of lie.

Michael Wayland smiled in thanks, looking between Clary and Varian before speaking. "I'm Michael Wayland. I know that there was some confusion, but I've been with Valentine for the past ten years. He took off and left me here, I'm so glad you came."

He looked glad, Varian could give him that, but the grey surrounding him told Varian he was lying.

Clarissa, ever oblivious ignored the vibe the man was giving off. "And Jocelyn Fairchild?" Varian flinched subconsciously at the mention of his mothers name

"He took her with him," Michael looked between the two of them, "And you two are?"

"Varian Bane and Clarissa Fairchild," Varian offered, reaching forward to shake the man's hand. Something he would usually avoid doing but for the chance of glancing into the man's deeper emotions Varian risked his own personal mental standing. "Right then, let's get the hell out of here if you don't mind."

Varian turned, facing the empty space next to him and starting to form a portal. The purple spread from his hands in an easy way, creating a sparkling portal in moments and Varian bowed in a dramatic way at its appearance.

"Good job Varian." Michael Wayland addressed Varian directly and he felt himself grow uncomfortable at the man's voice.

He answered in a distracted way, "No problem."

They were gone through the portal, and Varian was left with more questions than answers.