West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Forty-One 🗝

The feeling of someone just as angry as Valentine entering the area nearly distracted Varian. The hold he had on Valentine in the air faltered ever so slightly, the man dropped a few inches.

"Jonathon help me!" Valentine's voice was strained but not panicked, and something in Varian snapped. His fist clenched in the air, and Valentine let out a shout of pain, and some small part of Varian enjoyed it.

"Merde." He spoke barely above a whisper, and almost in sync both him and Valentine fell to the ground. A ripple of pain passed through Varian as his head hit the ground below him, he made no move to sit up.

A face appeared above him, and Varian's depleted haze it looked like Alec, but the image focused, and it was the man he had been happy to kill moments before. Valentine's mouth moved, before arms wrapped under Varian's shoulders and knees, his head rested against Jace's chest.

He should have fought, he should have tried to get free, but every single inch of him was tired. From the tips of his toes to the ends of his hair on his head, his eyes blinked blearily, watching as Alec tried to stand, his legs wobbly under him.

"Run Jonathon, they want you dead." Valentine's voice echoed in Varian's ears, before a low shout of pain passed through his lips. Valentine's steps faltered as he approached a standing portal, internally Varian was shouting for him to fall to the ground dead, externally he could barely keep his eyes open.

Jace grabbed Valentine's arm as he ran passed, tossing Varian unceremoniously into the portal like a sack of flour.

Varian tried to breath through the pain, the floor of wherever he had landed dug into his hands and his face as he tried to pick himself up. He shook like a leaf, panic flooding through him as he realized he was no longer in a place that he recognized. He pushed himself to his knees, recognizing the fact that Jace and Valentine hadn't come through the portal after him yet.

He scanned where ever it was that he had landed, and at first he believed it was a warehouse, much like where he had had his first interaction with Valentine Morgenstern, but the steady rocking motion of the room alerted him quickly to the fact that he was moving. Most likely over water, and the distinct smell of rust in the air clued Varian into the fact that he was on a carrier ship.

"Bloody hell."

Varian's voice was barely above a whisper as he scanned the room, cages hung from the ceiling, and surrounded the walls. The realization that he was not alone in the vast room came suddenly, a wall of pain and fear slammed into him, the amount of Downworlder's in pain in the room made Varian cry out. The palms of his hands pressed into his temples, he struggled to swallow.

Footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a shouting voice that was distinctly Jace's. "You set me up to kill that Vampire!" A hand landed heavily on Varian's shoulder, and in an attempt to get away Varian spun out of the grip, only to find the concerned face of Jace Wayland standing above him.

"You killed her because it was the right thing to do." Valentine grunted, and out of the corner of his eyes Varian noticed the gaping hole in his shoulder, a side effect of the crossbow bolt that had been shot in an attempt to harm Jace.

Jace visibly ignored Valentine's words as he kneeled beside Varian, a concerned look in his eyes as he tried to see if Varian was alright. His mouth was moving, but Varian couldn't hear. A wave of pain passing over him as he retched, nearly falling face first in the ground at the sudden movement, the only relief coming when Jace placed a hand on Varian, a wave of calm flooding through the connection.

"You could have portaled me anywhere, handed me over to the Clave in Idris, but you didn't." Valentine was smug, his smile twisted as he drew an iratze in his shoulder. "It proves I know you better than you know yourself.

And suddenly the connection was filled with anger, and Varian pulled away, flopping onto his backs as the argument between the two grew into shouting. The realization once again struck that he was no longer in friendly territory, Valentine Morgenstern and Jace had taken him, and he was trapped with depleted magic.

With a wiggle of his fingers, his magic started to wake back up. The simple action already draining his magic, he had to act quickly.

It was a simple portal trick, to form one below him and just drop through, but it stole so much energy so quickly. Varian opened his eyes, feeling the sparking under him. Valentine was just within his fingers, and though he hated to do it, Varian reached out, his fingers wrapping around Valentine's ankle and instantly he started to steal the energy.

Valentine reacted in a dangerously aggressive way, turning and stomping directly on the fragile bone of Varian's wrist. He screamed loudly, but kept the connection, stealing a satisfactory amount of energy before he suddenly disappeared below the surface of the floor.

His wrist was the last thing to disappear, it was bent at a disgusting angle, and the shouts to follow Varian through the portal were angry. He was taken for what felt like only minutes, but as Varian fell through the portal to the same street he had just been on with his allies, they were gone.

When Varian looses consciousness the world notices.

It as if the hum of the world is muted, replaced with a deafening silence. The magic that he wields, the heavenly fire he radiates is silent. His baba  notices, the martini glass that he was holding on the other side of the city slips from his grasp, his hand reaching to rest over the heart that aches with pain at the disappearance of the constant hum of his son.

When Varian looses consciousness, the world screams for his heavenly fire and purity of heart.

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Hey I'm really sorry it took me so long, but I hope you enjoyed the chapters for this week!