7

Vanishing Act

Magnus wasn't sure why he was crying so hard. This was six hundred years ago! Why should it still bother him? But he let Alec hold him, let himself cry all of the tears he'd bottled up in those two hundred years. He was afraid, bearing his soul like this in front of Alec, that history would repeat itself.

But Alec was not and never would be Armand. No, no instead of telling him to shut up and pushing him away he held him, kissed him, let him cry and told him everything was alright.

"Shh…it's alright. Shh…hush, baby. It's alright."

Alec's chest ached. In his wildest dreams he never thought he would ever see Magnus this way. Crying and shaking in his arms. He didn't even think Magnus could be vulnerable. He seemed like nothing could ever hurt him. But Armand had, and that pissed him off.

How could someone do that? How could anyone be so cruel to him, especially when he looked at them like that? With those bright, bleary eyes looking meek, and afraid and alone. How could anyone he so heartless that they didn't take him in their arms immediately in an attempt to make him feel better just as he had.

Then again, he'd seen Armand's cruelty firsthand. He knew exactly how heartless he was. He could still faintly feel the sting of the whip on his back as he tried to run.

He shook his head. Don't think about that, think about Magnus. He kissed him softly, thumbing his cheek. "It's alright, baby."

He cradled him close, kissing his full lips over and over.

"Shh, hush, Magnus, shh…"

Magnus nuzzled his cheek against Alec's, relishing the feel of his fingers in his hair. "You're too good to me," he breathed.

"No," Alec smiled. "I'm not." They looked at each other for a beat before kissing again. Alec's wrists were crossed behind the warlock's neck, his fingers tangled in thick black tendrils. Magus had one hand on the back of his head, the other on the small of his back.

"God you're good at that," Magnus grinned. Alec blushed. They kissed again.

"Alright, alright, knock it off!" Adriana said, setting bags of food on the table. Magnus held up his finger, signaling for her to hang on for a moment.

"Magnus," she whined, grimacing. Alec blushed to a deep red but didn't stop kissing him. The broke apart, finally, leaving Magnus smirking and Alec beet red. "Self control is a good thing," she scolded.

"I never learned that," Magnus smiled.

"So," Adriana said, rolling her eyes. "Where were we?"

"Your 'death' actually."

Less than a century had passed. I was no longer meek and quiet as I had been. I was my cocky, conceited, snarky self. Adriana wasn't to happy about the attitude change, but she understood.

I had to act this way. After the way that I had been treated I didn't have choice. It was either be cool, indifferent and a smartass, or go absolutely mad. I didn't want to be womanish and cry constantly-

"Having feelings isn't womanish, Magnus," Alec said, popping a fry in his mouth.

It was the times, Alexander. There was no such thing as emo then, you couldn't mope and brood unless you were a poet. Yes, I thought that was funny too. God you're cute…

Sorry, anyway, almost a century had gone by and neither us nor Armand had found the book, which was both good and bad.

We followed leads that got us nowhere and found another that led to the same place. But as far as we knew, Armand was no closer than we were.

Our numbers had grown in our trips across Europe. We were a hundred strong and residing in a barren valley in Ireland.

We'd heard that Armand had been building an army on his side as well. Turns out there were other people that wanted to take over the humans as well.

And we found out he was coming this way. What possessed him to think that he could take on Adriana and I was beyond me.

But we had to plan for a war, one that humans wouldn't see. We had to stay in the valley to make sure there was no collateral, but we couldn't stop whatever damage Armand did along the way. Like the plague? Yeah, that was all them.

"So, what should we do?" I asked. Adriana sighed.

"Prepare for war," she said solemnly. She wanted to do this about as much as I did. She'd known Armand for centuries, longer than I'd been alive. She didn't want it to end this way. She didn't want to have to kill someone who used to be her best friend.

I didn't want to kill him either. But if it had to be done, it had to be done.

"This won't end well, will it?" I asked, but I knew the answer.

"Their numbers double ours," she said quietly.

"Yes," I nodded. "But he doesn't have you or me," I assured. "We make the numbers even. Before, we were the one with the advantage." I tried to smile, trued to give her some hope. But I could see it in her eyes that she had none.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she said. "Something terrible is going to happen."

I chewed my lip. That was never good. But her predictions were always right.

I wish I could've had those premonitions as well. Then I might've seen it coming.

They came into the valley at dawn the next morning, all or their hands ablaze with multicolored light. One hundred of us, almost three hundred of them. Then again, Armand never did fight fair.

Adriana and I stood in front of our pathetic army, facing Armand.

My heart wrenched when I saw him, clad in a deep blood-red that matched his eyes. Just looking at him hurt. But I kept the emotion from my face, stature and eyes. Because if I didn't he would see my weakness. I told myself over and over that I could do this. I could kill Armand if I needed to. I hoped.

"Armand, please," Adriana pleaded. "We don't have to do this, there doesn't have to be bloodshed over a stupid book!"

"Don't try it, Adriana," he barked. "I know that game, that manipulative way you can get anyone to do whatever you want. Right, Magnus?"

I stiffened a little when he said my name. His eyes turned to me, that smirk in place. "And how are we, little one?"

"Don't start, Armand," I growled. "We aren't here to talk. If you won't be swayed then let's get this over with." He grinned at me.

"If you insist, darling."

A spell struck my chest, blind-sighting me. I fell to the ground, and the battle started.

When the two armies merged it was like a crash of thunder, much like when we fought in Idris. Adriana and I not only had to handle Armand, but the strongest warlocks he had behind him as well.

The air soon smelled of blood and smoke, turning the skies a blackish-red color. Light flew all over, explosions shook the ground, sending a horrendous rumbling through the field.

I was fighting another of Armand's soldiers when I saw a brilliant flash of red light and Adriana go flying.

I spun around, striking the other warlock without even looking. She was pushing herself off of the ground, face smudged with soot and blood.

"Adriana, are-" Her eyes grew and she dove at me, shoving me out of the way.

I fell on the ground, hard. There was another flash of light a split second later that she took head on. She fell to the ground, the burn smoking, her eyes wide and clouded.

She…she was gone. My best friend, gone.

The whole world went silent, the explosions, the screams the sounds of electricity no longer existed. Time slowed. I stared at her face, my heart twisting in knots that I didn't know were possible.

That's when I realized what Armand had done. He killed her, he killed her!

Everything sped back up, hatred welling in my stomach. I spun around on him, the grimace in my face deepening when he I saw he was laughing.

That son of a bitch had ruined my life and taken hers.

"ARMAND!" I roared, throwing my hands out. They were ablaze with a light so bright I could hardly see any others.

"What, Magnus?" He yelled over the crowd. "Did she abandon you like you did me?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

I was on him then, my hands wrapped around his throat. His knee came up between my legs and I gasped, rolling off of him and gagging.

"THAT MOTHER F-"

Yes, Alexander, I know. Calm yourself.

"Well, Magnus I'm surprised," he chuckled, standing over me. "I didn't think you had-"

I threw my hand out, striking his chest and sending him flying. I stood, still a little winded, but angrier than ever.

I struck him while he was down. One cheap shot for another. I grabbed his hair and hauled him up, throwing him like a rag doll, like he did to me.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL?" I screamed. "DOESN'T FEEL SO GOOD WHEN YOU'RE NOT BEING A 'MAN' IS IT? IS IT?" I had so much rage built up I saw red, throwing everything I had at him, and when I didn't have enough strength to do that, I hit him.

Finally he was on the ground, bloody and bruised. "Aw, Armand, what's the matter?" I spat, my heel on his throat. "Can't handle, can you? Can't handle someone being stronger than you, can you?" I wanted to snap his neck. I wanted him dead. He killed my best friend!

But I couldn't do it. I was so close, so ready for that split second where his eyes would go wide before dimming, his throat giving a satisfying crunch as his heart stopped.

But as I said before, Alexander, I loved him. I couldn't do it…I wasn't a killer. I wasn't a Monster like him.

"Leave, Armand, and don't come back."

He did leave. Both of our armies had been reduced greatly, there was only half of the numbers remaining on either side.

And Adriana was gone. Everyone set to cleaning up and getting ready to move on. The idea was to get all of the bodies in one place and burn them. But I couldn't do that to Adriana.

And while everyone else was away from me, gathering straw and cadavers, I sat with her.

I lifted her torso into my arms, crying into her hair. She was everything I had ever known. Everything. She taught me how to live. I didn't know what to do, now.

But we buried her, and afterwards I caught the next boat to the New World, on my own. Maybe the book had made its way over to the Americas.

So I went. I left Adriana's estate to Marian, took what money I could, and disappeared.

I had nothing. No one in the world cared if I were alive or dead. No one would notice if I slipped off the face of the Earth. Do you remember when I told you that everyone I have ever loved has hurt me in some way, Alec? Well, now you know they have. My father tortured me, my mother neglected me, Armand abused me and Adriana left me. Or, well, so I thought.

And now that I think about it, I'm very pissed off! Adriana, WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?

-Uh oh-