Beta'd by the lovely StarryOwlEyes.
CC owns 'em.
This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Magnus' brain was a jumbled mess. It was like he couldn't put together a fully functioning thought. His head was all raging emotions. Panic, fear, rage-all flitted through his mind at rapid speed, his emotions unable to settle. That is until he heard Valentines last words. Pure rage blossomed inside his chest as the bastard walked back towards his horse.
"Get up, Bane," Blackwell muttered, nudging him with the toe of his boot. "I'm not carrying your sorry ass back to Tortuga just because the captain wants you alive." Magnus grimaced but managed to stand up with his hands manacled behind his back. Blackwell shoved him towards the line of horses that had been hidden behind the edge of the trees. He struggled to keep his footing. He didn't want to seem weak in front of Blackwell, though his gunshot wound was already against him.
He glanced behind him one last time, taking in the devastation left behind in Valentines wake. Jocelyn was clutching Clary to her, stroking her hair gently. Jocelyn's gaze locked with Magnus'. Tears flowed down her cheeks freely, her countenance broken. Just a few hours ago, everything was perfect. Magnus had everything he'd ever dreamed of. He'd had Alec. And in just a matter of minutes, his whole world had come crashing down.
He tore his gaze away from the scene behind him. If he hoped to get out of this disaster, he needed to focus on what lay before him. Blackwell grabbed a length of rope. Magnus eyed it warily. He hoped to God Blackwell wasn't going to tie him to the horse. If he had to walk back all the way to Tortuga, his feet would be bloody stumps and he'd truly have no hope of escape.
Blackwell twisted him around and grabbed the chains of his manacles. "Don't even think of trying anything, Bane. You so much as sneeze and I'll break your arm." Magnus wasn't willing to test Blackwell's patience. Blackwell was no doubt counting on him to give him a reason to beat him. Valentine wanted him alive, he doubted he'd care if he was a little beat up and bruised on the journey.
Blackwell unlocked his chains and then twisted him back around, trying his hands together with the length of rope. Magnus deflated a bit when Blackwell was done. There wasn't a chance he'd be able to slip his bindings. Blackwell was a sailor after all. He knew his knots.
"Now get on the horse," Blackwell said gruffly. Magnus raised an eyebrow at him.
"And just how am I supposed to do that? My hands are tied dumbass," he responded haughtily, holding up his bound wrists in front of Blackwell's face.
Blackwell looked like he would happily strangle him right then and there. "Get your foot in the stirrup," he seethed, his words more of a hiss than anything. Magnus resisted the urge to smirk. He did as he was told though and managed to get his foot in the stirrup. Blackwell pushed him up roughly, and he managed to swing his leg up and over the horse.
"Just so you don't get anymore ideas," Blackwell grumbled tugging the rope harshly forward. Magnus winced at the sudden movement, his arm screaming in pain. Blackwell took the end of his rope and fastened it to the saddle horn. "You're not going anywhere Bane," he smirked before stalking off.
Magnus adjusted on his saddle as best as he could, trying to determine just how much room he had to maneuver. His eyes scanned restlessly around the camp. Men were walking about quickly, all with tasks to do. It appeared that Valentine wanted to move out as quickly as possible. He could only imagine just how eager Valentine was to return to Tortuga.
And yet with all the activity around him, he couldn't find Alec anywhere. The last he had seen of him was when he was being shoved into a cage. The thought set off a whole new wave of panic through him. He struggled to breath normally. He couldn't loose it. He would not. For Alec's sake. He had to remain calm. Succumbing to any of his building panic wouldn't do them any good. So Magnus took a deep breath, and exhaled-pretending that this was just a temporary set back. He had nearly a days journey to come up with a plan to escape before they got back to Tortuga. A whole day to plan. And yet somehow it didn't seem like nearly enough time.
(line break)
Alec winced as they hit another bump in the road, his head slamming against the iron crossbars of his cage. He didn't remember the road being this rocky on the way here. Then again, they'd been riding the horse, and now Alec was in a metal cage loaded on a wagon. Two days ago he'd ridden out of Tortuga as a free man, nothing but optimistic as to what the world held for him. And now two days later, just a short 48 hours, he barely had any hope left in this world. He felt like a beast, trapped in a cage as he was. He barely felt human. Then again, that was the crux of the problem wasn't it? He wasn't human. According to Valentine he was some monster that didn't deserve the right to be breathing. A situation that Alec was sure Valentine would remedy as soon as he got whatever information he could out of him. And it wouldn't be long. All Valentine had to do was hold a sword to Magnus' throat and Alec knew he'd tell Valentine anything he wanted to know. And then Valentine would rid him from this world.
Alec rubbed his eyes, out of habit. His tears had long since dried up. It had been hours since he and Magnus had been captured. Every single limb ached from being stuffed into the small cage for hours without reprieve. He dared not try and stretch his limbs, and risk his extremities outside the iron bars. He had discovered the men guarding him had a sick sense of humor, slashing at any limb that made its way through the bars. After the first cut to his leg, he'd dealt with the cramps.
Alec's will was slowly breaking. He had never been the object of such pure hatred before. Rationally he knew it was misguided and came from the hateful man leading this ragtag group of sailors, but the fact that they had all been so quick to turn on him and Magnus cut him deeply. He hadn't been friends with these men per say, but they had shared a sense of camaraderie in a life at sea. And yet that tenuous thread of trust had snapped as soon as the word mermaid had passed from Valentine's lips. Unworldly. Supernatural. Not human. That's all these men could see when they looked at him now.
Alec rested his head on his knees, sighing deeply. What he needed right now more than anything was Magnus. He was his rock whenever the harsh realities of this world became too much. He was the anchor he had come to depend on whenever he was having self-doubts. And in his time of true need, he was deprived of the one person who could keep him strong. He hadn't seen Magnus since he'd been put in this god-forsaken cage. They were no doubt keeping them as far apart as possible.
Alec squeezed his eyes shut tight, trying to conjure up Magnus' face. The serene look that was always in his eyes when he was looking at Alec, like everything else in this world didn't matter except the two of them. And yet, Alec couldn't visualize it. All he could see in his minds eye was the look of shock and then excruciating pain as a bullet ripped through Magnus' arm. The scene played over and over again in his head, a constant reel of images to slowly drive him mad with worry.
Magnus was okay. He'd seen him get up. He was alive, that's all that mattered. And yet all Alec could see was the cascade of red bleeding across Magnus' shirt. His own personal nightmare was the only thing to keep him company on this caravan back to Tortuga; the images slowly driving him mad with apprehension.
The wagon pulling him suddenly came to a stop. Alec looked about in confusion. Why were they stopping? They couldn't be to Tortuga yet. They were traveling slower than he and Magnus had on their horse. Panic clawed its way into Alec's heart, anticipating the worst.
Blackwell suddenly stepped out of the line of men. "Take a quick break. Water the horses, and then we're on our way again." Blackwell's cold eyes met his through the bars. Alec resisted the urge to recoil from the sickening sneer on the man's face. Valentine wanted information out of him, wanted to kill him ultimately. But Alec knew without a doubt that Blackwell would be the one to coax the information out of him. And from the greedy look on Blackwell's face, he would enjoy it too.
Alec turned away sharply, not dwelling on his imminent fate. He wished he could just go back in time. Back to the ship when it was just him and Magnus. Where they didn't have to worry about scumbags like Blackwell because Ragnor had their back.
Alec was startled by his own thoughts. Ragnor. Where was Ragnor? A whole different kind of panic clawed at his throat. They hadn't seen him in three days. And he was positive he wasn't with the rest of the crew, he'd have seen him. Horrible fantasies flitted through his brain as he imagined what Valentine had probably done to their friend. It was no secret that Ragnor and Magnus were best friends. The most logical thing to do was eliminate your enemy's allies, and Ragnor was the only ally they had.
Alec thought he had exhausted all of his tears, but his eyes brimmed with fresh tears as he realized that their friend was probably dead.
(line break)
Come on Bane, think of something god dammit! Magnus was kicking himself. He'd been sitting on this damn horse for who knows how long and he still hadn't managed to come up with any sort of plan that didn't get him or Alec killed. It was near dusk, and he could already hear the tell tale signs of Tortuga up ahead. He had run out of time.
Every single scenario he had run had either required him to slip his bonds or serve as a distraction. Except of course he couldn't slip his bonds, his bloody wrists were a testament to Blackwell's superior knot skills. And any situation where he could sufficiently distract his captors, he knew that Blackwell would shoot first ask questions later. He couldn't do a bloody thing and it was tearing him apart. He knew that the likelihood of them escaping after they reached Tortuga were slim to none. They had to escape before they reached the city, and yet Magnus knew that it was a lost cause.
Magnus blew out a frustrated sigh. He wasn't despondent or giving up. He was angry. He was furious at Valentine, Blackwell, but most of all himself. He had been lulled into a false sense of security. He should have known better. He should have protected Alec at all costs, and he had failed.
The last of Magnus's hopes came crashing down as they entered the city. Tortuga was just the same as always, but Magnus was an entirely different man. People were giving them curious stares as they made their way to the dock, no doubt wondering about Magnus and Alec's captive status. Yet he knew that no one would come to their aid. No one would risk confronting Valentine.
They stopped in front of an all too familiar inn. The Mortal Cup held so many fresh memories, that cut and burned him deeply. His heart clenched at the reminder that he and Alec had been there just a few days ago, drowning in passion-oblivious to the rest of the world. He thought he was hallucinating at first, his memories having completely trampled over his reality, as an all too familiar blond head made her way towards them. Magnus blinked several times, trying to disperse the mirage, but Camille was still standing in front of him, a satisfied smirk on her face.
"Miss Belcourt," Valentine's said, stepping into Magnus's view. Magnus's eyes swept back and forth between them, not quite sure who he was more surprised to see. Valentine held out a rather hefty bag of what Magnus could only assume to be gold. "For a services rendered and a job well done."
Camille accepted the bag graciously, tucking it down the front of her corset. Someone gasped, a horrible choking sound that made Camille look back up. It was only belatedly that Magnus realized that he had made that sound. Camille's emerald green eyes glinted dangerously in the twilight, making her look like the snake she was. She stepped towards him, that ever present smirk on her lips.
"Such a shame about this all Magnus," she said, shaking her head slowly. "If you hadn't been so possessive I'd have gotten Alec away from you days ago, and then none of this would have happened. Then again, I always do enjoy a challenge and Morgenstern always pays so well."
Magnus was seething. "You bitch," he spit. "Do you even know what you've done?!"
Camille scoffed, her lack of concern evident. "Don't know, don't care. I doubt we'll ever see each other again Magnus, let's not part with such harsh words." Magnus gritted his teeth, struggling not to scream. He leaned forward as much as he could on his horse, his voice dangerously low. "You can be sure of two things Camille. We will meet again, and when we do it'll be me with my hands around your throat."
Camille's eyes flickered uncertainly, her armor of condescendence and confidence rattled. She shook her head, the brief look of weakness already gone. Her smile was poisonous. "I'm sorry about Ragnor by the way. Such a shame."
Magnus felt like he had been punched in the gut, he couldn't breath. Camille cast him a satisfied smile before walking away, leaving Magnus in shattered pieces.
A/N: reviews are love! XD I know I've been terrible about updating but I write when I'm able. You're reviews keep me going, so thanks ^.^