October
1999
New York City
Being pinned to a wall by a Shapeshifter demon in his own club, the Pandemonium with a sprained ankle was not how the High Warlock of New York, Xelqua Bane expected his night to go.
"What is it that you want, Demon." Xelqua snared as he thrashed in the demons' holds. He tried to use his seraph blade to fight back but he couldn't move with a tight chain pushing his wrists together blocking his ability to access his magic.
"We want your power, High Warlock." The demons said as it threw him across the room forcing him to sprawl harshly onto a nearby wall and land on his side on top of his injured ankle, making him quiver.
"You will regret this," Xelqua sneers as he tried jerking his arms free of the black blood that was on them.
"No we won't, Your majesty." The demon growled, walking towards Xelqua hovering over him. The blonde didn't respond. He only looked at the demon with hate, his anger clearly showing in his green eyes.
"I am not your king demon." Xelqua retorted with a fiery look, leaning weakly towards the wall behind him. With every single movement he made, his body burned in response to the magic dampening chain around his wrists. Xelqua leaned his head against the wall and as he felt his body touch the cold brick, He let out a short gasp of pain, feeling his body tense, and heart racing it was as if his body wanted to shut down.
Suddenly the demon in front of him had a seraph blade in its chest and vanished into red particles, revealing a smirking female brunette shadowhunter in its place. "Are you alright? High Warlock?" Xelqua nodded, letting a small smirk show on his face as he leaned against the wall, slowly he was able to stand. The shadowhunter in front of him removed the chains on his wrists, As soon the chains dropped to the ground the high warlock sensed the flow of his powers flourish through his veins. Xelqua instantly leaned all his weight on the wall next to him for support. Xelqua's body began to tremble in pain as his ankle gave way again, twisting this time with a crunch.
Xelqua squeezed his eyes and bit his lip to stop a scream from erupting from his lips. "Fuck" The High Warlock swore as his body trembled in response to the abrupt pain flowing through him as he slid harshly down towards ground again.
"High Warlock?" The shadowhunter shrieked as she caught him, helping him stand, reaching one hand under his shoulder.
"Thank you.. For your assistance but I'll be fine darling"
"That's bullshit. You can barely even stand, let alone make a portal to the spiral labyrinth."
"I won't be going to the labyrinth," he said, sneering the warlock organisation's name with a growl "Regardless I've endured worse than this shadowhunter."
"I'll take you to the institute then. They won't question me. Beside you need medical attention." Xelqua's green eyes lit up in surprise at the shadowhunters response and her willingness to help.
She has a high rank in the institute, she's possibly the head then, she's perhaps a Lightwood.. Or maybe a Trueblood even. No.. she can't be a Trueblood, Adam only had a son not a daughter... Now what a surprise, the Lightwood's are back at their rightful place in New York as Heads of the institute.
"You are a Lightwood? Correct." Brunette nodded as she tilted her head, "Yes I am, my name is Maryse, I know you're a High Warlock that much is obvious but who are you exactly?"
"Xelqua Bane.. my dear, High Warlock of New York.. pleasure to be in your acquaintance."
"It's a pleasure, that we can agree Mr Bane.. I wish it was under different circumstances. But how did a shapeshifter sneak up on you of all people?"
"I was healing it, it was shifted as a werewolf I was acquainted with, but that was when I noticed it was pretending to be injured. I wasn't quick enough to stop it, from injuring me and attaching the chain." Xelqua winced as he summoned his magic but his power's flickered in his fingertips for a millisecond before appearing in front of him. Xelqua knew that in his weakened state he couldn't do much about his ankle. He needed to get to Catarina or Magnus.
Maryse had her stele out and traced over her iratze rune, "We should get moving. Do have enough strength to portal near the institute," Xelqua opened and closed his mouth before locking eyes with Maryse and nodding.
Once the portal was open the pair walked through Xelqua and Maryse were inside the Head of the Institute's office, Maryse just looked at Xelqua who was smirking. "Ho-?"
"Shocked my dear? Do you really think that I can't get through my own wards." Xelqua raised his hands letting his now stronger gold magic fill the room transforming into wards adding silencing and protection spells around Maryse's office.
"Your Wards?.. Hm, You are not what I expected Bane.."
"What were you expecting.. That all warlocks only cared for themselves or that because of our demon blood we are all out of control." Maryse looked at Xelqua in shock for a moment, not expecting the warlock to snap at her. "You're better than an out of control demon, you put your people and others above yourself.. I guess we are similar in that way Xelqua."
Xelqua's green eyes locked with the shadowhunter's brown "I guess we are Lightwood I guess we are. I'm sorry shadowhunter for my reaction"
"I understand, what my people have done is unforgivable. I want to help you in any way I can. Xelqua? Can I call you that or would you rather me not too, Can-n I help you To heal."
"You can call me Xelqua, Lightwood that's fine and as for healing Perhaps? But answer me this first. Why did you save me?"
Maryse answered without hesitation. "It was the right thing to do."
Xelqua just glared at the shadowhunter and tilted his head to the side not believing Maryse's answer, answering back, "That's not the only reason why is it?.." The blonde clicked his tongue, "Alright fine, Xelqua.. Because you saved my best friend's life, a month ago he had-"
"Shax venom in him. You're a friend of Lusicus, There aren't many shadowhunters I trust Lightwood. Lusicus is one, and I believe that you are another… You could have easily let me bleed out on the floor in the Pandemonium or even let that demon kill me, but you didn't-t."
Xelqua was starting to lose focus, his green eyes flutter back accompanied by his legs starting to shiver and shake uncontrollably as crimson blood continued to pool onto the floor underneath him.
"Bane? What's wrong.. Xelqua.. Hey.. No. Don't you dare close your eyes! Stay awake." Tapping the side of the warlock's face.
"M-maryse.. Use your stele."
"It will kill you Xelqua if I use it on you. It's full of angelic energy."
"No it won't.. Trust me Lightwood."
Xelqua forced a flow of white magic over his body as a glamor faded away showing angelic runes covering his body.
"You have runes." The warlock just nodded.
"Where's your iratze? Xelqua."
"Shoulder-r." As the warlock answered Maryse undoes the buttons on his shirt and lifts it over his head.
"Maryse.. the rune wont kill me, I can promise you that." Xelqua rasped, noticing the shadowhunter's hesitation about doing the rune as she hovers her stele over it.
Maryse shook her head pushing her hesitation to the back of her mind she has to heal Xelqua before he died in her arms. Maryse traced her stele over the High Warlock's rune which glowed white in activation before shining gold, Maryse was watching Xelqua closely as his head fell backwards and he let out a sigh of relief as his eyes roll to the back of his head. "Xelqua?" The warlock didn't answer, only leaning closer into Maryse laying limp, his head now resting on the shadowhunter's shoulder.
Xelqua awoke to the sound of a light buzzing noise ringing through his ears. The high warlock wasn't awake enough to try to peel his eyes open, but he had a sense of his surroundings. That someone was watching him.
The High Warlock tried to think back to what happened.. then it all came flying back to him, the shapeshifter… Maryse knows about my runes… A shadowhunter.. knows.. What was I thinking?
Xelqua's brow furrowed as his own pained whimper filled the room and his eyes snap open, Xelqua was covered in a cold sweat, shaking, heart pounding, looking around the room suspicious and paranoid that the Clave or the Spiral Labyrinth may start hunting him for revealing his runes if they discover the fact. Xelqua sits, up cautiously, shivering, rubs his head and eyes trying to fully awaken.
"Xelqua? You're awake! Thank the angel.. Xelqua! It's me, Maryse." Maryse called out softly, noticing the blonde's green eyes were glazed and darting from side to side as he tried to focus on Maryse in front of him. "Bane?.. You're in my office in the New York institute. You fell unconscious after I did your iratze."
The high warlock's body froze to process Maryse's words.. the iratze.
"Maryse-se-?"
"I'm here, Xelqua. You're safe."
"How loyal are you to the Clave-e?" Xelqua rasped with a stutter locking eyes with Maryse,
"I am the head of the New York Institute bu-."
"So you support all jurisdictions, like ones where they hang downworlder marks as trophies."
"No of course not.. Why do you think I want to make peace between the downworld and the Clave, by having the downworld be represented to help us make changes for the good of the downworld, shadow world and mundanes alike? I know you have your reasons to distrust the Clave but not all shadowhunters are the same Xelqua."
"I know that all too well, but when you have shadowhunters who you consider friends, betray your trust . A warlock becomes cautious around Nephlian."
"A shadowhunters? Who?"
"Andrew and Imari."
"You knew Inquisitor Herondale and my father?"
"We knew each other well. We fought side by side for years."
"How long ago was it?.."
"It matters, not."
"If it didn't matter you wouldn't have even bothered mentioning it. Bane. It matters to you."
"15 years ago."
"That is all in the past now.. For now, you have earned my trust Maryse. do not betray it trust. The knowledge about my runes must never leave this room or I will kill you myself is that clear."
"You have my word Xelqua. I swear on Raziel's name."
"Very well. Now.. Raziel's name that's surprising."
"Is it really Bane?"
"Can I use your stele dear."
Maryse nodded, trusting the warlock's judgement and handed the metallic device to him as Xelqua gripped the stele tightly in his hand the tip of the device shone a bright white just like it would if Maryse herself used it.
"Why do you have angel blood in you?"
"We are not that close yet dear, we only just met remember?" Xelqua forced his runes glamour to fade away letting his angelic runes show.
Xelqua had a calm facade on the outside but on the inside his heart was racing as he wondered whether it was a mistake to trust Maryse with a secret few in almost a millennia have ever known.
The blonde activated his angelic rune on his right wrist letting both angelic and warlock power flourish in front of him. He opened his green eyes and Xelqua smirked at the sight of white and gold wisps of magic flowing out of his fingertips. Xelqua placed the stele down next to him and looked up at Maryse with a sad look on his face.
"I'm sorry that Clave will have you under a microscope now.. I wasn't thinking. Maryse"
"Don't be sorry, the Clave will have to kill me because I will not betray you."
Xelqua was in shock for a moment which was clear on his face when his eyes widened. He sat up and swung his legs to the side of the bed he was laying in, "Help me up please." Maryse nodded, instantly pulling the High Warlock to his feet.
"I should go." Xelqua said immediately once he was standing, turning away from Maryse.
"Xelqua.. Wait." Maryse blurted out, grabbing his rune covered wrist. Forcing the warlock to stop moving away. "Yes, Lightwood." Xelqua's lip upcurved into a smile, before the shadowhunter added "I want to see you again."
"So let's say Friday night?" A great wave of relief came over Maryse. "Really? You want to go out with me?" Xelqua shook his head. "Would you say it's working Green eyes.." "Wait, Green eyes?" "Yes, for generations you Lightwood's have been green eyed but appealingly sexy monsters." "I like to be a challenge Bane.." "Then you have to stop playing hard to get, Maryse. It makes things difficult." He grinned.
"Xelqua, call me." Maryse said, handing him a piece of paper with her number on it.
"The favour is extended to you, Maryse." Handing the shadowhunter his business card.. which he summoned out of thin air in a flourish of gold magic, "Also thank you, Lightwood for doing the iratze."
"You're welcome Bane and keep this." Maryse handed the high warlock a stele, "I had Lusicus remake one a stele with the Clave's usual tracker removed and no questions asked."
"Maryse, I owe you my life. But there is no need to." Xelqua said as a wisp of white magic flew over Xelqua making his runes vanish into a glamour.
"You would have done the same thing for me. Xelqua.. it's fine, keep it." The High Warlock placed the stele in his leather jacket pocket before moving his spiked blonde hair out of his face.
Xelqua flourished his golden magic around him and opened a portal in front of him, turning back to face Maryse, and walked towards her.
"If you ever need me for anything. I'll be there. Oh and Maryse, I dress to impress."
Those were the last words Maryse heard from the warlock before he walked through the portal which disappeared behind him.