I am so sorry this is late. I had it ready yesterday, but I completely forgot to actually post it. Either way, it's here now, and I'm really sorry. Enjoy!
It was still dark when they woke up the next day, even though the sun was standing tall. Barely any light came in through the thick leaves. But at least now they could see, even though what they saw didn't help to ease their minds.
The path they had been following ended just a few meters ahead. Magnus was sure he'd seen it continue yesterday, but apparently the dark had fooled him. "I guess we'll turn back then," he said, looking at Alec.
"Yeah, we don't have any other option." So they turned, following the path back. Barely ten minutes later they had to stop again. The road split into two.
"I can't remember the road being split yesterday," Alec said, frowning. "What way should we take?" He asked, turning to Magnus. But Magnus wasn't listening. He was looking into the trees, between the two paths. "Magnus?"
"Alec, do you see that?" Magnus asked, his voice distant. He got off Jem, walking towards the place the paths split. Just a few meters into the woods was a statue. A troll. Something was bothering Magnus in the back of his mind, something he couldn't catch.
"Is that a troll? Who would make a statue of a troll in the middle of the woods?" Alec questioned.
"Someone who knew we would be here, someone…" the memory hit Magnus suddenly, the book. When the troll stands in the middle, go left. The book he'd found in the secret room, the book without a writer and with only a sentence on each page. "We need to go left," Magnus said, going back to Jem.
"Left? How do you know?" Alec asked.
"Just trust me on this," Magnus replied, getting into the saddle and setting Jem into motion. Alec had no choice but to follow.
Magnus wondered if it was a good idea to follow the book, what if it was leading them into a trap? But it was the only lead they had. They had to take the chance.
"Magnus, why are we going this way?" Alec asked again. "It gets darker in here."
"It would get dark the other way too. I don't know what is on the end of this path, Alec. But I know we're meant to take this way."
"If you're sure." Magnus didn't reply. He wasn't sure, but it was the only thing he could do. It was better than walking blindly around the woods, although he supposed that was what he was doing right now.
The path got slimmer and slimmer. Magnus started doubting his choice. This was definitely not the path they had come through. He thought about turning and heading back, but he had a feeling the path they had been following wouldn't be there anymore. The wood was like a labyrinth, a magical one. The paths kept changing, disappearing, appearing again somewhere else.
The path suddenly came to a halt. Well, the path continued, but it went into a cave. The last thing they needed now was to get lost in a cave. "We should turn back," came Alec's voice from behind him.
"We should," Magnus agreed. "But we won't. We need to continue," he said. "I think… there's something about these caves, Alexander. They're radiating dark energy."
"Usually that would be someone's cue to leave," Alec said.
"I get a feeling we're gonna end up here anyway," Magnus said with a sigh. "You wanted to find Edom. This is the way, I'm sure of it."
"This is a bad idea."
"It's the best plan we have."
Alec didn't like this at all. This was a terrible, terrible idea. But Magnus was right, they had no other plan, and Magnus seemed so sure about this that Alec thought it would be okay. So they kept moving.
"Magnus, could you..."
"Light things up?" asked Magnus just as a ball of blue light appeared in front of them. "Of course I can."
"Thank you. And could you do something so we won't lose each other in here?"
"You mean like put a rope between us? That's the best I can do. I'm sure there's some other way, but… well, I don't know it." As Magnus spoke a line of shimmering blue made its way from his palm to Alec. It stopped a few inches in front of him, and it glowed in front of Magnus as well. "If we get lost we'll just have to follow the light," he explained.
"Okay," Alec nodded. "Thank you."
"Of course. I wouldn't want to lose my perfect prince in such a spooky place." Alec was suddenly glad for the dim light, it made his blush less visible.
"Let's just go," he said, setting Shadowhunter into motion.
Alec lost himself in the constant turns of the cave, he didn't know how much time passed, or where they were, or what direction was north and what was south. He didn't even know if it was in the middle of the day or middle of the night.
That question was answered though when they turned around a corner and saw an exit from the cave, light by bright sunlight. As they got closer and closer Alec noticed it wasn't the sun that was shining, not only at least. The cave did end, open out to the woods. But only a few meters away from the opening was something else. Something glowing, almost like fire. Almost like Magnus's magic.
"Magnus… are you doing that?" Alec asked, nodding towards the red magic.
"No," Magnus said with a frown. "But it's definitely magic. Dark magic."
"You can feel that or can you see something that I can't?"
"I can feel it," Magnus answered and jumped down from Jems back to move closer to the thing. "You can't?"
"I'm not so sure. It feels weird, but I don't think I could say that it's dark magic. Now be careful and don't get too close," Alec said. Unsurprisingly, Magnus completely ignored him and stuck his hand inside the magic flame.
"It kinda, stings, but it's not terrible," he said, pulling his hand out.
"Why did you do that?" Alec asked, a bit angry. "Anything could have happened, you could have gotten hurt or killed by it!"
"Sorry, I... Well, nothing happened. I'm fine and I really want to… well, step through and see what's on the other side."
"What? No! Magnus you can't just step through, who knows where you'll end up and how you can come back. I won't let you… Please don't."
"Alec, we've been searching for a way to get into Edom. This is it," Magnus said. "We will be fine, Alexander. I'll step through first and you follow if nothing happens, okay?"
"What? No. Magnus, this is insane."
"All we've been doing is insane, Alec. This is just adding to that."
"We could die, stepping through this thing."
"My hand is still here," Magnus pointed out. "I know it sounds crazy, but it feels familiar. This magic, it feels almost like mine. I am almost certain this will lead to Edom."
"Okay, and then what? What if this really leads us to Edom? What are we supposed to do then? Find Lilith and get me killed? I don't plan on letting her win but… right now I don't feel prepared enough for this fight of life and death"
"You'll never be ready, no one can ever be ready for something like this! If you really don't want to go through we won't. We can make a camp somewhere here, train till you feel ready. But the way I think that'll only be giving Lilith more time to prepare herself."
"I know, honestly I know that I will probably never be fully ready for this, but at the moment… Magnus, no. I would not survive this today, please."
"Okay. Let's find somewhere to camp then," Magnus said with a sigh. "I'm sure there'll be a clearing here somewhere."
"I... I feel like I'm supposed to say sorry now, but I honestly think that this is the best for today."
"Don't apologize," Magnus said. "I get it. Let's sleep, eat, train, and we'll go when we're ready."
"Thank you," Alec said with a soft smile. "We can stay in the area, okay? So we don't have to search for this place."
"Yeah. But honestly, I think the woods would lead us back anyway," Magnus said. "Let's just go find a place to make a camp."
They found a clearing in only five minutes, the red magic could still be seen between the trees, that was how close they were. Magnus set up the camp so they didn't have to use more energy on it.
"I too tired today, let's just go to sleep? And cuddle? Tomorrow morning we will train, yeah?"
"Yeah, okay. Let's go," Magnus smiled, kissing Alec's cheek. He took his hand and pulled him into the tent. They undressed, kissing lazily as they did. Soon enough they were in their sleeping bags, still kissing and smiling, tired and nervous about what was about to come, but happy to be with each other right then.
They slept through the whole night, but when they woke up they still felt like they'd been awake for a week. "That thing is making it impossible to sleep properly," Magnus complained.
"The red magic thing? You think that's what's doing this?"
"Dark energy makes people restless," Magnus said. "It has its way of sneaking into people's mind and keep them thinking about it no matter what they're doing."
"Well that makes sense," Alec agreed and nodded.
"The quicker we get this over with the better," Magnus said.
"Alright, let's train today and tomorrow we will go, okay? I just want to make sure I can use the runes and fight, and you should use your magic when we train, because I don't think she will fight fair so I need to be prepared for everything."
"Great. Let's start," Magnus said with a snap of his fingers, getting them dressed in a second. They ate quickly, and once they were outside the red shimmer in the distance only helped in making them more restless, more anxious.
Alec drew his sword and Magnus got ready with his magic.
"You should activate the runes first, maybe," suggested Magnus and tilted his head. He knew that this was an important training and he planned on giving it his best shot so Alec would really be ready for his fight with the queen of hell.
"Yes, right," Alec nodded. He fumbled in his pockets before pulling it out.
"And you should have it more at hand. Maybe if we could find a way to tie it to your belt…" Magnus wondered. "But we'll think of that later." Alec activated his runes, strength, stealth, endurance, and courage in combat. He had more, but he probably figured it wasn't necessary to activate all of them.
"Ready?" Magnus asked, his hands lighting up and eyes flashing.
"Ready," Alec confirmed.
"Good," Magnus grinned and felt his magic building up in his hands, rushing through him. He felt his eyes shining in their original color and he lifted his hands to create balls of fire which he threw at Alec.
Alec was taken by surprise but managed to dodge all of the balls. He charged at Magnus, his sword raised. Magnus protected himself from the sword with a wall of magic and hit Alec with one. Alec managed to mostly avoid it, but it grazed his shoulder. Since Magnus knew that in the end neither of them would get hurt he started to actually rather enjoy this, it was nice to let his magic be free and not hide who he was. He did send a few bolts of lightning in Alec's direction and then moved back when Alec came at him with the sword.
He didn't know how long it went on, only that they were both sweating and panting. Their movements got slower and slower, and after what was probably hours, they just stopped.
"I can't move anymore, Alec," Magnus panted and sank down into the grass.
"Oh, thank God," Alec breathed out, letting go of his sword as he sat down as well. They didn't say anything for a while, both just trying to catch their breath. "I don't know if I can defeat Lilith when I couldn't defeat you. I barely even touched you," Alec said.
"Well, she won't play fair so why should you? I can help, so I'll use my magic to hold her back while you go in," he suggested. "And you have been amazing."
"Magnus… you are really powerful, but this is the queen of hell we're talking about. Do you think you can hold her back?"
"I don't know. But I'll try. I have to."
"I want to believe that together we can do everything."
"And we can. Imagine after we finish this. We will have defeated the queen of hell. There won't be anything we can't do after that."
"That sounds nice," Alec agreed.
"Let's go eat something. And drink. I'm thirsty," Magnus said. Alec nodded and they stood up to get something from their tent. Magnus was really exhausted, but he had liked this. He felt good.
"And Alec. You were really amazing. You can win, I know that,"
"Thanks, Magnus. It helps a lot to hear that," Alec smiled. They brought the food and water outside and laid down in the grass, looking up at the sky as they ate.
"I love you," Magnus said. "No matter what happens, I love you more than anything."
"I love you, too, Magnus. So much. And you are the reason I want to win, so I can spend the rest of my life with you by my side."
"And after we finish the prophecy we can go back. I honestly don't care what your father says or thinks. And then, some day, you will be king, and you'll be the best king to ever lead."
"Well I think my title will be once and future king, won't it?" Alec said with a chuckle and reached for Magnus's hand.
"You will be king forever. That would be nice, if we could be together forever."
"I don't think anyone can live forever, Magnus."
"I think everything is possible." Magnus protested.
"I guess. But let's just focus on this right now. We can think about everything later, once we get out of there alive."
"Okay," Magnus agreed. "But let's not focus too much on it," he said with a smile, rolling over to kiss Alec, resting a hand on his waist.
"No... let's focus on something else for the moment," Alec agreed and moved so he was lying closer to Magnus. Magnus smiled and pecked Alec's lips again. He cuddled close to him, resting his head on Alec's chest, positioned so he could hear Alec's heartbeat.
"You… just want to cuddle right now?" Alec asked.
"What are you suggesting?"
"Maybe something that would include going inside," Alec said, looking down at Magnus.
"Well, if you are suggesting what I think you are… then why do we need to hide in our tent? There is no one here who could see us."
"You want to do it out here?"
"I don't see the problem," Magnus smiled, raising an eyebrow as he looked up.
"There is none," Alec said. "But we would still need to go get the stuff we need." Magnus snapped his fingers, a vial of oil appearing in his hand.
"You mean this?" Alec smiled.
"Yeah, that." Alec then rolled them over so he was on top of Magnus. He leaned down to capture his mouth in a deep kiss.
Magnus smiled into the kiss, he loved Alec so much, and he really wanted Alec in that moment. He knew that this could be the last time they were together and he wanted it to be perfect. Magnus wanted to forget everything for a moment and just give all his love for this man.
Alec's hands sneaked up under Magnus's shirt, and Magnus shivered at the touch. He had a hand in Alec's hair, the other one still on his waist. Magnus smiled up at Alec and reached under his shirt so he could pull it up and then travelled his fingertips over his chest. "You are so beautiful" he whispered.
"Nothing compared to you," Alec whispered back.
"Don't be so modest. You are the most beautiful man on this plant and I am so happy to have you," Magnus told him and pulled Alec down for a deep kiss. He snapped his fingers, making both their shirts disappear.
"That eager, huh?" Alec teased as he pulled back from the kiss.
"How could I not?" asked Magnus with a grin. "What do you want?"
"I want you," Alec said. "I want you in me."
"As you wish," Magnus said with a smile before kissing Alec again. "I can't wait for it… but of course we will take our time"
Magnus started moving his hips as he kissed Alec, rubbing their cocks together through their pants and underwear. He let his hands moved over Alec's chest, into his hair and down to his ass and thighs.
"Magnus," Alec moaned and closed his eyes for a moment before he looked into Magnus's eyes. Magnus smiled and slowly pushed his hand under Alec's pants and slipped them inside his underwear to squeeze his butt.
"That's what you call taking it slow," Alec chuckled and shook his head.
"Is it going too fast? Do you want me to slow down?" Magnus teased.
"Don't you dare," Alec growled. "I love your idea of slow." Magnus smiled and rolled them over so he was on top.
"Good we agree," he chuckled before kissing Alec again.
Magnus kept rolling his hips so their growing erections kept rubbing against each other, causing Magnus to moan. Magnus thought about getting their pants off, and a second later he felt Alec's bare thighs against his. He really loved this whole magic thing, even if it surprised him sometimes. It seemed like Alec was surprised, too. He inhaled sharply before he chuckled and relaxed again. "Tell me about magically removing my clothes next time."
"Next time I get a heads-up, I will," Magnus replied. "It has its own will sometimes." Magnus pushed Alec's underwear down as well, and Alec did the same. Soon they were rubbing against each other with no layers between them. Magnus reached down and took Alec into his hand, stroking him slowly.
"Fuck, Magnus, I..." Alec groaned.
"I know," Magnus grinned. They had had sex a few times by that point and Magnus had learned a lot about Alec over the time. He knew what Alec liked and what drove him wild.
He reached for the oil and coated three of his fingers in it before reaching down to tease Alec with them. He pressed one inside to the first knuckle before pulling it out again. He chuckled when Alec tried to follow the finger.
"You know how this goes, relax and let me do this," Magnus hummed and pushed his finger back in.
"Well, don't slow down now," Alec complained.
"Be patient," Magnus retorted, stopping once he reached the second knuckle. He continued pressing inside after a moment as he felt Alec's muscles relax around his finger.
"I am always patient."
"No, you are not" Magnus chuckled and twisted his finger before he pushed it in deeper. Alec moaned, his back arching, so Magnus assumed he had found that special place inside Alec. Magnus kept stimulating it, thrusting his finger in and out and aiming for that spot every time. Soon enough he was adding a second finger, and then a third. By the time he added the third finger Alec was whimpering and needy, just like Magnus.
"Come on, Magnus. I'm ready," he whined after a moment. Magnus didn't protests and instead pulled his fingers out, reaching for the oil again. He put some in his hand and spread it over his cock. He pulled Alec's legs up to his hips before leading himself to his hole. Magnus pressed inside slowly, giving Alec time to get used to it. Alec didn't have to say anything, Magnus just knew when he was ready and so, just as Alec opened his mouth to say something, Magnus started to move. It didn't take long before Magnus was setting up a pace. He kept it slow, his thrusts smooth. Alec moaned and wrapped his arms around Magnus to hold him even closer. Magnus felt like he wanted to crawl into Alec and be as close as possible to him. Being like this was just amazing, and Magnus couldn't think of anything he enjoyed more, except for their cuddling session after the sex, of course.
Magnus captured Alec's mouth in a kiss, hips speeding up a bit as he did. He felt Alec's hands all over his body, one in his hair and one teasing a nipple before moving on, down his chest and up to squeeze his ass. Magnus moaned into Alec's mouth started thrusting harder, faster. He pulled back from the kiss to kiss Alec's neck.
He reached down to stroke Alec in time with his thrusts, and it didn't take long for Alec to tense up, moaning and arching his back as he came. Magnus followed suit a few seconds later.
"How was that?" He asked as he caught his breath.
"Awesome as always," Alec breathed out, still holding Magnus close.
"You were wonderful," Magnus said and kissed Alec softly before lying down beside him.
Magnus and Alec were standing in front of the red magic, Magnus had started calling it a portal. Shadowhunter had been tied to a tree with enough slack to reach a small stream of water. They had also left plenty of food where they could reach it, so Alec was sure they would be fine. He want planning to take long anyway. And they would be back, he had to believe they would.
The tent had been packed down, as well as everything else. It had all been left with the horses. The only thing that had on them was a small bag with food and water, the soulsword, the small dagger Alec had given Magnus, Alec's bow and arrows, and his stele. They had found a way to have the stele at an easier place. Or rather, Magnus had managed to make a small pocket thing they could fasten to Alec's belt that the stele could be in.
Now they were here, ready to step through this red fire in the middle of the woods, a portal that would probably take them to hell.
Magnus insisted on stepping through first, and although Alec protested it did end up like that. Alec watched Magnus disappear into the flames, and after taking a deep breath he took a step forward and let himself be engulfed by if.