#bye bye janoda

[pameluke]

janoda => pameluke

just a quick heads up that I’m going by pameluke here now too.

but you can still call me jan ;)

[actuallyredorchid]

The Rules:

Two authors ( @actuallyredorchid | RedOrchid & @janoda | Pameluke )

Challenge each other with a rune (and a one word prompt if they want)

Write a short ficlet (under 1000 words)

Battle each other til death!

Round Three: Bridge vs. Fortune

Read Fortune on tumblr | AO3, Read Bridge on AO3, All rounds

Bridge

Alec wakes up slowly. He’s lying on stone, a small space, damp and dark—a cell of some kind, most likely. The last thing he remembers is finishing up his patrol. Sebastian's men must have got the drop on him when he was heading back to the Institute.

He carefully starts to move, taking stock of his injuries. They’re blessedly few—some cuts here and there, already healing, two broken ribs, a pulsing pain in his head paired with an acute sense of nausea that has him rolling over in alarm, taking shallow, slow breaths as he tries to keep himself from losing the contents of his stomach.

Once he feels like he’s no longer about to throw up, he looks at the room he’s in more closely. There’s a door on one wall, dark and solid-looking, a small square window in it providing the room’s only source of light. The cell itself is completely bare. Solid stone walls, no windows, not a single piece of furniture to make Alec’s stay more comfortable—or provide him with anything he’d be able to use in a fight.

Holding cell or interrogation chamber, then. Possibly both; Alec isn’t overly keen on finding out first-hand. He quickly checks the hidden pockets on his clothing, just to confirm that Sebastian’s men haven’t missed any of the smaller weapons he normally carries.

They haven’t, of course. Alec’s been stripped of everything down to his pocket knife. They’ve even taken his boots, with their sharp blades hidden in the soles that were supposedly undetectable.

They have missed one thing, though, and Alec smiles to himself, because that one item will be more than enough to get him out of here. He curls in on himself again, pretending to fight down another wave of nausea—just in case there are cameras on him—and carefully works the ring he wears on his fourth finger free. He clasps it in his fist, closing his eyes and putting all his focus on using the pure adamas hidden beneath the thin layer of gold to activate the bridging rune seared into his palm.

Alexander, thank God, Magnus’ voice comes through in his head as soon as Alec feels the magic in the ring merge with that of his activated rune. Where are you? Are you okay?

I’m fine, Alec sends back. They have me in a cell. Can you get a location?

Give me a minute, Magnus replies. Possibly a while longer if I have to keep wasting time on making your lovely sister and parabatai to back off so I can get the necessary potion in order.

They’re already at the loft? How long have I been missing?

Just under an hour, but you know, with things being like they are… You reported in that you were ten minutes out and then vanished. Isabelle called for a search mission straight away.

Well, tell them that I’m fine, please? And that, as Head of the Institute, I’m ordering them to back off and let you do your job.

He senses Magnus smile through their connection, a warm, fluttering thing that settles right against his heart.

I’ll do my best. Now, while the potion’s simmering, I believe we had things to discuss tonight?

Alec groans. Really? Do we have to?

A deal is a deal, darling. So yes, we sure do.

Even though I got kidnapped? Shouldn’t that count as extenuating circumstances?

You’re the one who wanted a big wedding, remember? If we’d gone with my idea and eloped, we’d be be three weeks into our honeymoon by now instead of struggling to make a placement chart that won’t result in untimely deaths.

Alec groans again. Urgh, don’t remind me. Mom’s been hounding me non-stop to make sure the dignitaries from the Clave are seated to her liking.

Which is nowhere on the actual chart, I’m guessing?

Not without cutting half of the guest list. I’ll let you guess which half.

Magnus laughs, and for the next few minutes, Alec almost forgets where he is, as they bicker back and forth over the relative homicidal tendencies of their friends and family.

Okay, so I have the potion ready, Magnus tells him. Starting the trace now. Seems like you’re still in New York, that’s good, narrowing it down… to… there. Got it. You’re in the middle of the East River, so probably on a ship. Sit tight, we’re coming to get you.

Thanks, Magnus, Alec says. See you soon.

Bye, angel, Magnus replies, and the warmth in his voice stays with Alec even as the connection closes and he’s back on his own in the dark cell.

He carefully puts the ring back on his finger, moving his hand over to his healing rune.

Time to get himself ready to fight.