Death is only a Heartbeat Away

[wayfaring_stranger]

Who: Jace Herdondale, Alec Lightwood
What: Jace arrives in the library.
When: After being stabbed through the heart by Valentine, healed, but disoriented and ready to defend himself.
Where: Main hall near the information desk.
Warnings: Language?

"Help us."

Jace inhaled and coughed, rolling to his knees, one hand wrapped around the hilt of a short blade. The move was automatic, instinctual after years of training and fighting. A Shadowhunter who didn't react or act despite potential injuries was a dead Shadowhunter. But the lake was gone. Valentine was gone. Clary was gone. The sword that pierced his chest was gone. He even covered the imagined wound with his hand. No blood. No wound. No sword. But the pain wasn't gone despite having faded to a ghost like memory.

He was so disoriented that when he tried to stand he simply fell back to the floor, the blade still held firm. Slowly he pushed back up onto his knees and looked around. A desk. Books. Books everywhere. Shelves as high as the ceiling, several levels above.And then he was frantically searching his pockets, checking for his stele, his weapons, for injuries. After his fight with Sebastian and then finding Valentine-no, he was sure of it. Valentine had stabbed him through the heart with the sword.

So why the hell was he here and where was here?
 

Comments

[angelic_archer]

The pixies were a problem. They decided that Alec's too-long hair was fun to play with, catching it while he swatted carefully at them so that he didn't accidentally hurt them. The Cat had warned him not to harm them, just get them back in their book. Which meant they were free to dump sparkly stuff that made him sneeze all over him and to - his hand caught at the nape of his neck. Braid his hair? His hair should be too short to braid. It wasn't that long.

Maybe it was the perfect length for styling for someone pixie sized.

Magnus would find the situation hilarious.

Managing to get away from the pixies, Alec was considering another strategy when he felt something like a heavy blow to his chest. His heart seemed to skip a few beats as he staggered into main area. Dragging in a breath, vertigo caused his vision to swim briefly. It felt like he was going through the battle in Idris again. When Sebastian and then Valentine had...

No, Jace was safe. He knew Jace was safe. The bond was still there, faint but steady. Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the figure kneeling on the floor. No, he had to be hallucinating. He tried to speak but instead sneezed. If he saw the pixies again...

Finally catching his breath, he managed to say his parabatai's name. "Jace?"