Not By Blood - THE REWRITE

Chapter Thirteen

The first few days, Alec didn't leave his room much. Ragnor would come into his room and sit with him. From where Alec was seated in the armchair, head bent over a book, he could feel Ragnor's eyes on him; studying him.

This went on for nearly a week before Ragnor came into Alec's room and stood beside his chair. He put a hand on Alec's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"You cannot stay holed up in this room forever," Ragnor told him firmly although there were undertones of kindness in his voice.

"I'm just reading," Alec murmured.

There was a pause. "Indeed." The book vanished from Alec's hands, and he looked up at his father in protest.

"I was reading that!" He complained halfheartedly.

It wasn't that he'd been enjoying what he was reading. In fact, he couldn't remember the last few sentences that he'd read. He had been lost inside his own head, wondering about the Institute, his siblings, his mother and stepfather, Clary, Magnus Bane, and Raphael Santiago.

How was the Institute getting along without him? Did his absence even register with the Shadowhunters who had worked under him? How were his siblings taking it? He hadn't told them the truth about why he had left and he had no idea what excuse his mother had come up with. Then there was the matter of Magnus and Raphael. The way that they looked at him unnerved him. It was as if they expected something from him and he hadn't the slightest idea what it was.

"You may be content with staying in this room for all of eternity, but I am not," Ragnor told him. "I wish to spend time with you that doesn't include watching as you wither away, pretending to read books in languages that you do not speak."

Alec frowned but allowed his father to pull him out of the chair and lead him by the shoulder down the staircase and out the back door. Ragnor led him down the stone pathway to a cluster of trees near a shed not much taller than Alec himself.

"I know that you enjoy archery," Ragnor told him conversationally. "This shed holds all you'll need for it."

He gestured to it as they passed by it and went further through the property. Ragnor led him to the shore of a decently sized lake. There was a dock on the east shore with a few boats moored there. Just off the south shore was another shed. This one was much bigger, slightly smaller than a barn.

Ragnor led him to the edge of the water. "I know that this has been hard for you, Alexander." His father told him quietly. "I assure you that I am not blind to that. You have been torn away from everything and everyone you know and love."

The corners of Alec's mouth turned down. "Not everyone." He muttered.

Ragnor's shoulder visibly relaxed, but he was still tense. "Yes, of course." He murmured. "You've been here five days now, Alec. You haven't asked about the glamour, or about your magic. Why is that?"

Alec stared at the water. He admired the way that the sunlight reflected off it and the ripples that the gentle, fall breeze sent across the surface.

"I haven't been reading, I've been thinking," Alec told him.

"Yes, I've gathered that much," Ragnor said gently. "What has been troubling you, dear one?"

Alec turned to meet his father's eye. "My siblings, my mother, Robert, and Magnus and Raphael."

Ragnor didn't look surprised. "I'm sure your family misses you very much, and your siblings and your mother are free to visit you whenever you would like." He took a breath and studied Alec's face for a moment. "And what of Magnus and Raphael?"

Alec frowned. "They look at me weird. Like they're waiting for something."

To Alec's surprise, Ragnor smiled and chuckled softly. "Don't worry yourself about that, son."