The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) - Cassandra Clare Page 0,123

back.”

Her dragonfly’s wings quivering on her back, Shinyun walked toward them. Magnus held up one hand, scarlet light blossoming from its center. “I’m not giving you the Book, Shinyun.”

Shinyun kept approaching. “Magnus, I know you. I know both of you,” she added, nodding to Alec. “You believe in mercy. You believe in forgiveness. You believe in not doing things that you can’t take back.”

Alec was watching Sammael, who stood a little apart from the rest of them, his arms folded, watching with keen interest. It was strange: Alec was sure Sammael could do any number of terrible things to them, or just turn Magnus upside down and shake him until the Book fell out. But he didn’t; he was happy to let Shinyun do the work, even though she was much less powerful than him.

It occurred to Alec that most of the powerful people he’d fought were at pains to demonstrate that power. Valentine, Sebastian, Shinyun herself, Lilith… They wanted respect. They wanted fear.

Sammael didn’t seem to care about any of that. As if his power was so great that he didn’t care if it was disrespected. As if in his mind, his victory was so inevitable, so assured, that the question of the Book of the White was only of minor interest.

“You won’t attack me,” said Shinyun, “unless I attack you first. So what will you do when I close the distance between us”—she was staring at Magnus—“and try to take the Book? Will you run? There’s nowhere to run. Or will you let me take it, like you let me pierce your heart with the thorn?”

Magnus looked at Shinyun unhappily. Then a bolt of crimson lightning burst from his palm, and Shinyun flew backward, struck by the force of his magic.

“Wow!” said Sammael. “Did you see that?”

* * *

SHINYUN WAS RIGHT: MAGNUS DIDN’T want to attack her. He wanted her to understand that there were ways of making things happen other than violence and its threat. He had given her a chance. He had given her, he thought, probably too many chances. Shinyun didn’t want to learn. She didn’t want to change.

He was heartbroken at how lost she was, filled with compassion for this warlock who had learned too early that the world only pays attention to brute strength, that empathy was weakness.

But that didn’t mean he was going to let her get close enough to him to take the Book. Or stab him with the Svefnthorn again.

She wasn’t expecting the first burst from his hand, and fell back. Alec charged toward her, reaching for his seraph blade, but she quickly regained her footing and shot up into the air. She flung her magic at Alec, and a huge blast of it drove him to one knee. Shinyun came screaming down at Alec, the Svefnthorn drawn like a rapier, ready to strike.

Magnus knocked the thorn aside with his own wave of energy, and Alec rolled out of the way. Magnus reached out to summon something—anything—from elsewhere in Diyu. A sword from a fallen Baigujing warrior. The chair from Ragnor’s temple. A chunk of masonry from a crumbled hell court.

Nothing came. Apparently the power to summon things to Avici was Sammael’s alone—Magnus was sure that if Shinyun could, she would be summoning demons and lava and who could guess what else. Sammael had picked an excellent place to leave Magnus at a disadvantage. Most warlock magic wasn’t about channeling raw power into violent force, but about manipulating the world to your own advantage. But here there was no world to manipulate. And unlike him, Shinyun had a weapon.

Alec was on his feet now. His seraph blade was in his hand. He shot a look of contempt at Sammael.

“Michael,” he said, and as the sword blazed up with holy flame, Sammael visibly flinched at the sound of the archangel’s name.

Magnus felt a wave of pride. Not everyone could diss a Prince of Hell so artfully.

Blade in hand, Alec lunged at Shinyun from behind, and she took off into the air again, swooping around in a wide arc. At its height she drew an elaborate many-pointed star in the air with the Svefnthorn, and flames poured from it. Magnus rapidly threw up spells of protection, and the fire bounced harmlessly off Alec.

But Shinyun was still circling, and soon she would find a new opening. Magnus looked at Alec and then up at Shinyun.

“Go,” Alec said urgently. “I’ll be fine.”

The strength of the Alliance rune and Alec’s faith and the thorn humming