The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) - Cassandra Clare Page 0,133

said. “Back to Idris? Tidy up your house for the first time in years?”

Ragnor hesitated. Magnus rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re going to keep pretending you’re dead. How well did that work last time?”

“The mistake I made,” Ragnor said, “was in trying to disappear completely. That just made me seem more suspicious.” He gave a paranoid look behind each of his shoulders. “There’s going to be a lot of heat on me for a while. Shinyun and I were… not careful about being seen in the Sunlit Market. I’ll be a person of interest to much of Downworld, and possibly some Shadowhunters as well. Not to mention, Shinyun herself is still out there. Sammael, too, eventually.”

Magnus sighed. “Ragnor, do you know how many hits my reputation has taken over the years? I’m still working. Nobody’s thrown me into the Silent City. Nobody’s hauled me up in front of a faerie court.”

“That’s different,” said Ragnor. “You weren’t working for a Prince of Hell.”

“Ragnor, not long after you faked your death I was being accused of running a cult for Asmodeus.”

“You did start that cult,” Ragnor said, frowning. “It was one of your less funny jokes, as I remember.”

“Then you’ll be happy to know I was duly punished for it,” Magnus said.

Ragnor paused in his magical machinations. “No, of course not.” He sighed. “Maybe you can take that kind of heat, Magnus, but I can’t. More to the point, I don’t wish to. I did bad things, working for Sammael. Actual bad things, that I can’t now take back. Just bringing Sammael to Diyu should probably be a capital offense.”

“You were mind-controlled!” said Magnus.

“But I chose to take the third thorn. I chose that. I need time. To atone, I suppose. I’ve been dead for three years; I need to take some time to think of who Ragnor Fell will be when he comes back to life.”

Magnus didn’t say anything for a while as they finished the Portal. “Will I still hear from you? Because if I don’t, I’m going to assume Shinyun has captured you again and I will come for you.”

“Only you could make the promise of rescue sound like a threat,” grumbled Ragnor. “But yes, I expect you’ll have frequent dealings with the new me.”

“Well, that’s something,” Magnus said. He paused. “I didn’t tell Catarina.”

“Nothing?” said Ragnor.

“Nothing. But that’s not fair to her. I’ll tell her when I see her next. It would mean a lot to her to know you’re all right.”

Ragnor looked surprised, but pleased. “Really?”

“Yes,” said Magnus. “You idiot. She cares, more than almost anybody. There are so few of us, and—” He stopped. A terrible thought had occurred to him. “Oh no,” he said. “You’re not going to use that stupid alias again?”

“First of all,” said Ragnor, “I am not going to take naming advice from somebody who could have chosen any name in the world and went with ‘Magnus Bane.’ Second, yes, I am going to use that name.”

“I wish you wouldn’t,” said Magnus.

“It’s only appropriate,” Ragnor said with a wink. “I am now, after all, but a Shade of my former self.”

Magnus let out a long groan.

* * *

AFTER SAYING GOOD-BYE TO RAGNOR and Tian, Alec and the rest of them stepped through the Portal and walked out into a cool autumnal morning in New York. Unfortunately, they were standing in an alley near the Institute, which was redolent with the smell of garbage.

“Ah,” said Simon, “home.”

“Magnus,” said Jace, “why didn’t you just open the Portal directly into the Institute?”

One of the things that Alec had come to enjoy about raising a child with Magnus was that it was adorable when Magnus, the most self-assured, levelheaded man he knew, looked uncertain and awkward. And having a child greatly increased the frequency with which Magnus looked uncertain and awkward.

This was one of those times. Alec wanted to grab him and kiss him, but it did seem like a strange moment for it. “I didn’t want to maybe wake up Max,” Magnus said with a shrug.

Once they got inside, Max was quickly located, crawling happily around on the rug in Maryse’s study while being watched by Maryse, Kadir, and unexpectedly, Catarina. Rather than greeting any of them, Alec found himself discarding his usual self-possession and running to scoop Max up from the ground and hold him tightly. Max was pleased, but clearly puzzled by the intensity of Alec’s affection. After a moment he gave in and began laughing and wriggling happily. Magnus came