The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) - Cassandra Clare Page 0,37
of us are known primarily for our strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the Law…”
“Obviously,” agreed Isabelle.
“… we are also visitors here, and we understand that circumstances are often complicated and have a lot of history. Also, we are from the New York Institute, and we are past masters of letting it slide.”
Jace winked. Tian looked puzzled.
“We’re not here to interfere with the way you do your Shadowhunting,” Alec clarified, by way of reassurance.
Tian’s brow furrowed. “Do you say that in English? ‘Shadowhunting’?”
“No,” said Isabelle. “No one says that.”
“Well, maybe we should start,” returned Alec. Isabelle stuck out her tongue at him.
“So what’s the demon situation like here?” Clary asked.
“Not great. Getting worse.” Tian straightened up. He seemed uneasy. “Let’s go back inside. I’d like to see if my father has returned from his rounds.”
As they walked, he elaborated. “For one thing, in a city this big, there are always going to be idiots who summon new demons, and old demons that showed up centuries ago and are still hanging around. In fact, we’ve been getting a lot of the latter lately. Strange demons, things that haven’t been seen in Shanghai for a hundred years. Things you have to look up in a book when you get back from fighting them.”
“Any idea why?”
“A bunch of theories. Nothing really solid. It’s funny: for decades Shanghai was known as this very safe city, very few demons, safe for Downworlders. In the time after Yanluo—”
They were back in the entry hall of the Institute, and Tian was about to continue speaking when there was a sudden loud knock at the front doors. Tian looked sharply at the doors, then went to answer the knock, his brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” said Alec.
“You can’t knock on this door,” Tian said. “It’s half a meter thick. No one could knock hard enough.”
He pulled the door open and behind it, in the glare of the morning, was Magnus. He was doubled over, hands on his knees, panting, as though he’d been running hard.
“Magnus!” Alec started toward him.
Magnus looked wild-eyed, not like himself at all. He looked around at the group, then at Tian. “You must be Tian,” he said. “I’m Magnus Bane, good to meet you. All of you,” he added, “get out here and bring weapons. Now.”
* * *
ALEC FOLLOWED MAGNUS THROUGH THE doors. Behind him, Isabelle gasped.
Black curtains of shadow hung from the sky under what appeared to be a small, low-hanging storm cloud. There was no rain, though thunder rumbled. The area under the cloud was dark as night, and out of the boiling fog at the bottom of the cloud tumbled demons, dozens of them.
In the center of the rain of falling demons, a hundred feet above the ground, Shinyun floated, her hands raised. Light glowed around her, crimson and rippling.
“So, a few things,” said Magnus.
Tian emerged from the Institute, now holding something on a silver cord, which he whipped around beside him. “Who is that?”
“That is a very bad warlock who doesn’t like me,” said Magnus. “That’s the first thing. The second thing is, I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think she may be in command of some demons.”
The demons who landed were rolling and coalescing into their various different forms. There were creatures that seemed made of the cloud bank itself, with cold, bone-white eyes. There were more of the snake demons that they had fought in the faerie’s apartment, and grinning skeletons.
Alec had come up beside Magnus and was sticking close to him. “How did she find us?”
“She found me,” said Magnus. “At the hotel.”
“How?” said Clary.
He rolled his eyes. “She has spies everywhere, apparently.”
“She attacked you?” said Jace.
“Yes, but then I left the hotel to come to the Institute and she showed up when I was halfway here and attacked me again, with demons this time.”
“Does that mean she stabbed you with the thorn again?” Alec said in alarm.
“There’s no time to go into that—”
Alec turned to face Magnus and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Did she stab you again?” he said again, more intently.
Magnus said, “Yes.”
It was like being stabbed himself. Alec closed his eyes.
“And it gets worse. But we really don’t have time for that yet. Right now we need to deal with her little army. They followed me here.”
“You led her to us?” Simon looked surprised.
“Well,” said Magnus in irritation, “I didn’t think I could handle her and all the demons by myself. What would you have suggested I do?”