The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) - Cassandra Clare Page 0,75

few years back. Early in his and Alec’s relationship… a client who wanted something to do with mermaids…

The demon was looking over at Alec. “Hey, is that Alec? So you two crazy kids made it work! Congratulations, guys, really.”

“Elyaas,” said Magnus weakly. “You’re Elyaas, aren’t you?”

“Magnus,” said Alec, using his most reasonable voice. “How are you and this demon acquainted?”

“You know—Elyaas!” Elyaas said enthusiastically, waving some tentacles around and dripping slime on the desk. “Magnus must have told you about me. We were roommates!”

“We weren’t roommates,” Magnus said sharply. “I summoned you to my apartment. Once.”

“But I was there all day! What did you end up getting Alec for his birthday?” Elyaas seemed legitimately pleased to see them.

Magnus turned to Alec with a sigh. “I summoned Elyaas as part of a job, a few years ago. Just standard business stuff, nothing exciting.”

“He was trying to figure out what to get you for your birthday,” Elyaas said in what was probably intended to be a sweet tone, but just sounded like a man choking to death on a whole octopus. “I always knew you two would stay together.”

“No,” said Magnus, “you told me he would always hate me in his heart, and that eventually my father would come for me.”

There was a pause. Elyaas said, “So I guess that didn’t happen.”

“Well, my father did come for me,” admitted Magnus, “but it didn’t go well for him.”

“Is this the demon that was dripping slime all over your apartment that day?” Isabelle said.

“Yes!” said Magnus, pleased that someone else could corroborate his version of events.

“Wait, you’ve met this demon?” Alec was giving Isabelle a look of betrayal.

“We’re all great friends,” enthused Elyaas.

“We are not,” said Magnus firmly. “What are you doing here?”

“Working the front desk,” said Elyaas with a flutter of tentacles that might have been a shrug. “This is the Office of Welcome, where the magistrate—that’s me—evaluates your sins and sends you to your appropriate eternal torment. So are you guys married?” he added eagerly. “Got any kids?”

“We have a kid now,” admitted Alec, against his better judgment.

“That’s wonderful,” said Elyaas. “I do love children.”

“I assume you mean to eat,” said Jace.

Elyaas looked disappointed. “You stepped on my line.”

“Look, Elyaas, it’s good to see you again,” Magnus said, lying. “But we’re trying to find some friends of ours and we really have to go. So whatever the procedure is for getting through here and into Diyu proper, we’re ready to get started.”

“Well…” Elyaas hemmed and hawed. “Nobody’s been through recently, so your friends didn’t come this way. In fact, nobody’s been through at all, ever, since I started working here.” He scratched his head with a tentacle. “I’m not actually sure of the procedure.”

“Can we just kill him and move on?” Jace called out.

“That’s very rude,” Elyaas said. “Just because you’re Shadowhunters doesn’t mean you’re supposed to kill every demon you see.”

“It does, actually,” Clary said, grimacing.

“This puts our relationship in a very different light,” Elyaas told Magnus in tones of disapproval. “I thought we had an understanding. I’ve never been summoned by the same warlock twice before.”

“Twice?” said Alec.

“The first time was way back,” Magnus said. “Like, nineteenth century. Elyaas, I promise I’ll summon you for a chat later. But we really do need to move.”

“Okay, okay. Um.” Elyaas picked up one of the rotting books from the desk and opened it with a tentacle. The front cover fell off and onto the floor, and his tentacle came away with pages stuck to it. “Just give me a moment. Why, why did I never learn to read Chinese?”

“Maybe,” said Alec, “you could just tell us where to go, and we’ll go there, and we’ll tell everyone you totally went through the whole thing with the books and the judgment.”

“And we won’t kill you,” added Jace. “This time.”

Elyaas considered this. “Okay. But you owe me one.”

“No,” said Magnus.

“Okay,” said Elyaas. “I owe you one.”

“Also no.”

“Just go through the door,” Elyaas said, waving his tentacles at a tall door that had appeared in the far wall. “It leads to the Second Court, and so on to the others. Your friends must be in one of them. If not, you’ll eventually get to the center of Diyu and find Sammael, and maybe he’ll help you.”

“Not all demons are as helpful as you, Elyaas,” Magnus said wearily. “We’ll be going.” He headed toward the door next to the desk, deeper into Diyu, and the Shadowhunters followed. Behind the door were more stone steps, and Magnus