The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses #2) - Cassandra Clare Page 0,83
spear with enormous force, and Alec saw Jace shudder as he absorbed the impact. He ran in at an angle, striking at the arm holding the ax, and managed to bite into it with the sword before the momentum of Ox-Head’s swing thrust the sword away. There was a cut across Ox-Head’s arm, dripping ichor, but it was shallower than Alec might have thought. Still, it did the trick, as Clary executed a controlled roll behind Ox-Head’s legs, and with both hands struck out and slashed across each of his Achilles tendons.
Disengaging from Jace, Ox-Head roared a harsh, inhuman cry and twisted around to seek out Clary, but he was slow enough that Jace had time to right himself and approach for another blow. Alec whirled around and saw that Tian had waylaid Horse-Face, leaping and tumbling around him, using the much faster rope dart to prevent his enemy from successfully employing the chain whip. The adamas diamond moved in wide, slicing arcs and returned, again and again, wrapping around Tian’s body and then unwrapping just as quickly to strike. As he watched, the dart struck Horse-Face in the shoulder, and he jerked back with a raucous braying noise.
Meanwhile, Magnus was being kept busy with other demons. A flock of the many-headed birds had taken note of the fight and decided to join in, swooping down toward the combatants. With a grim set to his face, Magnus held out the sword like a magic wand; over and over, his eerie crimson magic crackled out from the tip of the sword to strike at the birds. They dodged and rolled, and occasionally took a hit, but Magnus was successfully keeping them at a distance, and that was good enough for now.
They were doing fairly well, Alec thought. Jace was using the spear to prevent Ox-Head from winding up for a real strike from his ax. Clary danced around to the side, looking for another opening. But then Ox-Head pulled back, and with a growl leaped backward, sailing through the air to land twenty feet away from the gathered Shadowhunters. He landed on one knee and, holding the ax in one hand, pressed his other fist against the ground. As Alec watched, the wound he’d struck on Ox-Head’s arm fizzed and foamed, and in a few seconds, it was totally healed.
“Uh-oh,” said Jace.
Alec glanced over and saw that Tian had discovered the same problem: Horse-Face’s shoulder injury was also gone, having disappeared as though it had never been inflicted at all.
“Can’t be defeated, huh?” he called out to Tian.
Tian looked grim. “Here, the ground itself heals them.”
“What do we do about that?” shouted Jace.
“Magnus!” Alec yelled. “Can you get them off the ground?”
“I’ll keep an eye on the others,” put in Tian, and he spun gracefully, letting the dart extend in a blinding silver flash toward one of the bird demons trying to harry them.
Magnus held White Impermanence in both hands and, with a look of great concentration, flung a wide beam of scarlet light at Ox-Head. Rather than being lifted into the air, though, Ox-Head stood his ground, and the magic flowed into him. He absorbed it, leering, and seemed to grow even taller and stronger before their eyes.
“Um,” said Magnus.
“We could use a little of that classic blue magic right about now,” said Clary. Magnus looked at her helplessly.
“Any other bright ideas?” Jace called to Tian.
Tian shook his head, wild-eyed. “Stall,” he suggested.
Ox-Head swung the ax over his head and brought it down toward Alec, who knocked it away with his sword. Clary flung her dagger, which embedded itself in Horse-Face’s chest, but he just yanked it out and threw it back. Clary spun to catch it by the hilt, glaring.
“We are ill-prepared,” Tian said.
“You think?” yelled Alec.
Light burst in the sky, above the fray. Alec ignored it, assuming it was just more demons arriving, but then he noticed that Magnus had lowered his sword and was looking up, an unreadable expression on his face.
He looked, and from the blinding light, now dissipating into afterimage, came a horned creature. This one was also green, but a deeper green than the Jiangshi or the guardians they’d been fighting. Huge ram’s horns extended from its head, white as bone, and it wore a black cloak that billowed as it descended to the ground. Even Ox-Head and Horse-Face had stopped to watch it.
And then Alec realized. It was Ragnor Fell.
* * *
RAGNOR LANDED AMONG THEM. NOBODY spoke for a moment.