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Isabelle turned scarlet Magnus cut in before she could reply "Look, it’s not a probleh"

The Inquisitor turned to Alec "Your warlock does realize," she said, "that Jonathan is a witness of utmost importance to the Clave?"

"He’s not ular cheekbones flared a dark red

"I’ve held prisoners for the Clave before," Magnus said The joking edge had left his voice "I think you’ll find I have an excellent record in that department My contract is one of the best"

Was it Clary’s ier on Maryse when he said that? She didn’t have tiht have been aust, and said, "It’s settled, then Let ot plenty of questions for hiot the sense that he wasn’t really listening to her He crossed the lawn gracefully and came to stand over Jace; he was as tall as he was thin, and when Clary glanced up to look at him, she was surprised how nus asked Clary, indicating Jace

Before Clary could respond, Jace’s eyes slid open He looked up at the warlock, dazed and dizzy "What are you doing here?"

Magnus grinned down at Jace, and his teeth sparkled like sharpened diamonds

"Hey, roommate," he said

II

THE GATES OF HELL

Before s

Eternal, and eternal I endure

All hope abandon, ye who enter here

--Dante, Inferno

8

THE SEELIE COURT

IN THE DREAM CLARY WAS A CHILD AGAIN, WALKING DOWN THE narrow strip of beach near the boardwalk at Coney Island The air was thick with the s peanuts, and with the shouts of children The sea surged in the distance, its blue-gray surface alive with sunlight

She could see herself as if fro oversize child’s paja the beach Daainst the nape of her neck There were no clouds and the sky was blue and clear, but she shivered as she walked along the periure she could see only diure became suddenly clear, as if Clary had focused the lens of a ca in the ruins of a half-built sand castle She wore the same white dress Valentine had put her in at Renwick’s In her hand was a twisted bit of driftwood, silvery fro exposure to salt and wind

"Have you co her head Jocelyn’s hair was undone and it blew free in the wind, er than she was "There’s so ainst the hard lump in her throat "Mom--I’ve missed you, Mom"

Jocelyn sone, you know I’"

"Then how do I wake you up?" Clary cried, but herout to sea, her face troubled The sky had turned a twilight iron gray and the black clouds looked like heavy stones

"Come here," said Jocelyn, and when Clary came to her, she said, "Hold out your arm"

Clary did Jocelynlike the burning of a stele, and left the same thick black line behind The rune Jocelyn dreas a shape Clary had never seen before, but she found it instinctively soothing to her eye "What does this do?"

"It should protect you" Clary’s ainst what?"

Jocelyn didn’t answer, just looked out toward the sea Clary turned and saw that the ocean had drawn far out, leaving brackish piles of garbage, heaps of seaweed and flopping, desperate fish in its wake The water had gathered itself into a huge wave, rising like the side of a mountain, like an avalanche ready to fall The shouts of children from the boardwalk had turned into screams As Clary stared in horror, she saw that the side of the as as transparent as a s that seee dark shapeless things pushing against the skin of the water She threw up her hands--

And woke up, gasping, her heart slaainst her ribs She was in her bed in the spare rooh the curtains Her hair was plastered to her neck with sweat, and her arm burned and ached When she sat up and flipped on the bedside light, she saithout surprise the black Mark that ran the length of her forearm

When she went into the kitchen, she found Luke had left breakfast for her in the forrease-spotted cardboard box He’d also left a note stuck to the fridge Gone to the hospital

Clary ate the Danish on the way to meet Simon He was supposed to be on the corner of Bedford by the L train stop at five, but he wasn’t She felt a faint tug of anxiety before she remembered the used record store on the corner of Sixth Sure enough, he was sorting through the CDs in the new arrivals section He wore a rust-colored corduroy jacket with a torn sleeve and a blue T-shirt bearing the logo of a headphone-wearing boy dancing with a chicken He grinned when he saw her "Eric thinks we should change the na

"What is it now? I forgot"

"Chao CD

"Change it," Clary said "By the way, I knohat your T-shirt means"

"No you don’t" He headed up to the front of the store to buy his CD "You’re a good girl"

Outside, the as cold and brisk Clary drew her striped scarf up around her chin "I orried when I didn’t see you at the L stop"

Siht hurt his eyes "Sorry I reht--"

"It’s fine" She waved a hand at him "It’s me I panic way too easily these days"