The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses, #1)

by Cassandra Clare

Each time he finished a postcard, Alec wrote Wish you were here at the end. And each time, Magnus snatched the card and wrote, with a flourish, Except not really.

“First holiday with my new boyfriend,” Magnus might reply, since being able to tell the world he was dating Alec was a recent development, and Magnus liked to brag. “Very new. So new we still have that new-car smell.”

good Shadowhunter boys aren’t meant to bring home boyfriends at all.” Only Alec had. He’d stood in the hall of his ancestors and kissed Magnus full on the mouth under the eyes of all the Nephilim assembled there. It had been the most profound and lovely surprise of Magnus’s long life.

I happen to have several berets concealed on my person. In a variety of colors. I’m a beret cornucopia.”

It was very clear Alec had not been on a proper vacation before. He kept trying to plan the holiday as if they were going into battle.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I stole a hot-air balloon to rescue the queen of France?”

I’m hardly going to crash the balloon into a chimney,” Magnus protested. “Uh-huh,” said Alec, frowning. “You seem lost in thought,” Magnus remarked. “Are you considering how glamorous and romantic your boyfriend is?” “I’m considering,” said Alec, “how to protect you if we crash the balloon into a chimney.”

“There’s Boötes, the bear watcher, and Corona and Hercules next to it.” “Why is it supposed to be romantic to point out stars?” Alec said, but with a smile on his face. “Look, that one is… Dave… the Hunter… and that one is the… Frog, and… the Helicopter. I don’t know constellations, sorry.”

Alec kissed as he did all things, so dedicated and wholehearted he swept Magnus away.

Magnus said, in a low voice, “And what’s that one?” Alec answered, “Stamina.” Magnus stared. “Are you serious?” Alec began to grin. “Yeah.” “Really, though,” Magnus said. “I want to be clear on this. You’re not just saying that to be sexy?” “No,” Alec answered, his voice husky, and swallowed. “But I’m glad if it is.”

Shadowhunters were so useful when traveling. Magnus planned to never again leave home without one.

“Call it even,” said Tessa. “You once walked in on me in an embarrassing situation with a gentleman in a mountain fortress, after all.”

“Tessa, I most certainly did not found a cult!” he protested. “I don’t even like demon worshippers. They’re boring idiots who worship boring demons.” He paused. “It’s the kind of thing I would joke about, really.” He paused again. “Not that I would. Even as a prank. I would never…” He trailed off. “You would joke about starting a cult that worshipped demons?” Alec asked. Magnus gestured helplessly. “I would joke about anything.”

Her gaze lingered on Alec and her smile spread, warm and sweet, and Magnus understood that she was seeing within him not just Will but Cecily and Anna and Christopher, generations of beloved faces now gone. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Alexander.”

“I summoned my photo albums from Brooklyn. I’ve been going through any moments that could lead to the creation of the Crimson Hand, and then I’ve been magically imprinting the memories onto paper so I can properly catalog them.” Alec furrowed his brow. “So you’re scrapbooking?” Magnus made a face. “To the lay observer, what

Alec. Tell me about your trip! How is Magnus? And I don’t mean his well-being.” Alec coughed. “I mean, how are his skills, and I’m not talking about the magical ones,” Isabelle clarified. “Yes, I picked up on your meaning,” said Alec dryly.

Isabelle laughed, a little too loudly. “Fine. I mean, I don’t know. I see him occasionally, and he seems fine, but I don’t care. You know how I am with boys; he’s like a little toy. A little fanged toy.”

Thinking of Jace now, he realized whom the warlock woman Tessa had reminded him of. Her expression, serious but with a quiet light behind it, was exactly Jace’s when he was playing the piano.

“We all know where an unspecified favor ends,” he said. “I made a vague promise to help someone once and spent seven months under an enchantment, living in a dryad’s aquarium. I don’t want to talk about it,” he added quickly as Johnny started to speak. “No nonspecific favors owed!”

Alec appeared like a rabbit from a hat, out from behind the corner of a nearby stall. He looked as though he had been rolling in the mud. “Your Shadowhunter is filthy,” observed Johnny. “Well, he cleans up nice,” said Magnus. “I’m sure he’s a real special dreamboat, but by a total coincidence, I have an urgent appointment elsewhere. Until next time, High Warlock.”

“Look, son, you can’t think there’s any future in this,” he said. “Not with a Downworlder, or a man. I—I understand you feel like you have to be true to yourself, but sometimes it’s best to be wise and take a different path even if you feel—feel tempted. I don’t want your life to be more difficult than it has to be. You’re so young, and you don’t know what the world is really like. I don’t want you to be unhappy.” Alec stared at him. “What about lying is supposed to make me so happy? I wasn’t happy before. I’m happy now.” “How can you be?” “Telling the truth makes me happy,” Alec said. “Magnus makes me happy. I don’t care if it’s difficult.”

Magnus realized he’d been wrong to think Paris was the city to get their relationship off to a good start. Even before the demon-worshipping cult, Alec hadn’t been that impressed with the Eiffel Tower or the hot-air balloon, not the way Magnus wanted him to be. Paris was a city of love, but it could also be a city of surfaces, of bright lights that slid away and were quickly lost. Magnus did not want to lose this one. He would set a better scene. He would get things right this time. Venice was the place for Alec. Venice had depth.

“I am trying not to make eye contact with anyone here,” said Raphael. “And I’m not a snitch for Shadowhunters. Or a fan of talking to people, of any kind, in any place.”

Would you be interested in a night of tumultuous forbidden passion, with an option to extend to seven years?”

“I’m not gay,” said Raphael. “I’m not straight. I’m not interested.” “Your sexuality is ‘not interested’?” Alec asked curiously. Raphael said, “That’s right.”

“I can also assume the appearance of a tree!” “I didn’t say, ‘not interested unless you’re a tree.’ ”

Plus, Simon is sort of dating my sister, Isabelle,” said Alec. “That can’t be,” said Raphael. “Isabelle can do better.” “Er, do you know my sister?” Alec asked. “She threatened me with a candelabra once, but we don’t really chat,” said Raphael. “Which means we have my ideal relationship.” He gave Alec a cold glare. “It’s the relationship I wish I had with all Shadowhunters.”

“Elliott’s in a huge aquarium puking blue and green. He tried to drink mermaid blood. He tried to drink selkie blood. He tried to—” “Ahem,”said Raphael, with a savage jerk of his head in Alec’s direction. Alec waved. “Shadowhunter,” he said. “Right here. Hi.” “He tried to keep to the Accords and obey all the known Laws!” the woman declared. “Because that’s the New York clan’s idea of a truly festive good time.”

“I think I saw you earlier,” said Alec hesitantly. “You were—making out with a faerie girl?” “Yeah, you’re gonna have to be more specific than that,” said the vampire woman. “This is a party. I’ve made out with six faerie girls, four faerie boys, and a talking toadstool whose gender I’m unsure about. Pretty sexy for a toadstool, though.”

“This is DJ Bat, greatest werewolf DJ in the world, or at least in the top five, coming to you live from Venice because warlocks make irresponsible financial decisions, and this one is for the lovers! Or people with friends who will dance with them. Some of us are lonely jerks, and we’ll be doing shots at the bar.”

“I was going to be the one who celebrated our amazing Downworlder victory! I purchased this venue for my Barnabas Bash. Or I might have called it my Barnabash. I hadn’t decided yet! Now we’ll never know.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Catarina announced. She put her arm around Alec’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I like you.” “Oh,” said Alec, looking baffled. “Thanks.” “Please take care of Magnus,” Catarina added. “I try,” said Alec. Catarina gave Magnus a delighted look over Alec’s shoulder. “At last,” she murmured. “A keeper.”

Elliott appeared and caught the mundanes one by one as Alec threw them down. “Pretty sure I know the answer to this,” Elliott called up to Alec, “but your position on me biting these people is…” “No!” Alec shouted. “Just checking, just checking,” Elliott said hastily. “No need to get worked up about it.”

“Where’s Barnabas?” Alec asked, shaking off the scraps and rubble as he stepped free of the mess. “I encouraged him to leave,” said Magnus. “Subtly.” “How?” asked Alec. Magnus considered. “Maybe not all that subtly.” Malcolm’s face was even more pallid than usual. “This is terrible,” he announced. “I think I may have lost my security deposit.” “You don’t have a security deposit,” Alec reminded him. “You stole that Barnabas guy’s house.” “Oh yes,” said Malcolm, cheering up.

“Stop it, Raphael,” said Lily. She gave Alec a brief, surprisingly sympathetic look. “Kid’s obviously in love.” “Ugh,” said Raphael. “Terrible

“For the god of wine and revelry,” he said, “I always thought Bacchus was dressed much too plainly in his statues.”

This was definitely a former cellar. On the far end was a shoddy, rickety altar that cavemen might have erected to worship a fire god. Two wooden columns flanked a large stone block cut into a perfect cube on a raised platform. On the left wall was a table that looked like cheap plastic lawn furniture covered with incense and prayer beads and other generic-looking knickknacks that someone could buy at a yoga studio. “Oh my God, my cult is so low-rent,” moaned Magnus. “I am deeply shamed. I am disowning my followers for being evil and having no panache.”

If this thing is magical, then I’m the Angel Raziel.” “The Shadowhunters really wouldn’t approve of me dating the Angel Raziel,” said Magnus. “But they’d have to be nice to you,” Alec said, brandishing the statuette, “or I would smite them.”

as the passageway opened into what Magnus desperately hoped was the last secret chamber to find. Just the thought of the walk back made him want to lie down and take a nap.

Alec didn’t know a lot of people. There was his family, Jace included, and Jace’s new girlfriend, and the vampire Jace was sneaking in as a package deal.

“How’s everyone in New York?” he added quickly. “Clary dragging Jace into any more trouble? Jace dragging Clary into any more trouble?” “That’s the cornerstone of their relationship,

“How are things going with you and Simon?” “He’s taken a number and remains in the long line of men desperate for my attention,” Isabelle said firmly.

“You are right to come to me with this. I am so much more subtle and skilled in the arts of seduction than Jace. Okay, here’s my first suggestion. You’re going to need a grapefruit—” “Stop!” said Alec. He hurriedly strode away from Magnus and Shinyun and hid behind a high hedge.

“Let me guess,” she said to Magnus in flat tones. “Darling, your idea of camping is when the hotel doesn’t have a minibar.”

Magnus Bane was always brightly burning, whimsical and effervescent, ethereal and carefree. He was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, who wore blazing colors and shiny glitter around his eyes. He was the sort of person who threw birthday parties for his cat and loved whomever he wanted loudly and proudly. Only there was dark waiting behind the brightness. Alec had to learn that side of Magnus too, or he would never really know him.

“Don’t bother with the map,” he told Alec airily. “All roads lead to Rome.” Alec grinned at him. “The map definitely doesn’t agree.”

“It is all right, yes,” he murmured. “I love it. I love you. Come here.”

“I want this,” said Alec, his voice despairing. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But—we’re in this together. You’re worried about the cult, and I don’t want to just be grabbing some time when Shinyun isn’t around, when you’re unhappy.” Magnus didn’t think he’d ever been more touched by a speech someone had made while zipping up their pants.

“Is Jace with you?” “Uh, no,” said Alec. He wondered if Aline was asking for a specific reason. Aline and Jace had kissed in Alicante, before the war. Alec tried to think of what Isabelle usually said to girls about Jace. “The thing is,” he added, “Jace is a beautiful antelope, who has to be free to run across the plains.” “What?” said Aline. Maybe Alec had gotten that wrong. “Jace is home with his, uh, his new girlfriend. You remember Clary.” Alec hoped Aline was not too heartbroken.

“You know, Jace was so sad before the war, I thought he must have a forbidden love. I just didn’t think it was Clary, for obvious reasons. I thought it was that vampire.” Alec coughed. Aline offered him a sip of her latte. “No,” he said when he got his voice back. “Jace is not dating Simon. Jace is straight. Simon is straight.” “I totally saw scars on Jace’s neck,” Aline said. “He let that vampire bite him. He brought him to Alicante. I thought: classic Jace. Never makes a mess when a total catastrophe will do. Wait, did you think I wanted a ride on that disaster train?”