The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses, #2)

by Cassandra Clare

Ragnor gazed at Magnus for a long moment. Eventually, he walked over and with great solemnity gave his friend a hug. Magnus reflected that this was perhaps their fifth or sixth hug in their hundreds of years of friendship. Ragnor was not much for physical touch.

Ragnor gazed at Magnus for a long moment. Eventually, he walked over and with great solemnity gave his friend a hug. Magnus reflected that this was perhaps their fifth or sixth hug in their hundreds of years of friendship. Ragnor was not much for physical touch.

“How do you propose to find her?” Magnus said. “Ah,” said Alec, “the Institute has a very old magic woven into its walls. I shall now use it to commune with my mother, wherever she might be found.” He put his hands around his mouth and bellowed at the top of his lungs. “MOOOOOOOOOOM!” Alec’s voice reverberated impressively against the stone walls. Max giggled and yelled, “Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” alongside Alec. The sound faded away and Magnus waited.

“Mom,” Alec said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I just don’t want you to have to deal with any… emergencies. He’s a warlock.” “You’re kidding,” said Maryse. “I thought he had a terrible accident with a fountain pen.”

“Every warlock’s life starts as a tragedy. There are no love stories in any warlock’s origins. But you get to choose. You choose what kind of world you live in.”

“I,” said Simon, “may only have been a Shadowhunter for a short time, but I have been preparing my whole life to fight skeleton warriors. I got this.”

without Magnus to be breezy and friendly and make everyone comfortable. Luckily, Alec had a tendency to stick close to outgoing and confident people, and Jace and Isabelle had made all the introductions and explanations,

“Aren’t you worried? Aren’t you upset?” said Alec, and Magnus realized: He wasn’t angry. He was terrified. “You don’t have to act cool with me. I’m the person you don’t ever have to act cool with.”

“If you died,” he said, “a part of me would die too. So remember, Magnus. It’s not just your life. It’s my life too.”

“Jace,” Alec said, “we’re adults. We’re the adults now.” “By the Angel, that’s terrifying,” Jace said, with a bit of a smile. “They’ve let you have a child, even.”

I like that we’ll be doing it together.

“And do you always let other people tell you what you are?” Magnus was silent. “Because they will always try,” said Ragnor. “You have magic, just like I do.” Magnus nodded. “Well, then,” said Ragnor, “here are the most important things I can tell you. People will want to control you because of your power. They will try to convince you they are doing it for your own good. You must be very careful of them.”

They settled themselves down on the ground and placed themselves in their usual sleeping positions. Strange things, sleeping positions, Magnus thought. They get set at the beginning of a relationship, when nobody is thinking about it, and then they are set forever. But now it was true: if Magnus was in bed, as long as Alec was lying directly to his right, there was something of home, wherever he was.

“Just keep it in mind. You’re my heart, Magnus Bane. Stay unbroken, for me.”