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Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)(248)



"I would like him to be with me," said Annabel. "He is the reason I came."

"We all appreciate that you're here, Annabel," said Jia. "And we appreciate that you had past bad experiences with the Clave." She sounded calm. Julian wondered if she'd have sounded so calm if she'd seen Annabel rise from the dead, covered in blood, and stab Malcolm through the heart.

Kieran turned away from the window. "We know Julian Blackthorn," he said to Jia. He sounded much more human to Julian than he had when they'd first met, as if his Faerie accent was fading. "We don't know you."

"By which you mean you and Annabel?" Jia said.

Kieran made an expressive faerie gesture that seemed to encompass the room in general. "I am here because I am the messenger of the Queen," he said. "Annabel Blackthorn is here for her own reasons. And Magnus is here as he puts up with all of you because of Alec. But do not think that makes it a good idea for you to order us around."

"Annabel is a Shadowhunter," Robert began. 

"And I am a prince of Faerie," said Kieran. "Son of the King, Prince of the Frost Court, Keeper of the Cold Way, Wild Hunter, and Sword of the Host. Do not annoy me."

Magnus cleared his throat. "He has a point."

"About Alec?" said Robert, raising an eyebrow.

"More generally," said Magnus. "Kieran is a Downworlder. Annabel suffered a fate worse than death at the Clave's hands because she cared for Downworlders. Out there in the Council Hall is the Cohort. Today is their grab for power. Preventing them from taking it is more important than rules about where Julian should or shouldn't be standing."

Jia looked at Magnus for a moment. "And you?" she said, surprisingly gently. "You're a Downworlder, Bane."

Magnus gave a slow, tired shrug. "Oh," he said. "Me, I'm-"

The glass he was holding slipped out of his hand. It hit the floor and broke, and a moment later Magnus followed it. He seemed to fold up like paper, his head striking the stone with an ugly thump.

Julian lunged forward, but Robert had already grabbed him by the arm. "Go to the Council Hall," he said. Jia was kneeling next to Magnus, her hand on his shoulder. "Get Alec."

He turned Julian free, and Julian ran.

* * *

Emma fought her way through the Council Hall in a state of numb horror. Any pleasure she'd felt over knocking Manuel on his butt had dissolved. The whole room seemed to be a whirlwind of ugly shouting and waving signs: MAKE THE CLAVE PURE and WEREWOLF CONTAINMENT IS THE ANSWER and KEEP DOWNWORLDERS CONTROLLED.

She pushed past a knot of people, Zara at the center, heard someone saying, "Can't believe you had to kill that monster Malcolm Fade yourself, after the Clave failed!" There was a chorus of agreement. "Shows what comes of letting warlocks do what they like," said someone else. "They're too powerful. It doesn't make practical sense."

Most of the faces in the room were unfamiliar to Emma. She should have known more of them, she thought, but the Blackthorns had lived a life of isolation in their way, rarely leaving the L.A. Institute.

Among the cluster of unfamiliar faces, she caught sight of Diana, tall and regal as always. She was striding through the crowd, and hurrying along in her wake were two familiar figures. Aline and Helen, both of them pink-cheeked, wrapped in massive coats and shawls. They must have just arrived from Wrangel Island.

Now Emma could see the rest of the Blackthorns-Livvy, Ty, and Dru were spilling out of the seats, running to Helen, who bent down to open her arms and gather them all in, hugging them tightly.

Helen was brushing back Dru's hair, hugging the twins, tears sliding down her face. Mark was there too, striding toward his sister, and Emma watched with a smile as they threw their arms around each other. In a way, it hurt-she would never have that with her parents, never hug them or squeeze their hands again-but it was a good sort of pain. Mark lifted his sister off her feet, and Aline watched smiling as the two embraced.

"Manuel Villalobos is limping," said Cristina. She had come up behind Emma and wrapped her arms around her from behind, resting her chin on her friend's shoulder. "Did you do that?"

"I might have," Emma murmured. She heard Cristina giggle. "He was trying to talk me into joining the Cohort."

She turned around and squeezed Cristina's hand. "We're going to take them down. They won't win. Right?" She glanced at Cristina's pendant. "Tell me the Angel is on our side."

Cristina shook her head. "I am worried," she said. "Worried for Mark, for Helen-and for Kieran."

"Kieran's a witness for the Clave. The Cohort can't touch him."