Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)(251)

"Isn't there any way to make him better?" said Annabel. She was vibrating with tension, her hands working at her sides. He noticed for the first time that she was missing a finger on her right hand. He hadn't looked at her too closely before. She gave him the creeps. "I-I need him."

Admirably, Alec didn't lose his temper. "He needs rest," he said. "We could delay the meeting-"

"Alec, we can't." Jia spoke gently. "Obviously Magnus should rest. Annabel, you'll be taken care of. I promise."

"No." Annabel shrank back against the wall. "I want Magnus with me. Or Julian. Get Julian."

"What's going on?" Kit recognized her voice even before he turned to see Zara in the doorway. Her lipstick looked like a harsh slash of blood against her pale skin. She was looking at Magnus, the corner of her mouth twisted in a smirk. "Consul," she said, and bowed to Jia. "Everyone is assembled. Should I tell them the meeting will be delayed?"

"No, Miss Dearborn," said Jia, smoothing down her embroidered robe. "Thank you, but we don't need you to handle this for us. The assembly will go as planned."

"Dearborn," Annabel echoed. Her gaze was fixed on Zara. Her eyes had gone flat and glittering like a snake's. "You're a Dearborn."

Zara looked merely puzzled, as if wondering who Annabel might be. "Zara is quite an advocate for restricting the rights of Downworlders," Jia said neutrally.

"We're interested in safety," Zara said, clearly stung. "That's all."

"We had better go," said Robert Lightwood. He was still looking at Alec, but Alec wasn't looking at him; he was sitting by Magnus, his hand against Magnus's cheek. "Alec, if you need me, send for me."

"I'll send Kit," Alec said, without looking around.

"I'll return for you," Robert said to Kieran, who had remained silently by the window, barely a shadow in the room's shadows. Kieran nodded.

Robert squeezed Alec's shoulder briefly. Jia extended a hand to Annabel, and after a moment of staring at Zara, Annabel followed the Consul and the Inquisitor from the room.

"Is he sick?" Zara said, looking at Magnus with a distant interest. "I didn't think warlocks got sick. Wouldn't it be funny if he died before you? I mean, what with him being immortal, you must have thought it would go the other way."

Alec raised his head slowly. "What?"

"Well, I mean since Magnus is immortal and you, you know, aren't," she clarified.

"He's immortal?" Alec's voice was colder than Kit had ever heard it. "I wish you'd told me before. I would have turned back time and found myself a nice mortal husband to grow old with."

"Well, wouldn't that be better?" Zara said. "Then you could get old and die at the same time."

"At the same time?" Alec echoed. He had barely moved or raised his voice, but his rage seemed to fill the room. Even Zara was starting to look uneasy. "How would you suggest we arrange that? Jump off a cliff together when one of us started feeling sickly?"

"Maybe." Zara looked sulky. "You have to agree the situation you're in is a tragedy."



       
         
       
        

Alec rose to his feet and in that moment was the famous Alec Lightwood Kit had heard about, the hero of past battles, the archer boy with deadly aim. "This is what I want and what I've chosen," he said. "How dare you tell me it's a tragedy? Magnus never pretended, he never tried to fool me into thinking it would be easy, but choosing Magnus is one of the easiest things I've ever done. We all have a lifetime, Zara, and none of us know how long or short it might be. Surely even you know that. I expect you mean to be rude and cruel, but I doubt you meant to sound stupid as well."

She flushed. "But if you die of old age and he lives forever-"

"Then he'll be there for Max, and that makes both of us happy," said Alec. "And I will be a uniquely lucky person, because there will be someone who always remembers me. Who will always love me. Magnus won't always mourn, but until the end of time he will remember me and love me."

"What makes you so sure?" said Zara, but there was an edge of uncertainty in her voice.

"Because he's three thousand times the human being you'll ever be," said Alec. "Now get out of here before I risk his life by waking him up so he can turn you into a garbage fire. Something that would match your personality."

"Oh!" said Zara. "So rude!"

Kit thought it was more than rude. He thought Alec meant it. He kind of hoped Zara would stick around to test the theory. Instead she stalked toward the door and paused there, glancing back at them both with dislike.