Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)(36)

"How are you searching?" Emma asked, her eagerness to know more about advanced Shadowhunting techniques outweighing her dislike of Zara. After all, as Cristina had said earlier, the situation wasn't really Zara's fault; it was Diego's. "Do you have special gear?"

"Unfortunately, that information is proprietary to the Scholomance," Zara said with a cool smile. "Even for someone who's supposed to be the best Shadowhunter of her generation."

Emma flushed and sat back in her chair. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know how people talk about you in Idris," said Zara. Her tone was careless, but her hazel eyes were dagger points. "Like you're the new Jace Herondale."

"But we still have the old Jace Herondale," said Ty, puzzled.

"It's a saying," Julian said, in a low voice. "It means, like, someone just as good."

Normally he would have said, I'll draw it for you, Ty. Visual representations of sometimes-confusing expressions, like "he laughed his head off" or "the best thing since sliced bread" resulted in hilarious drawings by Julian with explanatory notes about the real meaning of the expression underneath.

The fact that he didn't say it made Emma look at him a little more sharply. His hackles were up because of the Centurions, not that she blamed him. When Julian didn't trust someone, all his protective instincts kicked into gear: to hide Livvy's love of computers, Ty's unusual way of processing information, Dru's horror movies. Emma's rule breaking.

Julian raised his glass of water with a brilliantly artificial smile. "Shouldn't all Nephilim information be shared? We fight the same demons. If one branch of Nephilim has an advantage, isn't that unfair?" 

"Not necessarily," said Samantha Larkspear, the female half of the twin Centurions Emma had met the day before. Her brother's name was Dane; they shared the same thin, whippety faces, pale skin, and straight dark hair. "Not everyone has the training to use every tool, and a weapon you don't know how to wield is wasted."

"Everyone can learn," said Mark.

"Then perhaps one day you will attend the Scholomance and be trained," said the Centurion from Mumbai. Her name was Divya Joshi.

"It's unlikely the Scholomance would accept someone with faerie blood," said Zara.

"The Clave is hidebound," said Diego. "That is true."

"I dislike the word 'hidebound,' " said Zara. "What they are is traditional. They seek to restore the separations between Downworlders and Shadowhunters that have always been in place. Mixing creates confusion."

"I mean, look at what's happened with Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane," said Samantha, waving her fork. "Everyone knows that Magnus uses his influence with the Lightwoods to get the Inquisitor to let Downworlders off the hook. Even for things like murder."

"Magnus would never do that," Emma said. She'd stopped eating, though she'd been starving when they'd sat down.

"And the Inquisitor doesn't try Downworlders-only Shadowhunters," said Julian. "Robert Lightwood couldn't 'let Downworlders off the hook' if he wanted to."

"Whatever," said Jessica Beausejours, a Centurion with a faint French accent and rings on all her fingers. "The Downworlder-Shadowhunter Alliance will be shut down soon enough."

"No one's shutting it down," said Cristina. Her mouth was a tight line. "That's a rumor."

"Speaking of rumors," said Samantha, "I heard Bane tricked Alec Lightwood into falling in love with him using a spell." Her eyes glittered, as if she couldn't decide if she found the idea appealing or disgusting.

"That's not true," said Emma, her heart beating fast. "That is a lie."

Manuel raised an eyebrow at her. Dane laughed. "I wonder what will happen when it wears off, in that case," he said. "Bad news for Downworlders if the Inquisitor's not so friendly."

Ty looked bewildered. Emma could hardly blame him. None of Zara's circle seemed to care about facts. "Didn't you hear Julian?" he said. "The Inquisitor doesn't supervise cases where Downworlders have broken the Accords. He doesn't-"

Livvy put her hand on his wrist.

"We all support the Accords here," said Manuel, leaning back in his chair.

"The Accords were a fine idea," said Zara. "But every tool needs sharpening. The Accords require refining. Warlocks should be regulated, for instance. They are too powerful, and too independent. My father plans to suggest a registry of warlocks to the Council. Every warlock must give their information to the Clave and be tracked. If successful, it will be expanded to all Downworlders. We can't have them running around without us being able to keep tabs on them. Look what happened with Malcolm Fade."