The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses, #1)(49)

Alec and Catarina scrambled to their feet, fleeing across the treacherous ballroom toward Magnus. More living pipes blocked their path, trying to wrap their metal tentacles around Alec’s ankles. He dodged and jumped to avoid them. One managed to curl around his ankle, causing him to stumble. He pushed Catarina out in front, and Magnus caught her hand and pulled her to him and safety.

Magnus heard Alec say, “Cael,” and saw the blaze of the seraph blade.

One slash of it cut away the tentacle at his feet. Alec reached Magnus just as Barnabas set the entire floor of the ballroom ablaze. Malcolm responded with a tidal wave of canal water crashing in from the kitchen. The water swirled around Malcolm, knocking him off his feet, and then took out Barnabas. Both warlocks were carried out of the palazzo, Malcolm whooping with delight as if he were on a water ride at an amusement park.

Everyone, aside from the vampires, took a deep breath. The palazzo continued to fall to ruin around them.

“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.”

“Can we get out of the collapsing building now?” said Magnus crossly, though he was secretly pleased.

She and Hyacinth made for the doors, guiding a few ragged and wounded Downworlders. The vampires, the werewolf Juliette from the train, and many others hovered by Alec.

Alec looked around. “The stairway to the upper floor collapsed. There are people trapped upstairs.”

Magnus cursed, then nodded. He reached out and tapped the half-empty quiver at Alec’s shoulder with two fingers. A faint blue light shimmered, and the quiver was suddenly full of arrows.

“I’ll go after Barnabas and Malcolm and try to contain them,” Magnus said. “You do what you do best and get everyone to safety.”

He waved his hands in a broad gesture, and the metallic vines that had been the palazzo’s plumbing straightened and gathered themselves into a bridge over the torrent of canal water, leading out of the palazzo to where the warlocks had disappeared. Magnus turned to look at Alec, who had moved to intervene in a fight that had broken out between werewolves and pixies. Then Magnus turned back, flung himself in the direction of the smoke and sparks, and was gone.





CHAPTER FIFTEEN




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Mori Shu


WITH A BUILDING FALLING DOWN around their ears, some of the werewolves had panicked. Alec found this understandable, but unfortunate. When werewolves panicked, fur tended to fly. Also blood, teeth, and intestines.

Three werewolves in a snarling knot were closing in on a huddle of terrified pixies. Alec ran to put his body between the two groups, as the masonry dust fell like rain all around, blinding and choking them. Alec just barely ducked underneath the swipe of a clawed paw and then threw himself to the side as one of the werewolves barreled into him.

Then the others reached him and it was all he could do to avoid being disemboweled. Muscle memory and years of training took over as he danced through the slashes coming from all sides.

Five long claws just missed raking him across the face, and then the tip of one managed to slice his arm. A set of fangs reached his shoulder and were just about to clamp down when he grabbed a handful of chin fur and rolled, executing a throw that sent the werewolf hurtling onto his back, sliding until he hit rubble.

The last werewolf tripped over Raphael Santiago’s foot. Alec hastily hit him in the back of the head with the hilt of his seraph blade, and the werewolf stayed down.

“That was an accident,” said Raphael, with Lily and Elliott sticking close behind him. “He got in my way as I was trying to leave.”

“Okay,” Alec panted.

He wiped dust and sweat out of his eyes. Bat the DJ staggered toward them, claws out, and Alec flipped his seraph blade so he was holding the hilt again.

“Someone dropped a piece of roof on me,” Bat told him, blinking in a way that was more owlish than wolfish. “Inconsiderate.”

Alec realized Bat was not so much on a murderous out-of-control rampage as mildly concussed.

“Easy there,” he said, as Bat tumbled against his chest.

He looked around for the most trustworthy person, for someone to be on his team. He took a gamble and dumped Bat into Lily’s arms.

“Watch him for me, will you?” he asked. “Make sure he gets out all right.”

“Put that werewolf down immediately, Lily,” Raphael ordered.

“It really hurts that you would say that,” Bat muttered, and shut his eyes.

Lily considered Bat’s head, pillowed on her lavender bosom. “I don’t want to put him down,” she announced. “The Shadowhunter gave this DJ to me.”

Bat opened one eye. “Do you like music?”

“I do,” said Lily. “I like jazz.”

“Cool,” said Bat.

Raphael threw up his hands. “This is ridiculous! Fine,” he snapped. “Fine. Let’s just vacate the collapsing mansion, shall we? Can we all agree on that one fun, non-suicidal activity?”