Chain of Thorns (The Last Hours, #3)

“No,” Thomas protested. “Well, I mean, you are the current holder of Cortana—you ought to be here, and you’re Cordelia’s brother; it wouldn’t make any sense to leave you out—”

Cordelia decided it was time to make herself scarce. She smiled awkwardly at Lucie, who smiled equally awkwardly back, and went to sit on the sofa, where she found herself next to Ariadne.

“I heard you were in Paris,” Ariadne said. There seemed something different about Ariadne, Cordelia thought, though she could not have put her finger on what it was. “I’ve always wanted to go. Was it wonderful?”

“Paris is lovely,” Cordelia said. It was true enough—Paris was wonderful. Nothing that had happened there had been the city’s fault.

She caught Matthew’s eye. He smiled a little sadly. Cordelia noticed with a pang at her heart that he looked awful—well, awful for Matthew. His waistcoat didn’t match his jacket, a lace had broken on one of his boots, and his hair was untidy. This was the Matthew equivalent of turning up at a party with a dagger protruding from his chest.

Thoughts Cordelia hated crowded her head—was he drunk? Had he been drinking that morning? He had kept up appearances in Paris; what did it mean that he wasn’t doing it now? At least he was here, she told herself.

As for James—James looked his ordinary self. Orderly, calm, the Mask firmly in place. He did not look at her, but Cordelia knew him well enough now to sense his tension. He did not wear his anguish plainly, as Matthew did, if indeed he felt anguish at all.

“And you,” Cordelia said, to Ariadne, “are you all right? And your parents? I am so terribly sorry to hear of what befell your father, though at least he is unharmed.”

Ariadne said calmly, “I think my parents are well enough. I am not staying with them at the moment, but with Anna.”

Oh. Cordelia glanced over at Anna, who was laughing at something Christopher had said. Ariadne had been pursuing Anna, Anna resisting—did this mean that Anna had finally given in? What on earth was going on with the two of them? Maybe Lucie knew.

Thomas reappeared to retake his place on the arm of Anna’s chair; Alastair had stationed himself by the disused fireplace. Cordelia did not fail to notice that Thomas was wearing something new—a long green scarf she recognized as Alastair’s. Had Alastair made Thomas a present of the scarf?

A loud crack silenced the room, and Cordelia jerked her head around to see that it was Christopher, pounding a small hammer against the table.

“I call this meeting to order!” he cried.

“Is that a gavel?” Thomas said. “Don’t judges only use those in America?”

“Yes,” said Christopher, “but I found it in a knickknack shop, and as you see, it has already proven highly useful. We have gathered here this afternoon to discuss—” He turned to James and spoke in a quieter voice. “What is the order of discussion again?”

James gazed around the room with dark golden eyes. Those eyes had once been able to melt Cordelia’s bones inside her body and turn her stomach to a mass of knots. Not anymore, she told herself firmly. Certainly not.

James said, “First, we are discussing the problem of Lilith. Specifically, that she has tricked Cordelia into becoming her paladin, and that for her own good and for all of ours, we need to find a way to break the connection between them.”

Cordelia blinked in surprise. She’d had no idea that the meeting would be focused at all on her, rather than Tatiana or Belial.

“To be honest,” Ariadne said, “I’d never even heard of a paladin until Anna told me what happened. Apparently it’s a terribly ancient term?”

Christopher banged his gavel again. When they looked over at him, he reached under the table and brought out a huge old tome, its covers elaborately carved wood. He dropped it onto the table with a crash.

Matthew said, “So you brought a gavel and the book?”

“I believe in thorough preparation,” Christopher said. “I had heard the term ‘paladin’ before, at the Academy, but only in passing. So I looked it up.”

They all waited expectantly. “And then what happened?” Alastair demanded finally. “Or is that the entire story?”

“Oh, yes, sorry,” said Christopher. “A paladin is simply a name for a warrior sworn to the service of a powerful supernatural being. There are stories of Shadowhunter paladins—pledged to Raziel or sometimes to other angels—that go back to the time of the very first Shadowhunters. But there hasn’t been one for hundreds of years. In fact, the most recent reference I found, already five hundred years old, refers to paladins as ‘of an earlier time’ and ‘no more to be found among us.’?”

Lucie frowned. “Were there paladins sworn to demons?”

“Not among Shadowhunters,” Christopher said, “at least not in the records we have.”

“It must have happened,” Alastair offered. “But they were probably too embarrassed to record it.” Cordelia gave him a cold look. “What?” he demanded. “You know I’m right.”

Christopher cleared his throat and said, “There are records of a few mundanes who have become the paladins of Greater Demons. Usually they are described as fearsome warriors who killed for pleasure and knew nothing of mercy.”

“And they remained paladins until they died?” James said.

“Yes,” said Christopher slowly, “but these weren’t the kind of people who died in their beds. Almost all of them died violently in some battle or other. The problem, you see, is that all of them very much wanted to be a demon’s paladin.”

“Were any of them sworn to Lilith specifically?” Cordelia said.

“I don’t think so,” Christopher said. “I believe you said Lilith sought you out as a paladin because she has lost her realm—Edom. It is a terrible place, reportedly, a scorched desert with a burning sun.”

“So why does she want it back so badly? What’s important about it?” asked Ariadne.

“Demons are very attached to their realms,” said James. “They function as a source of power, with the realm being almost an extension of the demon itself.” He frowned. “If only we could figure out a way to drive Belial from Edom, perhaps Lilith would release Cordelia.”

“I doubt it would be easy to do that,” said Christopher glumly. “Although I like the epic nature of your thinking, James. Edom is a world that was not unlike ours once. It even had Shadowhunters and a capital city, Idumea, much like our own Alicante. But the Nephilim there were destroyed by demons. Some of the old texts speak of the Princes of Hell referring to Edom as a site of great victory, where Raziel’s hopes were dashed. I imagine as realms go, it’s a sort of trophy, and—I see your minds are wandering, so I’ll just say I intend to do more research on the subject. And I intend to make all of you help me,” he added, brandishing the gavel at them.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for Cordelia to say something. She said, “I understand why you all think ending Lilith’s hold on me should be our focus. If I could wield Cortana again, it remains our best defense against Belial.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lucie said loudly. “It is our focus because you are in danger, and we care about you.”

Cordelia felt herself flush, painfully pleased.

James said, “If I may… Lucie is right, but Cordelia is also right. It has become clear that Belial will never leave us alone. Perhaps if my family were dead—”

“James,” Lucie murmured, her face pale. “Don’t even think it.”

“—but even then, Tatiana would remain at large, causing trouble. With Cortana, it might be possible to end Belial’s life.”

“That is something I do not understand,” said Anna. “Princes of Hell are meant to be eternal, is that not true? Yet we have been told many times that Cortana can kill Belial. Can he be killed, or not?”

“Much of the language regarding Belial, Lilith, and the Princes of Hell is poetic. Symbolic,” said Jesse, and the rich, soft timbre of his voice struck Cordelia. He sounded very confident for someone who’d spent so many years half-alive and hiding. He smiled at the surprised looks he was being given. “I read a great deal, when I was a ghost. Especially when I realized my mother was being drawn in deep with powerful demons. There was a time,” he went on, “when research into the Princes of Hell and their powers was quite popular. Unfortunately, the monks and magicians and others doing the research had a nasty habit of turning up dead, nailed to tree trunks.”

Everyone winced.

“As a result, the books containing such information are few, and old. And they do not solve the paradox. They are full of such riddles. Lucifer lives, but does not live. Belial cannot be killed, but Cortana can end Belial with three mortal blows.” He shrugged. “Belial certainly seems afraid of Cortana. I think we must trust that means something.”

“Perhaps a third blow from the sword will put him into a deep and permanent sleep?” suggested Thomas.