“I can understand that,” Simon said. “But Julian wouldn’t choose me. We hardly know each other. Why not Jace?”
“Because Julian isn’t particularly close to him, either,” said Jem, “and Emma made the suggestion that you and Clary, as best friends, would be meaningful witnesses for them. Julian agreed.”
Simon nodded as if he understood, though he wasn’t sure he did, really. He remembered having spoken to Julian at Helen and Aline’s wedding, not long ago. He remembered thinking what a weight he had on his slight shoulders, and how much he seemed to hold contained, hidden and within. Perhaps it was simply that there was no one else Julian cared for enough to stand as his witness? No one he looked up to? That was incredibly sad, if so.
“In any case,” said Magnus, “you are to stand with them as they go through the Fiery Trial.”
“The what?” Simon asked.
“That is the true name of the ceremony,” Jem said. “The two parabatai stand inside rings of fire.”
“Tea’s ready,” Magnus said suddenly. “Never let it sit for more than five minutes. Time to drink up.”
He poured two cups from the small pot.
“There’s only two cups,” Clary said. “What about you?”
“The pot is small. I’ll make another one. These are for the two of you. Drink up.”
The two cups were presented. Clary shrugged and sipped. Simon did the same. It was, to be fair, exceptional tea. Maybe this was why English people got so excited about it. There was a wonderful clarity to the flavor. It warmed his body as it went down. The room was no longer cold.
“This really is good,” Simon said. “I don’t really do tea, but I like this. I mean, they give us tea here, but one time I had a cup that had a bone in it, and that was one of the best cups I had.”
Clary laughed. “So what are we supposed to wear?” she said. “As witnesses, I mean.”
“For the ceremony, formal gear. For the dinner afterward, regular clothing. Something nice.”
“Wedding stuff,” Catarina finally said. “It’s a lot like a wedding but . . .”
“. . . without the romance and flowers.”
That was Jem.
Magnus was now eying them intently, his cat eyes glistening in the dark. The room had gotten very dark indeed. Simon gave Clary a look that was supposed to mean: This is weird. She responded with a very clear look of response that said: Superweird.
Simon drank his tea down in a few large gulps and returned the cup to the table.
“It’s funny,” he said. “There was just another parabatai announcement at dinner. Two students from the elite track.”
“That’s not uncommon for this time of year,” Jem said. “As the year draws to a close, people reflect, they make decisions.”
The room suddenly got warmer. Had the fire gotten higher? Had it sneaked closer? It was definitely crackling loudly, but now it didn’t sound like laughter—it sounded like breaking glass. The fire was speaking to them.
Simon caught himself. The fire was speaking? What was wrong with him? He looked around the room fuzzily, and heard Clary make an odd, surprised sound, as if she’d seen something she hadn’t expected.
“I think it’s time to begin,” said Jem. “Magnus?”
Simon could hear Magnus sigh as he stood up. Magnus was really tall. This, Simon had always known. Now he looked like he might hit the ceiling. He opened a door that Simon hadn’t noticed was there.
“Come through here,” Magnus said. “There are some things you need to see.”
Clary got up and went over to the door. Simon followed. Catarina caught his eye as he went. Everything was unsaid in this room. She didn’t quite approve of what was happening. Neither did Magnus.
Whatever was on the other side of the doorway was utterly dark, and Clary hesitated for a second.
“It’s fine,” Magnus said. “It’s just a bit cold in there. Sorry.”
Clary went in, and Simon followed a step behind. They were in a shadowy space, definitely cold. He turned, but could no longer see the door. It was just him and Clary. Clary’s hair shone bright red in the dark.
“We’re outside,” Clary said.
Sure enough. Simon blinked. His thoughts were a little slow and stretched. Of course they were outside.
“They maybe could have said we were going outside,” Simon said, shivering. “No one here believes in coats.”
“Turn around,” Clary said.
Simon turned. The door they had just come through—in fact, the entire building they had just come from—was gone. They were simply outdoors, surrounded by just a few trees. The sky above was a purple-gray parchment that seemed to be lit by a low haze of lights on the horizon, just out of sight. There was a web of brick paths all around, dotted with fenced-off areas of trees and urns that probably contained flowers in better weather and now stood as reminders of the season.
It was familiar, and yet, it was like nowhere Simon had ever been.
“We’re in Central Park,” Clary said. “I think . . .”
“What? We . . .”
But as soon as he said it, it became clear. The low metal fences that marked off the brick paths. But there were no benches, no trash cans, no people. There was no view of the skyline in any direction.
“Okay . . . ,” said Simon. “This is weird. Did Magnus just completely screw up? Can that happen? You guys just came from New York. Did he just open up the same Portal?”
“Maybe?” Clary said.
Simon took a deep breath of the New York air. It was bitterly cold and burned the inside of his nose, waking him up.
“They’ll realize in a second,” Clary said, shivering in the cold. “Magnus doesn’t make mistakes.”
“So maybe it wasn’t a mistake. Maybe we just got a free trip to New York. Or, I did. I’m going to assume that we go wherever we want until they come and get us. You know they have their ways. Might as well take advantage!”
This unexpected and utterly sudden trip home had completely reinvigorated Simon.
“Pizza,” he said. “Oh my God. They stir-fried pizza tonight. It was the worst. Maybe coffee. Maybe there’s time to get to Forbidden Planet? I just . . .”
He patted his pockets. Money. He had no money.
“You?” he asked.
Clary shook her head.
“In my bag. Back there.”