Cassandra Clare

“One thing you'll learn as you get older, Simon, is that when people tell you something unpleasant about themselves, it's usually true.”

“—Jem es la mejor parte de mí. —Entonces, ¿qué soy yo? —Eres mi debilidad. —Y Tessa es tu corazón.”

“You have a power of incalculable value. You need ask nothing of anyone. You need depend on no one. You are free, and that freedom is a gift.”

“Sophie has a gift," she said. "She has the Sight. She can see what others do not. In her old life she often wondered if she was mad. Now she knows that she is not mad but special.There, she was only a parlor maid, who would likely have lost her position once her looks had faded. Now she is a valued member of our household, a gifted girl with much to contribute.”

“Everyone has something they can't live without.”

“I saw you in the library.With—”“Colonel Mustard?”

“He llegado a entender algo sobre las novelas. -¿Y qué es? -Que no son ciertas.”

“Conoces ese sentimiento, cuando estás leyendo un libro, y sabes que va a haber una tragedia; puedes sentir que viene el frío y la oscuridad, ver como se dibuja una red apretadamente al rededor de los personajes que viven y respiran en las páginas. Pero estas amarrado a la historia, como si estuvieras siendo arrastrado detrás de un carruaje y no puedes dejarlo ir o alterar el curso hacia algún lado.Siento ahora, como que está sucediendo lo mismo, solo que no con personajes de las páginas sino con mis queridos amigos y compañeros. No quiero quedarme sentada mientras la tragedia viene por nosotros. Lo haré a un lado, solo yo lucharé para descubrir la forma en que ha de hacerse.”

“Let me ask you something,” Simon said. “Do you find me fascinating to be around?”“What was that?” Jace said. “Sorry, I think I fell asleep for a moment. Do, continue withwhatever mesmerizing thing you were saying.”

“Why are we bringing him along, again?" Will inquired, of the world in general as well as his sister.Cecily put her hands on her hips. "Why are you bringing Tessa?""Because Tessa and I are going to be married," Will said, and Tessa smiled; the way that Will's little sister could ruffle his feathers like no one else was still amusing to her."Well, Gabriel and I might well be married," Cecily said. "Someday."Gabriel made a choking noise, and turned an alarming shade of purple. Will threw up his hands. "You can't be married Cecily! You're only fifteen! When I get married, I'll be eighteen! An adult!"Cecily did not look impressed. "We may have a long engagement," she said. "But I cannot see why you are counseling me to marry a man my parents have never met."Will sputtered. "I am not counseling you to marry a man your parents have never met!""Then we are in agreement. Gabriel must meet Mam and Dad.”

“The moment the door closed behind him, Tessa was in Will's arms, her hands locked about his neck. "Oh, by the Angel," she said. "That was mortifying." Will slid his hands into her hair and was kissing her, kissing her eyelids and her cheeks and then her mouth, quickly but with fervor and concentration, as if nothing could be more important. "Listen to you," he said. "You said 'by the angel.' Like a Shadowhunter." He kissed the side of her mouth. "I love you. God, I love you. I waited so long to say it.”

“Tessa exploded "I am not asking you to maul me in the Whispering Gallery! By the Angel, Will, would you stop being so polite?!"He looked at her in amazement. "But wouldn't you rather-""I would not rather. I don't want you to be polite! I want you to be Will! I don't want you to indicate points of architectural interest to me as if you were a Baedecker guide! I want you to say dreadfully mad, funny things, and make up songs and be-" The Will I fell in love with, she almost said. "And be Will," she finished instead. "Or I shall strike you with my umbrella.""I am trying to court you," Will said in exasperation. "Court you properly. That's what all this has been about. You know that, don't you?""Mr. Rochester never courted Jane Eyre," Tessa pointed out."No, he dressed up as a woman and terrified the poor girl out of her wits. Is that what you want?""You would make a very ugly woman.""I would not. I would be stunning."Tessa laughed. "There," she said. "There is Will. Isn't that better? Don't you think so?""I don't know," Will said, eyeing her. I'm afraid to answer that. I've heard that when I speak, it makes American women wish to strike me with umbrellas."Tessa laughed again, and then they were both laughing, their smothered giggles bouncing off the walls of the Whispering Gallery. After that, things were decidedly easier between them, and Will's smile when he helped her down from the carriage on their return home, was bright and real.”

“Breaking away from Gideon with some reluctance, Sophie rose to her feet and dusted off her dress. "Please forgive me, my dear Mr. Lightwood- I mean Gideon- but I must go and murder the cook. I shall be directly back.”

“No one understands what you feel but me, and no one understands what I feel but you, so can we not feel together?”

“So I lied to you last night. I said that I just wanted one night with you. But I want every night with you.”

“By the Angel, this place is barely better than a penny gaff,” Gideon said. “Gabriel, don’t look at anything unless I tell you it’s all right.”

“Wallowing was for elephants, depressing people and depressing elephants”

“Have a little faith in my magic fingers”

“He carefully maintained the blasé air of one who had been here before and had been incredibly well dressed that time too”

“And in addition to its practical uses, it would seem to work for cosmetic purposes. This powder would make my very skin glimmer for eternity."Henry frowned. "Not eternity," he said, but then he brightened. "But I could make you up another batch whenever you please!""I could shine at will!" Magnus grinned at Henry.”

“I imagine that it will not be easy to persuade Mortmain into a bonnet," Magnus observed. "Though the color would be fetching on him."Henry burst into laughter. "Very droll, Mr. Bane.""Please, call me Magnus.""I shall!”

“Magnus shrugged. "It is not my responsibility now, nor will it ever be my responsibility, to manage wayward Shadowhunters. In fact, I am not sure why I am to blame. I spent the night in the library waiting for Will to come and talk to me, which he never did. Eventually I fell asleep in the Rabies and Lycanthropy section. Woolsey bites on occasion, and I'm concerned.”

“He made a sound of frustation, caught at her hand, brought it to his chest, and pressed it flat over his heart. The steady beat hammered against her palm. "Every heart has its own melody," he said. "You know mine.”

“True love cannot die,'" Will said, translating the inscription on the back in the light from the corridor. "I can't wear this, Magnus. It's too pretty for a man.""So are you. Go home and clean yourself up. I will call upon you as soon as I have information." He looked at Will keenly. "In the meantime do your best to be worthy of my assistance.”

“Will turned around slowly, wiping blood from his face. "You're glaring at me," he said to Magnus. "You look like Church before he bites someone.”

“Please forgive me, my dear Mr. Lightwood--I mean Gideon-- but I must go and murder the cook. I shall be directly back.”

“Fue como si viera tu alma en las notas, en la música, y fue hermoso. —Se acercó acariciando suavemente la piel de su pómulo y sus cabello con el reverso de la mano. —Vi ríos, barcos, flores, todos los colores del cielo nocturno.”

“ーEscribí algo para ti, ーla corrigió con una sonrisa y comenzó a tocar. Ella escuchó emocionada; comenzó lento, sencillo, su control sobre el arco producía un sonido armónico. La melodía la lleno tan fresca y dulce como el agua, tan esperanzadora y adorable como un amanecer. Miró a sus dedos fascinada por el movimiento tan exquisito que hacia que las notas salieran del violín. El sonido se volvió mas profundo conforme el arco se movía mas rápido, el antebrazo de Jem se desplazaba hacia adelante y atrás, su delgado cuerpo parecía difuminarse con el movimiento de su hombro. Sus dedos se deslizaban cuidadosamente arriba y abajo, el tono de la música profundizó, como nubes de tormenta reuniéndose en un horizonte brillante, un río que se convertía en torrente. Las notas se estrellaban a sus pies aumentando el sonido, el cuerpo entero de Jem parecía moverse en sintonía con los sonidos que emanaban del instrumento, a pesar de que ella sabia que sus pies se encontraban firmes en el suelo. Su corazón encontró la paz con la música, los ojos de Jem estaban cerrados, las comisuras de sus labios mostraban un gesto de dolor. Una parte de ella quería correr a sus pies, rodearlo con sus brazos; la otra otra parte no quería que se detuviera la música, el hermoso sonido de él. Era como si él hubiera tomado su arco utilizándolo como un pincel para pintar, creando un lienzo en el cual su alma se muestra claramente. Cuando las ultimas notas se alzaron más y más alto, llegando a tocar el paraíso, Tessa estuvo consciente de que su rostro estaba húmedo, pero no fue hasta que la ultima nota dejo de sonar y él bajo el violín cuando se dio que estaba llorando.”

“ー¿Te importaría si toco para ti ahora?ーSabes que amo escucharte tocar. ーEra verdad. Ella siempre amo escucharlo hablar de su violín, pensó que así entendía un poco mas de él. Ella podía escucharlo hablar apasionadamente por horas de breas, clavijas, desplazamientos, la posición de los dedos y de la tendencia de la cuerda La a romperse- sin sentirse aburrida.”

“You told us to leave you in the desert, because you planned to start a new life as cactus," Catarina said, her voice flat. "Then you conjured up tiny needles and threw them at us. With pinpoint accuracy.”

“Magnus had a list of favored traits in a partner-black hair, blue eyes, honest...”

“You are just jealous," Magnus remarked calmly. "Because you do not have the soul of a true artiste like myself.""Oh, I am positively green with envy," Ragnor snapped."Come now, Ragnor. That's not fair," said Magnus. "You know I love it when you make jokes about your complexion.”

“I dislike boats," Ragnor observed, looking around. "I get vilely seasick." The turning green joke was too easy. Magnus was not going to stoop to make it.”

“Life could not be entirely devoted to debauchery and monkeys. Magnus had to finance all the drinking somehow.”

“Picture this," said Magnus. "Me with a little monkey friend. I could teach him tricks. I could dress him in a cunning jacket. He could look just like me! But more monkey-shaped.”

“I can't get enough adventure," Magnus said lightly. "And adventure cannot get enough of me.”

“It was sometimes inconvenient to have the gold-green, slit-pupilled eyes of a cat, but this was usually easily hidden with a small glamour, and if not, well, there were quite a few ladies-and men-who didn't find it a drawback.”

“Meanwhile, Will had begun cutting his toast into strips and was making rude pictographs out of them.Oh, that looks rather like a ...- , Jem began.”

“Whether we can ever be friends again, or if what we had is broken into pieces. Not because of her, but because of me.”

“In every meeting there was some of the sorrow of parting, but in every parting there was some of the joy of meeting as well.”

“What would you do if you saw something nobody else could see?”The tape gun fell out of Luke’s hand, and hit the tiled hearth. He knelt to pick it up, not looking at her. “You mean if I were the only witness to a crime, that sort of thing?”“No. I mean, if there were other people around, but you were the only one who could see something. As if it were invisible to everyone but you.”He hesitated, still kneeling, the dented tape gun gripped in his hand.“I know it sounds crazy,” Clary ventured nervously, “but…”He turned around. His eyes, very blue behind the glasses, rested on her with a look of firm affection. “Clary, you’re an artist, like your mother. That means you see the world in ways that other people don’t. It’s your gift, to see the beauty and the horror in ordinary things. It doesn’t make you crazy—just different. There’s nothing wrong with being different.”

“There must always be a first," said Jem. "It is not easy to be first, and it is not always rewarding, but it is important.”

“Unfortunately, you may have to delay your plans for sororicide a bit longer. Gabriel Lightwood is downstairs, and I have two words for you. Two of your favorte words, at least when you put them together."'Utter simpleton'?" inquired Will. "'Worthless upstart'?"Jem grinned. "'Demon pox,"' he said.”

“I was just thinking of bunding up Cecily and feeding her to the ducks in Hyde Park," said Will, pushing his wet hair back and favoring Jem with a rare smile.”

“You can't just call the Praetor. It's not like 1-800-WEREWOLF.”

“Magnus, you were trying to flirt with your own plate.""I'm a very open-minded sort of fellow!”

“As metal rang on metal, some inner part of Jem, some part that had been lost without his even knowing it was lost, felt the pleasure of fighting together with Will one last time.”

“I get the feeling you'd rather pine over someone you can never possibly be with than try being with someone you can.”

“Is that what you are doing? Enduring? Surely an engaged woman should be happier.” His light eyes raked her. “A heart divided against itself cannot stand, as they say. You love them both, and it tears you apart.”

“Even more blood welled up and spilled down his arm, splattering onto the ground.“Camille’s carpet,” Magnus protested.“It’s blood,” said Will. “She ought to be thrilled.”