Magnus and Alec go on a train journey in new ‘The Red Scrolls of Magic’ snippet

Things have become a bit quiet so close to the holidays, but Cassandra Clare shook things up a little bit when she sent her December newsletter. She thanked fans for showing up to her tour stops and even shared some photos. One couple actually got engaged in the signing line ❤
Since Queen of Air and Darkness is now behind us, Cassie is focusing on finishing the final two Ghosts of the Shadow Market short stories – Ghosts of Old Loves got retitled The Lost World – and readers can look forward to the release of The Red Scrolls of Magic! The book is released in 102 days so we got a new snippet:

Alec gave a gratifying, wondering, “Oh,” as the train emerged around a bend into the heart of the French countryside. Dense, dark green forest framed mirrored lakes, and in the distance, white snowcapped mountains watched over the landscape. Closer, a rocky promontory rose like the prow of a ship from the distinctive tidy grid of bright vineyards below.

Magnus watched the landscape, then Alec’s face, then the landscape again. Seeing this with him was like seeing the world made new. Magnus had been through the Parc du Morvan before, but for the first time in a long while, he felt wonder too.

“At some point,” said Alec, “we’ll cross the Idris wards, and the whole train will jump from the near border to the far border in an instant. I wonder if we’ll be able to tell.”

There was a yearning note to his voice, though Alec had not lived in Idris since he was small. The Nephilim always had someplace they could return to, no matter what, a country of enchanted forests and rolling fields, and in its center, a city of shining glass towers. Given by the Angel. Magnus was a man with no homeland, and had been for longer than he could remember. Odd, to see the compass of Alec’s soul swing around surely and point home. The compass of Magnus’s soul spun freely within him, and he’d long been used to that.

Their hands lingered together, Magnus’s fingers curling around Alec’s as they looked out at heavy clouds rolling in from the east.

Magnus pointed at one of the cluster of storm clouds. “That long one looks like a serpent that tied itself into a knot. That looks like the croissant I had this morning. That one . . . a llama, I guess? Or possibly my dad? Bye, Dad! Hope not to see you soon!” He blew a sarcastic kiss.

“Is this like the thing with the stars?” said Alec. “It’s romantic to name the stuff you see in the sky?”

Magnus was silent.

“You can talk about him if you want,” said Alec.

“My father the demon, or my stepfather who tried to kill me?” Magnus asked.
“Either.”

Uh, this sounds interesting! We know that Alec doesn’t know anything about Magnus’s demon dad, but I’m curious to find out whether Magnus will talk about his stepfather. What do you think?

Cassie also shared a sneak peek at some Malec art:

And last, but certainly not least: US readers can win a The Red Scrolls of Magic ARC via Goodreads. Click the link in the tweet and good luck!

The Red Scrolls of Magic is published on April 9, 2019!