The Shadowhunter's Codex (21 page)

Note that we do not see parallel “demonic Forsaken.” Demonic magic, of course, has its own runes that could be theoretically inscribed on a person’s flesh. In practice, though, these runes tend to produce an effect not unlike a strong demon poison. Thus we do not find, say, warlocks using them to enhance themselves; these runes cause not the mindless rage and pain of the Forsaken but the wasting collapse of the poisoned and are of no real use in practice.

Well, ten points to you, Codex. You answered my question: no Forsaken army because they fall apart and they are really stupid. Fair enough.

GHOSTS AND THE DEAD

Ghosts and spirits rarely appear in usual Shadowhunter business, but nevertheless for many Nephilim the Sight includes the ability to see, hear, and speak with the spirits of the dead. You may have it yourself! This aspect of the Sight is entirely hereditary and cannot be enhanced with Marks.

Even those Shadowhunters who cannot actually speak to or see the forms of ghosts can nevertheless usually sense their presence nearby, by noting the existence of an unnatural cold feeling. When ghosts manifest themselves in our world, they must draw energy from around them in order to maintain their ectoplasmic form, and thus suck the heat from their surroundings.

The strongest ghosts may in fact be able to manifest themselves into a close semblance of life. We can, however, always tell a ghost by its eyes: They will be hollow and empty.

Sometimes, in the case of the strongest spirits, the eyes will have flames flickering in their depths, but this is fairly rare.

The prevailing theory of ghosts is that they are trapped in our world by some wrong or crime they are seeking to resolve; they are literally “restless” and seek the talisman that will allow them to pass out of our world and into theirs fully. It takes a certain amount of strength for a ghost to be aware enough of itself and its former life to identify its talisman, and ghosts have no magical knowledge of what that talisman might be or what act might put them to rest; they are, in most cases, just guessing, and may be wrong, or too demented to accurately comprehend their situation.

Wait wait wait, we could have been dealing with ghosts all this time too?

Where are the ghosts? Bring on the ghosts! You don’t actually want that. New York has some bad ghosts. Trust me.

Things to ask Jace about the existence of

You left this blank. What do you want to know about?

The book leaves a bunch of things out! Like mummies. Tell me about mummies.

Mummies exist. The Egyptians mummified people.

Mummies that get up out of their cursed tombs and walk around do not exist.

Do cursed tombs exist?

No. Sometimes you get a tomb guarded by a demon.

Zombies?

The voudun kind, yes—the braaaaaaiiiiinnnnsss kind, no.

Oh, oh, I’ve got one. What about a haunted car? Can you have a haunted car?

Do you count a demon-powered motorcycle?

No, like, the car talks to you and tells you to kill people.

Then no.

Leprechauns?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND THINGS TO TRY

Why am I even answering you? You are not a Shadowhunter. No, no leprechauns.

Elder gods?

Jace is ignoring Simon. Elder gods, Jace—same question.

We’d just consider them Greater Demons, I think.

Transformers!

I don’t know what those are.

Alien robots that turn into other things that don’t look like robots!

Also, what about Smurfs? Also, and I am totally serious here, Santa Claus?

1. Do you come to the Shadowhunters with existing religious beliefs? Try reading some of the Shadowhunter scholars of your religion from the past, who will help you learn how to fit your new knowledge of the Shadow World into your worldview.

I will get right on that.

2. Can you see ghosts? If so, try to find a haunting near you. Someone in your Institute will know of one. Describe your spectral experience here.

I cannot see ghosts. I am actually pretty happy about that.

3. Seriously, how much do mundanes suck? So much.

Mundane rights!

I can’t believe I am defending the Clave, but really, guys, this section is pretty good by their standards.

This whole section is pretty ridiculous, by the way. Here’s the short version: We don’t do our own magic. We use magic from Raziel. That’s the whole point. And it’s not even true for you.

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE ON MAGIC

Nephilim do not perform magic.

This is—far and away—the thing that most separates us from both demons and Downworlders. Demons perform magic—indeed, the vast majority of magic that you will see in the world is demonic in origin. The powers given to werewolves and vampires, too, are demonic magic. Faerie magic is the great unknown—it is very different from the magic of demons, but some believe that the two have the same origin.

According to Jace: weird Nephilim Pride stuff here. Most Shadowhunters don’t care that much.

Whatever the case, the Nephilim do not have any magic of their own. We use, rather, magical tools that have been gifted to us by higher powers. We cannot make new Marks. We have access only to the ones that were handed to us in the Gray Book. We can experiment with their use, but they are all the power we have been granted. Everything else that Nephilim are we have made on our own.
Most
of us cannot make new Marks, that is.

Through history many Nephilim, especially Silent Brothers, have spent countless thousands of hours trying to discover the underlying “language” and “grammar” of angelic Marks. If their constituent parts could be understood, it was believed, then perhaps new Marks could be created. These projects have inevitably led to failure. If there is an elemental grammar of Marks, then it seems that we humans are not permitted to know it, or are not capable of discovering it.