“ ‘The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the demons shall cry to each other; Lilith also shall come there, and find for herself a place of rest,’ ” said Cordelia, recalling the party at the Hell Ruelle the night before her wedding. “It’s a demon world, ruled by Lilith.”

“That’s right,” said Magnus. “I have heard rumors that she was cast out of it, that it had been taken over—but not by whom. It seems it may have been Belial.”

“So Belial has a new realm,” said Christopher. “Could that be making him stronger? Could he be able to walk in our world?”

“Unlike his brethren, Belial cannot walk upon Earth, no matter what realm he controls. It is the curse he is always trying to circumvent.”

“What if he’s possessing mundanes, or Downworlders?” said Matthew. “Using them as tools?”

“A demon as powerful as Belial cannot possess a human body—not even the body of a vampire, or one of the fey. It would be like putting a bonfire in a shoebox. Such power as he possesses would literally tear the body apart.”

“But couldn’t he just possess someone long enough to commit a murder before the body falls apart?” Lucie asked.

“Then we’d be finding two bodies,” Cordelia pointed out. “The murder victim and the body Belial had possessed.”

“Though remember what Lilian Highsmith said when she was dying,” Christopher said. “Thomas told us. He asked her who attacked her and she said someone who was dead in his prime, and that his wife was crying—”

“Corpse possession? Those would fall apart even faster than live bodies,” Magnus said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Christopher looked glum. “Thomas did say she might have been delirious.”

“Perhaps,” said James thoughtfully. “Elias, too, seemed to recognize his killer, and I don’t think he was raving. He seemed sane enough, which supports the idea that it’s a Shadowhunter.”

“A Shadowhunter who has summoned up a demon to help him? Belial, perhaps?” suggested Lucie.

“No one summons a Prince of Hell and controls him.” Magnus shrugged. “The point is—there are a million possible theories. And every night and dawn bring with them the possibility of another death.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Perhaps it is time for you to use your power, James,” he said. “Not just to fear and avoid it.”

James’s face went blank. Cordelia thought of the way he had torn Belial’s realm apart with his power, the way he had seemed to turn the earth inside out, shredding rocks and hills and trees. “He has used it,” she said. “It is not easy to control—though I should not speak for him. James?”

“I suppose it depends what you mean,” James said. “Use it how?”