The Silver Mask

The Silver Mask
Information
Author	Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Illustrator	Scott Fischer
Cover artist	Alexandre Chaudret
Release Date	October 10, 2017
Publisher	Scholastic Press
Cover	Callum Hunt Tamara Rajavi Jasper deWinter
Series	The Magisterium
Chronology
Preceded by The Bronze Key	Followed by The Golden Tower

The Silver Mask is the fourth and penultimate book in The Magisterium series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. It will be released on October 10, 2017.

Synopsis

A generation ago, Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt.

Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to—and how he lives on.

But Call has no idea.

It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power.

In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

The book opens up with Call imprisoned in the Panopticon, the mages’ prison, and he is not enjoying himself. Soon, he is visited by Master Rufus, then his father, and then, to his surprise, Jasper. As he and Jasper talk, they realise the Panopticon is on fire. The two escape with the help of Tamara, Anastasia Tarquin and Tamara’s Devoured sister, Ravan, and Havoc. However, Tamara is shocked to find out that Anastasia has planned the breakout with Master Joseph and Alex Strike, who both arrive to take Call, Tamara and Jasper to a secret island where they’ve created camp.

Forced to stay in creepy rooms, (Tamara in a violently pink room, Jasper in Drew Wallace’s old room, and Call in Constantine Madden’s old room), the three immediately plot to escape. When they try and escape in the back of a delivery van, they’re brought back by its driver, a mage called Hugo, also in league with Jospeh. However, Master Joseph gives Call a deal. He wants him to perform a task, and if he succeeds then Call, Tamara and Jasper are free to go back to the Magisterium and they’ll never been interferes with again. The task is to raise Aaron Stewart from the dead. Call agrees and, forced to work with Alex, Aaron’s killer, the two begin practicing bring dead stoats back to life.

Tamara has other plans than staying at the creepy house. The three of them stumble across a stash of Jericho Madden’s old belongings, and a diary, down in a complex of catacombs. Here, Call and Tamara kiss, after both explaining their feelings for each other. That night, the three of them walk to a place Jasper knows about. A lake where a vast army of chaos-ridden are being stored, reading to march on the Magisterium, Collegium and Assembly. Tamara and Jasper plot to destroy the army. Call decides that night he needs to raise Aaron from the dead.

After reading Jericho’s journal, in which he describes a horrifying experience where Constantine killed a woman in hospital trying to use her little spark of life to fully restore her, Call learns that Constantine tried to use pieces of Jericho’s soul. He realises this is the secret to raising Aaron from the dead. He succeeds. Tamara, Jasper, Alex and Master Joseph rush in, all stunned to see Aaron alive. Though he is not himself.

Snapped of his magic, Call falls asleep and is woken by Anatasia, who is thrilled with what Con (Constantine) has achieved. He is visited by Tamara, who makes him promise to let Aaron go if he doesn’t start acting like himself, or becomes so changed he is no longer the Aaron they knew. Call agrees.

No less than a day later, Call is woken up at night when an explosion lights up the night. He sees Ravan stalling in her massive fiery form as Tamara and Jasper escape to warn the Magisterium of what’s going on. Aaron asks Call if he is happy he brought him back and Call says yes. The next day, Joseph talks about Call raising Drew from the dead, but Call knows it will kill him to tear his soul again. Alex argues he is ready to do it himself. Alex fails and declares that Call lied. Call looks into Aaron’s soul and finds coils of chaos hanging on to his piece of soul. Master Joseph interrupts Call and tries to stop Call from messing with Aaron’s soul because he needs Aaron to show the Assembly that they know how to raise the dead. Master Joseph makes Aaron angry and he breaks Master Joseph’s neck and he dies.

Snippets

Teaser #1

Master Joseph only laughed, though. "I have a proposal for you, how about that? Callum, once you complete the task I set for you, you can leave the island with your friends if that's what you still want."

"A task?" Call asked. "Is this some kind of trick thing where I have to tame an impossible elemental or separate dirt from sand on an entire beach?"

Master Joseph smiled. "Nothing like that." He flung open the doors at the far end of the room. After a moment, Call and the others joined him at the entryway.

Inside was a large, white-painted room. There was nothing in it but a metal table. On top of the table lay a body that was perfectly preserved, covered to the neck by a thin white sheet. "The task," he said. "Is to raise Aaron Stewart from the dead."

Teaser #2

"I'll kill you—" There were tears on Call's face as he flung himself at Alex. "I'll kill you—"

"Stop him," said Alex lazily, and seconds later, Call felt himself seized by a dozen Chaos-ridden, their grips like iron.

Alex's eyes danced. "I made these, Makar," he said, gesturing toward the Chaos-ridden in the clearing. "I am their creator, not you, not Constantine. They belong to me. They're obedient to me."

Trivia

• One of the working titles first shared online was The Golden Boy.