And here's the next chapter! I hope you like it and please let me know what you think! That would be really helpful and motivate me to update more often!

I don't own the characters or places in this story!

Chapter 20 – The Shadow Market

Emma POV

The Shadow Market was a strange place. At least that's what Emma thought at first. There were many different people, mostly Downworlders, but Emma could also see one or two Mundanes among them. She thought that they were Mundanes, they didn't have any signs of the Downworlders and Shadowhunters would never be at a place like this voluntarily. So there was only one possibility, Mundanes with the Sight. However, even for them this was a strange place to be.

There were many different things you could buy here; jewelry, food, clothes, books or other objects Emma couldn't assign yet. The mood here was rather cool, many people talked to each other, but they always seemed to be a little tensed. There were only few Downworlders who laughed with each other happily – mostly werewolves – and even they looked over their shoulders very often.

Emma still wondered how she and Julian could walk around here without being noticed immediately, but maybe it was just because they were still watching everything from around a corner. She didn't want to imagine the change of the mood when they walked around openly. Shadowhunters weren't welcome here and the few times a Shadowhunter had actually visited the Shadow Market, there had been some kind of dispute or fight. She hoped they could prevent that. They couldn't afford getting into a fight now, not when they had to stop those rituals as fast as possible. Magnus had made it very clear that it was urgent.

After watching everything for many minutes, Emma thought that she had a good impression of how things worked here. You didn't get anything without paying for it, or at least giving something in exchange. Even information seemed to have a high price. Sometimes, two people just talked to each other and in the end, one of them was paid. Even if they didn't exchange anything. So it had to be something they talked about. Because Emma didn't believe that you could take something here without paying it immediately. They were far too distrustful here.

"What do you think of this?" Julian whispered into her ear and Emma turned around to look at him. She had almost forgotten that he was here, she had been too busy studying the people on the Market.

"They won't like us being here." She whispered back and he nodded, a grim expression on his face.

"I still doubt that they will tell us anything. Probably, they'll just sent us away. We'll be lucky when it doesn't come to a fight." Julian's voice was calm, only his eyes showed Emma the tension in his body.

She shook her head. "They won't fight against us. Maybe they'll try to send us away, but I won't let that happen." When Julian raised his eyebrows at her, Emma shrugged. "Would you want to risk getting involved with the Clave because of illegal activities?"

For a few seconds, it looked as if Julian was going to laugh. However, he managed to remain calm. "You always have a plan, don't you?"

Emma shrugged again. "They taught us to think about a situation in every way that's possible. It's always easier when you can react to a situation in a flexible way."

Julian nodded and was silent for a few moments. With a thoughtful expression on his face, he looked towards the Market again. "Who should we ask first?"

Emma nodded in the direction of a man in the middle of the Market. "I think he knows most. Have you noticed that there are always people talking to him? They pay him, even if they don't buy anything. Isn't it a little strange? I don't think that they pay off old debts. They don't do something around here. No, I think they pay him for something he tells them. For something he knows."

Now Julian nodded, even if he seemed to be surprised as well. "You're very attentive. But you're right, I noticed that as well. The others keep away from him, you see that? And in contrast to the others, he doesn't praise his things that much."

"Maybe a Mundane with the Sight?" Emma guessed and Julian nodded.

"Most likely. Maybe that's also why they don't talk to him too much. He's an outsider."

"So we'll talk to him first." Emma murmured and checked her weapons quickly. Next to Cortana, she only had a Seraph blade with her. Julian didn't wear any weapons openly, but that didn't mean anything. Emma knew that he liked to take his enemies by surprise. "You know that it's possible that he won't talk to us when he realizes who we are, right?"

Julian nodded. "But that's why we have the money."

Emma grimaced. It had been very difficult to persuade Diana to give them money, just in case they would have to buy the information they needed. Because here, it didn't help you very much to be a Shadowhunter. The Downworlders were the majority here and they decided how things worked. An interesting experience.

"When it doesn't work, we'll threaten to inform the Clave." Emma said and Julian nodded again.

"Even if I don't like that idea very much. We aren't supposed to be here, remember?" Julian sounded worried now.

"I didn't say that we'll actually do it. But they don't know that, right?" Emma grinned at Julian. "And now let's go." With those words, they walked around the corner. They both had a calm expression on their face now – self-confident, but also careful – the expression of someone who knew that he had the power to defend himself, but who also knew that he didn't belong here.

As soon as the first people saw Emma and Julian, the tension on the Shadow Market seemed to rise. They started to whisper to each other nervously and a few even left without looking back. Emma had expected something like this. However, no one dared to talk to them. They just watched Emma and Julian closely, trying to figure out why two Shadowhunters would come here.

When they got closer to the man they had been watching before, he turned to them. He was looking at them calmly. "Black gear, runes on your skin and you're carrying weapons. I may not know too much, but I can guess that you're those famous Shadowhunters everyone is taking about so nervously." He said quietly. Emma and Julian exchanged a look.

"And who are you, if we might ask?" Julian raised his eyebrows.

"My name's Johnny. Johnny Rook, if you want to know the complete name." Emma noticed that many other Downworlders were still watching them, but when they noticed that Emma and Julian wouldn't stop talking to Johnny Rook for some time, they relaxed. It was strange that they were addressed by the man they wanted to talk to. However, Emma couldn't think about that now.

"My name's Julian Blackthorn and this is Emma Carstairs." Julian introduced them and Johnny Rook nodded slowly.

"So you are Shadowhunters." He said and Emma nodded.

"Shouldn't surprise you, should it? After all, you knew that before."

"I assumed that." Johnny Rook said and held up his hands. "I've never met Shadowhunters before. They don't come here very often. I think you know why. You've scared off many of my customers." The last sentence sounded annoyed, but Emma wasn't sure if he just pretended to be.

"You don't have to worry. We'll leave again soon. But not before we've found out what we want to know." Julian said, his voice still calm. However, Emma knew that he was nervous. Surrounded by many Downworlders who didn't seem to be pleased by their presence.

"So you're not here to get us all in trouble?" Johnny Rook asked. "That's what Shadowhunters do, isn't it? Stopping activities they don't like, this Market, for example."

Emma shook her head. "You can do whatever you want here. We're here because of something else." Now she seemed to have caught Johnny Rooks attention. He looked at her thoughtfully.

"And what should that be, Emma Carstairs?" He asked slowly and Emma knew that he thought about how to make money of this situation.

"We need information." Emma said and Johnny Rook shook his head. He held up his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I can give you many things, but not that. As I said before, I don't know many things. I'm just a Mundane who has the luck to see more than the others. That's what brought me here. Nothing else."

Emma and Julian exchanged a look. "Then tell me, why do all those people paid you, even if you didn't sell anything to them?" Julian asked and narrowed his eyes. "They didn't pay old debts, that's for sure. I don't think you would let anyone go without getting your money first. So what is it? Did you tell them something no one should know? Or was it something different? Something illegal, maybe?" Julian's voice was calm and Emma was surprised how cold he sounded at his last words.

Johnny Rook just looked at them silently and Emma knew that they had been right about him. He was selling information, and it seemed as if he didn't get that in a legal way all the time. Maybe he also sold other things, illegal ones like Julian said, but Emma didn't care about that very much right now. They weren't here to stop illegal activities on the Shadow Market. They were here to find out where Richard Ford and his followers were hiding.

"I'm sorry, there must have been a misunderstanding." Johnny Rook said. "I don't know anything, alright?"

Emma sighed. "Johnny, you have two possibilities now. You can let us ask our questions and tell us what you know, or we can go and inform the Clave about illegal activities here. It's obvious that you're involved in some of them as well. And believe me, when the Clave will have a look at this, it's going to have a bad ending. For all of you." She paused. "However, we don't really care about your doings. And that could be good for you all, if you tell us what we want to know."

Johnny Rook looked at her silently. Emma didn't know if her words had caught him by surprise. He looked from her to Julian and back. "If I tell you what I know, that will have a price." He said finally and Emma nodded, a neutral expression on her face.

"We have money, if that's what you mean." She said and Johnny Rook nodded.

"And you also have to promise that you won't inform the Clave about all this." Johnny Rook added. Emma exchanged a look with Julian again. After some hesitation, he nodded.

"Alright." Emma said, turning to Johnny Rook again. "If you can help us."

Johnny Rook swallowed. Somehow, Emma had the feeling that he was just acting like he was nervous. "So what do you want to know?"

"We're searching someone. A vampire, to be exact." Emma started.

"Well, there are many vampires here in LA. You have to be more exact, Emma Carstairs." Johnny Rook said with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"First, you have to promise us that you won't tell anyone what we're talking about." Emma said and now Johnny Rook raised his eyebrows.

"And why should I do that?"

"Otherwise, we'll inform the Clave. And then you'll get locked away." Emma said simply.

Johnny sighed. "This isn't going to be easy, right?" He asked.

"You could also promise us that you won't tell anyone and we won't inform the Clave." Emma said.

"And how will you know that I keep my promise?"

"Could more money convince you?" Emma asked and she felt Julian move next to her. Apparently, he didn't like her idea.

Now there was a gleam in Rook's eyes that told Emma that she had won. "Okay, I promise you that I won't tell anyone." He said finally. "Because of the money and I think that you would inform the Clave if I told anyone either way, right?"

Emma nodded silently.

"So what do you want to know?"

"We're searching or a vampire called Richard Ford." Julian said quietly. "Nobody has seen him for many years."

"Richard Ford, you say?" Johnny Rook asked, sounding surprised.

"You know him." Emma assumed and Rook shook his head.

"I don't really know him, but I've heard a few things about him and the others."

"The others?" Julian asked.

"His followers, as some people would say."

"So he's still in LA?"

"Of course he is. He's never left the city, I think." Johnny Rook said.

"Do you know where he's hiding?" Emma asked and raised her eyebrows. It surprised her that it was that easy to find information about him.

Now Rook nodded again. "You're not the first who ask about him. There has been someone else, a few months ago." That surprised Emma and next to her, Julian took a step forward.

"Who has been looking for him?" He asked, but Rook shook his head.

"I don't give away secrets of other people who paid me." He said sternly.

Emma nodded. She had expected this. "Alright. So you know where he's hiding. And where is that? We have to find him."

"And you won't tell me why, I'm sure." Johnny Rook muttered. "It's alright, I don't want to know. Not when Shadowhunters are involved. With any other person standing in front of me, I would try to ask. But not you. Shadowhunters are a dangerous business." He paused and looked at them thoughtfully. "You have to promise me that you won't tell anyone where you got the information about Ford."

Emma and Julian nodded immediately. "We won't tell anyone." Julian said seriously.

Rook nodded. "Okay, he's still in LA. I said that before. However, he doesn't live in the center of the city anymore. He didn't dare to do this after he had left the clan, or whatever you might call it. There's a large villa, a few miles north of LA. I can give you the address." He searched for a pen and a piece of paper. He wrote down an address and have the paper to Emma. She looked at it and nodded. It wasn't easy to read his handwriting, but possible.

"How is it possible that no one notices them?" Julian asked after he had looked at the paper in Emma's hands as well.

"They never leave the house, as far as I know." Johnny Rook said.

"But they need blood. Otherwise, they can't survive." Emma frowned. How was this possible if they never left? Or was there someone else who…

"Ford and his followers never leave the house. But their subjugates do. They are the ones who get the blood for Ford and his followers."

Julian raised his eyebrows. "With blood, you mean…"

Rook nodded. "Mundanes. Of course they are not from LA, that would be too obvious. But yes, they get them while they are still alive. Ford and the others love killing."

"How do you know so much about them?" Emma asked suspiciously.

It was the first time that Johnny Rook grinned at them. "I just know, Emma Carstairs."

Emma sighed. "You won't tell us." She assumed and Rook nodded.

"Do you know more about Ford and his followers? Are they involved in any dark activities?" Julian asked now, but Rook shook his head.

"What I told you is everything I know. Most people keep away from them. We just know where they are hiding and how they survive. And to be honest, I don't even want to know more. I don't want to risk being killed as well."

Emma and Julian exchanged a look again. Rook was telling the truth, it was easy to see that. And they got the information they wanted. But what would they do with it now? Just running to a house full of aggressive vampires who loved to kill didn't seem like a good idea.

"Oh, there's something else." Johnny Rook said suddenly. Apparently, he had noticed that Emma and Julian weren't too happy about the information he had given them. "There are parties at his house."

Now both Emma and Julian looked at Rook surprised. Of course they knew that there had been a party at Richard Fords house, that's how they had discovered that he was involved in all this. But that there still were parties was a surprise.

"Do you know when the next one is?" Emma asked, trying to sound calm.

Rook nodded. "This evening, if I remember it correctly."

Now Emma and Julian exchanged a look again.

"Who goes there?"

"Downworlders of all kinds, I think." Rook said and shrugged. "No humans, that's for sure. They wouldn't live very long."

"And what are those parties for?" Emma asked. However, Johnny Rook shrugged again.

"I don't know. I just heard that it would take place again today. The parties are about once a month. But I really don't know more, you have to believe me."

Slowly, Emma reached out for the money in her pocket. "You've helped us very much." She said and gave the money to Johnny Rook, who looked at it with a satisfied expression on his face.

"And remember, no one should know that I told you this."

"And no one should know that we asked about this." Julian replied calmly.

Rook nodded. "You have my word."

"And you have ours."

Slowly, they started to leave the Market. They didn't say anything until they were sure that no one had followed them.

"You think that he won't tell anyone? Maybe he informs Ford that we asked about him…" Julian began, but Emma shook his head.

"I think he keeps his word. I don't know why." She added when Julian raised his eyebrows.

He sighed. "I hope you're right. So what are we going to do know?"

Emma grinned. "Call Ben and tell him to get ready. And he has to be dressed properly. After all, we're going to a party."