Just a quick note to say thank you all for reading this far and for voting. It honestly means a lot x
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Lila had just sat down on her bed to braid her hair when a knock from the other side of the bedroom door resonated through the room.

She dropped her hairbrush onto the bed and stood, swinging the door open.

Ty and Kit stood side-by-side opposite her, Ty's hair curled and damp while Kit stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"We're going to the Shadow Market," announced Ty.

Lila raised her eyebrows and glanced from her brother to Kit. "What for?"

"The catalyst for the spell, remember?"

Recognition passed Lila's features. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Just let me grab a jacket."

She left the bedroom door open as she rummaged through her bag, grabbing a dark blue denim jacket she'd stolen from Livvy months earlier. It still smelt of Livvy's perfume and it caused a pang of emotion to cross over her chest. She shrugged it on before she left with Ty and Kit.

"How are we going to get to the Shadow Market?" She asked as they walked down the road.

"Uber," Said Kit.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Uber," He said again. "It's like a cab service."

She frowned. "Why? Why don't we just get a cab?"

"Uber is easier," Kit replied. He looked at her with a tiny frown. She seemed very different to when they were in the infirmary in London, and when they stole a pack of biscuits from the kitchen in London at midnight and they'd ran away snickering with Bridget nearly shouting at them.

The Uber came minutes after Kit called, and Lila realised she didn't bring money. She looked to Kit, who held up a few notes for her to see. "Got it covered," he told her and Ty.

Ty had given Kit runes on the way to the Market, a Talent one to make him more persuasive, Night Vision, and Agility.

Kit and Ty had dressed as mundanely casual as they could in jeans and zipped jackets along with Frye boots. Lila wore her usual casual attire of Livvy's jacket, her black leggings and she'd ditched her boots for black Vans.

Despite dressing casual enough, Ty and Lila still looked like Shadowhunters. Ty's runes were visible on his hand and neck, Lila's were visible on her collarbone and her right hand. Their Shadowhunter-ness was shown from the way they held themselves, the way the walked so confidently like nothing in the world would ever hurt them. Ty had bruises all along his hands, and Lila made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"I don't see any gates," said Ty, craning his neck to look for them.

"They're more metaphorical," Kit said. "Not exactly real."

They walked toward the Shadow Market. In the distance Lila could see the booths where potions and charms were sold.

There was a phouka standing against a streetlight smoking a cigarette. He was tall, dark and thin. His hair was braided with strands of gold and bronze and he wore purple trousers and no shoes.

"Gatekeeper," Kit said to him. "We request entrance to the Shadow Market."

"Kit Rook," the phouka said. "What an honour it is to be recognised by one who left us for the angels."

"He knows you," muttered Ty.

"Everyone in the Shadow Market knows me," Kit replied. Lila raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Password," the phouka said. He dropped his cigarette and it burned out quickly on the cold ground.

"I'm not saying that. You think it's funny to get people to say that," replied Kit.

"Say what?" Ty demanded. "What's the password?"

The phouka said, "Wait here, Kit Rook." He wandered off into the crowd behind him.

"He's going to get Hale," said Kit worriedly. 

"Why didn't you just say the password?" Asked Lila, looking up at Kit with her arms still crossed. "We could be in the Market by now."

"I'll never say the password in my life."

"What is it?" Ty asked.

"I'm not saying it. Ever."

"Can they see us?" Ty asked then. "Out here?"

"If they can, they'd never show it," Kit replied.

Ty turned to look at Kit, though he never looked him in the eyes, always his cheeks or hair or nose. "Watson—"

"Kit Rook, Ty Blackthorn and Lila Blackthorn," came a voice then. "Actually, I'm assuming you're neither of those people. Because they'd never be stupid enough to show their faces here." It was Barnabas Hale.

"That seemed like a compliment," said Ty, who looked honestly surprised.

"Sure. Maybe it's not us. Maybe someone just got the specifications for the candygram you ordered wildly off," Kit retorted.

Hale frowned in annoyance. He looked as he always had: short, scaly-skinned, with a snake's eyes. He wore a pin-striped suit must have been heavily altered to fit. Most humans weren't three feet tall and three feet wide. Silently, the phouka leaned against the lamppost again, his dark eyes glittering.

"Prove you're Kit Rook," said Hale. "What's the password?"

"I'm never saying it," Said Kit. "Never."

"What is it?" Ty demanded.

"Just let us into the Market. We don't want any trouble," Kit told Barnabas.

Hale laughed. "You three don't want trouble? Do you know what kind of mayhem you caused in London? You wrecked property and attacked vendors. You—" he turned to Ty. "destroyed a great deal of fey stock. I hate you all. Go away."

"Hear me out," said Kit. "Remember when that faerie burned down half of the Market and was welcomed back the next year because she had a bumper crop of hen's teeth? Remember the werewolf and the llama and how that turned out? And he wasn't banned, because he had a line on a supply of yin fen."

"What's your point?" said Hale. He sighed. "I wish I had a cigar. Had to quit."

"The spirit of the Market is simple," said Kit. "Everything's fine as long as you make a profit. Right?"

"Sure," said Hale. "And that's why we tolerated Johnny Rook. We tolerated you because the Shadowhunters hadn't found you yet. But now they have and it's a hop, skip, and a jump until you find out who you really are—"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ty.

"Nothing for free," Hale said, with the annoyance of a man who'd said too much. "Besides, your money is no good here, Rook." He waved a hand in Ty's direction. "I might be able to get something in exchange for your skinny friend in the right circles, but not enough. She probably wouldn't be worth anything. She's just a triplet. They'd want one, not the other."

Lila felt like smacking him.

"Theoretically, how much?" asked Ty with interest.

Hale looked grim. "Not as good a price as I could get for Emma Carstairs—even more for just her head."

Kit said quickly, "No heads. Look, my father didn't trust anyone, Mr. Hale. You know that. He hid his most precious items all over Los Angeles, buried in places he thought no one would ever find them."

"I'm listening," said Hale.

"One is right here in the Shadow Market. A ruby-encrusted copy of the Red Scrolls of Magic."

The phouka whistled, long and low.

"Not only will I give it to you, I'll give it to you for free," said Kit. "All you have to do is let us back into the Shadow Market. Free trade."

Hale shook his head. "Now I really wish I had a cigar, so I could celebrate," he said. "I already found that, you stupid brat. We dug up your dad's stall after the Mantids killed him." He turned away, then paused, glancing back over his shoulder. The moonlight seemed to bounce off his white, scaled skin. "You're out of your depth, kids. Get out of Downworld before someone kills you. That person could even be me."

Kit didn't turn to look at neither Lila nor Ty. "I..."

"You should have just given the password," Said the phouka. Lia glared.

Kit raised his middle finger at the phouka. "Here's the password."

Lila snickered and held her laughs. Ty muffled his laughs before he said, "Come on, let's go."

Lila grabbed Kit's wrist lightly when he didn't move, pulled his arm him gently to get his attention until he turned to start walking with them.