New World

13 | Shadow Market pt.1

The Shadow Market was located at the end of London Bridge.

"I thought it would be like it is in the postcards," said Kit, looking at the Bridge.

"You were thinking of Tower Bridge," Livvy told him as they scrambled down the steps to reach a place below the London Bridge railway lines, which crossed overhead. Lila had claimed she loved London as they passed it. "That's the one in all the pictures. The real London Bridge was knocked down a long time ago. This one's a replacement."

Kit blinked away the glamour as he reached the bottom of the steps. The Shadow Market burst into life. They were still using many of the ordinary market's stalls—clever, he thought, to hide in plain sight like that—but they were brightly coloured now, a rainbow of paint and shimmer.

Tents billowed in between the stalls as well, made of silks and draperies, signs floating beside their openings, advertising everything from fortune-telling to luck charms to love spells.

"I love it," Said Lila, looking at the brightly painted stalls, some of which held glittering vials or powders.

But when she saw the RED HOT CHERRY FLAVOUR of blood for vampires, she quickly turned pale and looked to Livvy, who looked like she was going to gag.

"Never mind. I take it back," Lila said.

Several stands were taken up with selling Shadowhunter-repelling charms, which made Livvy giggle.

Kit was less amused.

"Push your sleeves down," he said. "And pull your hoods up. Cover your Marks as much as you can."

Livvy and Ty did as they were told. Lila already wore her jacket, and her hair covered her neck hiding the runes there. Ty reached for his headphones but paused. Slowly he looped them back around his neck. "I should keep them off," he said. "I might need to hear something."

Livvy squeezed Ty's shoulder and said something to him in a low voice that Kit couldn't hear. Ty shook his head, waving her away, and they pushed farther into the Market.

A group of pale-skinned Night's Children had gathered at a stall advertising WILLING VICTIMS HERE. A crowd of humans sat around a deal table, chatting; occasionally another vampire would come up, money would change hands, and one of the humans would be drawn into the shadows to be bitten.

Livvy made a smothered noise and Lila looked down at her shoes.

"They're very careful," Kit assured her. "There's a place like this in the L.A. Market. The vamps never drink enough to hurt anyone."

He wondered if he should say something else reassuring to Ty. The dark-haired boy was pale, with a fine sheen of sweat along his cheekbones. His hands were opening and closing at his sides.

Further along was a stall advertising a RAW BAR. Werewolves surrounded a dozen fresh carcasses of animals, selling bloody hunks torn off in fistfuls by passing customers. Livvy frowned; Ty said nothing. Lila had gone pale again. Kit had noticed before that puns and language jokes didn't interest Ty much. And right now, Ty looked as if he were struggling between trying to take in the details of the Market, and throwing up.

"Put your headphones on," Livvy murmured to him. "It's all right."

Ty shook his head again. His black hair was sticking to his forehead. Kit frowned. Lila looked like she wanted to grab Ty and drag him out of the Market to somewhere it would be calm and quiet. Kit remembered Ty saying that he hated crowds, that the sheer noise and confusion was "like broken glass" in his head.

There was something else, too, something odd and off about this Market.

"I think we've wandered into the food area," said Livvy, making a face. "I wish we hadn't."