Wild Warriors: A Shadowhunters Fanfic

12. Major Arcana

Jace and I pulled a disheveled Clary back into the police station after we made her hang up her phone call with Simon. She had resisted at first, protesting that Simon was really sick and needed her help. I told her that Simon could be turning into a vampire and only then would we make the slightest hesitation for our plan.

Clary finally put her phone away as the police station doors slammed closed behind us. The three of us were glamorized again but we needed to get out of the public eye, just in case.

"I was promised a great plan," Clary reminded from over my shoulder. Jace sighed through his teeth, stalked across the lobby, and pushed the button on the closest elevator.
"We head up to the vault," he said after Clary and I had followed. "We'll most likely find the Cup there. Alec and Izzy will take care of the rest."
The elevator gave a tiny ding and the silver doors slid open. I lifted my head towards the elevator doors but did a quick double take when I saw Alaric standing in the car. He was a Downworlder, I knew along with Jace and Clary, but we couldn't trust him. Alaric was thankfully looking down at a magazine when the doors open so he didn't immediately see the three of us.
Jace wrapped his left hand around my bicep and yanked me around the corner, hard. I had just enough time to drag Clary with us. By the time Alaric walked out of the elevator, all three of us were safely hidden out of his view around the corner.

Clary exhaled in relief as we watched Alaric walk away.
"That was close," she whispered. I hummed in agreement and quickly stepped into the elevator before the doors closed again. Jace pushed the red button on the side of the elevator that said 'vault' in large white letters. The doors shut with a quiet click and the car began the climb upwards.
"So, what now?" Clary wanted to know. "We climb the elevator shaft and waltz into the vault unnoticed?"
Jace wrinkled his brow at Clary's words and tilted his head to look up at the ceiling tiles above us. He stretched a gentle hand up to lift one of the tiles up, revealing a dark maw that was the elevator shaft. He gave a short laugh and let his hand fall.
"Why didn't I think of that?" He muttered with a tiny smile.
"Because you're an idiot," I said matter-of-factly. When Jace wrinkled his nose at me I shot him a quick smile. "Only kidding," I added.

Clary giggled, a light sound that split the air in the tiny car. She faltered when Jace and I turned to her with serious looks.
"What...you can't be serious?" She sounded a little scared. "We can't possibly climb the elevator shaft."
"And why not?" I asked her. "I've done it before." Clary looked startled.
"You have?" She repeated loudly. I smiled down at her small frame.
"No," I admitted. "But I've seen like, twelve movies where they do it, so we should be fine."
Clary exhaled humorously, rolling her eyes as she pulled out her stele.
"I'm sure there's some kind of rune I need in order to climb an elevator shaft," she predicted.
Jace nodded, his stele already in his hand.
"You remember the binoculars?" He asked Clary. "There's one like that, but for the dark instead." Jace pulled the collar of his shirt down, revealing his Nix rune that resembled the Clairvoyance rune.
"Night vision?" Clary clarified. Jace gave her a short nod.
"You can copy mine," he said. Clary stared at the rune for a few seconds before squinting her eyes ever so slightly.
"I got it," she said finally. Jace pulled his shirt back to its place.

Clary dropped her messenger bag to the elevator floor. She shrugged her jacket off next, and studied her arms for a good place to draw her rune.
I, too, pulled my jacket off and took out my stele. Jace had permanently drawn the Nix rune on his collarbone but I had never done so, so I needed to draw one now. My arms were mostly full of runes so I pulled the collar of my shirt down and decided to draw it on my shoulder blade.
Jace was leaning up against the wall of the elevator, watching me. I was aware of his eyes on my bare skin and I tried to keep my hand steady as I drew the rune. My stele was stinging my skin more than normal, a reminder why I never permanently drew this rune.