Wild Warriors: A Shadowhunters Fanfic

6. Raphael's Help

The back alley of the Hotel DuMort was poorly lit and about five degrees colder than the main street. Isabelle and I traced over our night vision runes before stepping into the alleyway just as a precaution.
The noise of traffic was still audible from the main road but it was muted to a faint rumble in the distance.

My parabati and I had only taken a few steps down the alley before we saw a dark figure appear ahead of us. It was Raphael, moving swiftly from a back entrance of his Hotel. Isabelle stepped closer to him and I mirrored her.

"You shouldn't be out alone," Raphael told us. His silky voice rippled with an undercurrent of a Spanish accent. As endearing as his voice sounded, I still had a major bone to pick with him concerning Isabelle.
"Raphael, thank you for coming. Just so you know, I-"
"I didn't come here for apologies." Raphael interrupted before Isabelle was even halfway through her sentence. "I came to reason with you for my clan. They're not just gonna sit around and let the Clave put trackers in them."
Damn, word travels fast in the Downworld.

"Believe me, that's the last thing we want," I said truthfully. I felt the weight of Raphael's dark eyes on me. "But the Inquisitor has her nose to the ground on this one so if there's anything you know about these murders..."
Raphael inhaled a useless breath of cold air and slowly let it out. "I can tell you it's not a vampire. We would never remove the runes from a Shadowhunter."
My brow creased. "Why is that?"
A flicker of something resembling anger flashed in Raphael's eyes but it was quickly replaced with one of sorrow. I had asked my question already half-knowing the answer but, as the Clave had never been one to admit their wrongdoings, I was sure I didn't have all the information.

"From a time before the Accords," Raphael started, "the Downworlders were hunted by Shadowhunters for sport. They took our fangs, werewolf claws, and warlock marks as trophies. The vampires swore we would never let that happen again. To anyone."
"That's horrible..." Isabelle whispered. "But if there are no vampires involved, then what about Keytower? His blood was drained."
"My guess? A diversion to throw the investigation off track." Raphael gave a half-hearted shrug. "Guess it did the trick or else you two wouldn't be here."
I tipped my head in agreement. "Is there anything else you know? Anything that might help us?"

I saw Raphael's jaw clench ever so slightly. He knew something, I could tell, but he didn't want to talk. He turned away from Isabelle and I, taking a few slow steps in the opposite direction as though he needed space to gather his thoughts. He ran a hand over his mouth and down his chin.
"Raphael, I respect your loyalty to the Downworld," I told him. "Your secrets are yours to keep. But we're desperate. Innocent people are dying and our Inquisitor needs a scapegoat. Anything you say could help us."
The vampire's hand dropped to his side as he turned to face us again. When he began talking again, his voice was lower, almost a whisper. I had to strain to hear him, even with my enhanced hearing rune.
"Back in the 80s, the Downworld came together to make some demands the Clave wouldn't agree to. It got pretty ugly. I overheard a Seelie knight tell Camille that the only way to gain the Shadowhunters' respect was to show them how dangerous we are. Beyond killing them. He suggested an extra step."
"Taking our runes," Isabelle finished in a broken whisper. Raphael nodded once.
"Which Seelie?" I asked. When Raphael hesitated Isabelle gave him a deadly glare.
"Raphael, which Seelie?"

- - -

Isabelle and I ran the entire way back to the Institute, a grand total of seven blocks, and burst through the front doors with labored breathing and a slightly hysterical look about us.
Isabelle wasted no time in taking off towards her bedroom to get what we had come here for. She ignored the strange stares that were thrown her way as she passed a few fellow Shadowhunters.

Fortunately for us, we had recognized the name of the Seelie that Raphael had supplied us with. Unfortunately for Isabelle, she had once had a very long affair with that Seelie and she was still trying to get over him. But the one good thing that came from Meliorn's name popping up was that Isabelle happened to have one of his shirts still in her room that we could track him with. Raphael had agreed to help us track the Seelie and we were expected back at the Hotel in just a few minutes.