Drapetomania | Shadowhunters [Jace Wayland]

32; Rune Portals

Cloudy as the sky was, it was still a beautiful day. Which was why Tris had decided to get out for some fresh air. Finding a bench in the park next to the institute, she grabbed the book she had bought with her: Bloodline by Sidney Sheldon. It was an interesting story so far, and she hadn't realized fifteen minutes had already passed. As if on cue, she looked up only Jace walking towards with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He gave her a smile that she returned as he sat down next to her.

"Hey," he greeted. "I was wondering if you'd want to join me for something? If you're free, of course. If not, then-then that's okay, too."

"What is it?"

"Well, you know how Valentine escaped, right?" Jace watched her nod. "So, the Downworld Cabinet has been holding secluded meetings at the Seelie Court, which obviously, " he rolled his eyes, making hand gestures, "is not good. The Clave isn't gonna let this go unpunished. The Inquisitor sent an envoy to assess the situation. Chances are, they'll be the ones replacing Alec as the Head of the Institute."

Tris gaped. "They can't do that! Alec is good at what he does, he knows what he's doing. What the Hell?"

"Exactly," Jace sighed. "Izzy said if we could recapture Valentine Alec could still remain as the Head. Sebastian and all available personnel are searching. We already know Duncan managed to hijack the Portal. Alec's assigned me and Clary to search Staten Island."

"And you want me to join?" Tris questioned. She was going to say yes anyway, she just wanted to tease him. "What, can't spend a few hours away from me?"

She saw his cheeks turn a little pink as he grinned, shaking his head. He raised his hands, feigning a defensive pose. "Hey, if you don't want to..."

Tris chuckled. "I'll join you guys, I don't have much to do right now anyway."

He stood up, offering her a hand. She quickly memorized the page number she had stopped at and took his hand, getting up from her seat. He quickly led her inside the Institute and towards the library, still holding her hand in his. Clearly, he was nervous. Tris could tell since his hands were a little shaky. The blonde quickly sat down at the table, forcing the girl to sit beside him as he had already sprawled out maps.

"Isn't this Idris?"

Jace hummed with a small nod, looking up at her. He noticed how her shoulders got tense, her eyes conflicted and her slender fingers gripping the edge of the table strained. He placed his hand over hers, slowly removing it from the table and keeping it in his. "You don't have to," he said, his voice only a gentle rumble. 

"I know," she nodded, her brown hair moving to frame her face as she did so. "I've never been to Idris, it's like a...vacation, of sorts."

"Tris-"

"Shut up," she huffed, rolling her eyes. She gave him an assuring look, her posture much more calm as she intertwined their fingers. "I'll be fine."

Jace kept his eyes on hers, making sure if she truly was okay with it. She sent him a playful glare and he rolled his eyes, a grin growing on both of their faces. He began to explain how Valentine used to take him to this cabin in Brocelind forest when he was a kid, and he thought that he might be able to find some more clues there.

As he was done explaining, Clary had walked in, looking confused. Tris waved a hand to her and received a smile in return. "You asked Alec to assign three of us to search Staten Island?" The redhead questioned, raising her brow.

Jace gave her a small nod. "You're the one who said finding Valentine had to be a priority."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean we had to search together," she said as she looked from Tris to Jace and then their intertwined hands with a small smirk. "Wait..." her smile dropped as she approached the map laid out on the table. "This is Idris."

The blonde boy motioned for her to take a seat, and she grabbed a seat quickly, her eyes on the map of the country that was hidden from the rest of the world. "Yeah, you really think Valentine's in Staten Island?" 

Clary shook her head a little, sighing. "No, but I'm pretty sure the Clave has Idris covered."

"Not if they're looking in the wrong place," Jace pointed out, narrowing his eyes as he pointed to Brocelind Forest. "Valentine used to take me to this cabin in Brocelind Forest when I was a kid."

"And you think he's hiding there?"

"Probably not, no. But I bet you we find more in that cabin than we do in Staten Island."

"Jace, you need to tell someone."

Jace looked to Tris before letting go of her hand and moving to the other end of the table and looking at another map. Tris cleared her throat, looking at Clary. "He did. The Clave denied his request for a Portal."

"What about Magnus?"

Jace huffed. "Magnus is still in the Seelie Court with Luke. Unfortunately, Portaling to Idris without approval isn't exactly sanctioned under the Accords. There's not a lot of warlocks stupid enough to risk it. I was thinking, if I could find a warlock, that could get me close enough to the Swiss border, I could hike it. It's only about 30 miles. It's a long shot, but it's the best I can come up with..."

Clary kept an intense gaze onto the map, making both Jace and Tris glance towards each other with concern. She instantly looked up, her eyes glimmering with hope. "What if we don't need a warlock?"

Jace furrowed his brows, noticing how Tris tensed up again. "What are you talking about?"

Clary fished out her stele from her pocket and began drawing what looked like a rune in the air with it, a gold light emitting from it and illuminating the room. "What are you doing?" Jace exclaimed. Clary pushed the rune forward with her palm and it transformed into a Portal, wind blowing around the room and messing up all the papers.

Clary grinned, excited. "It worked!"

Tris continued to gape at her. "That's impossible."

 "Obviously, it's not." She looked to Jace, her hair blowing violently due to the wind. "You're thinking of that cabin, right?"

"Yeah, look, just wait a second, okay?"

"Come on, the Portal's about to close. I'm not sure I can open another one." Mindlessly, she started running for the portal, ignoring the pleas of Tris and Jace to stop.

Jace glanced to Tris, who sighed as she watched Clary disappeared. "Should we..." Tris began, looking to Jace. He nodded, grabbing her hand and running towards the portal and inside it. Tris felt herself get pulled tightly and she screwed her eyes shut. Opening them once more, she found herself underwater.

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