To those who have been reading since the beginning, I cannot thank you enough. This project is going on 9 years in the making which seems so completely, entirely impossible. To any of you who started following this back in 2011, I am so so so sorry this has been so slow in coming. But I want you all to know, new readers and old, I will be finishing this. I promise.

Alec's plan wasn't working. But he felt that he could also argue that it wasn't not working, either. It had been three days since Sebastian had attacked Izzy and the wards around Alicante were intact. There was very little to show that not everything was as it should be other than the occasional patrols that swept by their hideout and even those were growing less frequent.

After some slap-dash packing, he and Izzy had left the Penhallow's house in the dead of night, fully aware that leaving as they did would only make the Clave suspicious that they had been the ones to free Jaci from the Gard and make them targets from both sides but so be it. It was, after all, better this way, Alec told himself. News would undoubtedly get back to Valentine about the four of them running off and better to have him thinking they were running from the Clave and not attempting to lay a trap for him.

The rusty old woodshed they had found in the woods served as an ideal hideout. It seemed largely forgotten and they'd had to force the door but with a little glamour and a perimeter of runes to prevent them from being tracked, they had managed to make a reliable shelter.

He glanced over at where his sister sat. It was evening, the last patrol had already headed back toward the city so they were taking the opportunity to be out in the open. Isabelle had her back to him, facing towards the city. She seemed to be looking at the demon towers but Alec had often seen her like that, appearing to be watching the city but truly deep in her own thoughts.

And who could blame her? After what had happened, after what Sebastian had tried… Rage bubbled up within him and he bit it back. Sebastian was not his to kill.

"I wish he hadn't done it," Isabelle said, breaking a day's-long silence.

Alec said nothing, she didn't seem to be wanting a response.

"If he hadn't," she continued, raising her gaze to the first stars appearing over the city, "we wouldn't be out here. We would be able to watch him closer."

Alec got to his feet and moved to sit beside her. "Maybe that's why he did it. Maybe it was a plan to get us to leave… it did seem awfully direct for him."

Isabelle nodded slowly. "I should check the book."

"I can go get it for you," Alec offered, knowing she was referencing the glamoured City of Glass book Jace had left them in charge of. "Is it in your bag?"

His sister froze for a moment and suddenly sprang to her feet. "Wasn't it in yours?"

She stared at him wildly and Alec felt as though his heart had forgotten how to beat.

If she didn't have it, and he didn't have it, then it only stood to reason that somehow they had managed to leave it behind…

They both turned to stare at the city rising steeply from the valley floor, the demon towers standing watch, gleaming with the last hint of the day, like the teeth of some great beast waiting to swallow the city whole.

"That fucker has our book," Izzy hissed, reflexively uncoiling her whip.

"Jaci was very careful with her glamour. He can't read it."

"It's not a permanent glamour. There's no such thing as a permanent glamour…"

If Sebastian had the book, then he had the blueprint they had based all their half-baked plans on. If Sebastian had the book, he would know in broad strokes how the Clave would respond, how he, Izzy, and Jace would respond. He would know how Valentine – and himself – would be defeated. And he would now be able to prepare to avoid that outcome.