Important: Please read

Honestly, I hate author notes. Nonetheless, there is a good reason for this. Next week, I'll be in Spokane, Washington, doing a 12 km (7.46 mile) run. Therefore, I won't be able to update in the beginning of each month as I normally try to.

I'd like to take some time to address some anonymous reviews from Bella:

"…and more Jace humor." Seriously, if you've read 'City of Fallen Angels', you know that he doesn't spend all his time being sarcastic to the world. I'll have you understand that Jace feels responsible for the death of his parabatai, who he happens to be closer to than one with their best friend. So if you were in a car collision, and some drunk driver killed your best friend, are you telling me that you wouldn't feel Survivor's Guilt and you'd be completely unaffected? 'Cause if that's you, Bella, kudos.

Jace was snarky in this story; I didn't specify, "…he said sarcastically," but it was definitely implied.

"More action would be nice." So having Jace leave and finding out he killed his brother in the prologue; a fight between Clary and Isabelle in the first chapter; Jace finding parts of his past in the second; Clary Portalling into Idris; cliffhanger in four; a fight in five; another cliffhanger in six; and an order to kill Simon – who happens to be invincible, with the Mark of Cain and all that jazz, you're telling me that this lacks action? I'm curious: What do you call the stories where people run around, crying, and being emo?

To everyone who reviewed: Thank you. Your support was probably one of the only things that kept me from scrapping this story. It was originally going to be longer, but there's been a huge influx of people writing fics about what happens after 'City of Fallen Angels' and I wrote this before it was ever published. So when everybody was angry at Jace being the antagonist, look at that! I was right. I like to always be one step ahead of everybody else, so I'll probably finish this soon.

Here's an excerpt of the next chapter:

They stared at her, astounded. "Are you out of your mind? How the hell are we supposed to kill Simon? No dice," Clary retorted furiously. "You know what happened to Lilith. We have no chance, and I'd never murder my best friend."

The Queen regarded her coolly, amusement glittering in the depths of her leaf-green eyes as she watched them trapped by her deal, their butterfly wings flapping feebly while she mercilessly drove a stick into their bodies. "Is that your final answer, then? Once you decline my offer, it will never come again."

Isabelle opened her mouth, defiance against the Seelie Queen evident in the set of her jaw. But Jace beat her to it. "No. We need some time to confer before making a decision."

The two female Shadowhunters stared at him in rage and disbelief. "You're joking," Clary intoned bleakly. "You'd kill a living person to trace a glamour that would only lead us on a wild goose chase? You'd do this for a dead person?"

Softly, Isabelle spoke with absolute conviction, "Jace… I know Simon doesn't mean nearly as much to you as Alec did, but I doubt Alec would want you to kill some innocent person for him."

With the light extinguished in his eyes, Isabelle thought Jace had come to his senses, and would draw the line at homicide, but she was disappointed. "He's not a person."

The words seemed to bury themselves into Isabelle's chest, before groping for her heart and tearing it out, dropping it on the floor and grinding it beneath a heel of a boot. Distantly, she remembered the words she had said to Simon once: My mom didn't tell me who she was. She just told me you couldn't really trust men.

Let me know your thoughts? I know there's nothing to review, but feedback, any feedback at all would be so important to me.