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Prologue

Simon stood and stared numbly at the front door of his house

He'd never known another hoht hirown up within the walls of the Brooklyn row house He'd played on the street under the leafy shade of the trees in the sue can lids in the winter In this house his family had sat shivah after his father had died Here he had kissed Clary for the first time

He had never iined a day when the door of the house would be closed to him The last time he had seen his mother, she had called hio away He had lala in front of hih

The door was covered with signs-Stars of David splashed on in paint, the incised shape of the symbol for Chai, life Tefillin were bound to the doorknob and knocker A hamsa, the Hand of God, covered the peephole

Nuht side of the doorway He saw the smoke rise from the place where his hand touched the holy object, but he felt nothing No pain Only a terrible ee

He kicked the bottoh the house "Mom!" he shouted "Mom, it's me!"

There was no reply-only the sound of the bolts being turned on the door His sensitized hearing had recognized hisHe could sh the wood "Mom!" His voice broke "Mom, this is ridiculous! Let me in! It's me, Simon!"

The door juddered, as if she had kicked it "Go away!" Her voice was rough, unrecognizable with terror "Murderer!"

"I don't kill people" Siainst the door He knew he could probably kick it down, but ould be the point? "I told you I drink animal blood"

"You killed my son," she said "You killed him and put a monster in his place"

"I am your son-"

"You wear his face and speak with his voice, but you are not him! You're not Simon!" Her voice rose to almost a scream "Get away from my house before I kill you, monster!"

"Becky," he said His face et; he put his hands up to touch it, and they came away stained: His tears were bloody "What have you told Becky?"

"Stay away fro fro had been knocked over

"Moain, but this time his voice wouldn't rise It caun to throb "I need to know-is Becky there? Mom, open the door Please-"

"Stay away fro away from the door; he could hear it Then ca open, the creak of the linoleu opened Suddenly he i for one of the knives

Before I kill you, monster

The thought rocked him back on his heels If she struck out at him, the Mark would rise It would destroy her as it had destroyed Lilith

He dropped his hand and backed up slowly, stuainst the trunk of one of the big trees that shaded the block He stood where he was, staring at the front door of his house, ured with the symbols of his mother's hate for him

No, he reht he was dead What she hated was so that didn't exist I am not what she says I am

He didn't kno long he would have stood there, staring, if his phone hadn't begun to ring, vibrating his coat pocket

He reached for it reflexively, noticing that the pattern from the front of the mezuzah-interlocked Stars of David-was burned into the palm of his hand He switched hands and put the phone to his ear "Hello?"

"Simon?" It was Clary She sounded breathless "Where are you?"

"Home," he said, and paused "My mother's house," he amended His voice sounded hollow and distant to his own ears "Why aren't you back at the Institute? Is everyone all right?"

"That's just it," she said "Just after you left, Maryse came back down fro There was no one there"

Si it, like aup the street, toward the subway station "What do you mean, there was no one there?"

"Jace was gone," she said, and he could hear the strain in her voice "And so was Sebastian"

Simon stopped in the shadow of a bare-branched tree "But Sebastian was dead He's dead, Clary-"

"Then you tell me why his body isn't there, because it isn't," she said, her voice finally breaking "There's nothing up there but a lot of blood and broken glass They're both gone, Sione"

Chapter 1 : The Last Council

Part One

No Evil Angel