As the summer wears on Valkyrie is actively seeking new recruits for the Arrow. Quick has a possible candidate, a detective who has been acting weird lately and who is involved with either a Guardian Labyrinth or a Silver Ladder Cryptology. It seems Detective Green may be close to Awakening or at least becoming a Sleepwalker. Colt as a famulus in the order is aware of this and has been watching his progress in the Cryptology called the Knights Protectorate. He decides to talk to the troubled police officer, buying him a drink at a bar one night and offering to talk to him about the strange stuff he has been encountering.
Mammon meanwhile has been busy running parts of the Silver Reserve. He also learns the dire cost of his deal with the Old One, that his mother was given up for adoption as a child. She never knew her parents. Though he feels guilty for his actions, he informs Athaliah about Great Fire Spirit’s infernal connections.
In July, Brother Thought dies after a long battle with Paradox induced cancer. Adele is intrigued that the deceased Libertine may have left a ghost and goes searching for it. At the Anchorite sanctum she finds Pythia and convinces her to let her in. They discuss her late cabalmate. From her she learns his real name, Jeremy Barnes, and is able to use the small cell he lived the final years of his life in to gain a sympathetic connection. Unfortunately she is unable to find anything, either ethereal or in Shadow. Later, she asks Mammon to scry for a leftover thought form or mental projection but he finds nothing as well.
The funeral is a somber affair, with only a few members of the Concilium in attendance. Colt and Valkyrie provide security for the Council, scouting for Seer trouble. Zio uses the opportunity to talk to Mammon, indicating he has something important to tell him. Reluctant to discuss it at the funeral, he agrees to meet the cabal at their sanctum in a few days. Meanwhile Binary talks to Colt about his thoughts on Thought’s final fate, whether he is dead or a disembodied intelligence. As the conversation moves on the Underworld and other somber matters, Binary begins to think that death magic could open the doors to many secrets.
After the funeral there is a council meeting, which the rest of the cabal decides to attend. The Council focuses purely on old matters and disallows any new issues from being brought up. The major issues are the trouble in Gary, sorting out the ley lines, and the Chthonic Road’s upcoming expedition.
The discussion of Gary focuses on the plans to unseat Black Dog. There seems to be disturbing news coming from the small Concilium. Paradoxes are on the rise and the Disciples of Nehjarra seem to have turned a Mysterium spy from Arizona, Kore, to their beliefs. The Council however has no interest in getting involved.
The issue with the ley lines is progressing well. Athaliah is working with Ezekiel and Dearborn to build a plan to better align them, undoing the routing that sends all of the dark energies of the city south. Instead they plan to send lesser amounts into all of the areas surrounding the city. Councilor Babbage however is against any plan to rearrange the city’s geomantic forces. The Council is working to provide the White Passage with funds to make the necessary improvements to the city's magical infrastructure. It seems the Silver Ladder’s Cryptologies will help with the fund raising.
Meanwhile the Chthonic Road will be descending into the Underworld to learn more about the Antediluvian in a few days.
A couple days later Zio meets with the cabal. He tells them that he spotted Councilor Babbage leaving the Sears Tower, which is the territory of the Seers of the Throne. Using the Time Arcanum, he confirmed that the aged Mystagogue had visited several times in the past, including right before earthquake last year. While the cabal debates what to do, Mammon assures Zio he will pass this on to the right people. After Zio leaves, Colt posits tracking Babbage and Adele mentions asking Midas. Mammon decides to give the information to Athaliah. Later she tells him that she has sent it on to her contacts in the Guardians of the Veil.
A few days later, the perimeter alarm spell triggers at Adele’s parents’ home. When she scrys the intruder, she sees her real mother, the White Lady, talking with her parents. As she hurries home, she gets a call from her mom explain that her birth mother is there and wants to meet her. Adele gives Colt a call informing him about the situation and then heads to meet her mother. At home, she finds her parents having tea with the White Lady, who calls herself Gwendolyn Kiria. After a little bit, the woman asks for a private chat with her daughter.
Adele’s birth mother apologizes for abandoning her and explains she never wanted to hurt her. She explains that she had to leave her behind so that the Dark Man would hurt Adele to get at her. She explains her past and how she was offered a deal by the Circle of Four. In exchange for defending their prison for the Supernal force beneath the city and stopping the Dark Man she would be gifted with a child, something impossible to their kind. She also tells her that the Dark Man is a former servant of Nehjarra who, with the Antediluvian, keeps Algol imprisoned.
Adel and her mother return to the sanctum along with Colt. They invite the others over quickly. Gwen seems gracious to Colt though a bit hesitant around Mammon. They discuss the details of the pact and what little Gwen knows about the Circle of Four. It seems they were very powerful but died out a long time ago. Somehow, they imprisoned a fallen god beneath the city and bound guardians to defend it. They could cast messages across time but were unable to stop the Dark Man directly. Gwen is more able to aid them with the Great Fire Spirit. She knows where it was summoned and is willing to lead them there.
Discussion moves to the idea of reversing the Chicago river and thereby gaining an ally in the form of the Gray Lady. This, however, is a huge project. The cabal decides to have the White Passage examine it anyway and find out the ramifications for the ley lines.
They contact Zio and Arachne and ask them to help with the search for the Dark Man and the meteorite. Colt alerts Eric Tenscars to their actions and arranges a meeting sometime later. The White Lady leads the mages to the summoning site in Shadow. The area is a bleeding wound where spirits of fire and violence caper about. Arachne peers into the past and paints a scene of the Dark Man holding up a meteor and conjuring a huge demon of fire: the Great Fire Spirit. Zio is able to replicate the aura of the meteor but points out that the Dark Man left with the it after the summoning.
With the trail gone cold, the cabal breaks up for the day. Late that night however, there is a frantic knocking at the door. Colt answers it as Adele wakes up. It is Lindenbrock, who claims her cabal is trapped in the Underworld being chased by the Antediluvian. Colt calls Mammon and grabs his shotgun. Adele joins the two in the backyard and opens the Underworld gate for Lindenbrock. Her cabal stumbles out in a rush and Virgil destroys the gateway behind them. But the Antediluvian will eventually escape somewhere in the city.