Following the salvation of the children, the cabal learns that Black Dog, aided by Red Thunder and a new member of the Iron Hand, Gray Hitchhiker, journeyed into Shadow and murdered Nehjarra. They are somewhat unsettled by the fact that Gray Hitchhiker is a “cured” Banisher. Following the incident, Apas and the other mother take the children away to raise them free of Nehjarra’s influence.
Meanwhile Valkyrie decides to approach Zelda about joining the Chicago branch of the Adamantine Arrow. She is upfront about her plan to build a group to protect Sleepers from supernatural threats. The young mage agrees to a trial run and Valkyrie places her training in the hands of Quick and his cabalmate Frost.
In the coming months, Lealtad continues her preparations and planning to attack Gary and defeat Black Dog for good. Her passion is increased upon learning of the destruction of the Disciples of Nehjarra and the recruiting of Banishers. But Kensai urges caution in attacking while Valkyrie openly questions the Wisdom of this course of action. Lealtad is incensed but holds off on the attacks for now.
Meanwhile Recon’s training is progressing well. Valkyrie assigns him to aid Mammon with watching over the Cryptologies. The Mastigos has him trail and observe members of the Silver Reserve as he suspects another mole exists in the organization. At the same time, Colt and Adele are watching over other Cryptologies. The Knight Protectorate is under Internal Affairs investigation following the attack by the Antediluvian and most are still suffering from the nightmarish event. Colt keeps a close eye on them. Adele meanwhile feels guilty about spying on the priests of the Pillar of Faith.
Also during those months the Guardians of the Veil are noticed watching members of the Mysterium as they investigate the allegations against Babbage. Even Arachne is followed though Colt advises her not to let it worry her.
As Autumn moves to winter a powerful storm blows through the city. The following day, Colt checks on Detective Green as he does most days. He find the detective missing from his apartment. His lingering trail heads down the street and is tinged with Supernal resonances. Suspecting that his friend has Awakened, Colt follows. The trail leads to an alley where it vanishes. ASspace spell was used here but Colt is unable to find out who cast it. He calls Mammon for help.
After hearing the explanation, Mammon teleports to the alleyway. While he scries the far end of the now collapsed portal, Colt returns to Green’s apartment and grabs a picture of his father to use as a potential sympathetic connection. Mammon spies a location on the other side of the city inside a park. There are footprints there from at least 3 individuals. Mammon then reopens the portal stepping through with Colt. Colt quickly identifies Green’s tracks. The others are foreign and one lacks any resonance at all. There are no signs of struggle and it appears they created another portal here. Mammon again spies on the other side, a hospital parking garage. Stepping through again, Mammon feels the bite of Paradox. Colt quickly picks up the trail.
The trail leads to a small shop in Chinatown. The shop is filled with oriental curiosities. In Shadow an Oni stands guard while inside ghosts and spirits are hidden in some of the bottles and jars. The proprietor is an old Chinese lady with the aura of a Sleepwalker. Green’s trail leads into the backroom.
As Colt browses discretely, Mammon steps out and gives Valkyrie a call. He fills her in briefly and tells her to pick up Adele. His text to Adele is short and uninformative. He waits for them to arrive and then reenters the shop attempting to read the shop owner’s mind. He hits unusually strong resistance, likely caused by some hidden magical barrier. So instead he uses magic to appear important and in the guise of a powerful official is graciously led to the backroom.
The backroom is packed with even more odd objects, but the old woman reaches behind a row of jars and pulls a hidden lever. The floor slides back revealing stairs down to a hidden chamber. Inside the cabal finds three female mages questioning the missing detective. Two are recognized by Mammon as Thyia and Number 5, both Guardians of the Veil. Relaxing somewhat, they then notice a fourth mage, unassumingly sitting to one side. When asked, he introduces himself as Mask. He was the auraless mage. The last member of the meeting is called Jade Flower. She was just questioning Detective Green about his recent experiences and invites the others to sit and watch. As the interrogation progresses, Mammon realizes that she is the one in power here. Adele meanwhile discerns that the Guardian is probing for evidence of Banisher sympathies.
After answering her questions, she then asks him for his questions. The group tells him about magic and outlines the major threats: the Seers, the Lie, and the Banishers. They also discuss the groups that make up the Pentacle, each attempting to highlight their own respective Order, except for Colt who expands on each in a positive light. In the end the cabal agrees to allow the Guardians of the Veil to foster the new mage until he chooses an Order. However Colt, who has been carefully watching Green for years, convinces the detective to allow him to introduce him other mages.
As they leave Colt confronts Mask about the poaching of his charge. Oddly, Colt remembers it ending well and convinced of Mask’s sincerity. Mammon and Jade Flower talk amiably on the way out though Jade quietly warns him of a possible threat to his Cryptology.
Worried, he calls Recon for a report. The Arrow mage has noticed two odd things. Jacob Caine hasn’t left his apartment in days and Tom Whitfield has been going to the bank a suspicius number of times recently. Mammon calls Vincent, telling him to investigate the Silver Reserve for any odd business. As the other mages check on their own charges, Mammon calls and warns Athaliah to keep an eye on her own Cryptology, the 9th Circle.
Mammon scries Jacob, finding him lying dead on his back inside the apartment with a pentacle carved onto his forehead. Mammon and Adele investigate remotely. Adele is able to learn that he appears to have died from a heart attack, but that really he was shot in the head and the true cause was covered up magically. The killer covered his tracks well, removing the blood ,destroying the bullet and repairing the bullet hole in the wall. But there is a ghost of a bullet and Adele detects lingering sympathetic connections about it. Mammon scries through the connection, finding a gun lying at the bottom of the Chicago river. But there are no current ties to the gunman. His sympathetic connections must have been cut.
Mammon talks to Arachne and gets her to paint the time of the attack. The resulting picture shows Dr. Ahmed killing his friend. Mammon tries to scry Ahmed but he appears to be warded so the mage begins to ritually cast a scrying spell with Adele’s help.
Meanwhile Recon is trying to track Ahmed. Valkyrie joins him with Zelda in tow (as training). They meet Recon near his apartment where he has armed himself with a rifle to deal with a potentially deadly Banisher. They follow the movements of the doctor to the north end of the city, eventually catching a lead to the home of Sylvia Thorpe, another Silver reserve member. Valkyrie send Recon and Zelda to cover the back while she tries to slip in the front. Sword drawn, she enters.
Mammon and Adele pierce the ward and spy the doctor standing over an uninjured woman’s body. As Dr. Ahmed reacts to the tingle of the scrying and the noise of someone moving into the house, Mammon sends a mental image of the scene to Valkyrie. The doctor flees upstairs while Valkyrie rushes into the room, finding the woman drugged but alive. Valkyrie hears Recon entering from the back of the house, telling Zelda to guard the door.
Mammon astrally projects himself to the doctor's location. He attempts to mess with the mad mage’s mind but finds his resolve too strong. As he works to reduce his mental defenses, Valkyrie and Recon quietly climb the stairs to the Banisher’s hiding place, based on Mammon’s directions. Valkyrie rushes into the room, slashing at him before he can bring his gun to bear on her. Recon follows, also trying to subdue the mad mage. Dr. Ahmed lashes out magically, attempting to break the floor boards. As the floor groans, Mammon fills his mind with images of flames. Valkyrie uses her foe’s distraction to disarm him of his gun, shattering his hand in the process. He attempts to flee out a window from the flames and blows but is too weakened by the pain. Valkyrie telekinetically pins him and Recon knocks him out.
With the Banisher dealt with they quietly leave. But that night Mammon dreams of a amphitheater filled with people in black uniforms and dire voice proclaiming him “the enemy.”