Plot summary
Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, accepted the case from Monica Sells. Her husband, Victor, a man obsessed with the occult, had been acting increasingly erratic, his once-gentle demeanor replaced with a chilling paranoia. As Harry was putting the details into his grimoire, a call from Lieutenant Karrin Murphy, his unlikely ally in the Chicago Police Department, sent a shiver down his spine.
Murphy's partner, the always-stoic Sergeant Thomas, relayed a grim story. Two bodies, their hearts ripped out, a chillingly obvious display of magical power. The victims were seemingly random, but the connection to the supernatural was undeniable. Harry, knowing the White Council, the governing body of wizards, would instantly see him as the prime suspect, realized the danger of this situation.
His investigation took him into the dark underbelly of Chicago’s supernatural scene: a lair of vampires, seeking a cure for their thirst; a shadowy warlock, manipulating forces beyond human comprehension; and the ever-watchful Warden Morgan, a powerful member of the White Council, who, unbeknownst to Dresden, had received whispers of the murders.
As Harry dug deeper, he uncovered the truth: a potent drug called ThreeEye, a concoction that granted mortals temporary access to Wizard Sight, but with a devastatingly addictive and mind-shattering side effect. He learned that Victor Sells was the mastermind behind this dangerous operation, creating ThreeEye to gain an edge over Johnny Marcone, Chicago’s ruthless mob boss.
The man Harry had known as a harmless, if eccentric, collector of arcane artifacts, had become consumed by his own power. He had abandoned his humanity, using the energy of thunderous storms and the orgiastic rituals held at his mansion to fuel his magic, turning his home into a breeding ground for dark forces. Sells had transformed into a ruthless manipulator, his victims not just Marcone’s men, but anyone who threatened his operation, including Monica's own sister. His latest target: Harry himself, for investigating too deeply.
The burning mansion, filled with the smell of sulfur and the roar of flames. Harry, armed with his magic and a grim determination, interrupted Victor's spellcasting, the air filled with the crackle of raw power. A fierce battle ensued, Sells summoning a demonic creature and monstrous scorpions to fight Harry, who himself was pushed to his limits. Harry managed to burn down the mansion, Victor trapped inside, struggling against the infernal forces he'd conjured.
Though he walked away from the inferno with his life, Harry found himself trapped on the balcony of the burning house, his escape seemingly impossible. It was Warden Morgan, witnessing the fight from afar, who recognized Harry's innocence and, with reluctant understanding, intervened. Morgan's testimony before the White Council, acknowledging Harry's guiltlessness, finally lifted the death sentence that had hung over him since his teenage years, a lingering consequence of a past misstep. Harry had survived another night, but the experience left its mark. He had seen the darkness that lurked within, the danger that arose when even a seemingly good man like Victor Sells strayed too far from the light. And he knew, with a chilling certainty, that the fight against the forces that threatened the world was far from over.
