The Amulet of Samarkand

Nathaniel then goes out to buy the Times, the government’s official newspaper, from a local newspaper boy. The boy takes an interest in Nathaniel, but Nathaniel quickly retreats to the library to read about Arthur’s and Martha’s reported deaths, which the newspaper qualifies as unfortunate consequences of a severe fire. Nathaniel is the suspected arsonist. Seeing their deaths on paper crushes him, but he can’t bring himself to cry. Bartimaeus returns with clothing and food, and later, they discuss what they know about Lovelace; his old master, Schyler; their incessant need for the Amulet; whose power will protect them from something very powerful; and the upcoming conference held by Lovelace’s girlfriend, Amanda. They come to the conclusion that Simon is attempting to overthrow the government and seize power, though Bartimaeus believes that the Resistance was behind the attack on Parliament two days prior, not Simon. Nathaniel summons the imp in his scrying glass and demands that he show him Heddleham Hall, where the conference is meant to be held. With directions to the estate and a vague idea of its defenses, Nathaniel charges Bartimaeus to go there and find a way in—but only after Bartimaeus teaches him how to make a fire for himself.

At dusk, Nathaniel grows impatient while waiting for Bartimaeus and decides to buy the evening edition of the Times. The same paperboy, Stanley, is selling it, but he convinces Nathaniel that he’s run out of copies. He lures him to an alley where his friend Fred has apparently also run out of papers. Nathaniel tries to leave, but they retain him. He gives a false name when prompted, and the boys demand to see his scrying glass, which they presume he’s stolen. Playing along, he hands it over, feigning ignorance of what it does. When the boys claim to know someone who would buy it off him, Nathaniel attempts to backtrack and leave again, but the boys keep the scrying glass with them. They fight, and Nathaniel is quickly incapacitated. He follows them, feeling angry at his own helplessness, and discovers them handing the scrying glass over to a girl. They notice him, and in his hurry to escape them, he knocks himself out. He overhears them judging him as just a simple child before leaving.

When Nathaniel returns to the library, Bartimaeus is there waiting for him. Nathaniel explains what happened and his belief that the children are part of the Resistance. Though he recognizes the girl to be the same one who’d jumped him in an alley, Bartimaeus chooses not to reveal his knowledge of them or their abilities to see magic objects through Concealment spells. After giving him a survey of the extensive defenses at Heddleham Hall, Bartimaeus leads them there by train after stealing two tickets. They devise a plan to disguise themselves as outsiders, either servants or caterers, to enter the grounds. When they arrive at the rail station closest to the estate, they trek to the nearest village for supplies. They are almost discovered by sentries along the road, so they opt to travel in the woods. As they observe the sentries and incoming cars, they discover a gap in their surveillance.

They take shelter in the woods for the night, and Bartimaeus is delighted at Nathaniel’s discomfort. They patiently wait for a viable vehicle that they can take over. They see a man with a ginger beard leave the estate and then decide against using a magician and a butcher. They eventually agree on a grocer, Squalls and Son, for their plan. Bartimaeus leaps into the truck through the driver’s open window and knocks the grocers out. Nathaniel hurries in while Bartimaeus takes on the man’s form. Nathaniel attempts to get changed in the grocer’s son’s clothes before the entry point but fumbles with the trousers. He manages to get a peek at the items they’ll be delivering and clasps on the right trousers before arriving at the estate’s entrance, where the man who’d brought Simon the Amulet waits.

Bartimaeus judges the man to be a mercenary, and the latter questions them over the contents of their truck, which Nathaniel is quick to answer. They are directed to the back of the estate and go over their plan for retrieving the Amulet from Simon and exposing his scheme to the gathered government magicians. When they bring in some of the items from the truck to keep up their charade, Bartimaeus recognizes Faquarl disguised as the kitchen’s chef and refuses to go in. He and Nathaniel decide to let the latter use the grocer disguise to go further into the estate, while Bartimaeus transforms into a lizard to find a different point of entry.

On his next trip to the kitchen, Nathaniel notices a boy about his size being chastised by Faquarl. He waits for the boy to leave the kitchen with a canopy tray before luring him to a cloakroom. There, he knocks out the boy and steals his uniform, haphazardly putting back together the ruined canopies. He walks through the estate to a large library, where he is discovered and berated by Amanda for the state of the canopies. When others demand her attention, Nathaniel scurries away and mingles with the guests. Simon’s friend Lime sees him and thinks he’s familiar, but Nathaniel believes himself safe when he is drawn away. The prime minister arrives, and Simon emerges to welcome him. Mentioning needing to gather props for his presentation, Simon retreats from the gathering, and Nathaniel follows him discreetly.

Simon journeys further into the estate to a small gallery where his old master is waiting for him. Simon tells him that he’s brought him a present—Nathaniel. Discovered, Nathaniel has no choice but to emerge from his hiding place. Simon admits that Lime recognized him. He then confirms his plans to overthrow the prime minister. He confirms with Schyler that the summoning pentacle is ready and that the summoning horn Bartimaeus had seen when he’d stolen the Amulet was in place to be used. He leaves, and Nathaniel is left to confront Schyler alone. The old man believes that Nathaniel needs to be killed, but he first communicates Simon’s proposition: an offer to join them. Nathaniel refuses, and Schyler calls on a black nimbus cloud to attack him.

Bartimaeus has a hard time finding an opening, as all entry points are sealed. From scaling the walls, he discovers an auditorium where he presumes the conference will be, but all the windows have embedded metalwork and spelled defenses. He then sees Lime come in with the summoning horn and concludes that the spells and bars were meant to trap those in the auditorium inside rather than keep infiltrators out. As he tries to find a way inside, he sees the grocer and his son out on the field, with the mercenary hurrying back to the estate. Sensing trouble, Bartimaeus becomes a blackbird and sets off a Detonation spell at them. He fights with the mercenary, scaring away the grocer and his son. Just as he pins the mercenary under a statue, Nathaniel summons him.

Nathaniel evades Schyler’s attacks long enough to collect some of the magic artifacts in the gallery, Prague Cubes, mite-powered devices usually used by charlatans. As Schyler chases him and sets off plasm blasts to kill him, Nathaniel distracts him and sneaks up behind him. He releases three cubes at the same time, and the combined explosion hits Schyler and sends him flying across the gallery, crashing headfirst into the door. He dies on impact, leaving Nathaniel mildly shaken for having killed a man. The room beyond the door holds a pentacle, and Nathaniel pieces together Simon’s intent to summon a great spirit to kill all the magicians gathered. He uses the pentacle to summon Bartimaeus, and, knowing that time is short, the djinni carries him to the auditorium. The mercenary tries to stop him from entering, but Nathaniel slips in with Bartimaeus all the same.

Amanda is giving a speech to the attendees before handing off the podium to Simon. Nathaniel attempts to reach the prime minister while he gives his speech, but he is blocked by Jessica Whitwell and her Stricture spell, which effectively keeps everyone from hearing him or Bartimaeus. As Bartimaeus looks for a weak point in the spell, Nathaniel notices attendants uncover a huge summoning pentacle under the glass flooring while the magicians are concentrated on Simon. He and Bartimaeus then watch helplessly as Simon blows the summoning horn. The magicians begin to panic, and a rift in space emerges. All the magicians’ spells and attacks from their bound spirits are diverted and twisted by the portal or absorbed by the Amulet around Simon’s neck. As the rift grows, more of the room becomes altered, and chaos ensues.

The rift disrupts all the planes of perception as it opens, and an arm comes through. No spells are effective against it, and not even Bartimaeus knows what the being is—only that it must come from the Other Place, where all spirits live, bringing the chaos of that plane with it. More of the being’s body comes through, and Nathaniel is rattled, but Bartimaeus reminds him of their purpose: to get the Amulet and reverse the summons. Simon directs the creature, Ramuthra, to destroy everyone but him in the room. Bartimaeus becomes a fly and distracts Simon as Nathaniel lunges for him and the Amulet.

Before Nathaniel has the chance to secure it, Simon summons Jabor to deal with them. He then uses the horn to direct Ramuthra to kill Nathaniel. Bartimaeus fights Jabor, and amid their squabble, the rift’s pull catches Jabor mid-attack, killing him. Ramuthra closes in on Nathaniel, who taunts Simon with the death of his old master. Amanda launches herself at Simon, accusing him of treachery. Nathaniel uses the distraction to successfully take the Amulet away from Simon. When Simon tries to direct Ramuthra to take Amanda first, Ramuthra denies him because Amanda is in fact Bartimaeus in disguise, and Ramuthra does not need to follow the order because of Simon’s wording. Bartimaeus, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to steal the summoning horn from Simon. Ramuthra then captures Simon and ingests him.

Now faced with having to dispel the creature, Bartimaeus despairs, as the other magicians are not fit to help. Nathaniel, however, claims that he can do it alone, and though he doubts him, Bartimaeus has no other choice but to trust him. Anxious and panicked, Nathaniel uses the memory of the Underwoods’ garden to center himself and successfully dispels Ramuthra. With the creature gone, he walks solemnly to the prime minister and hands over the Amulet.

Keeping hidden so as to not be identified as the rogue djinni who escaped the Tower of London, Bartimaeus watches as Nathaniel is questioned by investigators. The boy doles out a doctored version of the events that makes Arthur and Martha out to be heroes and him only a humble apprentice with noble intentions.

Nathaniel is given a new master, Jessica Whitwell, and is assigned to stay with her for the remainder of his training. He is pleased with his new circumstances and his new designation as a hero. Bartimaeus is quick to correct him, however, as the whole affair at Heddleham Hall has been covered up. He then asks Nathaniel once again to be let go. Nathaniel, however, hesitates since Bartimaeus still knows his birth name. Though Bartimaeus vows not to use the knowledge against him, he only convinces him to free him by threatening to tell his new master the real version of events. Nathaniel draws the pentacle with all the necessary annulments of his previous spells. Before Nathaniel releases him, Bartimaeus advises him to summon Faquarl in the future if he’s looking to have someone under his thumb. He also warns him against letting his initiative be crushed by other magicians and guarding his conscience against them, too. Then, Nathaniel releases him, and Bartimaeus disappears, leaving a pungent smell of brimstone to remember him by.