At the age of ten, Nathaniel is presented to a gathering of magicians including the formidable Simon Lovelace, who dismisses Nathaniel's obvious talents and humiliates him. Nathaniel's attempt at revenge by setting a fleet of mites upon Lovelace prompts a beating by the guest and two weeks solitary confinement in his room by his master; upon release, he discovers his favorite teacher Ms. Lutyens who tried to protect him from the beating has been fired. Embittered toward Underwood, Nathaniel studies advanced magic in secret and plots revenge on Lovelace. Through a rudimentary scrying glass, Nathaniel sees Lovelace receive a package from a bearded mercenary, the powerful Amulet of Samarkand.