a final daring raid on the tomb of William Gladstone, but inadvertently releases Honorius, a powerful afrit. Trapped inside Gladstone’s bones and driven mad, Honorius kills the grave-robbers; Kitty escapes with Gladstone’s staff, and Honorius vows to hunt her down. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are sent to Prague, where the last-known golem appeared over a century ago. They find Kavka, the magician who created the golem with the aid of a high-ranking mole in the British government. Nathaniel promises Kavka, whose children are being held in a British prison, that his family will be freed if he helps unmask the traitor. A bearded mercenary – whom Nathaniel and Bartimaeus faced before – arrives, demanding the enchanted parchment to animate the golem. In the ensuing struggle, the parchment is destroyed, leaving no proof of the golem. Nathaniel returns to find London in panic at Honorius’ rampage. Nathaniel discovers Kitty’s involvement, but she evades him. Bartimaeus forces Honorius into the Thames, seemingly defeating him. The magician Quentin Makepeace meets Nathaniel in secret with information on the Resistance. Bartimaeus captures Jakob to lure Kitty into a sting, but she is attacked by the Night Police werewolves. Nathaniel sends Bartimaeus to Kitty’s rescue and is arrested. Abandoned by his superiors, he makes a desperate appeal to the Prime Minister. Laying low, Bartimaeus and Kitty debate their shared oppression by magicians. Bartimaeus, in the form of his favorite master Ptolemy, details the rise and fall of magical empires that history seems doomed to repeat, forever enslaving spirits to magicians; Kitty is struck by the similarity in magicians’ treatment of commoners. Released by the Prime Minister, Nathaniel brings Jakob to Kitty and offers freedom in exchange for Gladstone’s staff. Honorius reappears but is distracted by the arrival of the golem. Honorius is destroyed, and Nathaniel manages to unlock the staff’s power but is knocked unconscious. Kitty risks her life to remove the animating parchment, immobilizing the golem. Bartimaeus allows Kitty and Jakob to escape and tells Nathaniel that Kitty was incinerated by the golem, sacrificing herself to save him. As its spell dissipates, the crumbling golem returns to its master, Duvall, who is arrested. Though doubtful Duvall acted alone, Nathaniel finds his investigation at a close. Before he releases Bartimaeus, the djinn finally calls him "John Mandrake,” which Nathaniel accepts as a sign of respect; Bartimaeus meant to signify the innocent, honorable Nathaniel’s full transformation into the