As Salt City's only alchemist, Malcolm Ward has been minding his own business for the last ten years. His shop, The Village Alchemist, caters to mages, mystics, and magic wannabes--including Tommy DeLuce, the mayor's son. But when a fire elemental kills Tommy, the city council demands that Mal investigate. The trail from the fire elemental to Tommy isn't exactly a straight line; it's more like a circle. An elemental means alchemy, but everyone assumed Mal was the only alchemist in town. Now he's taking it personally. Malcolm's alchemical mojo is a bit rusty, so he'll need help from his friends in the metaphysical community to uncover the truth about Tommy's death. And he needs to do it soon, before more customers go missing.