First Strike characters

Also known as Matt, Matthew

Appears from the start

An independent wizard recovering from the Ohio portal crisis and a dagger wound that may have been poisoned. He leads his unusual household north under a public cover name while trying to prevent further exposure.

Appears from the start

Kazimir's speaking dog, tracker, and protector. His impulses can compromise the group's secrecy, but the same instincts helped him fight a dragon, and Macarius regards him as a fellow warrior.

Appears from the start

A time-displaced warrior allied with Kazimir and adapting to modern life after the Ohio crisis. She is physically recovered enough to travel north with the household.

Appears from the start

An ancient Egyptian knight displaced into the present and committed to protecting Kazimir's group. He is especially watchful of Gisele and treats Duke as a proven comrade after the dragon fight.

Also known as Mr. Boots

Appears from the start

A speaking, three-toed feline from the Nether who remains with Kazimir's household under shared rules. He stays because Kazimir may offer his people a path to help.

Appears from the start

A field operative and Kazimir's tactical partner. He manages the household's security after its public exposure and helps move the group north without attracting further attention.

Appears from the start

A field operative, planner, and marksman who helps move Kazimir's exposed household to safety. She combines practical security work with a willingness to challenge risky decisions.

Also known as Isabel

First appears in chapter 5

The field operative whose real name is disclosed after she has been working under Isabel as her field identity.

Appears from the start

An ancient wizard spirit sharing Duke's body. He is distinct from Duke but cannot presently communicate, though Duke can sense that he remains there and is angry.

Also known as Aunt Sarah

Appears from the start

Kazimir's deceased guardian and teacher. Her history and her connection to the conflict surrounding Kazimir remain concealed from him by people who know more than they disclose.

Also known as Agent Singer, Special Agent Singer

First appears in chapter 2

A federal agent who serves as Kazimir's off-books investigative contact. She pursues the hidden buyers of magical artifacts and knows that Kazimir returned the dragon to the Nether alive.

First appears in chapter 3

A jinn and an adviser on Nether magic. An unexpected surge lets him summon a young demon into a vacuum cleaner, but he cannot send it back.

First appears in chapter 3

A young demon summoned through an abnormal pulse of Nether energy and housed in a vacuum cleaner. It owes Azib a favor and promises not to harm the household, although even Azib does not fully trust it.

First appears in chapter 5

An inner-circle operative of the order and Andre's cousin. He uses a magical astrolabe to locate Kazimir, ignores reporting protocol, and takes Isabel hostage as leverage.

First appears in chapter 5

Darius's cousin and a more reluctant operative of the order. He participates in the unauthorized attempt to capture Kazimir and helps hold Isabel at gunpoint.

First appears in chapter 8

A dangerous being in the Nether whom Kazimir suspects may still exert influence if the Ohio portal has a lingering problem. He considers Apophis a possible cause of the unexplained attacks on electrical infrastructure.

First appears in chapter 17

An armored, crocodile-like creature from the Nether that crosses the portal as Apophis's instrument. It projects fire and pins Kazimir while trying to keep him alive for Apophis.

First appears in chapter 9

The concealed leader of the organization employing Mike and Isabel. She receives Kazimir's request for information about an earlier wizard and fears that dangerous magic can corrupt even an unwilling user.

First appears in chapter 9

The codename of an earlier wizard connected to Mike and Isabel's organization. His undisclosed history with dangerous magic is the cautionary precedent behind Annie's distrust of wizardly power.

First appears in chapter 12

A dead, time-displaced assassin whose body enters an official investigation. Kazimir identifies him as a sixth-century enemy sent to kill Merlin who instead pursued Kazimir.

First appears in chapter 23

Michelle Singer's murdered aunt. She was killed after witnessing the son of a Grasso boss commit a fatal hit-and-run, giving Kazimir a personal pressure point against the family's criminal network.

First appears in chapter 23

An imprisoned Grasso associate abandoned by the family and separated from his wife. He has an alibi for Marsha Thomas's murder and may possess access to evidence kept by the family's accountant.

First appears in chapter 26

A fentanyl dealer and Grasso contractor identified as Marsha Thomas's killer. Kazimir's team locates him through his girlfriend's social media and observes him abusing her.

First appears in chapter 26

Tommy O'Connor's girlfriend and a waitress. Her public social-media activity helps the group locate him, and they witness him physically abusing her before they move against him.

First appears in chapter 30

An on-call tow-truck driver who encounters Kazimir after the road ambush. Seeing him blind, injured, and emerging from a flooded area, Randy calls him Swamp Guy.