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Summer Court

Elaine Lilian Mallory is a human witch. She first appears in Summer Knight.

Description[]

Elaine Mallory and Harry Dresden were both adopted and apprenticed to Justin DuMorne, who, unknown to them, was secretly training them to be his weapons—dark wizards. She has golden-brown hair.[1]

In Fool Moon, Harry Dresden saw her in his dream as he remembers her. Eighteen, tall with gawky coltish legs and arms. She wore a pair of his jeans cut off, t-shirt tied off, a pentacle amulet identical to his. Dresden thinks she's beautiful and poisonous as a snake.[2]

In White Night, he describes her as pale like the healthy skin of a tree beneath its outer bark. Her face was intensely and intriguingly attractive. She had wide intelligent eyes over an expressive and generous mouth, a slim build, long legs and arms. She wore a simple pair of jeans with a black Aerosmith t-shirt. Her hair was wheat-colored. — Mallory was the first woman he ever "everythinged".[3]

Mallory is nearly as strong as Dresden but has a finer handle on delicate magic and wards. She can also use reiki[Footnote 1] to heal small injuries.[4]

Gallery[]

Biography[]

Mallory is an orphan. When she was ten years old, she was adopted by wizard Justin DuMorne, who took her as his apprentice.[1] DuMorne had already done this with another orphaned wizard of the same age, Harry Dresden.[5]

During their apprenticeship, she and Dresden became very close, eventually becoming Dresden's girlfriend. They Soulgazed during their first night together. DuMorne had begun dabbling in Black Magic, and brought his sights upon Mallory first, as she was magically weaker, about a week before he attempted to enthrall Dresden, and completely subjugating her to his will.[6] Mallory later helped DuMorne in his battle with Dresden, slapping a binding on him during the fighting. After Dresden defeated DuMorne, Dresden scoured the earth with the assistance of spirits never finding her, and assumed her dead.[7]

In truth, Mallory escaped during the last few minutes of their battle, when DuMorne's attention and power was focused elsewhere, allowing her to break the enthrallment spell. She sought sanctuary with Aurora, the Lady of the Summer Court. She resided in the Nevernever until called upon by Aurora in repayment for her shelter, to act as an emissary for the Summer Court in the matter of the death of Ronald Reuel, the Summer Knight.[7]

Magic[]

Mallory owns a number of foci:

  • Chain - A chain that stores electricity, allowing it to be used like a Taser. It can be recharged by lightning, or from a wall outlet.[11]
  • Ring - A ring very similar to Harry Dresden's original energy ring, storing random short-term memories rather than kinetic energy. These memories can be used to induce hallucinations on an attacker, disorienting them.[12]
  • Thorn wand - a carved wooden wand which looks like a very large thorn. It functions similarly to Dresden's blasting rod, using lightning in place of fire.[10]
  • Coppery bracelets - Mallory wore half a dozen of them. They glint with golden energy and grant her hyper awareness. allowing her to sense a threat before it happens.[13]
  • Pentacle amulet - identical to Dresden's.[2]

In the series[]

"Welcome to the Jungle"[]

In "Welcome to the Jungle", Mallory is in Harry Dresden's memory of the fight he had with Justin DuMorne.[14]

Fool Moon[]

In Fool Moon, in a dream, Harry Dresden recalls her as a poisonous snake and closes himself from remembering the image of her in her circle chanting the spell that held him down while Justin DuMorne tried to force him to drink blood, to enthrall him. Dresden's dream-self tries to convince Harry that she is still alive and that he needs to forgive himself for her fall.[2]

Summer Knight[]

In Summer Knight, Elaine Mallory is indeed alive.[1] She explains that she was enthralled by Justin DuMorne and begs for Harry Dresden's help as she ends up as emissary for Aurora, the Summer Lady.[7]

Blood Rites[]

In Blood Rites, Elaine Mallory is mentioned as having been reduced to a fine thrall by Justin DuMorne.[6]

White Night[]

In White Night, Elaine Mallory has opened her own PI business, and is also in the phonebook under 'wizard'. She is hired by the Ordo Lebes, whose members are being targeted and killed.[15] One of Harry Dresden's friends, and a warden, Carlos Ramirez comments on this.[16] Mallory and Dresden track missing practitioners,[11] then she fights ghouls on Thomas Raith's boat, the Water Beetle trying to help targeted practitioners escape Madrigal Raith's attack.[8][17] Mallory heals Dresden after the ghoul attack using Reiki, for about eight hours.[4]

Later, Dresden communicates to Mallory mind to mind, awaking her from The Skavis psychic attack.[18] Mallory shows how strong she is by nearly killing the heir of House Skavis who'd attempted to force her to commit suicide.[9] At the end, Mallory agrees to help expand the Ordo Lebes, and to build a network and hotline to help practitioners help themselves against supernatural threats.[19]

"Wild Card"[]

In "Wild Card", Elaine Mallory is the reason why Harry Dresden invokes the Leanansidhe to obtain enough power to fight Justin DuMorne.[20]

Ghost Story[]

In Ghost Story, Harry Dresden's ghost was overwhelmed by a flood of memories of Mallory when they were kids, including their first kiss, as well as the guilt of not protecting her from Justin DuMorne.[21] While sheltering from the sun in his grave, Dresden recalls the day he came home early from school worried about her, finding her enthralled, though he didn't know at the time what he was seeing.[22]

Word of Jim[]

At a signing in 2010, Jim Butcher stated that Justin DuMorne thought Mallory might be a Starborn, like Harry Dresden.[23]

Notes[]

References[]

See also[]

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