Sorcerer

Based on actual diaries and historical accounts, Sorcerer: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth's Alchemist breaks the barrier between fantasy and historical fiction, recreating a long-hidden real-life world of death, sex, politics and ritual magic.
 
The year is 1584. John Dee, the greatest scholar of his age, has turned from reputable science to forbidden magic. In partnership with a visionary rogue, an ex-nun and a court beauty, he's flees across Europe, dogged by the Inquisition and a relentless assassin.
 
Finally, Dee's magic seems to yield fruit. Angels (or are they demons?) promise to reveal the secret of transmuting lead into gold. There is only one hitch: Dee and his companions must first commit an unforgivable sin.