I am not Jonathan Stroud, if I were I would have ended the series much differently, and I do not own his characters, you all know who they are.
It's been four months since Nathaniel and Bartimaues defeated Nouda, and in that time, most have accepted that they're dead. But a seventeen-year-old magician who's known to the world as Jason Todd refuses to accept it. He's willing to place his career and maybe even his life and his sanity on the line all just to find Nathaniel. But he can't do it alone, so he'll call on trusted friends and seedy contacts and with the help of a certain feisty commoner and a djinn with an ego that's larger then London he'll go head to head with forces bigger then any that they ever dared to dream of.
"Because I don't think he's dead that's why." The young magician said pacing in his office. He was in parliament, in the Head of Internal Affairs office, and he was speaking to his two djinn servants, one in the guise of a beautiful young woman wearing a black dress sitting on his expensive couch, the other standing by the doorway in the guise of a muscular jackal headed man wearing Egyptian armor with his arms crossed over his chest.
"But Jason-" The young woman began before the magician interrupted her
"How many times do I have to tell you Morrigan? We are in perfect privacy and no one can hear us. Call me Arthur."
Morrigan smiled, she couldn't help it. She had been in service to many masters through out her long, very long, life. Yet not one of them had entrusted her with their birth name. Until Arthur however, he had said that it was a minor thing giving it to someone he trusted. That was what she loved about him, he trusted her. That and unlike most magicians he had a very well muscled body, barely any fat at all, and with his strong magical resistance he was more then able to take care of himself against all but afrit class djinn.
"Arthur, it's been four months. Even if he didn't die in that blast, the injuries that he would have suffered would have killed him soon after. They didn't even find a trace of him."
"Correct!" Arthur shouted silencing her "Correct! It was more then them just not finding his body, they found nothing. No hair, no skin, not even a drop of his blood, there weren't even any ashes or dust to indicate that his body had been vaporized, it was almost as if he disappeared. This, according to the laws of physics is impossible. Therefore, that leaves two scenarios: either he was taken, body and spirit, to the other place. Or he was moved, whether under his own power or not I cannot say until we find him."
Arthur saw Morrigan exchange glances with Anubis, the afrit standing by the door, and knew that a silent conversation was going on between the too.
"Arthur." Anubis spoke in his deep solemn voice "Why is it so important to you that we find John Mandrake? You two were not exactly close, at least not that I saw in the seven years that I have served you, and your determination goes beyond appreciation for his saving us from the hybrid attack."
Arthur's face took on a cool and impassive look. Anubis and Morrigan new that look, it was the look their master used when trying to hide any revealing information.
"Listen to me. I have never kept secrets from either one of you; I have always been honest and have never once punished either of you. So please I ask you both just this once….Let me keep this secret for my self. At least until I feel it is the right time to share it." he said calmly.
Had anyone else been listening, all they would have heard nothing but a cold and direct, possibly even threatening voice. Anubis and Morrigan had been in the Arthur's service for years however, and more to it then that they cared about him, they could hear the smallest of pleading in his voice. Anubis merely sighed and shook his head; Morrigan however rose from the couch and embraced the young magician.
"Very well my heavy shouldered master. We shall do as you have commanded and allow you to bear this cross yourself…..For now. However when you are ready to talk, I will be here and I will be ready to listen." She said in the smallest and gentlest of voice.
Arthur returned her hug, thanking her without actually saying it, and leaned against her appreciating, needing even, her stability to hold him up. They remained that way for a long moment before Anubis cleared his throat, reminding the two that they were in a crowded government building, and they broke apart both looking slightly embarrassed. Arthur ran a hand through his shoulder length deep blood red hair, the same color as his suit, and sighed.
"Listen I need to be alone for some time. So you two are dismissed." he said embarrassedly, the way he always acted when he gave these types of orders.
Morrigan wanted to stay, she almost told him no, but Anubis placed a hand on her shoulder and bowed low saying "Yes of course master. Call if you need us." and teleported them both away.
Arthur sighed and collapsed in the chair behind his desk. He thought back to that night, the night of the demon attack.
He hadn't been taken captive for the simple reason that he hadn't liked Makepeace productions, few actually had, and so he had not attended. He was able to excuse himself by saying that he had important work to do, and who would question the Jason Todd the youngest Head of Internal Affairs since John Mandrake himself? When the demon-hybrids began their attack, he had summoned Morrigan and Anubis, his two most faithful servants, and with their help, he was able to barricade himself in his office until all had left the building. After that the three had left and returned to his home and after arming himself with a silver sword and throwing daggers, both of which he was very proficient with, and a pair of his favorite seven league boots they had begun an extermination of the hybrids. Most of them were weaklings, at least compared to Anubis, and the ones that were not they were able to avoid.
To Morrigan and Anubis it was nothing, a little disturbing that spirits would do something so perverse but still just another battle; to Arthur it was a nightmare. He had been in magical duels before, you didn't get in his position at such a young age without having made enemies, and he had been in fistfights before as well. But he had never once fought a person who he knew personally, some had even been his friends. To him it was a battle without end. That was until he witnessed the explosion at the glass pyramid. Thinking that the demons had been up to something else he had dashed off immediately, thinking that perhaps he was running to his death, only to arrive just in time to witness the collapse of the great glass pyramid. He didn't find out until later on that morning that John Mandrake had been in there. After hearing it, he had personally gone into the wreckage in attempt to find him, save him at best bury him at worst, only to find a commoner girl was already there doing the same thing. When he asked her why she was looking, she had informed him, that John had been a friend of hers and she would not leave without him. When he asked her for her name, she had simply spat out Kitty Jones before she went back to digging and searching. The two had searched all day, never once stopping not even for food or a rest, until Kitty collapsed from exhaustion and he brought her to a hospital so that she might rest and have the cuts on her arms and legs tended too. After two weeks the search had been called off, and everyone had accepted that John Mandrake was dead, everyone except for Arthur.
Rising out from behind his desk Arthur looked out his window in the direction of the wreckage, which had partially cleared away, and pulled out his pocket watch. Opening it he looked at the picture inside of two small boys, one perhaps six and the other four, both smiling up at him hugging each other.
"Don't worry Nat. I don't care if everyone else has given up; I won't ever stop looking….big brother."
Not bad huh? Now I realize that it was long and I'm sure anti-climactic, but this was the note I wanted to end it on and I wanted to firmly explain why such a strong magician hadn't been possessed and establish early on that he isn't like most magicians. I'm looking forward to your reviews; I know that they'll give me the help I need to make this story a good one. Also if I messed up with how it's supposed to be posted. please tell me I've never posted a story on here before and I want to do it right.