KITTY
3
Kitty twisted herself around on her bed in Bruges, trying to get comfortable.
For two months she had not wanted to do magic, ever since she had summoned Bartimaeus. But this morning, she had felt a sudden urge to do it again, as if she had seen a person from her old sixth grade class and just had to go up and say hello. She had drawn the pentacle, lit the candles, and filled the bowls of incense.
Now she was looking for a good spirit. She had decided to test herself by summoning the five main types, one after the other, and see how many she could summon without tiring too quickly.
She started the incantation, throwing in the name Dambert, and an imp appeared with a scorch of the floor. She talked to it for a moment and then spoke the Dismissal.
Foliot went by without any trouble, but when she dismissed the djinni she felt a bone-weary, I-need-to-lie-down-and-take-a-nap feeling (he had been particularly troublesome and she had been forced to use the Punitive Jab twice).
She sighed and started the summoning of the afrit, Katur. When she appeared, the floor was more scorched than ever and Kitty doubted she could pick up the heavy book of spirits, let alone dismiss Katur.
She sat down in the pentacle. The afrit took her shape and sat down as well. "Well," the afrit said coolly. "Never been summoned by a Commoner before."
That was when Kitty fainted.
Kitty groaned and sat up. Blinking, she looked up at three faces: Jakob, his uncle, and... the afrit? All of them looked at her anxiously. Wait a second. A afrit worried about a human?
She almost laughed at the thought. "C'mon Kitty." Jakob held out his hand and she took it and stood up. "Is there anything you need?"
She shook her head but changed her mind almost immediately. "Bed would be nice." He led her over to the bed and she lay down, feeling exhausted. The marid sat next to her, grinding something a bowl of pottery.
After a moment she offered an odd-looking paste to Kitty. "Wait a minute!" Kitty yelped, sitting up. She immediately regretted it and lay down again.
She started to say something, but then she felt herself turn first red, then green. Human Christmas tree, she thought apprehensively. The marid noticed as well and quickly Summoned a bucket, which Kitty subsequently offered a gift of bile. She sat up again, and this time around she didn't have time to lie down. She felt everything go black.