First off, a massive apology to all of you for not updating sooner. Sorry! I've just been so busy lately; exams, friends of the family staying and playing solitaire on the computer and me being ill. Making excuses again…
This chappie is dedicated to Lady Samurai because it's about Nathaniel!
Swordsrock: If you mean the foliots should have a form, they do, but they're invisible. If you mean something else it's been so long since I wrote that chapter that I've forgotten who didn't have a form, sorry. Feel free to correct it again.
Contrarian: None taken.
Lady Samurai: Here ya go!
Well, I hope it was worth the wait!
Nathaniel sat at the desk, reading the first of the inevitable heap of memos that had arrived at his desk overnight. Being the youngest ever minister was an enormous responsibility, and one he did not take lightly; Nathaniel avoided delegating work as much as possible.
Although lately, with him giving more and more of his time to his young (and prodigally quick to learn) apprentice, he had needed to trust more of the work to his assistants.
The memo was about another attack by the New Resistance, or Exercitus Populo as they had made themselves known as. The name bothered Nathaniel. It was meant to bother him, he thought. Why else would they choose a name in Latin? It was one of the ancient languages remembered only by the magicians, the educated upper-class.
And that someone in this new Resistance could speak Latin, be they commoner or magician, was scary. If they knew this, something remembered only in magician's lore, what else did they know?
Not only had they called themselves that, but they'd made the name famous. Graffiti across the city spelled it out. It was written on posters, newspapers, billboards, walls, even on famous statue of magician-heroes, those that the government had taught its people to love.
There had been no outright attacks, however, no destruction of the kind practiced before the Nathaniel's promotion. Those plans must have died with Kitty Jones, making her more of a fool than he'd perceived her to be.
He felt, just for a second, regret at her loss. Then he rationalised it into him wishing she was still around to stop these taunts at the magicians. Every Londoner knew the words Exercitus Populo now, and their meaning. The People's Army. Oh for Kitty Jones and her haphazard destructiveness, getting her nowhere.
He still didn't believe it. Kitty Jones had been quick to get the point, she must have known that her strategy had been getting her nowhere.
The door to his office opened, startling him.
"Knock. Before. You. Enter." He said, in his iciest voice. It didn't have the desired effect on intimidating the intruder.
"Sir, we caught one of them!" Said Merrick, a massive grin spread across his face. Merrick was a new addition to Internal Affairs, an exuberant young man whose upbeat manner annoyed Nathaniel immensely.
Still, good news was good news, whoever brought it.
He got up and wordlessly gestured for Merrick to lead the way.
- The Tower of London -
Stefan looked up at the two men as they entered. Both were dressed in suits, one of them, clearly the senior, wore a tight-fitting affair with a bright red tie; the other, who was wearing much more average clothes, stepped back and looked expectantly at him.
Stefan shrank back as the senior magician - who he recognised as one John Mandrake, a prominent (and incredibly young) magician - examined him, shivering. The man was only his age, but he had an air of authority and, in that moment, Stefan was more sure that this man would kill him he had been of anything else in his life.
-
Nathaniel looked down at the member of the resistance. He had long, blonde, floppy hair and dark eyes that didn't seem to match it. He looked down instead of meeting Nathaniel's stare.
"So. You're in this New Resistance" Nathaniel made his voice sound bored, as if this interview meant nothing to him. Over the years he had perfected this tone, and it came easily.
"A terrorist. An enemy of the state.
"Do you expect us to let you live, terrorist? Why should I? You are no better than anyone our country has fought over the year; you're worse, in fact, because you had more opportunity than they ever did to do the right thing."
Stefan knew the man - to Stefan John Mandrake was a man, a dangerous man who could kill him with a word, not a hormonal teen - was trying to intimidate him. Half of him was crouching on the cell floor terrified, and half of him was watching from a distance, arguing against Mandrake's biased and elitist statements.
The second half couldn't get past the first half's terrified paralysis to argue with Mandrake, to its great annoyance.
"But because this is the great British empire, not some uncivilised" the magician sniffed in disdain "European place, I'll give you another chance, another opportunity to do the right thing"
He leaned closer to Stefan, making Stefan cower back. He cursed his weakness in front of his enemy.
"You must go back to the 'Exercitus Populo'" Stefan bit back hysterical laughter at how much the man sounded like Katy when she was quoting with something she disagreed with.
"You'll go back and go the meetings, keep on with your life as it is. And you'll report to me where and when there will be an attack." He handed Stefan a card with a phone number on.
"A-- And you'll just trust me to tell you the truth?" His voice came out harsh, his throat was dry.
Mandrake glared.
"Lie and you'll pay. I'd say you owe me the truth for letting me go."
He knelt down beside Stefan and pulled out a key, muttering something inaudible. As he unlocked the manacles his hand touched Stefan's arm and Stefan felt an electric shock.
-
A sense of failure followed the group. They'd fought off the foliots, but not before a pair of them had carried Stefan off. Rufus and Ciara had pushed for a rescue mission, and even Lor, Rufus's father, who carried a certain amount of weight in the group for being the oldest, agreed with them despite normally being the polar opposite of his son.
Kitty had considered the idea but, with great regret, opposed it. It would be nothing short of suicide, she said.
I could see the tears in her eyes.
I was tired and confused, two feelings I normally left to humans. I'd been listening to them debating a rescue mission to the Tower of London for the best part of an hour, despite the fact it would be insanely stupid thing to do and end with them all being captured and tortured. I kept quiet because I had other things to ponder. And because I'd forgotten what Kitty's alias was.
Like what cast a Detonation on that odd afrit-like creature, and what had happened to that creature. It had knocked me out easily, so it shouldn't have had a problem with the rest of the Resistance. Quite an enigma.
It was a tired and depressed group that Kitty dismissed, but walking back to the house I felt a strange sense of triumph. They had got used to my presence, and only the girl I'd fought at the start of the day - Ciara - seemed hostile towards me now.
I must be tired. Next I'll be making friends with them and buying them all birthday cards.
-
Kinda sad ending like that, but I have to go out and I wanted to put an update up. I won't make you wait that long again, I promise!
It moved the plot along, and there are loads of hints of things to come, and some NatKittyness, despite me originally not going to make this NatKitty.
Mako