Bartimaeus

Dawn was peeking out over the horizon, casting orange-yellow lights on the wispy clouds. The sky looked as if it was on fire but Nathaniel still shivered underneath his coat. We stopped in front of an old, uninviting looking pub. A neon sign that read 'OPEN' flickered against the stone wall. The window shutters were shut, and the rickety porch leading to the front door moaned underneath our feet. Going through the planes, I quickly scanned the building but didn't find any traps or defense. So far, so good.

With careful steps, we circled around the back of the building and found a hidden trapdoor. I lifted the door and peered in, Nathaniel looking over my shoulder.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"Nothing. No defenses or traps or anything. I don't think anyone is down here."

I backed up from the trap door, quickly changing my form into Ptolemy. If anyone was down there, it'd be better for them to see a human face instead of a warty gargoyle.

"I'm gonna go down there and check, Nat. Stay put until I tell you its safe."

Nathaniel nodded and ushered me down the basement. One thing the kid was good at was following my directions. While we may argue at an unhealthy amount, he does trust my judgement. Stepping down the steps of the basement, I felt around the walls for the light switch and flipped it. A singular bulb flickered on, revealing a cramped room. On one side of the room, a map of London was plastered against the stony wall. Red circles were scattered throughout the map, lines and writings written underneath each. Against the wall, underneath the map, was a low table with silver weapons strewn on top. I winced and stepped away from it. To the other side of the room, I noticed a silver chest next to a wooden door. Carefully stepping around the chest, I opened a door. It was a small, study-like room. A desk sat in the center with papers and books neatly stacked on top. A filing cabinet was found in the corner.

Whatever this room contained, it was about to make Nathaniel extremely happy. I called him down, and reassured him that the room was safe. He quickly bounced down the steps, eager to begin his search. It was like watching a kid during Christmas morning. I swear I saw foam spewing out of his mouth as he decided which room he wanted to search through first. I stood back near the steps, away from the stinging aura of the silver.

Nathaniel opened the silver chest and pulled the contents from within. He piled them neatly on his side as he observed each object.

"Very curious. We need to check for any robbery reports in the past year or so. We might also need to find out where they're getting this insane amount of elemental spheres. It's too dangerous to have them out and about like this!"

I sat down with my legs crossed. "They seem to like to steal weapons that are very accessible to them. Did you check out the map on the wall? It has your home circled."

Nathaniel looked up from the chest, stunned. "What? They know where I live?"

He rushed across the room towards the map, eyes frantically scanning, taking as much details as he could.

"They were watching me?" He said with a trembling voice. "I mean, I - I knew they were following me. They must have if they knew I would be at the restaurant with Jane but… my home!?"

He raised a shaky hand, raking his fingers through his hair.

"How long have they been watching me…?"

I heard his breath quicken. I thought about changing my form into a cat to offer some comfort but the cold silver in the room was making my essence sting. The only thing I could do was distract him from an oncoming panic attack.

"You and Jane, huh? How's that going?" I asked.

He said nothing but took a shaky breath in. His whole body was trembling now. He leaned against the table, eyes screwed shut.

"Nat, why don't you come over here closer? Let me help."

I heard a wet sniff. Ah, great. It was always awkward when people cried. When it comes to crying, my whole schtick is to pretend to not care while I secretly panic on the inside. I never know how to console anyone. Not even a baby. Just ask Faquarl about my baby sitting duty back in Rome. I'd rather calm an angry or frightened person but with my miserable luck, I always end up stuck with a crier. Over the years, after much angry explanations from Faquarl, I learned that a simple sympathetic pat on the back is enough. But given the situation, I can't exactly do that until Nathaniel came closer. I was left with only one choice.

"Earlier Jane kissed you and you looked shell-shocked. Did she have bad breath? I always figured she had one. She's all beauty on the outside but I think she's rotting on the inside. I imagine that every time she opens her mouth, flies starts flying out everywhere searching for a corpse. Do you like her? I sure hope not. She's a major bitch, but I guess that's your type. You seem the type to –"

"Stop, Bartimaeus. You're annoying me." Nathaniel sniffed, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hands. He took in a calm shaky breath. He seemed to be doing better.

"That's the point, bud. Anyways, were you really going to sleep with her? Did you have the proper sex talk? I don't think poor old Arthur Underwood or his wife made you take some sex education before they perished. If you want, I can show you videos."

He shook his head, his snotty nose scrunched up. "No! No, that won't be necessary. I already know how its done."

I cocked my head to side. "So you were gonna sleep with her?"

His trembling had finally subsided. He took a final deep breath, his fingers running through his hair habitually. He took one last wet sniff and sighed. Feeling that he gained enough composure, he entered the room with the desk. It was back to business.

"I like her," he grumbled as he opened the desk's drawers to rummage through. "She's nice and all but something is missing. I'm not sure I'll sleep with her."

I laughed. "Nice? Right. Didn't think you were the romantic type, Nat. I'll admit that I didn't strike you as the kind who believed in soulmates. What's missing? Is she not hot enough?"

He pulled out a folder and paused. "This folder. It has a list of names. It's the Resistance's roster."

"Read it out to me. Maybe a familiar name will stick out."

He shook his head as he read the list. "Aaron Pluzky, Smith Sweathers, Nancy Keen, Arthur Jules, George Woods, Jakub Pol, and more. You won't know them besides the two obvious ones. No Hopkins."

He folded the folder and stuffed it in his coat's pocket. He glanced around the room one last time.

"You know what I noticed?" He asked, his voice seeming far away. "There's no pentacle. The assassin, or Hopkins I assume, must be a magician since he sent a djinn to kill me. He must have some other hideout."

I made an affirmative sort of noise. "Are you keeping that list to find and interrogate them?"

"Yes, I'm planning on doing that. But," he paused, looking at me. He held out his hands in an apologetic manner. He made that face that spelled trouble. "I think we need to go back to Prague."

I let out a lengthy groan. See, Nathaniel and I, we aren't exactly the most favored duo in Prague. In fact, after the whole Golem fiasco and the invasive search for the mercenary, we received a very angry lengthy letter on how we should never return to Prague. I briefly scanned the letter when it came in. It mentioned something about causing chaos and disruption and ruining an elderly woman's bath time. I try not to remember that part. Although, not all of it was our fault. Back when we were dealing with the mercenary, it came up that we were being falsely accused of planting a bomb within the city. With threats like that, you're bound to get banned.

"I know, I know," he continued hastily. "But Jane told to me how the assassin's djinn mentioned seeking revenge for Prague. We have to infiltrate Prague, blend in with the people, and try to seek out the information. I have some sneaking suspicions that the Resistance group have been spreading throughout Europe. Perhaps if we find one in Prague, we can pinpoint Hopkins."

I passed a hand over my face, exhaustion weighing me down. "Whatever happened to not getting Jane involved in your schemes? Fine. We'll go to Prague. But! There's a big but there. Did you hear it? But if there is a slight chance that we would be getting caught, we're leaving. Understood?"

Nathaniel gave a curt nod. Good. I had no intention of dying in a miserable place like that. I caught Nathaniel's eyes flick towards the map, staring intently at the red circle that surrounded his home. It was almost like a target bullseye. With ease, he tore the map from the wall, shredding it to smaller pieces.

"I do have to thank you in something though."

I arched an eyebrow. "Oh? An unprompted thanks from a magician? This will sure be the headline for today's news broadcast."

He rolled his eyes but I spotted a faint smile. "Jane said I was a good kisser. I think I have to thank you for the practice."

"Yeah, your first kiss was lousy as hell. I thought you've mistaken my mouth for food or something."

His cheeks went red, his brows furrowed. "Stop lying. And I don't consider those practice kiss as my first kiss. Jane was my first kiss."

"Jeez, I don't count?" I stood up, stretching out my sore legs. "Dude, no offense, but we practically made out."

His scowl twisted. "We did not make out, we just –"

"Kissed?"

"Yes, and it meant – "

"Nothing. Yes, I know. Nothing ever means anything to you. But that still doesn't change the fact that I was your first kiss by technicality and you haven't really fully explained to me what was wrong with Jane. Not that I can't see it myself."

Nathaniel motioned to speak but paused. He bit his lip. For some reason, it irritated me.

"Can we get out of here? My essence is hurting." I didn't wait for his reply. I was already going up the steps.

"Bartimaeus, wait. Before we leave, can we –"

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on with you and Jane."

His brows furrowed. "I don't have to tell you anything."

"Fine, then you won't get anything."

He scoffed at me. "It's not like I need you anyways. Jane said my kissing was – "

"Congratulations, dipshit! As if anything I say or do means anything to you. Go ask for a kiss from her then. I think my work here is done."

He blinked at me in surprise, his ears turning red. I held a breath, waiting for the John Mandrake to take control and to bark out orders. And it came. It was like a light switch flipping on in his brain. He cleared his throat and straightened his back. His voice went cold and stern.

"Fine. Bartimaeus, go ahead and fly to my study. Wait for me in your pentacle. I'll pack and then I'll summon you again once I'm in Prague. I plan to leave tomorrow night. I just need to meet Jane before I go. I'll give you the rest of the plan once I speak to you in Prague. Is that clear?"

I didn't say much. I just went.