Nathaniel
The silence was palpable. Nobody moved. All eyes were on Nathaniel and Bartimaeus. Each and every one had a mixture of shock, anger and disgust. The joyful atmosphere of the feast was now gone. Only bitter hate and resentment remained in the air. Nathaniel felt hot and cold. Panic was rising within him, threatening to force itself out. He suppressed it to the best of his ability but his hands trembled. His mind swirled with a million questions. It was Bartimaeus who broke the silence.
"It was nice meeting you all," he said, slowly rising to his feet. "The feast was lovely. Though the sausage could use some – uh – less swimming. Unfortunately, Mandrake and I have some business elsewhere. So –"
"Silence demon," Abraham hissed. With a swift movement, he snapped his fingers; two djinns materialized behind Bartimaeus in an instant. Bartimaeus didn't wait to react.
In a matter of seconds, the place erupted into chaos. The beautiful feast was now a battle zone. People scrambled and leapt over the tables to avoid the confrontational djinns. Plates were scattered and food were tossed in every direction. Many of them made a beeline towards the exit, trampling over others on the way.
"Mandrake—hide now," Bartimaeus shouted.
Cursing profusely, Nathaniel quickly grabbed a fork and ducked under the table. Peeking out from underneath, he took a good long look at the two offending djinns. One of the djinn had the body of a large black bear with a molting sneak head. Its head swiveled back and forth and hissed, baring it venomous fangs. The other djinn was a large minotaur, with shiny black hooves and horns that could pierce flesh easily. The minotaur djinn took a step forward towards Bartimaeus, a Detonation in a clawed hand ready to be casted.
Without hesitation, Bartimaeus leapt from his chair and darted above the gnashing snake head, landing heavily on his feet. Bartimaeus tossed a Detonation over his shoulder towards the minotaur and ran. The impact hit hard; a small explosion erupted, pushing the minotaur to fall back with a roar and crash down onto the table. The table let out a crack; Nathaniel scrambled away. Just as he crawled out, the table split under the minotaur's weight. Plates and food from either side of the table were flung into the air and rained down onto the minotaur. The djinn cried out in pain as silver made contact with its essence. With a hop and a bound, Bartimaeus quickly changed his form into a gargoyle.
The snake-head djinn lashed out with its own Detonation; Bartimaeus leapt across, narrowly avoiding the impact. Smoke rose from where he once stood. With swift movement, the gargoyle ran up along the wall and launched itself towards the snake-head djinn. The two djinns collided; teeth gnashing and claws swiping left and right. From its own pile of shattered plates and ruined food, the minotaur was getting back on its hooved feet. Its jaundice eyes scanned the room and spotted Nathaniel pressing his back against the wall. Nostrils flaring, the djinn grabbed the nearest chair and threw it towards the magician.
Nathaniel cried out; the chair collided against the wall only a foot away, leaving nothing but splintered wood and dust. It missed. Nathaniel looked up and paled. With heavy teeth-shattering steps, the minotaur made its way towards him.
Fork in shaky hands, Nathaniel scrambled to his feet. Everything was going wrong. The worst possible scenario was unfolding right in front of him. How could any of this have happened? What went wrong? What gave them away? The minotaur loomed closer, towering over him by a few feet. It snorted, steam puffing out of its wet nostrils. Nathaniel could smell the earthy musk emanating from it. Just as the minotaur was raising a fist, Nathaniel swallowed and took a gamble. With a shout, he lodged the fork into the minotaur's thigh. The minotaur cried out in pain and swung a heavy arm down; Nathaniel ducked and rolled between its legs. Scrambling to his feet, he spotted Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus had a fistful of snake head and was twisting it, forcing the djinn to throw out a desperate clawed punch. It connected; the gargoyle was launched across the room and landed painfully on top of broken silverware.
Nathaniel gritted his teeth. This was his fault. Bartimaeus was already too weak. He kept him here for too long. And he brought him in an unfair fight in a room filled with silver and iron. Everything was going all wrong and it was all his fault. He needed to end this. He needed to – before his djinn got even more hurt.
The minotaur behind him swiveled in place, burning eyes searching. It raised a fist and brought it down heavily towards him. Nathaniel jumped; the heavy fist slammed against the floor, shattering the stone flooring. Nathaniel didn't wait any longer. He took another quick glance around him, before ducking another of the minotaur's punch.
Abraham. He spotted the ginger-haired man across the room leaning heavily against his cane, surveying the scene before him. The room was practically empty now; all the commoners had fled. It was nothing but a chaotic mess. But nothing stood in his way. Nathaniel gritted his teeth, grabbed the nearest butter knife, and ran. It must all end now. The attack, the Resistance, Prague's vengeance. Everything.
From his position among the shattered silverware, Bartimaeus casted an Inferno at the stalking snake-head djinn.; the attack quickly enveloped his opponent. The djinn cried out in pain, thrashing its limbs before collapsing.
Bartimaeus only had a few seconds to spot Nathaniel running across the room towards Abraham, knife in hand and ready to wield.
"NAT-JOHN YOU IDIOT, NO!"
The gargoyle flapped its stony wings and launched itself towards its magician. Nathaniel let out a shriek as the gargoyle crashed down onto him, pinning him down to the ground. Bartimaeus wretched the silver knife from his clammy hand.
"Absolutely not," he growled.
"Let go of me! I have to do this!" Nathaniel, wide-eyed with sheer determination and ambition, squirmed underneath his grasp.
"You're being a fucking idiot!"
From behind, the minotaur roared. Bartimaeus cursed.
"I told you to hide, damn it," he scolded, quickly hopping off and pushing Nathaniel to his feet. "Run, now."
"But – But Abraham. We can –"
"I said now!
The minotaur launched one half of the broken table; boy and gargoyle leapt away from the attack. Nathaniel landed heavily against the ground, debris crashing down around him.
"RUN!"
Nathaniel quickly scrambled to his feet and ran.
Bartimaeus quickly changed his gargoyle form into a small ferret. The rodent quickly darted between the minotaur's legs and ran in erratic directions. Small squeaks of taunt and goad could be heard coming from the elusive ferret. With growing frustration, the minotaur growled and raised a clawed hand towards the running magician; a small sphere of light began to form in its palm.
"I've had enough of you, Bartimaeus," the minotaur growled. "I'll get rid of you through him."
The ferret changed form and jumped. A Detonation was casted –
A bright light enveloped the room; an explosion could be heard. Nathaniel stopped in his tracks and swiveled in place.
No. No no no.
An unconscious Egyptian boy laid on the ground, helpless. Something about the boy's relaxed face sent fear down his spine. Nathaniel's breathing hitched. He couldn't move his limbs. He couldn't tear his eyes off his djinn. The lump in his throat became impossible to ignore. He was wrong earlier. This was the worst possible scenario.
The minotaur snorted; raised its hand again.
"Nexxle, that's enough."
From the corner of the room, Abraham called out coolly. He was watching everything unfold as if it was a theatrical play. Leaning against his cane, he snapped his finger. The minotaur dematerialized in an instant.
"So," he continued, regarding Nathaniel with a small smirk. "The infamous John Mandrake and Bartimaeus. I must admit, that was all quite amusing. Very brave of your demon to sacrifice his life for you. Interesting, don't you think?"
Nathaniel said nothing. He kept his eyes on his downed djinn.
Please wake up. Please be okay. Please.
Abraham accepted Nathaniel's silence. "It seems to me that you're completely alone now. Tell me, Mandrake… Do you have a dish in mind for your last meal?"
Abraham's laughter echoed throughout the building. Nathaniel said nothing.
Please.