Nathaniel

Alec whistled as he kicked the splintered wood among the destruction.

"Your demon made a mess out of this dining experience." He chuckled, hands in pockets.

Nathaniel swallowed but did not speak. He tugged at the thick rope that wrapped around his wrist, cutting deep into his skin. He winced in pain but continued to tug silently, hoping that the rope would give in. He avoided facing Alec. Instead, he focused on himself. His smart suit was now a stained and crumpled mess. He was caked in food and dust debris. Somehow, in the middle of the chaos, he had lost a shoe. He imagined he looked pitiful. Especially bound and slumped with exhaustion against the dirty wall. Exhaustion had to wait. He had to get out. He pried his wrist apart, feeling the scratchy rope bite into his raw skin.

"You know you're only hurting yourself, right?"

Alec was now standing over him, hands on hip. He clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner.

"It's gonna take a little bit more than a weak tugging to get out of those. And even if you did manage to get out of it, you'd have to deal with me."

Nathaniel felt the first trickle of frustration build within him but quelled it down. He will not allow Alec to get a rise out of him. As much as he hated to admit it, Alec was right. He was far too weak to fight back. If he was able to break free, which was highly unlikely, he would have to somehow overpower the much taller teen. He needed Bartimaeus.

Damn it.

Nathaniel gritted his teeth. He hated seeing how lifeless the djinn looked. Even when weak, after long periods of summoning, Bartimaeus never appeared that… gone. He was always full of life; a pure burning fire that refused to be put out, no matter the situation he's been put through. But just then… his fire was snuffed out.

I'll find you. I promise.

"Knock, knock!"

Anne stepped into the room surveying the area. Stefan followed close behind, a childish tune of a whistle escaping his lips.

"Is that it?" Alec asked.

"Yup, I brought it!" Anne gleefully chuckled. In her hands, she carried a small, discolored jar. The jar contained a small gray and blue mass. Nathaniel gulped, averting his eyes from the jar. Poisoned oyster. Sure enough, they were going to make him eat it. He instinctively tightened his lips.

They're going to have to pry my jaw open for that to happen.

Stefan stepped around Anne, snatching the jar from her hands as she protested. In a few quick strides, he stood in front of Nathaniel, shoving Alec aside. The teen bent down towards Nathaniel, sneeringly shaking the jar and its contents in front of the magician's face.

"You see this Johnny boy? It's your last meal!"

Nathaniel snapped. "Don't you three have a failing drug enterprise to attend to!? Seeing that you murdered your only customers with your shitty product."

Alec shifted; a smart fist connected Nathaniel's jaw. Nathaniel's vision blurred. His jaw now ached.

"Watch yourself, magician," Alec spat out. "I would have killed you too if Abraham didn't want to do it himself."

Nathaniel squeezed his eyes shut, biting back his pained cries. It'll do no good to cry out in pain in front of enemies. He had to prove he was strong. He was a magician. Born and raised in London. He's been through hell and back when he was just a kid. He can handle this.

Can I without Bartimaeus?

He had to. Flexing his aching jaw, Nathaniel tugged at the ropes once again. The three teens were now bickering amongst themselves, fighting over who could keep the jar safe and who would hand it over to Abraham. It seemed they really admired Abraham. But who was he exactly? He's well-known in Prague and had some influence in parts of Europe. His main motivation is to kill magicians as revenge for Prague. But where does he fit with the rest of the story?

"Ahem."

All at once, Nathaniel and the three teens looked up towards the open door. Abraham entered the room. Although he limped and relied heavily on his cane, he exuded power and confidence. His gaze were honed in on Nathaniel, a friendless smile spreading across his face. Nathaniel felt vulnerable. He shrunk back against the wall.

Abraham paused a few meters away. "Have my companions talked to you about our plans?"

Nathaniel said nothing.

"Still not talking, eh?" Abraham shrugged in a rather disappointing manner. "Very well then. It should make all of this go by much faster –"

"Are you Hopkins?" Nathaniel's voice sounded rough and childish compared to the older man's. He silently cursed at himself.

"Who?"

"Hopkins. The person behind the Gladstone's raid and desecrating his grave. The one helping the Resistance."

"Desecrating Gladstone's grave? Now that is something I wish I could be a part of." Abraham chuckled. He leaned into his cane, eager for more. "Did this Hopkins organize this?"

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek.

"If you're not Hopkins, then do you know the mercenary?"

"You mean Alec? I wouldn't really call them mercenary, just children supplying the death."

Nothing was adding up. Nathaniel took a deep breath, calming his building his frustrations.

"If you're not Hopkins and you don't know the mercenary, then who the hell are you?"

"I've already told you, boy. I am Abraham," he replied with a sneer.

"What is your part with the Resistance?"

The older man grinned as he leaned against his cane, bending closer towards Nathaniel. His voice dropped low and soft, almost purring. Nathaniel had to strain to catch his words.

"I was the same as those fools that prattle along London. Weak and powerless. Everything I did was heavily scrutinized by the magicians. Prague is defenseless. We have no power here, not after what the magicians have done to this great city. A few years ago, there was news of a young London magician running around with a demon in the guise of an Egyptian boy planting a bomb in the heart of Prague –"

"That was a lie!" Nathaniel interjected. "We were framed for that! We were here to investigate—"

Abraham swung his cane sharply towards Nathaniel. Nathaniel felt the sharp burning sting along his side as the cane made contact. He blinked back the tears.

"Interrupt me again and I'll slap you across the face. You were here to make us look like fools, boy. You couldn't control your small commoner problem in London and decided to take out your frustrations out on us."

Nathaniel wanted to shout back. Everything the old man was saying was all wrong. Everything was wrong. Abraham stepped back and reached a free hand out towards the three teens. Stefan gingerly opened the jar with a simple twisting motion and placed it in Abraham's waiting hand. Alec and Anne stood back, bouncing at the balls of their feet.

"I knew I had to do something to take care of you magicians," Abraham continued as he eyed the contents in the jar with great interest. "It was difficult at first. I had to learn the magic arts. I had to fight fire with fire. I learned how to draw a pentacle and how to properly summon a demon. I had to travel to London and talk to several of the commoners. One boy, I believe his name was Sweathers, even provided me a copy of several magical books. In return, I funded him and his group."

Nathaniel paused. Sweathers. He was the leader of the Resistance group that attacked the Minister's party.

"You're a commoner. You were meeting with Sweathers?" Nathaniel's mind swirled. "He wasn't meeting Hopkins?"

Abraham sighed. "I've already told you. I don't know this Hopkins. Now –"

He whistled. In an instant, the three teens surrounded Nathaniel, taking a hold of his limbs tightly. They lifted him up on his feet and, with a handful of his hair, yanked his head back. Nathaniel struggled in their grasp, but they held on tight. Abraham closed the distance, grinning gleefully.

"Open your mouth. The poison will work slowly but it will make your death look accidental. Death by bad oysters don't seem suspicious, after all. After you've eaten the oyster, we will take you to your demon. We'll make sure the last thing you'll see is the wretched demon's disintegrating essence."

"You're a cunt."

Abraham shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Insults will do you no good, boy. The more you resist, the more I'll make sure your demon suffers."

Nathaniel's stomach tightened, his heart dropping heavy like a stone. He could still see the djinn's lifeless body in his mind's eye. Even if he ever found a way to escape and be safe, the image will always haunt him. Nathaniel attempted one last struggle; the teens' grip tightened on him painfully. Outnumbered and outpowered. There was no way he could escape. But he will not die without a fight.

"I doubt that, Abraham." His voice quivered but he put on a brave face. He had to look convincing. "In fact, at this moment, I would bet money that Bartimaeus has found a way. He always had a knack for escapism."

Abraham threw back his head, a great roaring laughter spilling out and filling the echoing room.

"Even if he did escape, he's far too weak to do anything. My demon will just crush him like the insect pest that he is."

Nathaniel licked his lip. All he had to do is place a seed of doubt. Maybe then he would get a fighting chance.

"Is that what you think?"

For a brief moment, a subtle look of uncertainty flashed across the older man's face. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Abraham tightened his grip around the jar and stepped closer. It took everything from Nathaniel to not shrink back. He could smell the sweat mixing with the peppermint aftershave wafting from his captor. His head swam with potential escape plans but nothing guaranteed him safety. None of them guaranteed Bartimaeus's safety. None of them were good enough.

"Open. Up." Abraham growled. His words practically dripped with venom.

A hand grasping the back of his head yanked back. Nathaniel cried out but quickly clamped his jaws shut. Tears began to form but he didn't care.

I just need time.

Note from Author:

So sorry for the delay. Work has been keeping me so busy and it makes me want to die lol

With the current coronavirus situation going on, I'll be teleworking from home so I should have more time to write again 3

Thanks for sticking around and reading. Stay safe everyone and wash your hands!