Sorry for the wait!
Here it is - the second chapter in Barty's POV!
Bartimaeus
Well, I did undoubtedly leave some things unsaid and unexplained since I saved Natty-boy from Nouda, Gladstone's Staff and the explosion itself (1). So, allow me to elucidate your human minds.
(1)Yes, I, Bartimaeus Sakhr Al-Jinni, the Serpent of Silver Plumes, am that merciful. Which reminds me of Ptolomy's much worse and unfair fate - though even I have to admit his condition was brutally fatal. Nathaniel's flank wound wasn't even close.
Miraculously, we managed to arrive near the improvised military-style hospital, both thanks to the Seven-League Boots and my incessant rambling on our shared brain that kept him half-lucid during the time.
It seems to me Nathaniel was recognized by that woman we saved from Clive Jenkins' body occupant(2). She said something in between the lines of "It's him! The boy that destroyed those demons!" We were immediately succoured.
(2) In other words, Naeryan, a quite skilled afrit I first met in Africa, but I think I already mentioned that before.
I didn't get the chance to explain how it really had been both me and him doing the saving, especially because I considered Nat's condition - it would take too much of our precious time, and as it seemed, he lacked time now. So, I chose silence. Only for the time being, because I will never restrain myself from kindly remind him of all of this when he finally recovers.
The wound was cleaned and bound with roller bandage, the few scratches he had disinfected. Nathaniel had been lying down for about an hour (3) in a dimly lit military tent full of people being tended to, nurses and doctors buzzing around in a white frenzy, when we heard something.
(3) And still not recovered! I was insanely bored!
"Yes, there are still four hybrids on the loose, as much as we know." It was a man's voice, but I couldn't see him. His shadow was reflected on the army green curtains dividing each patient's bed. I don't think I've ever met this man; at least his voice isn't familiar. This is probably a good sign(4).
(4) In the time I was under Nathaniel's orders, recognizing anyone's voice was most likely a bad sign. Read the books and you shall know why.
The man was at our left, apparently chatting with the figure lying down on the mattress. There was no answer from the other however. I am compelled to suppose that he's either going mad with the whole "talking-to-patients-while-they're-in-coma-helps", or the one lying down is simply mute. If you must know, it doesn't really faze me, whichever the option is - I've seen enough of humanity's problems to bore with this. Nonetheless, what he spoke mattered to both Nathaniel and me, unfortunately.
Will you stop doing those? It's quite annoying. It was Nathaniel's thinking voice again.
Bravo! Managed to rest for an hour, Sleeping Beauty?
Shut up and let me hear it.
Somehow his cheeks were hotter than usual. Probably the fever, don't you think?
"I already reported this to Ms. Piper." There was some nonverbal faint flutter coming from the other side of the conversation. "Don't be so surprised, she was Mandrake's assistant after all, she's quite suited for the job." He said with petulance.
There was a pause in which both Nathaniel and I wondered if this meant that Piper was coordinating the pursuit of the remaining hybrids. It was highly probable, seeing as she should be the strongest British magician thought alive. This didn't seem to bother Nathaniel though; he must be too tired to care.
Then the man with too-much-of-a-British-accent spoke up once more. "Ms. Piper assured me the area around the explosion was cleared from commoners. All except one - a lady named Kitty Jones, it seems. She's still waiting for Mandrake to show up." He laughed mockingly. "Ridiculous, in my opinion! No living creature would survive to such explosion."
I heard a groan coming from Nathaniel's throat and unconsciously read the thoughts that crossed his mind. Besides the vulgar cursing, one thing was very clear: we would go find Kitty.
For once in my very long existence, one beyond your imagination, I can't help but to agree with you. Yes, you may now feel honoured, inferior being.
Bartimaeus! His voice hissed in an admonition tone. I'm tired of your story-telling! Now hurry because we have to get to her quickly!
What about your condition? You heard the doctor, mister, no walking around for a week! This was fun, poking him. Nathaniel was already fuming, I could tell. And for the next month you have to be careful at school and-
Just hush, will you? He cut my loving motherly speech off. Nevermind my condition, there are still hybrids on the loose! Do you expect me to sit still and wait for them to evaporate on their own?
Mandrake would never say anything like this, but maybe Nathaniel would. Due to the previous events, my cunning self is still (slightly) bewildered at his selfless words, though I think a certain somone may be to blame (5).
(5) Why Kitty, of course!
Oh, obviously this is Kitty we're talking, no, thinking about. People may think she put a spell on you, Nat.
And there was the expected raspberry. How lamely predictable.
Reaching Kitty was the easy part - first came the terrible, inevitable, the one and only standing up. Not to mention getting out without being noticed. But making him stand unnoticed was the very first step.
That didn't go as dreadful as expected. Well, doctors and nurses were too busy to really detect a black blur passing by, and as for the bed occupants, they were mostly asleep - or in coma, if you must. It really comes down to point of view.
The trip was short, but still didn't save me from listening to Nathaniel's inner turmoil, consisting of: the normal, physical pain the wound was causing; hunger, aligned with the exhaustion from our prior activities; fear for Kitty's well-being and for not reaching her on time if some hybrid decided to show up to say hi; and he was also too tired of putting up with me.
Oi! Hold on a second! That brat!
It's your fault for always peeking in my private thoughts.
My inner self was frowning and mentally sending him a loud raspberry, but I'm still not in position to mimic that properly.
Your thoughts are too loud, it's not like I can help it. Well, that was mostly true. Even if his thoughts weren't that piercing, I still couldn't choose to not listen to them. Next time someone better warn me about all these collateral effects on my essence of this sharing-body situation.
What? You agreed with this too! You… you…!
Come on, can't even find a proper insult? Tch.
I felt his brows furrow into a frown, though I could also tell he wasn't paying attention to me anymore. Bloody git. His lips perked to complement his semblance. Weird expression, even for him, who once wore oversized clothes and had a mane as hairdo.
Bartimaeus, there's something ahead of us.
I paid closer attention to our surroundings. We were cutting our way through the garden (6) of what used to be the Glass Palace. From the stench, it was easy to say that the fire had been defeated recently. And if his nose failed me, then I would have his eyes, and in all seven planes few trees had survived, let alone escape without a scratch. The rest was burnt down to ashes.
(6)Well, more like grilled garden.
But I finally got what he meant.
Not far from us, Kitty was supporting herself on the tree we had been leaning onto hours ago. Surprisingly enough, it hadn't burnt, and the vegetation around it seemed to have made it better than the rest. Then I saw the hybrid advancing on her, a mocking and victorious expression on his half-human face, murmuring things that were making Kitty's eyes widen.
Nathaniel's blood was boiling, his heart racing excessively. Before I knew it, he was running - don't ask me how - towards them, taking me with him. That was just bloody great. We had come face to face with death mere hours ago, escaped out of sheer luck, and gone to the hospital to treat his injured flank, and here the great calculating and cold magician was, allowing feelings and emotions to rule him. That would be tremendously amusing to watch had it ever been on another occasion - the present moment and situation I am in doesn't permit my essence to rejoice on the fact that Nathaniel has finally killed John Mandrake.
The rest of the story you are probably familiar with, and even I am quite flabbergasted at how he managed to produce such a powerful Spasm. I know that he obviously had me to rely on, but that doesn't change the fact that the being he killed was an afrit. Could it be, that our powers combined had such great effects? It was an option to consider, but now Nathaniel's attention lies on Kitty once more, who seems to be more amazed than me, which, frankly, is a relief.
Part of Nathaniel's inner turmoil was silenced when Kitty nodded her response for his question, and we were now down on his knees. Kitty sure knew how to warm his heart though, and running to his aid had been just the little proof I needed to be sure that she didn't hate him.
Nonetheless, when she put her blanket on his shoulders, he protested, then muttering a "you should be wearing it, not me", causing Kitty to glare at him. So, he was happy because she actually worried about him, and now he was putting on the hero façade? I could have rolled my eyes at them, especially at Nathaniel. But hey, I got a better idea.
"Don't listen to this brat," I then said, obliging his mouth to move on my will. Nathaniel closed it shut. I could tell he was annoyed that I had interrupted his little moment. I opened it again. "He's been whining like a baby since we left the hospital to come to you. Piper told us you were under this tree, and because there are still hybrids out here, Natty boy couldn't just rest still until he saved his lo-moof."
I could feel his face burn, and so did his hand when he clamped it to his mouth, in a desperate attempt to hush me. I wouldn't just let it go without a fight.
Hey! It's rude to interrupt when others are talking!
He didn't even care to answer. His eyes wore an expression of pure terror and unbelief. Kitty looked troubled.
Ah, truth can hurt, can't it? At least I didn't give away that you merely escaped the hospital, you should be thankful.
Still no answer.
And then, coming out of nowhere, I hear a faint giggle, soon transformed into a full, mind-blowing laughter. It was Kitty, she was laughing hysterically, and when I thought I had seen everything of human's strange behaviors, the girl wraps her arms around Nathaniel's neck and thanks us both. I swear that for a moment I thought I had misheard or that maybe she was having side-effects from her travel to the Other Place. But then I let my essence relax and I actually appreciate her words. After Ptolomy, no one had ever graced me with such honest gratitude, and it felt warm and nice to finally be recognized, even if that acknowledgement had been shared with a magician.
Nathaniel's arms were already around her, and he was blushing deeper when I finally came back to notice it.
I decided to not interrupt; after all, a djinni knows when to be quiet.
We were back at the hospital now. Don't ask me how no one noticed our absence.
Piper had found us shortly after, when Kitty was still holding Nathaniel. Actually, the hug had turned into quite an awkward situation. As for Natty-boy, his thoughts gave away how he didn't know what to do to mend the situation - to let go or to let her make that decision? Humans, always so complicated. Besides, it didn't take a djinni to guess how Kitty wasn't comfortable as well.
But back to the point, Piper had been the reason for their abrupt separation, each one's face as red as a tomato. I still think Nathaniel's was redder. But that doesn't really matter much. I, for once, want to get out of his body as quickly as possible(7). Still, this time it's Kitty who won't allow it. She thinks that, quote, "Nathaniel is still too weak to de deprovided of your energy. You're helping him survive, Bartimaeus, please stay a little longer."
(7) This is the second time we agree on something today, it's turning into a bad habit. I really need to get away from him.
Well, how could I say "no" to that? Kitty doesn't really play fair on these matters. If she and Nathaniel ever get together, he'll be forever condemned to her will. Even if the boy doesn't realize this now, I'm sure he will someday. I mean, doesn't he proclaim to be intelligent? As for Kitty… well, I couldn't really tell, she's harder to decipher. Maybe the fact that I'm actually inside his body has some weight on the matter.
Speaking of the devil, there she was, walking to us with Piper right behind her.
"I'm sorry, but that's my last statement," Kitty was saying.
"Please, consider, Ms. Jones, you'd be perfect for the role!" Piper spoke, her hands making small pleading movements.
"I just want to rest. Maybe travel. That doesn't really fit in my plans."
Well, it seems that the world "travel" hadn't just taken me by surprise. Nathaniel was quite bewildered himself, to not say disappointed as well.
Were you expecting her to stay by your bed forever?
No! I just… Ugh, mind your own business, demon! He replied. I didn't like it.
Hey! What did I tell you about that word? Are you forgeting where I am right now? I admonished. He was nervous. Good. That should be enough for him to stop those lame insults.
And the next thing I knew, Kitty was sitting by our side on a chair. Piper hurriedly left after nodding in our direction.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Nathaniel asked in a husky voice. I resisted rolling my eyes at him.
"I've been lying down for a couple of hours. Sleep just doesn't seem to come. Weird, isn't it? After all that happened, and how I'm exhausted, I expected to purely throw myself into the bed and fall asleep the next moment." Kitty confessed quietly, looking deep in thought, as if she was talking to herself and not to us.
"Maybe there's something bugging you?" I suggested.
She turned her head to us. "I don't know… We just fought in some war… Many died! I've seen dear people die before… But this… I… I just…!" Kitty gasped.
Nathaniel had finally done something honourable, or at least something I approved of. His right hand was now on Kitty's shoulder, assuringly, and I had nothing to do with it this time. However, he was still nervous enough to not say what was on his mind. So I did. "We know."
The girl seemed surprised at first, but then relaxed, and gave us a half-heartedly smile. "It's weird to be sitting here next to you both."
"Why, thank you," I grumbled.
She giggled. "I don't mean it in a bad way, Bartimaeus." I forced Nathaniel's lips into a smile. "But you have to admit it's strange. Did you ever think you'd be inside Nathaniel's body?"
"Hell, no." I quickly answered.
"Hey!" Nathaniel protested.
"I'm sorry Nat, but Kitty has a point here. Sharing your brain will surely leave some traumas for me to deal with." That was a lie. This experience hadn't been that bad, but of course, Nathaniel would never hear me verbalize that.
Kitty shook her head disapprovingly at us and yawned. Then she rose up to her feet, stretching as she did so. "Well, I think I'm ready to sleep for about a week. Call me only if the world's ending." And with that and a wink, the uncommoner turned left and disappeared through the curtains.
Well, Nat, that was quite the move! I congratulated him. His cheeks turned red.
Oh, shut up.
Uff, I finally finished it! I actually managed to finish two chapters in a day! :')
And my best friend deserves a giant hug for the support! I adore you! :3
Be happy, everyone!
C'sMelody