Chapter 9: The Aftermath
By Conception.Creation
Disclaimer: The Bartimaeus Trilogy is property of Jonathan Stroud
A/N: Thank you for your comments, my dear reviewers! Duckweed, I'm not so sure they didn't get any information... you'll see! Nari, I'm really glad you enjoy the action-y bits, because I enjoy writing them! Here is the next chapter:
Kitty barely noticed Rebecca leave. It took all her focus just to force herself to breathe; a spasm of pain knifed through her chest with every shaky inhalation. Her skin felt unnaturally cold and clammy, even in the warm evening air. Bartimaeus knelt by her side. Kitty had never before seen such anxiety express itself in his features. She tried to reassure him with a crooked smile.
"How do you feel?" Bartimaeus asked.
"Do you have to ask?" She groaned.
Kitty closed her eyes and tried to even out her breathing. The blinding agony gradually subsided, leaving behind an aching throb. She cracked an eye open. Bartimaeus leaned in apprehensively. He seemed to be more worried then she, herself was.
"Calm down, I'm not going to fall apart," She teased.
He gave an indifferent shrug, though the tension in his posture eased.
"I didn't say you were going to."
"Well, your face was telling me a different story. Cheer up; you look terribly anxious. You're normally such a cocksure smart-aleck. I'd have thought if anyone would be confidant in the face of certain doom, it'd be you."
The djinni looked affronted.
"I'm not anxious!" He declared, brows knitting together, "I was whistling a merry tune at the siege of Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars, while the Athenians were dropping right and left from plague and starvation. When you compare it, this is nothing. We just have to sit around for a while and wait for that little magician to rescue us."
"How long do you think until Rebecca gets back?" Kitty asked.
The djinni shrugged.
"At least a couple of hours. She'd better hurry; it's going to be dark, soon."
The sun was descending in the West, casting a crimson light over the peaks of the sand-covered dunes. A smattering of stars flickered overhead in the vast, empty sky. The air was beginning to cool. Kitty fervently hoped that Rebecca would make it back to Siwa before the sun sunk out of sight, leaving only the moon and stars to light her way. Once night came it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the magician to find them.
Kitty studied the djinni beside her. He wasn't looking at her now. He gazed across the night landscape, eyes unfocused. The shimmer of the red sun reflected in his dark pupils. His fingers sifted absently through a handful of fine sand.
"What are you thinking?" She asked, almost without realizing she had spoken aloud.
The last tiny grains of sand trickled through his fingers. He closed his fist and glanced at her abruptly.
He suddenly grinned.
"Nothing you'd be able to comprehend."
Kitty lifted an eyebrow. She knew Bartimaeus too well to be insulted.
"Are you thinking about that djinni I fought?" She asked, "What it said to me?"
"It was bluffing," Bartimaeus said hurriedly, "Trying to catch you off guard."
"Well it worked," Kitty said with a wince, "If it hadn't been for Rebecca…"
Kitty trailed off, so humiliated by the memory of her own crushing defeat that she almost missed the djinni's muttered reply.
"Yeah, she's not so bad, I guess." He said.
Kitty stared. When had she missed this change in opinion?
"Stop gawking at me like that or I'll change my mind," Bartimaeus said, taken aback by Kitty's gaping expression. He folded his arms defensively against his chest.
Kitty closed her mouth abruptly.
"Um, sorry. I'm just… surprised." She said. She shifted position and leaned against the boulder at her back, gritting her teeth against the searing pain that shook her every time she moved. There was a moment of silence. Girl and djinni sat side-by-side, the only sound the rattle of wind over desert. Finally, Bartimaeus spoke.
"Yes." He said, economically.
Kitty's face was comical in its confusion.
"Yes, what?" She demanded.
Bartimaeus tilted his head to the side. He wore an expression of exaggerated astonishment.
"Is your memory really so short? Poor girl."
"What are you talking about?"
"You asked me a question, remember. Whether I was thinking about what that spirit said to you."
"Yes, and we finished that part of our conversation." She said huffily.
"Well, I'm bringing it back up again. I think it might have been speaking truthfully."
Kitty's eyebrows went up.
"In case you've forgotten, it claimed I was its master. I can inform you right now I haven't summoned a spirit in years. Not since you, in fact. And I think I would know whether–"
"Okay, okay," said Bartimaeus raising his hands as if to ward off her haranguing, "But what if you didn't realize you were doing it? You've got to admit, there's some pretty convincing evidence."
"Such as?"
"Well, your aura for one thing; it's not normal. Auras are pretty indicative of strange things that go on. Something funny is going on with yours, I'm positive about that."
Kitty bit her lower lip.
"But you told me that Ptolemy's aura was like this, too. I thought it was because I'd gone to the Other Place with you…"
"Yes, and I still think that's the reason," Bartimaeus scratched is head thoughtfully. "But who knows what the Other Place did to you, right? Ptolemy never lived long enough to figure out the long term consequences of what he did. Perhaps it's caused you to summon spirits unconsciously."
Kitty's forehead wrinkled.
"That sounds unlikely," She said.
"Think about it; Werfel told you this little spirit problem started when you moved here. Why would that happen unless you're the cause?"
"I don't know!" Kitty cried angrily, then hissed in pain and clutched her ribs as her aggravated wound protested. "This isn't my fault, Bartimaeus!"
The djinni leaned over and rubbed small circles on her back as she struggled to control the pain.
"It wouldn't be your fault either way." He said firmly.
Kitty leaned back and closed her eyes.
"I don't understand what's happening," She said softly. The djinni looked concerned.
"Why don't you just relax?" Bartimaeus suggested, "I'm probably not supposed to be getting you upset like this. You could sleep for a bit before Rebecca gets here. I'll keep an eye out for those spirits."
Sleep propped up against a boulder, with several fractured ribs poking at her insides? Why not?
The djinni made to rise, but Kitty caught his hand.
"Stay," She commanded, pulling him back down.
Bartimaeus looked down at their joined hands.
"If you insist," He said.
As he settled down beside her in the sand, Kitty let her eyes fall shut. She was exhausted from pain and exertion, and sleep came easy. Her breaths came deep and even as she drifted off into unconsciousness, her fingers still curled gently around those of the boy beside her.
I sat leaning against a boulder, beneath the open night sky, watching Kitty as she slept. Her head tilted sharply against her shoulder, her face turned up towards me. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly against her cheeks as she dreamt. The moonlight cast deep shadows against her expressive features, which were now relaxed in spite of her pain. A few strands of soft grey hair ticked her nose with every inhalation. I gently brushed the hair out of her face. I was lucky she was alive.
As my fingers brushed over her forehead, I noticed her skin seemed unusually warm. Was she getting feverish? I quite honestly didn't know anything about human medicine. It was hard to tell whether Kitty was suffering from some kind of complications. She needed to be looked after by someone who knew what they were doing, and the sooner the better.
I could hear something rumbling towards us. More spirits? I hopped to my feet.
By the light of the moon, I could make out a distant vehicle zipping over the dunes towards us. The sturdy 4x4 drew nearer kicking up clouds of sand, and finally pulling to a stop in front of me. Rescue had presumably arrived.
The passenger door slammed open, and out tumbled Rebecca Piper. I'd never been so happy to see anyone in my life.
"Nice timing," I called, walking forwards and waving cheerily at her, "I admit you had me wondering whether you'd make it back, but hey, you came through! Now let's get out of here…"
I trailed off as Rebecca straightened up and turned towards me, allowing the moonlight to fall upon her features. Her lip was split and still trickling blood, and a nice purple bruise was forming under one swollen eye. Her face was streaked with tears. She met my gaze, her face creased with despair.
"Rebecca?" I said, feeling uneasy.
Suddenly, the rest of our rescuers jumped from the vehicle, which rocked slightly from the loss of their weight. The six newcomers advanced. At their head stood a particularly tall man carrying an assault rifle.
"Well, well. We meet again," Said Samir.