Chapter 38

Bartimaeus

I was summoned. And not by Kitty or Ptolemy, either.

Nope, I was summoned by someone else. That someone was a tall, muscular man. He had the bartender type look to him.

Funny. He didn't look like a magician at all. No lenses, no other slaves…The man broke my concentration. "Tell me your name, demon."

Oh great. A newbie. A choose that deep voice that I had used on Nathaniel when I first met him. The on that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end. "You know full well what my name is."

That surprised him. To see a cloud(1) talking as though it was a full grown man. I can at least say he wasn't expecting it. Damn, it's so fun to mess with people.

The man picked himself up. "You're right, demon. I know what your name is."

I sighed warily. "Get on with it! What's my charge?"

"I charge you to keep a close watch on a girl in my inn She's in room—"

I cut him off. "Hold on a minute there! Do you have any idea who you're talking to? I am Bartimaeus of Urk! Sakhr-Al-Jinni! N'gorso the Mighty! The Serpent of Silver Plumes! I have rebuilt the walls of Urk, Karnak, and Prague! I'm a fourth level djinni and you're sending me off to be a spy? You could've made a Scrying Glass for that! I've fought and won against Farqual of Sparta! I've spoken with Ptolemy and Solomon! Now answer me this, pathetic human, who are you to subject me to such work?"

Impressive stuff, eh? It had been a long while since I'd gotten to do that, and I must admit it felt good. And from the looks on the bartender's face, I had gotten to him. But he recollected himself and said, "I am your master! You must obey me! And I order you to spy on two people that dwell within room two. Now go!"

First dismissal. My bowels began to sting. I remained where I was and looked around for signs of a name.

The idiot! He had a nametag pinned to his shirt! It read: George. Frog Inn Manager and Chief Bartender. Wonderful. Now that I knew his name(2) the pain in my bowels ceased. He couldn't hurt me whatsoever.

"What are you doing? Go!"

Second dismissal, but no pain.(3)

I decided to be difficult.

I stretched, yawned, changed to Ptolemy's form, sat down within the pentacle and made myself comfortable. "I don't feel like it. Why don't you ask me later?"

George growled, pulled something from his neck, chucked it at me.

I was too slow and couldn't dodge it. And lucky me, it was pure silver. It cut straight through the essence that made up my right arm. I cried out. "Now that isn't fair!"

"Then go!"

"Alright, alright. I'm goin'." I left. No reason to stay any longer.

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(1) That was my form, a puff of smoke.

(2) And it was his birth name, too. No magician would work as a bartender. This is all very interesting. More commoners were learning how to summon djinn. England would surely fall in another few years.

(3) Except with the usual summoning pain.

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A/n

Who's in room 2? Seriously, who do you think? Next chapter Bartimaeus. Yay, he's back!