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After we had identified the crossroads as the perfect place for an ambush, Nathanial and I made our way over to a bramble of oaks and laurels to camp down for the night. I flitted above him as a bat as I watched the boy prepare to sleep, finally ready to get a break from the day’s trek and the boy’s constant commands. I listened to his faint breath as I observed our surroundings; a cloudless sky full of stars, the fleeting sounds of owls, and the trails of prowling djinn passing us overhead.
As frost began to form along my wings, a worrying thought struck me. What if Nathanial gets too cold? How will he be able to break Adelbrand’s pentacle let alone defeat Lovelace if he freezes to death before our plan has even begun? I mumbled an ancient Egyptian curse underneath my breath before I made up my mind.
Reluctantly, I flew down to the boy and observed that he was still breathing, but his cheeks had turned rather blue and he was trying his best to hide his shaking.
I transformed from a bat into Ptolemy’s form, clad in a large fur coat and hat to match the weather. I bent down close to my master’s shivering face.
“Do you need some warmth?” I whispered.
The boy made a soft squeak from his mouth as if caught off guard, then fervently nodded his head yes.
I smiled. Despite my young master’s persisting irritations, I felt some pity for the adorable little huddled mess of limbs below me.
I knelt down and slid behind Nathanial’s curled body on the ground, draping Ptolemy’s fur coat so that it covered the boy’s legs and arms. Nathanial made no protest as my right arm became his pillow and my left arm spread protectively across his abdomen and gripped at his jacket. The boy made a sigh of satisfaction, almost purring, as he instinctively hugged my arm and pushed himself further into my fur coat.
“Is that better, my master?” I asked softly, nuzzling the back of his head.
Nathanial could only hum in response as his breathing went from staggered to calm and steady against my warmth.
But still I could feel that the boy was cold, so I let my hand slip underneath his shirt and embrace his bare chest. I heard him sharply inhale his breath and tense up, before slowly easing his body into my warm embrace. Through my fingertips I could feel his heartbeat speed up a pace, then ease back down. The warmth seeping from my essence was too much for Nathanial to resist, as he began to drift to a deeper, cozier sleep.
My embrace on the boy did not slacken at all during the period it took for the sun to arise that bright morning. Nathanial stretched his arms and had barely opened his eyes before he started to process what he was looking at. He rolled over gently to face me, a curiously stunned yet amused look on his face.
“Did we..?” Nathanial began, his voice trailing off.
“You asked me to,” I hurriedly began to speak, though Nathanial broke into a smile before I had even finished.
“Thank you, Bartimaeus,” he said, smiling gently, “that was kind of you, I feel much better now.”
“Don’t get used to it,” I teased, even though my smile was much too obvious. Nathanial rolled onto his side to face me, my hand breaking free from his chest only to be grabbed between his warm hands.
‘I really appreciate it,” he continued, his words tinged with sincerity. He seemed on the verge of saying more, but hesitated, and was that a blush coloring his cheeks? Rolling my eyes playfully, I rubbed my thumb over his hand and squeezed it.
“You’ve shown much more courage than most magicians,” I acknowledged gently.
Nathanial’s smile widened, a glimmer of confidence shining in his eyes. Despite the long journey ahead, I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of comfort towards my master, reminding me of someone I had loved long ago.