The Alchemyst

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

J osh stood at the edge of the ancient forest with his sister and watched a

trio of tiny winged creatures that looked astonishingly like dragons whirl

and dance through the first shafts of dawn sunlight. Josh glanced at her,

then looked quickly away. I don't want you to do this, he said quickly.

Sophie laid her hand on her brother s arm. Why not? she said. She moved in

front of her twin, forcing him to look at her. Over his left shoulder, in

front of the entrance to the incredible Yggdrasill, she could see Flamel,

Scatty and Hekate watching them. All around, thousands of Torc Allta, both in

their human and wereboar forms, were scurrying about, preparing for battle.

The boars wore plates of leather armor across their haunches and backs, and

the human Torc Allta were carrying bronze spears and swords. Huge flocks of

nathair swooped across the skies and the bushes, and tall grasses were alive

with unseen crawling, slithering, scuttling creatures. Guards were taking up

positions all around the Yggdrasill, clambering out onto the huge branches,

standing guard with bows and spears in every window.

Sophie looked into her brother s bright blue eyes. She could see herself

reflected there, and she abruptly realized that his eyes were magnified

behind unshed tears. She reached for him, but he caught her hand and squeezed

her fingers gently. I don't want anything to happen to you, he said simply.

Sophie nodded, unwilling to trust herself to speak. She felt exactly the same

way about her twin.

Three of the enormous pterosaur-like nathair flew overhead, the downdraft of

their wings sending plumes of dust along the ground below. Neither Sophie nor

Josh looked up.

Nicholas said that there are risks, Josh continued, but Hekate'said that

it s dangerous, possibly even deadly. I don't want you to go through with

this Awakening in case something goes wrong, he finished quickly.

We have to do it. Nicholas said

I m not entirely sure I trust him, Josh interrupted. I have a feeling he s

up to something. He s too eager for Hekate to Awaken our powers despite the

dangers.

He said it s our only chance, Sophie persisted.

Yesterday, he said he had to get us away from the shop to keep us safe now,

all of a sudden, we have to be trained so that we can protect ourselves from

Dee and these Dark Elders. Trust me, Sophie, Nicholas Flamel is playing his

own game.

Sophie s gaze drifted to the Alchemyst. She d known him for a couple of

months, and she remembered writing in her blog that she thought he was cool.

Of course, now she realized that she didn't really know him at all. The man

she d thought of as Nick Fleming was an imposter. A lie. Flamel was staring

intently at her, and for the briefest of moments, she imagined that he knew

what they were talking about.

Both of us don't have to go through this Awakening, Josh continued. Let me

do it.

Again, Sophie looked into his eyes. And how do you think I d feel if

something happened to you?

This time it was Josh who found he couldn t speak. The idea that something

terrible could happen to his sister had only occurred to him a little while

before. But the very thought of it terrified him.

Sophie took her brother s hands in hers. From the moment we were born, we've

done everything together, she said, her voice low and serious. And with Mom

and Dad away so much, it s really always been just you and me. you've always

looked after me, I ve always looked out for you. I m not going to allow you

to go through this process by yourself. We ll do this just like we've done

everything else together.

Josh looked long and hard at his sister. Are you sure? he asked. He was

beginning to see a new Sophie.

I ve never been more sure.

They both knew what remained unsaid: neither wanted to be left behind if

anything happened during the Awakening.

Josh finally nodded. He then squeezed his sister s hand and they both turned

to face the Alchemyst, Hekate and Scatty.

We re ready, the twins said.

The Morrigan is here, Scatty informed them as they followed Nicholas and

Hekate through the huge door into the heart of the tree. She had changed into

black pants, a high-necked black T-shirt that left her arms bare and

thick-soled combat boots. She wore two short swords strapped to her back, the

hilts protruding slightly over her shoulders, and had daubed her eyes and

cheekbones with a black dye that gave her face a startlingly skull-like

appearance. She s brought Bastet with her. They re already surging into the

Shadowrealm.

Hekate can hold them back, Can't she? Sophie asked. She only had an inkling

of the goddess s powers, but the thought that there was something more

powerful than her was terrifying.

Scatty shrugged. I have no idea. They ve arrived in force; they ve brought

their armies with them.

Armies? Josh echoed. What kind of armies? More mud people?

No Golems this time. They have brought the birds of the air and the cats of

the earth with them.

Sophie laughed shakily. Birds and cats what Can'they do?

Scatty glanced at the girl, the whites of her eyes startling against the

black war paint. You saw what the birds did to the car on the way here.

Sophie nodded, suddenly feeling sick in the pit of her stomach. Images of the

filthy black crows battering the windshield and pecking holes in the metal

hood would haunt her to her dying day.

Well, imagine what would happen if tens of thousands of birds gathered.

Tens of thousands, Sophie whispered.

More like hundreds of thousands, Scatty said, turning into a narrow

corridor. The nathair scouts estimate maybe half a million.

And didn't you say something about cats? Josh asked.

Yes, I did. More than we can count.

Josh looked at his sister, the realization of the terrible danger they faced

really beginning to sink in now. They could die in this strange Shadowrealm

and no one would ever know. He felt tears prickling his eyes and blinked them

away; their parents would spend the rest of their lives wondering what had

happened to them.

The corridor they were following turned into another, even narrower

passageway. The ceiling was so low that both twins had to walk with their

heads ducked down. There were no steps or stairs, but the corridor circled

down and down in a long, slow spiral. The twins realized that they were going

into the ground deep beneath the tree. The walls became darker, the smooth

wood now scarred with straggling roots that curled out and pulled at their

hair with clutching fingers. The air turned damp, perfumed with loam and

fresh earth, rotting leaves and new growth.

The house is alive, Sophie said in wonder as they turned into another

twisting, spiraling corridor that was completely composed of the gnarled and

bulbous roots of the great tree that rose above them. Even with us moving

around inside, with the rooms and the windows and the pools it s still a

living tree! She found the idea both astonishing and frightening at the same

time.

This tree was grown from a seed of the Yggdrasill, the World Tree, Scatty

said quietly, rubbing the palm of her hand against the exposed roots. She

brought her palm to her face and breathed deeply, drawing in the aroma.

Millennia ago, when Danu Talis sank beneath the waves, a few of the Elders

were able to rescue some of the flora and fauna and transplant it to other

lands. But only two of the Elders, Hekate and Odin, managed to nurture their

Yggdrasill seeds to life. Odin, like Hekate, had power over magic.

Josh frowned, trying to remember what little he knew about Odin. wasn't he

the one-eyed Norse god? But before he could ask, Hekate disappeared into an

opening framed by knots of twisted roots. Nicholas Flamel'stopped and waited

for the twins and Scatty to catch up. His pale eyes were deeply shadowed, and

a thin vertical crease showed between his eyebrows. When he spoke, he chose

his words with care, his nervousness making his French accent even more

pronounced. I wish you did not have to do this, he said, but you must

believe me when I say that there is no other way. He reached out and put one

hand on Sophie s right shoulder and one on Josh s left shoulder. Their

auras silver and gold flared briefly, and the heavy air was touched with the

scents of vanilla ice cream and oranges. I m afraid that when you helped

Perenelle and me, you placed yourselves in the most dreadful danger. If when

Hekate Awakens your magical potential, I will teach you some protective

spells, and there are others I will take you to, specialists in the five

ancient forms of magic. I m hoping they will complete your training.

We re going to be trained as magicians? Sophie asked. She guessed she

should be more excited, but she kept remembering Scatty s words, that once

Hekate Awakened their powers, they would be in grave danger.

As magicians and sorcerers, as necromancers, warlocks and even enchanters.

Flamel'smiled. He glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to the twins.

Now go inside and do whatever she tells you. I know you are afraid, but try

not to be. Let me tell you, there is no shame in fear. He smiled, his lips

curling upward, but the smile never reached his troubled eyes. When you come

out of that room, you will be different people.

I don't want to be a different person, Sophie whispered. She wanted

everything to be just as it had been a couple of hours earlier, when

everything was ordinary and boring. Right now, she would give anything to go

back to a boring world.

Flamel'stepped back from the doorway and ushered the twins inside. From the

moment you laid eyes on Dee, you started to change. And once begun, change

cannot be reversed.

It was dark inside the chamber, whose walls were composed entirely of knotted

and twisted roots. Sophie could feel her brother s hand in hers and she

squeezed his fingers slightly. His hand tightened in return.

As the twins moved deep into the hollow, which was obviously larger than it

had first seemed, their eyes gradually adjusted to the gloom and the room

took on a greenish glow. Thick, furry moss covered the twisted roots and

radiated a watery jade green light, making it appear as if everything were

underwater. The air was heavy with moisture, and drops of liquid gathered on

their hair and skin like tiny beads of sweat. Although it wasn't cold, they

both shivered.

You should consider yourselves honored. Hekate's voice came from the green

gloom directly ahead of them. I have not Awakened a humani for many

generations.

Who , Josh began, and then his voice cracked. He gave a dry cough and tried

again. Who was the last human you Awakened? He was determined not to let

his fear show.

It was some time ago in the twelfth century, as you humani measure time a

man from the land of the Scots. I do not remember his name.

Both Sophie and Josh instinctively knew that Hekate was lying.

What happened to him? Sophie asked.

He died. There was a peculiar high-pitched giggle. He was killed by a

hailstone.

Must have been some hailstone, Josh whispered.

Oh, it was, Hekate murmured. And in that moment, they both knew that she

had something to do with the mysterious man s death. To Josh the goddess

suddenly seemed like a vindictive child.

So what happens now? Josh asked. Do we stand or sit or lie down?

You do nothing, Hekate'snapped, and this is not something to be done

lightly. For thousands of generations, you humani have deliberately distanced

yourselves from what you laughingly call magic. But magic is really only the

utilization of the entire spectrum of the senses. The humani have cut

themselves off from their senses. Now they see only in a tiny portion of the

visible spectrum, hear only the loudest of sounds, their sense of smell is

shockingly poor and they can only distinguish the sweetest and sourest of

tastes.

The twins were aware that Hekate was moving about them now. They couldn t

hear her move, but were able to track her by the sound of her voice. When she

spoke from behind them, they both jumped.

Once, mankind needed all those senses simply to survive. There was a long

pause, and when she spoke again, she was so close that her breath ruffled

Sophie s hair. Then the world changed. Danu Talis sank beneath the waves,

the Age of the Lizards passed, the Time of Ice came, and the humani

grew sophisticated. She made the word into a curse. The humani grew

indolent and arrogant. They found they did not need all their senses, and

gradually, they lost them.

You re saying we lost the powers of magic because we grew lazy, Josh said.

Sophie suppressed a groan; one of these days her brother was going to get

them into real trouble.

But when Hekate replied, her voice was surprisingly soft, almost gentle.

What you call magic is nothing more than an act of the imagination fired by

the senses, then given shape by the power of your aura. The more powerful the

aura, the greater the magic. You two have extraordinary potential within you.

The Alchemyst is correct: you could be the greatest magicians the world has

ever known. But here s the problem, Hekate continued, and now the room grew

a little lighter, and they could see the shape of the woman standing in the

center of the room, directly beneath a tangle of roots that looked exactly

like a clutching hand reaching down from the roof. The humani have learned

to live without their senses. The brain filters so much data from your

consciousness that you live in a type of fog. What I can do is Awaken your

dormant powers, but the danger the very real danger is that it will overload

your senses. She stopped, then asked, Are you prepared to take that risk?

I am, Sophie said immediately, before her brother could protest. She was

afraid that if he made a quip, the goddess would do something to him.

Something ugly and lethal.

The goddess turned to look at Josh.

He sought out his sister in the gloom. The green light lent her face a sickly

cast. The Awakening was going to be dangerous, possibly even deadly, but he

could not allow Sophie to go through it on her own. I m ready, he said

defiantly.

Then we will begin.