The Alchemyst

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

D ee waited until the last of the birds and cats had disappeared into

Hekate's Shadowrealm before he left the car and strolled toward the hidden

opening. Senuhet, Bastet s servant, had left earlier, eagerly following his

mistress into the Shadowrealm, but Dee had not been quite so enthusiastic. It

was always a bad idea to be first into battle. The soldiers in the rear were

the ones who tended to survive. He was guessing that Hekate's guards had

massed just beyond the invisible wall, and he had no inclination to be first

through the opening. It didn't make him a coward, he reasoned; it just made

him careful, and being careful had kept him alive for many hundreds of years.

But he couldn t hang around out there forever; his inhuman masters would

expect to see him on the battlefield. The small man drew his

two-thousand-dollar leather coat tightly around his shoulders the moment

before he stepped into the opening, leaving behind the chill early-morning

air and stepping into

a battlefield.

There were bodies everywhere, and none of them were human.

The Morrigan s birds had changed when they entered Hekate's Shadowrealm: they

had become almost human though not entirely so. They were now tall and thin

like their mistress; their wings had stretched, becoming long and batlike,

connected to human-shaped bodies by translucent skin and tipped with deadly

claws. Their heads were still those of birds.

There were a few cats scattered among the field of feathers. They too had

become almost human when they stepped into the Shadowrealm, and like Bastet,

they had retained their cat heads. Their paws were a cross between human

hands and cat claws, tipped with curved, razor-sharp nails, and their bodies

were covered in a fine down of hair.

Looking around, Dee could see no sign that any of Hekate's guards had fallen

in battle, and was suddenly frightened: what did the goddess have guarding

her realm? He reached under his coat, pulled out the sword that had once been

called Excalibur and set off down the path to where the huge tree rose out of

the morning mist. The sunrise ran bloodred along the ancient black blade.

Birdmen, Scathach muttered, and then added a curse in the ancient Celtic

language of her youth. She hated birdmen; they gave her hives. She was

standing at the entrance to the Yggdrasill, watching the creatures appear out

of the forest. The mythologies of every race included stories of men who

turned into birds, or birds who transformed into half-human creatures. In her

long life Scatty had encountered many of the creatures and had once come

perilously close to death when she d fought a Sirin, an owl with the head of

a beautiful woman. Since that encounter, she d been allergic to bird

feathers. Already her skin was starting to itch and she could feel a sneeze

building at the back of her nose. The Morrigan s creatures moved awkwardly,

like hunched-over humans, dragging their knuckles on the ground. They were

poor warriors, but they often succeeded by sheer force of numbers.

Then Bastet s cat-people appeared. They moved slowly, stealthily, some

standing on two feet, but most moving on all fours. Here, Scatty knew, was

the basis of the great cat legends of Africa and India. Unlike the birds, the

cat-people were deadly fighters: they were lightning fast, and their claws

were capable of inflicting terrible damage. Scathach sneezed; she was also

allergic to cats.

The strange army came to a halt, perhaps awed by the incredible

building-sized tree or just confused by the sight of a single warrior

standing framed in the open doors. They milled about; then, as if driven by a

single command, they surged forward in a long ragged line.

The Warrior twisted her head from side to side and rolled her shoulders, and

then her two short swords appeared in her hands. She raised them above her

head in an X.

It was the signal the Torc Allta and the nathair had been waiting for.

Seemingly from nowhere, hundreds of the terrifying lizards hurtled out of the

sky, with the sun at their backs, and swooped over the advancing army. They

flew in great sweeping circles, their huge wings raising enormous plumes of

gritty dust that blinded and confused the birds and cats. Then the Torc

Allta, who had been lying concealed in the tall grass and behind the twisting

roots of the Yggdrasill, rose in the middle of the attackers. As Scatty

hurried back into the depths of the house, she realized how closely the

noises of the battle resembled feeding time at the San Francisco Zoo.

We re running out of time, Scathach yelled to Flamel as she raced into the

corridor.

How many? Nicholas asked grimly.

Too many, Scatty replied. She paused briefly and then added, The Torc

Allta and nathair will not be able to hold them for long.

And the Morrigan and Bastet?

I didn't see them. But you can be sure they re coming, and when they do

She left the sentence unfinished. With Hekate busy Awakening the twins,

nothing would be able to stand against the two Dark Elders.

They ll come, he said grimly.

Scatty stepped closer to Flamel. They had known each other for over three

hundred years, and although she was his senior by nearly two millennia, she

had come to regard him as the father she no longer remembered. Take the

twins and flee. I'll hold them here. I'll buy you as much time as possible.

The Alchemyst reached out and placed his hand on the Warrior s shoulder and

squeezed. A tiny pop of energy snapped between them and they both briefly

glowed. When he spoke, he unconsciously reverted to the French language of

his youth. No, we ll not do that. When we leave here, we go together. We

need the twins, Scatty not just you and me, but the entire world. I believe

that only they will be able to stand against the Dark Elders and keep them

from achieving their ultimate aim and reclaiming the earth.

Scatty looked over his shoulder into the gloomy chamber. You re asking a lot

of them. When are you going to tell them the whole truth? she asked.

In time , he began.

Time is something you do not have, Scatty murmured. you've started to age.

I can see it in your face, around your eyes, and there s more gray in your

hair.

Flamel nodded. I know. The immortality spell is breaking down. Perenelle and

I will begin to age a year for every day we go without the formulation for

immortality. We will be dead by the end of the month. But by then it will not

matter. If the Dark Elders succeed, the world of the humani will have already

ceased to exist.

Let s make sure that doesn't happen. Scatty turned her back on Flamel, then

sank to the ground, back straight, her legs folded, feet turned high on her

thighs in a full lotus position, arms outstretched, palms wrapped around the

hilts of the swords that were lying across her lap. If the cats or birds

broke into the house and found the corridor, they would have to get past her

to find Hekate and the Warrior would make them pay dearly.

Hekate had given Flamel a short staff made of a branch of the Yggdrasill, and

now, holding it in both hands, he took up a position directly outside the

door to the chamber where the goddess was working with the twins. If any of

the invaders did manage to get past Scathach, they would then face him.

Scatty would fight with her swords, hands and feet, but his weapons were

potentially even more destructive. He held up his hand and the narrow space

grew heavy with the smell of mint as his aura flickered and sparked into

green life around him. Though he was still powerful, every use of magic

weakened him and drew on his life force. Scatty was right; he had started to

age. He could feel tiny aches and vague pains where there had been none

before. Even his eyesight was no longer as sharp as it had been only the day

before. If he was forced to use his powers, it would speed the aging process,

but he was determined to give Hekate all the time she needed. He turned to

look over his shoulder, trying to penetrate the gloom. What was happening in

there?

We will start with the elder, Hekate announced.

Sophie could feel her brother drawing a breath to protest, but she squeezed

his fingers so tightly that she could actually feel his bones grinding

together. He kicked her ankle in response.

It is traditional, the goddess continued. Sophie She paused, then said,

What is your family name, your parents names?

Newman and my mother s name is Sara, my father is Richard. It felt odd

calling her parents anything other than Mom and Dad.

The green light in the chamber brightened and they could see Hekate outlined

against the glowing walls. Although her face was in darkness, her eyes

reflected the green light like chips of polished glass. She reached out and

placed the palm of her hand against Sophie s forehead. Sophie, daughter of

Sara and Richard, of Clan Newman, of the race humani

She began in English, but then drifted into a lyrically beautiful language

that predated humanity. As she spoke, Sophie s aura began to glow, a misty

silver light outlining her body. A cool breeze wafted across her skin and she

was suddenly conscious that she was no longer hearing Hekate. She could see

the goddess s mouth moving, but she could not make out the words over the

sounds of her own body the breath hissing in and out of her nose, the rush of

blood in her ears, the solid beat of her heart in her chest. There was a

pressure on her temples, as if her brain were expanding inside her skull, and

an ache ran the length of her spine and spread outward into all her bones.

Then the room began to lighten. Hekate looking older now was standing

outlined in shifting streams of sparkling lights. Sophie suddenly realized

that she was seeing the goddess s aura. She watched as the lights twisted and

curled around Hekate's arm and flowed down into her fingers, and then, with a

tingling shock, Sophie could actually feel it penetrating her skull. For an

instant she was dizzy, disorientated, and then, through the buzzing in her

ears, Hekate's words abruptly started to make sense. I Awaken this terrible

power within you . The goddess moved her hands over Sophie s face, her touch

like ice and fire. These are the senses the humani have abandoned, Hekate

continued. She pressed her thumbs lightly against Sophie s eyes.

To see with acuity

Sophie s vision bloomed, and the darkened chamber came to blazing light,

every shadow picked out in exquisite detail. She could see each thread and

stitch on Hekate's robe, could pick out individual hairs on her head and

follow the map of tiny wrinkles that were visibly growing at the corners of

her eyes.

To hear with clarity

It was as if cotton had been pulled from Sophie s ears. Suddenly, she could

hear. It was like the difference between listening to music on her iPod

headphones and then to the same track on her bedroom stereo. Every sound in

the room magnified and intensified: the wheezing of her brother s breath

through his nostrils, the tiny shifting creaks of the huge tree above them,

the scritch-scratching of invisible creatures moving through the roots.

Tilting her head slightly, she could even hear the distant sounds of battle:

the screeching of birds, the roars of cats and the bellowing of boars.

To taste with purity

Hekate's fingers brushed Sophie s lips and suddenly the girl was conscious

that her tongue was tingling. She licked her lips, finding traces of the

fruit she had eaten earlier and discovering that she could actually taste the

air it was rich and earthy and even distinguish the water droplets in the

atmosphere.

To touch with sensitivity

Sophie s skin came alive. The fabrics against her skin the soft cotton of her

T-shirt, the stiff denim of her jeans, the gold chain with her birth sign

around her neck, her warm cotton socks all left different and distinct

impressions on her flesh.

To smell with intensity

Sophie actually rocked backward with the sudden eye-watering explosion of

scents that invaded her: the spicy otherworldly odors of Hekate, the cloying

earthiness of her surroundings, her brother s twenty-four-hour deodorant,

which was plainly not working, the supposedly unscented gel in his hair, the

mint of the toothpaste she had used earlier.

Sophie s aura began to glow, silver mist rising off her skin like fog off a

lake. It surrounded her body in a pale oval. She closed her eyes and threw

her head back. Colors, smells and sounds were rushing at her: and they were

brighter, stronger, louder than any she had ever experienced before. The

effect from her heightened senses was almost painful no, it was painful. It

hurt. Her head throbbed, her bones ached, even her skin itched everything was

just too much. Sophie s head tilted back, and then, almost of their own

accord, her arms shot out to either side and she rose four inches off the

dirt floor.

Sophie? Josh whispered, unable to keep the terror from his voice. Sophie

His sister, wrapped in an undulating silver glow, was floating in the air

directly before him. The light from her body was so strong that it painted

the circular chamber in shades of silver and black. It was like a scene from

a terrifying horror movie.

don't touch her, Hekate commanded sternly. Her body is attempting to

assimilate the wash of sensations. This is the most dangerous time.

Josh s mouth went dry and his tongue was suddenly too big for it.

Dangerous what do you mean, dangerous? Something in his mind clicked and he

felt as if his worst fears were about to be realized.

In most cases, the brain cannot cope with the heightened sensations of

Awakening.

In most cases? he whispered, appalled.

In almost every case, Hekate'said, and he heard the regret in her voice.

That is why I was unwilling to do this.

Josh asked the question he really didn't want answered: What happens?

The brain effectively shuts down. The person is left in a coma from which

they never awaken.

And Flamel knew this could happen? Josh asked, feeling a great surge of

anger begin in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick. The Alchemyst had known

the Awakening could, in all likelihood, send him and Sophie into a coma, and

yet had still been prepared to let them go through with it. The rage burned

within him, fueled in equal parts by fear and a terrible sense of betrayal.

He d thought Flamel was his friend. He d been wrong.

Of course, Hekate'said. He told you there were dangers, didn't he?

He didn't tell us everything, Josh snapped.

Nicholas Flamel never tells anyone everything. One side of Hekate's face

was touched with the silver light radiating from Sophie, the other was

sheathed in black shadow. Suddenly, Hekate's nostrils flared and her eyes

widened. She looked up at the ceiling of roots. No, she gasped. No!

Sophie s eyes snapped open and then she opened her mouth and screamed.

Fire!

They re burning the World Tree! Hekate howled, her face contorted into a

savage mask. Shoving Josh to one side, she darted out into the corridor,

leaving him alone with the person who had once been his twin. He stared at

the girl floating in the air before him, unsure what to do, afraid to even

touch her. All he knew was that for the first time in their lives, they were

different in ways he could not even begin to comprehend.