The Alchemyst

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

T he Morrigan and Bastet burst through the tangled hedges, carrying John Dee

between them. In the next instant the wall of foliage vanished and one of the

many winding paths leading to Mount Tamalpais appeared. They stumbled, and

Dee fell sprawling in the dust.

What now? Bastet growled. Have we lost, have they won? We have destroyed

Hekate, but she has Awakened the girl.

John Dee staggered to his feet and brushed off his ruined coat. There were

scrapes and tears in the sleeve, and something had ripped a fist-sized hole

through the lining. Carefully wiping Excalibur clean, he slid it back into

its concealed sheath. It s not the girl we need to concentrate on now. It s

the boy. The boy is the key.

The Morrigan shook her head, feathers rustling. You talk in riddles. She

glanced up into the clear morning skies, and almost directly overhead a wisp

of gray cloud appeared.

He has seen his sister s tremendous magical powers Awakened; how do you

think the boy is feeling now? Frightened, angry, jealous? Alone? He looked

from the Morrigan to the Cat Goddess. The boy is at least as powerful as the

girl. Is there anyone else on this continent to whom Flamel could take the

boy to have his talents Awakened?

Black Annis is in the Catskills, the Morrigan suggested, the note of

caution clearly audible in her voice.

Too unpredictable, Dee said, she d probably eat him.

I heard that Persephone was in northern Canada, Bastet said.

Dee shook his head. Her years in the Underworld Shadowrealm have driven her

insane. She is dangerous beyond belief.

The Morrigan drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders. The cloud above her

head thickened and drifted lower. Then there is no one in North America. I

came across Nocticula in Austria, and I know that Erichtho still hides out on

Thessaly

You re wrong, Dee interrupted. There is one other who could Awaken the

boy.

Who? Bastet growled, frowning, her snout wrinkling.

Dr. John Dee turned to the Crow Goddess. You could.

The Morrigan stepped away from Dee, black eyes wide with surprise, pointed

teeth pressing against the bruise-colored flesh of her thin lips. A ripple

ran through her black cloak, ruffling all the feathers.

You are mistaken, Bastet hissed. My niece is Next Generation, she hasn t

got the powers.

Dee turned to face the Crow Goddess. If he knew he was playing a

dangerous possibly even deadly game, he showed no sign of it. At one time,

perhaps that would have been true. But the Morrigan s powers are more, much,

much more, than they were.

Niece, what is he talking about? Bastet demanded.

Be very, very careful, humani, the Crow Goddess cackled.

My loyalty is not in question here, Dee said quickly. I have served the

Elders for half a millennium. I am merely looking for a way to achieve our

aim. He stepped up to the Morrigan. Once, like Hekate, you wore three

faces: you were the Morrigan, the Macha and the Badb. Unlike Hekate, though,

you and your two sisters occupied three bodies. It was your consciousnesses

that were linked. Individually you were powerful, but together you were

invincible. He paused and seemed to be taking a moment to gather his

thoughts, but in actuality, he was ensuring he had a firm grip on Excalibur

beneath his coat. When did you decide to kill your sisters? he asked

casually.

With a terrible screech the Morrigan leapt for Dee.

And stopped.

In a flash Excalibur s black stone blade had appeared at her throat, blue

light fizzing and sparking down the blade. The serpent hilt came to life and

hissed at her.

Please Dee smiled, a chilling twist of his lips I ve been responsible for

the death of one Elder today. I ve no wish to add a second to my total. As

he spoke, he watched Bastet, who was moving around behind him. The Morrigan

has the power to Awaken the boy, he said quickly. She possesses the

knowledge and power of her two sisters. If we can Awaken the boy and turn him

to our side, we have gained ourselves an extraordinarily powerful ally.

Remember the prophecy: the two that are one, the one that is all. One to

save the world, one to destroy it.

And which one is the boy? Bastet asked.

Whatever we make him, Dee said, eyes darting from the Morrigan to Bastet

and back to the Crow Goddess.

Abruptly, Bastet was beside him, her huge claw around his throat. She lifted

him slightly, forcing him to rise on his toes and look into her chilling

eyes. For a single heartbeat, he thought about swinging the sword around, but

he knew that the Cat Goddess was faster, so much faster than he would ever

be. She d see the twitch of his shoulders and simply snap his head clean off.

Bastet glared at her niece. Is it true? Are Macha and the Badb dead?

Yes. The Morrigan glared at Dee. But I did not kill them. They died

willingly, and live inside me still. For a moment her eyes blazed yellow,

then red, then solid black, the colors of the three ancient goddesses.

Dee was tempted to ask how they had gotten inside her, then decided that he

really didn't want to know the answer and now probably wasn't a good time to

ask anyway.

Could you Awaken the boy? Bastet demanded.

Yes.

Then do it, Niece, the Cat Goddess ordered. She turned her attention back

to Dee. Pressing her thumb under his chin, she pushed his head back. And if

you ever raise a weapon to one of the Elder Race again, I will see that you

spend the next millennia in a Shadowrealm of my own special creation. And

trust me, you will not like it. She released her grip and flung him away,

sending him sprawling in the dirt. He was still clutching the sword.

Tell me, Bastet commanded, towering over him. Where are Flamel and the

twins now? Where have they gone?

Dee climbed shakily to his feet. He brushed dirt off his coat, and discovered

yet another tear in the soft leather; he was never buying leather again. He

will need to start training the girl. Hekate Awakened her, but didn't get a

chance to teach her any protective spells. SHe'll need to be taught to

protect herself and control her powers before the stimuli from the physical

world drive her mad.

So where will they go? Bastet growled. She wrapped her arms around her body

and shivered. The cloud the Morrigan had summoned had grown thick and dark as

it drifted-lower, and now hovered just over the treetops. There was moisture

in the air, and the hint of unidentifiable spices.

He'll not stay in San Francisco, Dee continued, he knows we have too many

agents in and around the city.

The Morrigan closed her eyes and turned slowly, then she raised her arm.

They re heading south; I can just about make out the silver traces of her

aura. It s incredibly powerful.

Who is the most powerful Elder south of here? Dee asked quickly. Someone

proficient in elemental magic?

Endor, Bastet answered immediately, in Ojai. The deadly Witch of Endor.

Mistress of the Air, the Morrigan added.

Bastet leaned down, her breath foul in the small man s face. You know where

you have to go. You know what you have to do. We must have the pages of the

Codex.

And the twins? he asked tightly, trying not to breathe.

Capture them if you can if not, then kill them to prevent Flamel from using

their powers. Then both she and the Crow Goddess stepped into the thickening

cloud and were gone. The damp grayness swirled away, leaving Dr. John Dee

alone on the isolated path.

How do I get to Ojai? he called.

But there was no response.

Dee shoved his hands in the pockets of his ruined leather coat and set off

down the narrow path. He hated it when they did that, dismissed him as if he

were nothing more than a child.

But things would change.

The Elders liked to think that Dee was their puppet, their tool. He had seen

how Bastet had abandoned Senuhet, who had been with her for at least a

century, without a second glance. He knew they would do exactly the same to

him, given the chance.

But Dr. John Dee had plans to ensure that they never got that chance.