The Alchemyst

CHAPTER SEVEN

S ophie spotted the rat first.

The twins had grown up in New York and had spent most of their summers in

California, so encountering a rat was nothing new. Living in San Francisco, a

port city, one quickly got used to seeing the creatures, especially early in

the morning and late at night, when they came out of the shadows and sewers.

Sophie wasn't especially frightened of them, though like everyone else she

had heard the horror stories, urban legends and FOAF friend of a

friend stories about the scavengers. She knew they were mostly harmless

unless cornered; she thought she remembered reading somewhere that they could

jump to great heights. She d also read an article in the New York Times

Sunday magazine that said that there were as many rats in the United States

as there were people.

But this rat was different.

Sleek and black, rather than the usual filthy brown, it crouched, unmoving,

at the mouth of the alleyway, and Sophie could have sworn that its eyes were

bright red. And watching them.

Maybe it was an escaped pet?

Ah, you've noticed, Flamel murmured, catching her arm, urging her forward.

We re being watched.

Who? Josh asked, confused, turning quickly, expecting to see Dee s long

black car cruising down the street. But there was no sign of any car, and no

one seemed to be paying them any special attention. Where?

The rat. In the alleyway, Nicholas Flamel'said quickly. don't look.

But it was too late. Josh had already turned and looked. By a rat? A rat is

watching us: you cannot be serious. He stared hard at the rat, expecting it

to turn and scuttle away. It just raised its head and looked at him, its

mouth opening to reveal pointed teeth. Josh shuddered. Snakes and rats: he

hated them equally though not as much as he hated spiders. And scorpions.

Rats don't have red eyes, do they? he asked, looking at his sister, who, as

far as he knew, was afraid of nothing.

Not usually, she said.

When he turned back, he discovered that there were now two jet-black rats

standing still in the alleyway. A third scuttled out of the gloom and settled

down to watch them.

OK, Josh said evenly, I ve seen men made of mud, I guess I can accept

spying rats. Do they talk? he wondered aloud.

don't be ridiculous, Flamel'snapped. They re rats.

Josh really didn't think it was such a ridiculous suggestion.

Has Dee sent them? Sophie asked.

He s tracking us. The rats have followed our scent from the shop. A simple

scrying spell allows him to see what they see. They are a crude but effective

tool, and once they have our scent they can follow us until we cross water.

But I m more concerned about those. He tilted his chin upward.

Sophie and Josh looked up. Gathering on the rooftops of the surrounding

buildings were an extraordinary number of black-feathered birds.

Crows, Flamel'said shortly.

That'sbad? Sophie guessed. From the moment Dee had stepped into the shop,

there hadn't been a whole lot of good news.

It could be very bad. But I think we ll be OK. We re nearly there. He

turned to the left and led the twins into the heart of San Francisco s exotic

Chinatown. They passed the Sam Wong Hotel, then turned right into a cramped

back street, then immediately left into an even narrower alleyway. Off the

relatively clean main streets, the alleyways were piled high with boxes and

open bins that stank with that peculiarly sweet-sour odor of rotten food. The

narrow alley they had turned into was especially foul-smelling, the air

practically solid with flies, and the buildings on either side rose so high

that the passage was in gloomy shadow.

I think I m going to be sick, Sophie muttered. Only the day before, she d

said to her twin that the weeks working in the coffee shop had really

heightened her sense of smell. She d boasted that she was able to distinguish

odors she d never smelled before. Now she was regretting it: the air was

rancid with the stink of rotten fruit and fish.

Josh just nodded. He was concentrating on breathing through his mouth, though

he imagined that every foul breath was coating his tongue.

Nearly there, Flamel'said. He seemed unaffected by the rank odors whirling

about them.

The twins heard a rasping, skittering sound and turned in time to see five

jet-black rats scramble across the tops of the open bins behind them. A huge

black crow settled on one of the wires that crisscrossed the alleyway.

Nicholas Flamel'suddenly stopped outside a plain, unmarked wooden door so

encrusted with grime that it was virtually indistinguishable from the wall.

There was no handle or keyhole. Spreading his right hand wide, Flamel placed

his fingertips at specific locations and pressed. The door clicked open.

Grabbing Sophie and Josh, he pulled them into the shadow and eased the door

shut behind them.

After the bitter stench of the alleyways, the hallway smelled wonderful:

sweet with jasmine and other subtle exotic odors. The twins breathed deeply.

Bergamot, Sophie announced, identifying the orange odor, and Ylang-Ylang

and patchouli, I think.

I m impressed, Flamel'said.

I got used to the herbs in the tea shop. I loved the odors of the exotic

teas. She stopped, suddenly realizing that she was talking as if she would

never go back to the shop and smell its gorgeous odors again. Right about

now, the first of the early-afternoon crowd would be coming in, ordering

cappuccinos and lattes, iced tea and herbal infusions. She blinked away the

sudden tears that prickled at her eyes. She missed The Coffee Cup because it

was ordinary and normal and real.

Where are we? Josh asked, looking around now that his eyes had become

accustomed to the dim light. They were standing in a long, narrow, spotlessly

clean hallway. The walls were covered in smooth blond wood, and there were

intricately woven white reed mats on the floor. A simple doorway covered in

what looked like paper stood at the opposite end of the corridor. Josh was

about to take a step toward the door when Flamel's iron hand clamped onto his

shoulder.

don't move, he murmured. Wait. Look. Notice. If you keep those three words

in mind, you just might survive the next few days. Digging into his pocket,

he picked out a quarter. Positioning it on his thumb, he flicked it into the

air. It spun over and over and began to fall toward the middle of the

hallway .

There was a barely perceptible hiss and a needle-tipped dart punched right

through the metal coin, impaling it in midair and pinning it to the opposite

wall.

you've left the safe and mundane world you once knew, Nicholas Flamel'said

seriously, looking at each twin in turn. Nothing is as it seems. You must

learn to question everything. To wait before moving, to look before stepping

and to observe everything. I learned these lessons in alchemy, but you will

find them invaluable in this new world you've unwittingly wandered into. He

pointed down the corridor. Look and observe. Tell me: what do you see?

Josh spotted the first tiny hole in the wall. It was camouflaged to look like

a knot in the wood. Once he found the first one, he realized that there were

dozens of holes in the walls. He wondered if each hole held a tiny dart that

was powerful enough to punch through metal.

Sophie noticed that the floor did not join neatly with the wall. In three

separate places on both the left-and right-hand sides, close to the

skirting there was a definite gap.

Flamel nodded. Well done. Now watch. we've seen what the darts can do, but

there is another defense . He took a tissue out of his pocket and tossed it

onto the floor, close to one of the narrow openings. There was a single

metallic clink and then a huge half-moon-shaped blade popped out from the

wall, sliced the tissue into confetti and slid back into hiding.

So if the darts don't get you , Josh began.

The blades will, Sophie finished. Well, how do we get to the door?

We don't, Flamel'said, and turned to push on the wall to the left. An

entire section clicked open and swung back, allowing the trio to step into a

huge, airy room.

The twins recognized the room immediately: it was a dojo, a martial arts

school. Since they were little, they had studied tae kwon do in dojang like

this across the United States as they traveled with their parents from

university to university. Many schools had martial arts clubs on campus, and

their parents always enrolled them in the best dojo they could find. Both

Sophie and Josh were red belts, one rank below a black belt.

Unlike other dojos, however, this one was plain and unadorned, decorated in

shades of white and cream, with white walls and black mats dotted across the

floor. But what immediately caught their attention was the single figure

dressed in a white T-shirt and white jeans sitting with its back to them in

the center of the room. The figure s spiky bright red hair was the only spot

of color in the entire dojo.

we've got a problem, Nicholas Flamel'said simply, addressing the figure.

you've got a problem; That'snothing to do with me. The figure didn't turn,

but the voice was surprisingly both female and young, the accent soft and

vaguely Celtic: Irish or Scottish, Sophie thought.

Dee found me today.

It was only a matter of time.

He came after me with Golems.

There was a pause. Still the figure didn't turn. He always was a fool. You

don't use Golems in a dry climate. That'shis arrogance.

He has taken Perenelle prisoner.

Ah. That'stough. He'll not harm her, though.

And he has the Codex.

The figure moved, coming slowly to her feet and turning to face them. The

twins were shocked to discover that they were looking at a girl not much

older than themselves. Her skin was pale, dappled with freckles, and her

round face was dominated by grass green eyes. Her red hair was so vibrant

that Sophie wondered if she had dyed it that color.

The Codex? The accent was definitely Irish, Sophie decided. The Book of

Abraham the Mage?

Nicholas Flamel nodded.

Then you re right, we do have a problem.

Flamel reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pages Josh had torn

from it. Well, nearly all of the book. He s missing the Final Summoning.

The young woman hissed, the sound like that of water boiling, and a quick

smile flickered across her face. Which he will want, of course.

Of course.

Josh was watching the red-haired young woman intently, noting how she stood

perfectly still, like most of the martial arts teachers he knew. He glanced

sidelong at his sister and raised his eyebrows in a silent question as he

inclined his chin slightly toward the girl. Sophie shook her head. They were

curious why Nicholas Flamel treated her with such obvious respect. Sophie had

also come to the conclusion that there was something wrong about the girl s

expression, but she couldn t quite put her finger on it. It was an ordinary

face perhaps the cheekbones were a little too prominent, the chin a little

too pointed but the emerald-colored eyes caught and held one s attention and

then Sophie realized with a start that the irl didn't blink.

The young woman suddenly threw back her head and breathed deeply, her

nostrils flaring. Is that why I can smell Eyes?

Flamel nodded. Rats and crows everywhere.

And you brought them here? There was a note of accusation in her voice.

I ve spent years building this place.

If Dee has the Codex, then you know what he will do with it.

The young woman nodded. She turned her wide green eyes on the twins. And

these two? she asked, finally acknowledging their presence.

They were there when Dee attacked. They fought for me, and this young man

managed to tear the pages from the book. This is Sophie and this is her twin,

Josh.

Twins? The young woman stepped forward, and looked at each of them in turn.

Not identical, but I can see the resemblance now. She turned to Flamel.

You re not thinking ?

I m thinking it s an interesting turn of events, Flamel'said mysteriously.

He looked at the twins. I would like to introduce you to Scathach. SHe'll

probably not tell you much about herself, so I'll tell you that she is of the

Elder Race and has trained every warrior and hero of legend for the past two

thousand years. In mythology she is known as the Warrior Maid, the Shadow,

the Daemon Slayer, the King Maker, the

Oh, just call me Scatty, the young woman said, her cheeks turning the same

color as her hair.