The Magician

CHAPTER FORTY

T he Disir s sword flashed toward Josh s head.

Everything was happening so fast, he didn't have time to be afraid. Josh saw

the flicker of movement and reacted instinctively, bringing Clarent up and

around, holding it horizontally over his head. The Disir s broadsword struck

the short stone blade and screamed along it in an explosion of sparks. They

rained down over Josh s hair, stinging where they touched his face. The pain

made him angry, but the force of the blow drove him to his knees, and then

the Disir stepped back and brought her weapon around in a wide sweeping cut.

It whined as it sliced through the air toward him and Josh knew with a

sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that he would not be able to

avoid it.

Clarent trembled in Josh s palm.

Twitched.

And moved.

A surge of tingling heat shot into his hand, shocking him, the spasm

tightening his fingers around the hilt. Then the sword jerked, shooting out

to meet the Disir s metal blade, turning it aside at the last moment in

another explosion of sparks.

Blue eyes wide with shock, the Disir danced away. No humani possesses such

skill, she wondered aloud, her voice barely above a whisper. Who are you?

Josh got shakily to his feet, not entirely sure what had just happened,

knowing only that it was something to do with the sword. It had taken

control; it had saved him. His eyes went to the terrifying warrior maid,

flickering between her masked face and her gleaming silver sword. He held

Clarent before him in both hands, trying to mimic the stance he d seen Joan

and Scatty use, but the sword kept shifting in his grip, moving and shivering

of its own accord. I am Josh Newman, he said simply.

Never heard of you, the woman said dismissively. She snapped a quick look

over her shoulder to where Nidhogg was crawling toward the water. Its tail

was now so heavily encrusted with black stone that it could barely move.

Maybe you've never heard of me, Josh said, but this he tilted the sword

blade upward is Clarent. He watched the woman s bright blue eyes widen

slightly. And I see you have heard of it!

Spinning her sword loosely in one hand, the Disir began to edge around Josh.

He kept turning to face her. He knew what she was doing moving him so that

his back would be to the monster but he didn't know how to prevent it from

happening. When his back was almost touching Nidhogg s stone skin, the Disir

stopped.

In the hands of a master, the sword might be dangerous, the Disir said.

I m no master, Josh said loudly, delighted that his voice didn't tremble.

But I don't need to be. Scathach told me that this weapon really could kill

her. I didn't understand what she meant, but now I do. And if it could kill

her, then I m guessing it could do the same to you. He jerked his thumb over

his shoulder. Look what I did to this monster with just a single cut. All I

have to do is to scratch you with it. The blade actually shivered in his

hands, humming in what almost sounded like agreement.

You could not even get close to me, the Disir mocked, swooping in, the

broadsword weaving before her in a mesmerizing pattern. She suddenly attacked

with a quick flurry of blows.

Josh didn't even have time to catch his breath. He managed to stop three of

them, Clarent moving to intercept each strike, the Disir s metal blade

slamming off his stone sword in a shower of sparks, each blow driving him

back, the force vibrating through his entire body. The Disir was just too

fast. The next swipe struck his bare arm between the shoulder and elbow.

Clarent managed to nudge the sword at the last instant, so it was only the

flat of the blade, rather than the razor-sharp edge, that hit him. Instantly,

his entire arm went numb from shoulder to fingertips and he felt a sudden

wash of nausea from the pain, the fear and the sudden realization that he was

going to die. Clarent fell from his grasp and clattered to the ground.

When the woman smiled, Josh saw that her teeth were thin needle points.

Easy. Too easy. A legendary sword does not make you a swordsman. Hefting

the broadsword, she advanced on the boy, driving him right up against

Nidhogg s stone-flesh. Josh squeezed his eyes shut as she raised her arms

high and screamed a hideous war cry. Odin!

Sophie, he whispered.

Josh!

Two blocks away, stuck in unmoving traffic, Sophie Newman sat bolt upright in

the backseat of the car, a sudden stomach-churning feeling of terror catching

her in her chest, setting her heart pounding madly.

Nicholas spun around and caught the girl s hand. Tell me!

Tears filled her eyes. Josh, she gasped, almost unable to speak with the

lump in her throat. Josh is in danger, terrible danger. The car filled with

the overpowering smell of rich vanilla as her aura blossomed. Tiny sparks

danced on the end of her blond hair, crackling like cellophane. We ve got to

get to him!

We re going nowhere, Joan said grimly. Traffic on the narrow street was at

a complete standstill.

A chill settled in Sophie s stomach: it was the appalling fear that her

brother was going to die.

Sidewalk, Nicholas said decisively. Take it.

But the pedestrians

Can get out of the way. Use your horn. He swiveled back around to Sophie.

We re minutes away, he said as Joan bumped the small car up off the

pavement and roared down the sidewalk, horn squeaking plaintively.

That s going to be too late. There must be something you can do? Sophie

pleaded desperately. Anything?

Looking old and tired, lines etched into his forehead and around his eyes,

Nicholas Flamel shook his head miserably. There is nothing I can do, he

admitted.

Sparking, crackling, snapping, a sheet of stinking yellow-white flame winked

into existence between Josh and the Disir. The heat was so intense it drove

him back onto Nidhogg s clawed feet and crisped his hair, scorching his

eyebrows and eyelashes. The Disir too staggered back, blinded by the foul

flames.

Josh!

Someone called his name, but the terrifying flames were roaring right in

front of his face.

The proximity of the fire roused the monster. It took a shuddering step, the

movement of its leg thrusting Josh forward onto his hands and knees, pitching

him dangerously close to the flames which died as abruptly as they had risen.

He hit the ground hard, hands and knees stinging with the contact. The smell

of rotten eggs was appalling and his eyes and nose were streaming, but

through his tears, he saw Clarent and attempted to reach for it just as

someone shouted at him again.

Josh!

The Disir threw herself at Josh once more, sword thrusting at him. A solid

spear of yellow flame struck the woman, exploding over her chain mail, which

immediately started to rust and fall away. And then another wall of flame

roared into existence between the boy and the warrior.

Josh. A hand fell on Josh s shoulder and he jumped, shouting aloud with

fright and the pain in his bruised shoulder. He looked up to find Dr. John

Dee leaning over him.

Dirty yellow smoke dribbled from the Magician s hands, which were barely

covered in torn gray gloves, and his once-elegant suit was now a ruined mess.

Dee smiled kindly. It would be best if we left right now. He gestured

toward the flames. I can t keep this up forever. Even as he was speaking,

the Disir's blade cut blindly through the fire, flames curling around the

metal as it sought a target. Dee hauled Josh to his feet and dragged him

backward.

Wait, Josh said hoarsely, voice raw with a combination of fear and the

smoke. Scatty He coughed and tried again. Scatty is trapped .

Escaped, Dee said quickly, putting an arm around the boy s shoulder,

supporting him, leading him toward a police car.

Escaped? Josh mumbled, confused.

Nidhogg lost its grip on her when I created the curtain of fire between you

and the Disir. I saw her roll away from its claws, jump to her feet and race

down the quay.

She ran she ran away? That didn't sound right. She d been limp and

unconscious the last time he d seen her. He tried to concentrate, but his

head was throbbing, and the flesh on his face felt tight from the flames.

Even the legendary Warrior could not stand against Nidhogg. Heroes survive

to fight again because they know when to run.

She left me?

I doubt she even knew you were there, Dee said quickly, bundling Josh into

the back of a badly parked police car and sliding in beside him. He tapped

the white-haired driver on the shoulder. Let s go.

Josh sat up straight. Wait I dropped Clarent, he said.

Trust me, Dee said, you don't want to return for it. He leaned back so

that Josh could look out the window. The Disir, her once-pristine white chain

mail now hanging in tattered and rotting shreds about her, strode through the

dying yellow flames. She spotted the boy in the back of the car and raced

toward it, shouting unintelligibly in a language that sounded like wolves

howling.

Niccol , Dee said quickly. She's rather upset. We really should be going

now, right now.

Josh looked away from the approaching Disir at the driver and was horrified

to discover that it was the same man he'd seen on Sacre -Coeur's steps.

Machiavelli turned the key in the ignition so savagely that the starter

screeched. The car lurched, jerked forward, then died.

Oh great, Dee muttered. That' s just great. Josh watched as the Magician

leaned out the window, brought his hand to his mouth and blew sharply into

it. A yellow sphere of smoke rolled from his palm and dropped onto the

ground. It bounced twice like a rubber ball, then exploded at head height

just as it reached the Disir. Thick, sticky strands the color and consistency

of dirty honey splashed over the Disir, then dripped down in long streamers,

gluing her to the ground. That should hold her , Dee began. The Disir's

broadsword sliced easily through the strands. Or maybe not.

Through his pain, Josh realized that Machiavelli had tried and failed to get

the car started again. Let me, he muttered, scrambling over the back of the

seat as Machiavelli slid over to the passenger side. His right shoulder was

still aching, but at least feeling had returned to his fingers, and he didn't

think anything was broken. He was going to have a massive bruise to add to

his growing collection. Turning the key in the ignition, he floored the

accelerator and simultaneously slammed the car into reverse just as the Disir

reached it. He was suddenly thankful that he d learned to drive a stick shift

on his father s old battered Volvo. The warrior s flailing sword struck the

door, puncturing the metal, the tip of the blade inches from Josh's leg. As

the car screeched backward, the Disir set her feet firmly and held on to her

sword with both hands. The blade tore a horizontal rip right across the door

and into the wing over the engine, peeling back the metal as if it were

paper. It also tore apart the front driver's-side tire, which exploded with a

dull bang.

Keep going! Dee shouted.

I m not stopping, Josh promised.

With the engine whining in protest and the front tire flapping and banging

off the ground, Josh tore away from the quayside

just as Joan wheeled the slightly scratched Citro n in at the other end.

Joan hit the brakes and the car screeched to a halt on the morning-wet

stones. Sophie, Nicholas and Joan watched in confusion as Josh reversed a

battered police car at high speed away from Nidhogg and the Disir. They could

clearly see Dee and Machiavelli in the car as he executed a clumsy handbrake

turn and sped from the parking lot.

For a single heartbeat, the Disir stood on the quayside, looking lost and

bewildered. Then she spotted the newcomers. Turning, she raced toward them,

sword held high over her head, screeching a barbaric war cry.