Nicholas Flamel 1 - The Alchemyst sotinf-1

by Michael Scott

  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,r />
  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.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  W e need to go. Nicholas Flamel caught Josh s shoulder and shook him,

  bringing him back to the present.

  Josh turned to look at the Alchemyst. There were tears on his cheeks, but he

  was unaware of them. Sophie , he whispered.

  is going to be fine, Nicholas said firmly. Shouts echoed in the corridor

  outside, the sudden clash of weapons mingling with the roars of humans and

  animals. Above it all rose Scathach s delighted laughter. Flamel reached for

  Sophie, who was still floating four inches above the earth, and his aura

  flared white-green when he took her hand. Gently he pulled her back to the

  ground. As soon as her feet touched the earth, it was as if all the strength

  had left her body, and he caught her before she crumpled to the floor,

  unconscious.

  Josh was immediately at his sister s side. He pushed Flamel away and held his

  twin in his arms. Crackling energy darted from Sophie s fading aura to his

  flesh, but he didn't even register the tiny stings. When he looked up at

  Flamel, his face was an angry mask. You knew, he accused, you knew how

  dangerous this was. My sister could have been left in a coma.

  I knew that was not going to happen, Nicholas said calmly, crouching down

  beside Josh. Her aura your aura is too strong. I knew you would both

  survive. I would never have deliberately placed either of you in danger. I

  swear that. He reached for Sophie s wrist to check her pulse, but Josh

  pushed his hand away. He didn't believe him; he wanted to, but somehow

  Flamel's words rang false.

  They both jumped as an agonized, catlike squeal came from the corridor

  outside. It was followed by Scatty s voice. We really should be leaving. And

  right now would be a good time!

  The smell of burning wood was stronger, and tendrils of gray smoke begun to

  curl into the chamber.

  we've got to go. We Can'talk about this later, Flamel'said firmly.

  You better believe we will, Josh promised.

  I'll help you carry her, the Alchemyst offered.

  I can do it myself, Josh said, and gathered his sister into his arms. He

  wasn't going to trust Sophie
to anyone else. He was surprised by how light

  she felt, and he was suddenly thankful for all those painful months of

  football practice that had made him stronger than he looked.

  The Alchemyst picked up the short staff he d left propped against the wall

  and spun it in the air before him. The tip glowed green and it left the

  faintest of smoking emerald trails in the air. Ready? Flamel asked.

  Josh, his sister held tightly against his chest, nodded.

  Whatever happens, whatever you see, don't stop, don't turn back. Just about

  everything outside this doorway will not hesitate to kill you.

  Josh followed Flamel through the door and immediately stopped, frozen in

  shock. Scatty was standing in the center of the narrow corridor, her two

  short swords a blur before her. Behind the swords, crowding the corridor,

  were some of the most terrifying creatures he had ever seen. He d been

  expecting monsters; what he had not been expecting were creatures even more

  terrifying. Creatures that were neither beast nor human, but something caught

  in between. Humans with the heads of cats snarled and slashed at Scatty,

  their claws striking sparks off her swords. Others with the bodies of men but

  with the huge peaked skulls of ravens jabbed at her, attempting to gouge and

  stab her.

  Scatty down! Flamel'shouted. Without waiting to see if she even heard him,

  he stretched out his arm and leveled the short staff. His aura flared green

  and the air was suddenly bitter with the odor of mint. An emerald-colored

  globe of spinning light gathered at the tip of the staff and then shot

  forward with an audible pop. Scatty barely managed to duck before the ball

  sizzled through the air and shattered against the ceiling almost directly

  over her head. It left a bright mark, like a stain, which started to dribble

  and drip sticky green light. The scarred head of a tabby cat pushed through

  the opening, mouth gaping, fangs glinting. It spotted Scatty and lunged for

  her and a drop of the gooey light splashed off the top of its head. The

  cat-headed human went wild. It threw itself back into the corridor, where it

  immediately attacked everything in its path. A birdman stepped up to the

  opening, and was doused in the dripping green light. Its black wings abruptly

  developed holes and tears, and it fell back with a hideous chattering cawing.

  Josh noticed that although the green light, which had the consistency of