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.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
I t was late in the afternoon when Josh finally turned the Hummer down the
long, curving road that led into the small city of Ojai. The stress of
driving four hundred miles in one long trip was etched onto his face, and
although the computer had estimated that it would take around six and a half
hours, it had taken close to nine. Driving the big Hummer on the highway was
surprisingly easy: he d simply put on the cruise control and let it go. It
was boring, but off the highway and on any other type of road, the Hummer was
a nightmare to control. It wasn't like any of his computer games. It was just
so big, and he was terrified he was going to run over something. The huge
jet-black vehicle also attracted a lot of attention he d never thought he d
be so happy to have tinted windows. He wondered what people would think if
they knew it was being driven by a fifteen-year-old.
The road curved to the right, and Ojai s long, straight main street appeared
before him. He slowed as he passed the Psychic Boutique and the Ojai
Playhouse; then the lights changed at Signal Street and he stopped, leaned
across the steering wheel and peered through the smeared, bug-spattered
windshield. His first impression as he looked down the empty street was that
Ojai was surprisingly green. It was June in California, that time of year
when most things had turned brown and withered, but here there were trees
everywhere, contrasting with the white stone of the buildings. Directly in
front of him, to his right, a low, ornate white stone tower rose over the
post office into the brilliant blue sky, while on the left, a row of shops
was set back from the road, sheltered beneath a row of white stone arches.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he was surprised to find Scatty s eyes on
him.
I thought you were asleep, he said quietly. Sophie, who had moved up into
the passenger seat beside him after a few hours of driving, lay curled up
asleep, and Flamel'snored gently beside Scatty.
I ve no need to sleep, she said simply.
There were a lot of questions he really wanted to ask, but instead, he just
said, Do you know where we re going?
She leaned forward, rested her arms on the back of his seat and her chin on
her arms. Straight on, past the post office That'sthe building with the
tower then turn right after Libbey Park at Fox Street. Find a parking space
down there. She nodded to the left, toward a row of shops nestled under the
white arches. We re going there.
Is that where your grandmother is?
Yes, Scatty said shortly.
And is she really a witch?
Not just a witch. She is the original Witch.
How do you feel? Sophie asked. She stood on the sidewalk and stretched,
standing on her toes and arching her back. Something popped in her neck.
That feels good, she added, turning her face and closing her eyes against
the sun, which was still high in the cloudless robin s-egg blue heavens.
I should be asking you that question, Josh said, climbing out of the car.
He yawned and stretched, rotating his head from side to side. I never want
to drive again, he added. His voice dropped to little more than a whisper.
I m glad you re okay. He hesitated. You are okay, aren't you?
Sophie reached out to squeeze her brother s arm. I think so.
Flamel climbed out of the car and slammed his door. Scatty had already moved
away from the car to stand beneath the shelter of a tree. She d dug a pair of
mirrored sunglasses from her pocket and popped them onto her face. The
Alchemyst went to join her as Josh hit the alarm on the key chain. The car
blipped once and its lights flashed.
We need to talk, Flamel'said quietly, though the side street was deserted.
He ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair, and strands came away on
his fingers. He looked at them for a moment, then brushed them on his jeans.
Another year was etched onto his face, subtly deepening the lines around his
eyes and the semicircular grooves on either side of his mouth. This person
we re going to see can be He hesitated and then said, difficult.
You re telling me, Scatty muttered.
What do you mean by difficult? Josh asked in alarm. After everything they
had just encountered, difficult could mean just about anything.
Cranky, cantankerous, irritable and That'swhen she s in a good mood,
Scatty said.
And when she s in a bad mood?
You don't even want to be in the same city as her!
Josh was puzzled. He turned to the Alchemyst. Then why are we going to see
her?
Because Perenelle told me to, he said patiently, because she is the
Mistress of Air, and Can'teach Sophie the basics of elemental air magic, and
because she can give Sophie some advice on how to protect herself.
From what? Josh asked, startled.
From herself, Flamel'said matter-of-factly, and turned away, heading back
toward Ojai Avenue. Scatty moved out of the shadows and fell into step beside
him. Wish I d brought sunscreen. I burn easily in this sunshine, she
grumbled as they walked away. And wait till you see my freckles in the
morning.
Josh turned back to his sister; he was beginning to have some idea of the
huge gulf of understanding that now separated him from his twin. Do you have
any idea what he was talking about? Protecting yourself from yourself? What s
that supposed to mean?
I think I know. Sophie frowned. Everything around me is so loud, so
bright, so sharp, so intense. It s like someone turned the volume up. My
senses are so acute; you wouldn't believe what I can hear. She pointed to a
battered red Toyota driving slowly down the road. The woman in that car is
talking on the phone to her mother. She s telling her she doesn't want fish
for dinner. She pointed to a truck parked in a yard on the opposite side of
the street. There s a sticker on the back of the truck; do you want me to
tell you what it says?
Josh squinted; he couldn t even read the license plate.
When we ate earlier today, the taste of the food was so overwhelming it
almost made me throw up. I could taste the individual grains of salt on the
sandwich. She stooped and picked a jacaranda leaf off the ground. I can
trace each vein in the back of this leaf with my eyes cl
osed. But you know
what s worst of all? The smells, she said, looking deliberately at her
brother.
Hey Ever since he d hit puberty he d tried every deodorant on the market.
No, not just you she grinned though you've really got to change your
deodorant, and I think you re going to need to burn your socks. It s all the
scents, all the time. The stink of gas in the air is awful, the smell of hot
rubber on the road, of greasy food, even the perfume from these flowers is
overwhelming. She stopped in the middle of the street, and her tone abruptly
changed. She looked at her brother, and the tears she had no idea were there
started to leak from her eyes. It s too much, Josh. It s just too much. I
feel sick and my head is pounding, my eyes hurt, my ears ache, my throat is
raw.
Josh awkwardly tried to put his arms around his sister to hug her, but she
pushed him away. Please, don't touch me. I Can't bear it.
Josh struggled to find words to respond, but there was nothing he could say
or do. He felt so helpless. Sophie was always so strong, always in control;
she was the person he went to when he was in trouble. She always had the
answers.
Until now.
Flamel! Josh felt the anger flare again. This was Flamel's fault. He would
never forgive the Alchemyst for what he d done. He looked up to see Flamel
and Scathach turning back to them.
The Warrior came hurrying over to them. Dry your eyes, she commanded
sternly. Let s not draw attention to ourselves.
don't talk to my sis Josh began, but Scatty silenced him with a look.
Let s get you into my grandmother s shop; sHe'll be able to help. It s just
across the road. Come on.
Sophie obediently ran her sleeve across her eyes and followed the Warrior.
She felt so helpless. She rarely cried she d even laughed at the ending of
Titanic so why was she crying now?
Awakening her magical potential had seemed like a wonderful idea. She d loved
the thought of being able to control and shape her will, of channeling her
aura s energy and working magic. But it hadn't turned out like that. It had
left her feeling battered and exhausted from the stimulation. It had left her
in pain. That was why she was crying.
And she was terrified that the pain was not going to go away. And if it
didn't, then what would she do what could she do?
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