Nicholas Flamel 2 - The Magician sotinf-2

by Michael Scott

  You sound almost sorry for it, Dee snapped.

  I never traded my humanity for my long life, Doctor. I ve always remembered

  my roots. His voice hardened, turned contemptuous. You worked so hard to be

  like your Elder master that you've forgotten what it is like to feel human to

  be human. And we humans he stressed the last word have the capacity to feel

  another creature s pain. It is what lifted humani above the Elders, it is

  what made them great.

  And it s the weakness that will ultimately destroy them, Dee said simply.

  Let me remind you that this creature is not human. It could crush you

  underfoot and not even notice. However, let us not argue now; not when we re

  about to be victorious. The boy might have solved our problem for us, Dee

  said. Nidhogg is slowly turning to stone. He laughed delightedly. If it

  jumps into the river now, the weight of its tail will drag it to the

  bottom and take Scathach with it. He looked slyly at Machiavelli. I take it

  your humanity does not extend to feeling sorry for the Shadow.

  Machiavelli grimaced. Knowing Scathach is lying at the bottom of the Seine

  wrapped in the creature s claws would make me very happy indeed.

  The two immortals sat unmoving in the car, watching as the creature lurched

  forward, moving more slowly now, the weight of its tail dragging behind it.

  All that stood between it and the water was one of the glass-enclosed

  boats the bateaux-mouches that took tourists up and down the river.

  Dee nodded toward the boat. Once it climbs onto that, the boat will sink,

  and Nidhogg and Scathach will disappear into the Seine forever.

  And what about the Disir?

  I m sure she can swim.

  Machiavelli allowed himself a wry smile. So all we re waiting for now

  is for it to reach the boat, Dee finished, just as Josh appeared through

  the gaping hole in the tree-lined quayside and darted across the parking lot.

  As Josh raced up to the creature, the sword in his right hand began to burn,

  long streamers of orange fire curling off the blade. His aura started to

  crackle a matching golden color, suffusing the air with the smell of oranges.

  Abruptly, the Disir slid off the monster s back, flickering back into her

  white chain mail in the instant before her feet touched the ground. She

  rounded on Josh, her features locked into an ugly, savage mask. You are

  becoming a nuisance, boy, she snarled in barely comprehensible English.

  Lifting her great broadsword in both hands, she threw herself toward Josh.

  This will just take a moment.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  H uge sweeping banks of fog rolled across San Francisco Bay.

  Perenelle Flamel folded her arms across her chest and watched the night sky

  fill with birds. A great wheeling flock rose over the city, gathered in a

  thick moving cloud, and then, like tendrils of spilled ink, three separate

  streams of birds set out across the bay, heading directly for the island. And

  she knew that somewhere in the heart of the great flock was the Crow Goddess.

  The Morrigan was coming to Alcatraz.

  Perenelle was standing in the burned-out ruins of the warden s house, where

  she d finally managed to escape the masses of spiders. Although it had burned

  more than three decades ago, she could smell the ghost-odors of charred wood,

  cracked plaster and melted piping lingering in the air. The Sorceress knew

  that if she lowered her defenses and concentrated, she would be able to hear

  the voices of the wardens and their families who had occupied the building

  through the years.

  Shading her bright green eyes and squinting hard, Perenelle concentrated on

  the approaching birds, trying to distinguish them from the night and work out

  just how much time she had before they arrived. The flock was huge, and the

  thickening fog made it impossible to guess either size or distance. But she

  guessed she had perhaps ten or fifteen minutes before they reached the

  island. She brought her little finger and thumb close together. A single

  white spark cracked between them. Perenelle nodded. Her powers were

  returning, just not fast enough. They would continue to strengthen now that

  she was away from the sphinx, but her aura would recharge more slowly at

  night. She also knew that she was still nowhere near strong enough to defeat

  the Morrigan and her pets.

  But that didn't mean she was defenseless; a lifetime of study had taught her

  many useful things.

  The Sorceress felt a chill breeze ruffle her long hair in the instant before

  the ghost of Juan Manuel de Ayala flickered into existence beside her. The

  ghost hung in the air, taking substance and definition from a host of dust

  particles and water droplets in the gathering fog. Like many of the ghosts

  she d encountered, he was wearing the clothes he had felt most comfortable in

  while he was alive: a loose white linen shirt tucked into knee-length

  trousers. His legs tapered away below his knees, and, like a lot of spirits,

  he had no feet. While they were alive, people rarely looked down at their

  feet. This was once the most beautiful spot on this earth, was it not? he

  asked, flat moist eyes fixed on the city of San Francisco.

  It still is, she said, turning to look across the bay to where the city

  sparkled and glittered with countless tiny lights. Nicholas and I have

  called it home for many years.

  Oh, not the city! de Ayala said dismissively.

  Perenelle glanced sidelong at the ghost. What are you talking about? she

  asked. It looks beautiful.

  I once stood here, close to this very spot, and watched perhaps a thousand

  fires burning on the shores. Each fire represented a family. In time I came

  to know all of them. The Spaniard s long face grimaced in what might have

  been pain. They taught me about the land, and about this place, spoke to me

  of their gods and spirits. I think it was those people who bound me to this

  land. All I see now are lights; I cannot see the stars, I cannot see the

  tribes or individuals huddling around their fires. Where is the place I

  loved?

  Perenelle nodded toward the distant lights. It s still there. Just grown.

  It s changed out of all recognition, de Ayala said, and not for the

  better.

  I ve watched the world change too, Juan. Perenelle spoke very softly. But

  I like to believe that it has changed for the better. I am older than you. I

  was born into an age when a toothache could kill you, when life was short and

  brutal and death was often painful. Around the same time you were discovering

  this island, the average life expectancy of a healthy adult was no more than

  thirty-five years. Now it is double that. Toothaches no longer kill well, not

  usually, she added with a laugh. Getting Nicholas to go to the dentist was

  practically impossible. Humans have made astonishing strides in the last few

  hundred years; they have created wonders.

  De Ayala floated around to hover directly in front of her. And in their rush

  to create wonders, they have ignored the wonders all around them, ignored the

  mysteries, the beauty. Myths and legends walk unseen amongst them, ignored,

  unrecognized. It was not always so.

  No
, it wasn't, Perenelle agreed sadly. She looked across the bay. The city

  was fast disappearing into the mist, the lights taking on a magical, ethereal

  quality. It was easy now to see what it must have looked like in the past and

  what it might look like again if the Dark Elders reclaimed the earth. In past

  ages, mankind had recognized that there really were creatures and other

  races the Vampire, the Were, the Giants living in the shadows. Sometimes

  beings as powerful as gods lived in the heart of the mountains or deep in the

  impenetrable forests. There were ghouls in the earth, wolves really did roam

  the forest, and there were creatures much worse than trolls under bridges.

  When travelers had returned from distant lands, bringing with them stories of

  the monsters and creatures they had met, the wonders they had seen, no one

  doubted them. Nowadays, even with photographs, videos or eyewitness accounts

  of something extraordinary or otherworldly, people still doubted dismissing

  everything as a hoax.

  And now one of those terrible wonders is coming to my island, Juan said

  sadly. I can feel it approach. Who is it?

  The Morrigan, the Crow Goddess.

  Juan turned to Perenelle. I ve heard of her; some of the Irish and Scottish

  sailors in my crews feared her. She s coming for you, isn't she?

  Yes. The Sorceress smiled grimly.

  What will she do?

  Perenelle tilted her head to one side, considering. Well, they ve tried

  imprisoning me. That s failed. I imagine Dee s masters have finally

  sanctioned a more permanent solution. She laughed shakily. I ve been in

  trickier situations . Her voice cracked and she swallowed hard and tried

  again. But I ve always had Nicholas by my side. Together we were

  undefeatable. I wish he were here with me now. She took a deep breath,

  steadying her breathing and raising both hands in front of her face. Smoking

  wisps of her ice white aura curled off her fingertips. But I am the immortal

  Perenelle Flamel, and I will not go down without a fight.

  Tell me how I can help you, de Ayala said formally.

  You have done enough for me already. Because of you I escaped the Sphinx.

  This is my island. And you are under my protection now. He smiled ruefully.

  However, I m not sure the birds will be frightened by a few banging doors.

  And there s not a lot else I can do.

  Perenelle carefully picked her way from one side of the ruined house to the

  other. Standing in one of the tall rectangular windows, she stared back at

  the prison. Now that night had fallen, it was little more than a vague and

  ominous outline against the purple sky. She took stock of her situation: she

  was trapped on an island crawling with spiders, there was a sphinx wandering

  loose in the corridors below, and the cells were filled with creatures from

  some of the darkest myths she had ever encountered. Plus, her powers were

  incredibly diminished and the Morrigan was coming. She d told de Ayala that

  she d been in trickier situations, but right now she couldn't remember one.

  The ghost appeared alongside Perenelle, its outline distorting the shape of

  the building beyond. What can I do to help?

  How well do you know this island? she asked.

  Ha! I know every inch. I know the secret places, the half-completed tunnels

  dug by the prisoners, hidden corridors, walled-up rooms, the old Indian caves

  cut deep into the rock below. I could hide you and no one would ever find

  you.

  The Morrigan is resourceful and then there are the spiders. They d find me.

  The ghost floated around to place himself directly in front of her again.

  Only his eyes a deep rich brown were visible in the night. Oh, the spiders

  are not under Dee s control.

  Perenelle took a step back in surprise. They re not?

  They only began to appear a couple of weeks ago. I started to notice the

  webs over the doors, coating the stairs. Every morning, there were more and

  more spiders. They d float in on the wind, carried by strands of thread.

  There were humanlike guards on the island then though they were not human,

  he added quickly. Terrible blank-faced creatures.

  Homunculi, Perenelle said with a shudder. Creatures Dee grows in bubbling

  vats of fat. What happened to them?

  They were given the task of sweeping clean the spiders webs, keeping the

  doors clear. One stumbled and fell into a web, de Ayala said, his teeth

  appearing out of the gloom in a quick smile. All that was left of it were

  scraps of cloth. Not even bones, he told her in a horrified whisper.

  That s because homunculi have no bones, she said absently. So what is

  calling the spiders here?

  De Ayala turned to look at the prison. I m not sure .

  I thought you knew all there was to know about this island? Perenelle said

  with a smile.

  Far below the prison, cut deep into the bedrock by the waves, is a series of

  subterranean caves. I believe the first native inhabitants of the island used

  them for storage. About a month ago, the small Englishman

  Dee?

  Yes, Dee, brought something to the island in the dead of night. It was

  sealed away in those caves, and then he blanketed the entire area with

  magical sigils and Wards. Even I cannot penetrate the layers of protection.

  But I am convinced that whatever is drawing the spiders to the island is

  locked in those caves.

  Can you get me to the caves? Perenelle asked urgently. She could hear the

  rasp and clatter of thousands of birds wings, drawing ever closer.

  No, de Ayala snapped. The corridor is thick with spiders, and who knows

  what other traps Dee has put into place.

  Perenelle automatically reached for the sailor s arm, but her hand passed

  right through him, leaving a swirl of water droplets in her wake. If Dee has

  buried something in Alcatraz s hidden dungeons, and then protected it with

  magic so potent that even an insubstantial spirit cannot get through it, then

  we need to know what it is. She smiled. Have you never heard the saying

  the enemy of my enemy is my friend ?

  No, but I have heard fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

  Come, then quickly, before the Morrigan arrives. Take me back into

  Alcatraz.

  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 th
e 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