furiously. When the liquid settled, the image in the bowl no longer reflected Dee’s face, but showed a curiously flat image, rendered in shades of purple-gray and greenish black. The viewpoint was close to the ground, shifting and moving with sickening rapidity.
“Rats,” Dee murmured, thin lips curling with distaste. He hated using rats as Eyes.
“I cannot believe you led them here,” Scatty said, shoving handfuls of clothes into a backpack.
Nicholas Flamel stood in the doorway of Scatty’s tiny bedroom, arms folded across his chest. “Everything happened so fast. It was bad enough when Dee got the Codex, but when I realized there were pages missing, I knew the twins would be in trouble.”
At the mention of the word
twins,
Scatty looked up from her packing. “They’re the real reason you’re here, aren’t they?”
Flamel suddenly found something very interesting to stare at on the wall.
Scatty strode across the small room, glanced out into the hall, to make sure Sophie and Josh were still in the kitchen, and then pulled Flamel into the room and pushed the door closed.
“You’re up to something, aren’t you?” she demanded. “This is about more than just the loss of the Codex. You could have taken Dee and his minions on your own.”
“Don’t be so sure. It’s been a long time since I fought, Scathach,” Flamel said gently. “The only alchemy I do now is to brew a little of the philosopher’s stone potion to keep Perenelle and myself young. Occasionally, I’ll make a little gold or the odd jewel when we need some money.”
Scatty coughed a short humorless laugh, and spun back to her packing. She had changed into a pair of black combat pants, steel-toed Magnum boots and a black T-shirt, over which she wore a black vest covered in pockets and zippers. She pushed a second pair of trousers into her backpack, found one sock and went looking for its match under her bed.
“Nicholas Flamel,” she said, her voice muffled by the blankets, “you are the most powerful alchemyst in the known world. Remember, I stood beside you when we fought the demon Fomor, and you were the one who rescued me from the dungeons of An Chaor-Thanach and not the other way around.” She came out from under the bed with the missing sock. “When the Rusalka were terrorizing St. Petersburg, you alone turned them back, and when Black Annis raged across Manitoba, I watched you defeat her. You alone faced down the Night Hag and her Undead army. You’ve spent more than half a millennium reading and studying the Codex, no one is more familiar with the stories and legends it holds—” Scatty stopped suddenly and gasped, green eyes widening. “That’s what this is about,” she said. “This is to do with the legend….”
Flamel reached out and pressed his forefinger to Scatty’s lips, preventing her from saying another word. His smile was enigmatic. “Do you trust me?” he asked her eventually.
Her response was immediate. “Without question.”
“Then trust me. I want you to protect the twins. And train them,” he added.
“Train them! Do you know what you’re asking?”
Flamel nodded. “I want you to prepare them for what is to come.”
“And what is that?” Scathach asked.
“I have no idea”—Flamel smiled—“except that it is going to be bad.”
“We’re fine, Mom, honestly, we’re fine.” Sophie Newman tilted the cell phone slightly so that her brother could listen in. “Yes, Perry Fleming was feeling sick. Something she ate, probably. She’s fine now.” Sophie could feel the beads of sweat gathering in the small hairs at the back of her neck. She was uncomfortable lying to her mother—even though her mother was so wrapped up in her work that she never bothered to check.
Josh and Sophie’s parents were archaeologists. They were known worldwide for their discoveries, which had helped reshape modern archaeology. They were among the first in their
“Rats,” Dee murmured, thin lips curling with distaste. He hated using rats as Eyes.
“I cannot believe you led them here,” Scatty said, shoving handfuls of clothes into a backpack.
Nicholas Flamel stood in the doorway of Scatty’s tiny bedroom, arms folded across his chest. “Everything happened so fast. It was bad enough when Dee got the Codex, but when I realized there were pages missing, I knew the twins would be in trouble.”
At the mention of the word
twins,
Scatty looked up from her packing. “They’re the real reason you’re here, aren’t they?”
Flamel suddenly found something very interesting to stare at on the wall.
Scatty strode across the small room, glanced out into the hall, to make sure Sophie and Josh were still in the kitchen, and then pulled Flamel into the room and pushed the door closed.
“You’re up to something, aren’t you?” she demanded. “This is about more than just the loss of the Codex. You could have taken Dee and his minions on your own.”
“Don’t be so sure. It’s been a long time since I fought, Scathach,” Flamel said gently. “The only alchemy I do now is to brew a little of the philosopher’s stone potion to keep Perenelle and myself young. Occasionally, I’ll make a little gold or the odd jewel when we need some money.”
Scatty coughed a short humorless laugh, and spun back to her packing. She had changed into a pair of black combat pants, steel-toed Magnum boots and a black T-shirt, over which she wore a black vest covered in pockets and zippers. She pushed a second pair of trousers into her backpack, found one sock and went looking for its match under her bed.
“Nicholas Flamel,” she said, her voice muffled by the blankets, “you are the most powerful alchemyst in the known world. Remember, I stood beside you when we fought the demon Fomor, and you were the one who rescued me from the dungeons of An Chaor-Thanach and not the other way around.” She came out from under the bed with the missing sock. “When the Rusalka were terrorizing St. Petersburg, you alone turned them back, and when Black Annis raged across Manitoba, I watched you defeat her. You alone faced down the Night Hag and her Undead army. You’ve spent more than half a millennium reading and studying the Codex, no one is more familiar with the stories and legends it holds—” Scatty stopped suddenly and gasped, green eyes widening. “That’s what this is about,” she said. “This is to do with the legend….”
Flamel reached out and pressed his forefinger to Scatty’s lips, preventing her from saying another word. His smile was enigmatic. “Do you trust me?” he asked her eventually.
Her response was immediate. “Without question.”
“Then trust me. I want you to protect the twins. And train them,” he added.
“Train them! Do you know what you’re asking?”
Flamel nodded. “I want you to prepare them for what is to come.”
“And what is that?” Scathach asked.
“I have no idea”—Flamel smiled—“except that it is going to be bad.”
“We’re fine, Mom, honestly, we’re fine.” Sophie Newman tilted the cell phone slightly so that her brother could listen in. “Yes, Perry Fleming was feeling sick. Something she ate, probably. She’s fine now.” Sophie could feel the beads of sweat gathering in the small hairs at the back of her neck. She was uncomfortable lying to her mother—even though her mother was so wrapped up in her work that she never bothered to check.
Josh and Sophie’s parents were archaeologists. They were known worldwide for their discoveries, which had helped reshape modern archaeology. They were among the first in their
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