honey, burned the creatures, it had no effect on the wood. He knew he should
be paying more attention, but all his concern was focused on his sister. She
was breathing quickly, and behind her closed eyelids her eyes were dancing.
Scatty scrambled to her feet and darted back to Flamel and Josh. Very
impressive, I m sure, she muttered. I didn't know you could do that.
Flamel'spun the staff like a baton. This focuses my power.
Scatty looked around. We seem to be trapped.
Hekate went this way, Nicholas said, turning to the right and pointing to
what looked like an impenetrable barrier of knotted roots. I saw her come
running out of the chamber and walk straight through this. He stepped up to
the knotted wood and stretched out his arm. It disappeared right up to the
elbow.
I'll go first, Scatty said. Josh noticed that although she had been
fighting the deadly combination of birds and cats, there was neither a
scratch on her body nor a hair out of place. She wasn't even breathing
hard though if she really was a vampire, then maybe she didn't need to
breathe at all, he thought. Scatty darted forward, and in the last moment
before she reached the wall of roots, she dived straight into the opening,
swords crossed over her chest.
Flamel and Josh looked at one another in the brief moment that followed and
then Scatty s head poked through the solid-looking tangle of roots. All
clear.
I'll take the rear, Flamel'said, stepping back to allow Josh to go ahead of
him. I'll deal with anything that follows us.
Josh nodded, unwilling to trust himself to talk to Flamel. He was still
furious with the Alchemyst for endangering his sister s life, but he also
recognized that Flamel was now fighting for them, placing himself in very
real danger to protect them. Josh stepped up to the wall of twisted roots and
packed earth, closed his eyes and walked right through. There was an instant
of damp chill and then he opened his eyes to see Scatty directly in front of
him. He was standing in a low, narrow chamber created entirely from the
Yggdrasill s gnarled roots. Clumps of green moss leaked a dim green light
into the chamber, and he could see that Scatty was standing at the bottom of
a set of narrow, irregular steps that led upward into the gloom. Scatty s
head was tilted to one side, but before Josh could ask what she was hearing,
Flamel'stepped through the wall. He was smiling, and the top of his staff
emitted traces of green gas. That should hold them for a while.
Let s go, Scatty called as soon as the Alchemyst appeared.
The stairway was so narrow that Josh was forced to move in a sideways
crab-crawl, head ducked low, with Sophie held close to his body to prevent
her head and legs from cracking against the rough wooden walls. He tested
every step before he took it; he didn't want to risk falling and dropping his
sister. He suddenly realized that these steps were cut into the space between
the inner and outer bark of the great tree, and couldn t help wondering if a
tree the size of Yggdrasill was riddled with secret passages, hidden rooms,
forgotten chambers and lost stairways. It must be, he decided. Did Hekate
even know where they all were? And then, his mind racing, he wondered who had
created these steps. Somehow he could not imagine the goddess carving them
out of the living wood herself.
As they climbed, they could smell the bitter stench of burning wood, and the
sounds of battle came clearer. The cat shrieks became even more human, the
bird screeches were completely terrifying, and they mingled with the
bellowing roars of the boars and the hissing of the nathair. Now that the
group was no longer underground, the heat and smoke intensified and they
began to hear another sound a deep bass groaning rumble.
We need to hurry. Scatty s voice drifted back out of the gloom. We really
need to hurry now . And somehow the forced calm in the Warrior s voice
frightened Josh more than if she had screamed. Careful now; we've reached an
opening. We re at the end of a thick root, about thirty yards away from the
main body of the tree. We re well clear of the fighting, she added.
Josh rounded a corner and discovered Scatty standing bathed in shafts of
early-morning sunshine that shone through a curtain of vines directly ahead
of her. She turned to face him, sunlight turning her red hair golden and
running along the blades of her short swords, and in that moment, Josh saw
her as the ancient and terrifying Warrior she was. The sounds of battle were
all around them, but louder than all the other noises was the groaning rumble
that seemed to vibrate deep in the ground. What is that sound? he asked.
The cries of the Yggdrasill, Scatty answered grimly. Hekate's enemies have
set light to the World Tree.
But why? He found the very idea horrifying this ancient living tree had
harmed no one. But the action gave him an insight into the contempt with
which the Dark Elders held life.
Her powers are inextricably linked to it; her magic brought it to towering
life, its life force keeps her strong. They believe that by destroying it,
they will destroy her.
Flamel came panting up the steps to stand behind Josh. The Alchemyst s thin
face was bright red and beaded with sweat. Getting old, he said with a wry
smile. He looked at Scatty. What s the plan?
Simple, she began, we get away from here as quickly as possible. Then she
spun the sword in her left hand so that the blade was lying flat against the
length of her arm. She pointed with the hilt. Flamel and Josh stood close to
her and peered out through the curtain of vines. On the opposite side of the
field, Dr. John Dee had appeared, moving cautiously through the undergrowth.
The black-bladed short sword that he held in both hands glowed and flickered
with a cold blue light.
Dee, Flamel'said. Never in my life would I have imagined being delighted
to see him. This is good news indeed.
Both Scatty and Josh looked at him in surprise.
Dee is human which means that he came here via human transportation, the
Alchemyst explained.
A car Scatty nodded in agreement that he would probably have left just
outside the Shadowrealm.
Josh was about to ask how she knew he would have left it outside when he
suddenly realized he knew the answer. Because he knew if he drove it in
here, the battery would be drained.
Look, Scatty murmured.
They watched one of the huge, boarlike Torc Alltas emerge from the long grass
behind Dee. Although it was still in its beast shape, it rose on its hind
legs, until it reached nearly three times the height of the man.
It s going to kill him, Josh murmured.
Dee s sword flared bright blue, and then the small man threw himself
backward, toward the Torc Allta, bringing the sword around in a short arc.
The sudden movement seemed to surprise the creature, but it easily batted
aside the blade and then it froze. Where the blade had touched it, a thin
sheath of ice grew up the beast s arm, tiny crystals sparkling in the
early-morning sunshine. The ice coate
d the Torc Allta s chest and flowed down
its massive legs and up his shoulders and head. Within a matter of heartbeats
the creature was encased in a block of blue-veined ice. Dee picked himself up
off the ground, dusted off his coat and then, without warning, hammered on
the ice with the hilt of his sword. The block shattered into millions of
tinkling pieces, each one containing a fragment of the Torc Allta.
One of the elemental swords, Scatty remarked grimly, Excalibur, the Sword
of Ice. I thought it was lost ages past, thrown back into the lake when
Artorius died.
Looks like the doctor found it, Flamel murmured.
Josh discovered that he wasn't even surprised to hear that King Arthur had
been real, and he found himself wondering which other legendary figures had
really existed.
They watched as Dee hurried back into the undergrowth, heading for the other
side of the huge tree house, where the sounds of battle were loudest. The
smell of smoke was stronger now. Sharp and bitter, it curled and twisted
around the tree, carrying with it the reek of ancient places and
long-forgotten spices. Wood snapped and cracked, sap boiled and popped and
the deep bass thrumming was now strong enough to set the entire tree
vibrating.
I'll clear the way, Scatty said as she darted through the vines. Almost
immediately a trio of the birdmen came winging toward her, followed by two of
the cat-people, running on all fours.
we've got to help her! Josh said desperately, though he d no idea what he
could do.
She is Scathach; she doesn't need our help, Flamel'said. SHe'll lead them
away from us first .
Scathach raced into the undergrowth, running lightly, her heavy boots making
no sound on the soft earth. The birds and cats followed.
SHe'll back herself up against something, so that they can only come at her
from one side, then sHe'll turn to face them.
Josh watched as Scatty spun and faced her attackers, with her back to a
gnarled oak tree. The cat creatures reached her quickly, claws flashing, but
her short swords were quicker, and struck sparks from their claws. A
bird-creature swung in low, huge wings flapping, talons extended. Driving the
sword in her left hand into the ground, she caught the creature s extended
wrist and yanked it out of the air, then tossed it into the middle of the
snarling cats. The bird instinctively lashed out at the cats, and suddenly,
the animals were fighting among themselves. Two more bird-people immediately
dropped onto the cats with a hideous squalling. Scatty yanked her sword out
of the ground and used it to beckon to Flamel and Josh.
Flamel tapped Josh s shoulder. Go. Get to Scathach.
Josh turned to look at the Alchemyst. What about you?
I'll wait a moment, then follow and protect you.
And even though Josh knew Flamel had placed them in terrible danger, he had
no doubts that the Alchemyst would watch his back. He nodded, then turned and
burst through the curtain of vines and ran, clutching his sister tightly to
his chest. Away from the shelter of the tree, the noise of battle was
incredible, but he concentrated on the ground directly ahead of him, watching
for roots or other irregularities in the earth that could trip him. In his
arms, Sophie stirred; her eyes flickered, and she started to move. Josh
tightened his grip. Stay still, he said urgently, though he wasn't sure if
she could hear him. He shifted direction, moving to the right, away from the
struggling creatures, but he couldn t help noticing that when they were badly
injured, they reverted to their original bird and cat shapes. Two
bemused-looking cats and three ragged crows picked themselves out of the dirt
and watched him run past. Josh could hear Flamel running behind him, could
smell the mint on the morning air as the Alchemyst worked his magic. Another
ten or fifteen footsteps would take him to Scatty, and Josh knew that once he
was with her, he was safe. But when he reached Scatty, he was just in time to
see her eyes widen in horror. He looked over his shoulder and saw a tall
woman with the head and claws of a sleek feline, wearing the robes of ancient
Egypt, leap at least twenty feet and land squarely on Nicholas Flamel's back,
driving him into the ground. A curved, sicklelike claw shot out and sliced
his short staff neatly in two, then the creature threw back her head and
hissed and spat triumphantly.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
P erenelle Flamel was moved from her tiny underground cell by four small
guards dressed entirely in black leather, their heads and faces concealed
behind motorcycle helmets. She wasn't entirely sure they were human certainly
she could detect no trace of an aura, a heartbeat or even breathing from the
figures. As they crowded around her, she caught the faintest hint of
something old and dead, like rotten eggs and overripe fruit. She thought they
might be simulacra, artificial creatures grown in vats of putrid bubbling
liquid. Perenelle knew that Dee had always been fascinated by the idea of
creating his own followers and had spent decades experimenting with Golems,
simulacra and homunculi.
Without saying a word, and with jerky gestures, the four figures ushered her
out of the cell and down a long, narrow, dimly lit corridor. Perenelle
absorb impressions of the place. Jefferson Miller, the ghost of the security
guard, had told her that she was in the basement of Enoch Enterprises, west
of Telegraph Hill, close to the famous Coit Tower. She knew she was deep
underground: the walls ran with moisture, and the air was so cold that it
plumed in clouds before her face. Now that she was out of the cell and away
from its protective spells and charms, she felt a little of her strength
begin to return. Perenelle desperately tried to think of a spell she could
use on the guards, but contact with the ghost of Mr. Miller had left her
exhausted, and she had a headache pulsing at the back of her eyes that made
it hard to concentrate.
A shape suddenly flickered into existence directly ahead of her. Her breath,
a foggy white in the chilly air, had briefly formed a face.
Perenelle glanced at her guards on either side, but they hadn't reacted. She
drew in a deep lungful of breath, held it, allowing her body to warm it, and
then breathed out in a long, slow exhalation. A face formed in the white
mist: that of Jefferson Miller.
Perenelle frowned; his ghost should be long gone by now. Unless unless he had
come back to tell her something.
Nicholas!
Instantly, she knew her husband was in danger. Perenelle breathed in another
great lungful of air and held it. She concentrated hard on Nicholas, seeing
him clearly in her mind s eye, with his narrow, rather mournful-looking face,
pale eyes and closely cropped hair. She smiled, remembering him when he d
been younger and his hair, thick and dark, had been longer than hers. He d
always worn it tied back at the nape of his neck with a purple velvet ribbon.
She breathed out and the air turned i
nto a white cloud that instantly formed
into Jefferson Miller s face again. Perenelle stared into the ghost s eyes,
and there, reflected in his pupils, she could see her husband trapped beneath
the paw of the cat-headed goddess.
Rage and terror blossomed within her, and suddenly, her headache and
exhaustion left her. Her silver-threaded black hair rose from her head as if
blown in a strong breeze, sparks of blue and white static snapping along its
length. Her ice-white aura flared around her body like a second skin. Too
late the guards realized that something was wrong. They reached for her, but
the moment their hands touched the glowing edges of her aura, they were
catapulted away as if they d received an electric shock. One guard even threw
himself onto her body, but before he could lay a finger on her, Perenelle s
aura caught him and propelled him high into the wall with enough force to
knock the motorcycle helmet off his head. The figure slid down the wall, arms
and legs twisted in awkward positions. When Perenelle looked at his face, she
realized that the creatures were indeed simulacra. This one was unfinished:
his face and head were simply smooth flesh, bald, without eyes, nose, mouth
or ears.
The woman raced down the corridor, only pausing when she came to an
oily-looking puddle on the floor. Crouching over the puddle, she concentrated
hard and touched the murky water with her index and little fingers. Her white
aura sizzled when it touched the liquid, and the water briefly smoked before
it cleared and Perenelle found she was looking at the scene she had briefly
glimpsed in the ghost s eyes. Her husband was lying under Bastet s claws.
Behind them, Scatty was struggling to hold off the attacking cats and birds,
while Josh stood with his back to a tree, awkwardly clutching a branch like a
baseball bat, striking out at anything that came too close. Sophie lay at his
feet, moving slowly, blinking in confusion.
Perenelle glanced up and down the corridor. She could hear noises in the
distance, footsteps against stone, and she knew more guards were approaching.
She could run and hide or she could fight the guards; she had a little of her
strength back. But that wasn't going to help Nicholas and the children.
Perenelle looked back into the puddle. In the distance she could see Hekate