Scatty and Nicholas. We don't have any money and we have no passports.
We could go to the American embassy. Josh turned to Roux. Is there an
American embassy in Paris?
Yes, of course, on the Avenue Gabriel, beside the H tel de Crillon. The
shaven-headed youth cringed as a colossal thump shook the whole building,
filling the air with minute particles of dust. The glass in the window beside
them cracked from top to bottom and more tiles slid off the roof, to rain
down into the yard.
And what do we tell the embassy? Sophie demanded. They ll want to know how
we got here.
Kidnapped? Josh suggested. And then a sudden thought struck him and he felt
sick. And what do we tell Mom and Dad? How are we going to explain it to
them?
Crockery tinkled and shattered, and then there was a tremendous crack.
Sophie cocked her head to one side and brushed her hair off her ear. That
was the main window. She took a step back toward the door. I should help
her. Wisps of mist curled off her fingers as she reached for the handle.
No! Josh snatched her hand, and static crackled between them. You can t
use your powers, he whispered urgently. You re too exhausted; remember what
Scatty said. You could burst into flames.
She s our friend we can t abandon her, Sophie snapped. I won t, anyway.
Her brother was a loner and had never been good at making or keeping friends
in school, whereas she was intensely loyal to hers, and she had started to
think of Scatty as more than just a friend. Although she loved her brother
deeply, she had always wanted a sister.
Josh caught Sophie s shoulders and turned her to face him. He was already a
head taller than she was and had to look down into the blue eyes that
mirrored his own. She s not our friend, Sophie, his voice low and serious.
She s never going to be our friend. She s a
two-and-a-half-thousand-year-old something. She admitted to us that she s a
vampire. You saw the way her face changed in there: she s not even human.
And and I m not sure she s all Flamel makes her out to be. I know he isn't!
What do you mean? Sophie demanded. What are you trying to say?
Josh opened his mouth to reply, but a series of rattling thumps vibrated
through the entire building. Whimpering with fear, Roux darted out into the
alley. The twins ignored him.
What do you mean? Sophie asked again.
Dee said
Dee!
I talked to him in Ojai. When you were in the shop with the Witch of Endor.
But he s our enemy!
Only because Flamel says he is, Josh said quickly. Sophie, Dee told me
that Flamel is a criminal and Scathach is basically just a hired thug. He
said that she was cursed for her crimes to wear the body of a teenager for
the rest of her life. He shook his head quickly and hurried on, his voice
low and desperate. Sis, we know next to nothing about these people Flamel,
Perenelle and Scathach. The only thing we do know is that they ve made you
different dangerously different. They ve taken us halfway across the world,
and look where we are now. Even as he was speaking, the building shook, and
then a dozen more tiles slid off the roof and crashed into the yard, sending
razor-sharp fragments flying around them. Josh yelped as a chunk stung his
arm. We can t trust them, Soph. We shouldn't.
Josh, you have no idea what powers they ve given me . Sophie caught her
brother s arm, and the air, which was foul with the stink of rotting food,
was touched with the odor of vanilla, and then, a moment later, the scent of
oranges as Josh s aura flared briefly golden. Oh, Josh, the things I could
tell you. I know everything the Witch of Endor knew .
And it s making you sick! Josh yelled angrily. And don't forget, if you
use your powers one more time, you could literally explode.
The twins auras flared gold and silver. Sophie squeezed her eyes shut as a
flood of impressions, vague thoughts and random ideas slammed into her
consciousness. Her blue eyes blinked, momentarily silver, and she suddenly
realized that she was experiencing her brother s thoughts. She wrenched her
hand away from him and the thoughts and sensations immediately faded.
You re jealous! she whispered in amazement. Jealous of my powers.
Color touched Josh s cheeks, and Sophie saw the truth in his eyes even before
he spoke the lie. I am not!
Suddenly, a black-clad police officer burst through the door and out into the
yard. There was a long crack running down the front of his face visor, and he
was missing one of his black boots. Without pausing, he limped past them and
ran into the alley. They could hear the pat of his naked foot and the slap of
the leather sole fade away.
Then Scatty strolled out into the yard. She was twirling her nunchaku as if
she were Charlie Chaplin swinging a cane. There wasn't a hair out of place or
a mark on her body, and her green eyes were bright and alert. Oh, I m in a
much better mood now, she announced.
The twins looked past her into the corridor. Nothing and no one moved in the
darkness beyond.
But there were about ten of them , Sophie began.
Scathach shrugged. Twelve, actually.
Armed , Josh said. He glanced sidelong at his sister, then back at the
Warrior. He swallowed hard. You didn't didn't kill them, did you?
Wood snapped and something collapsed in the shop
No, they re just sleeping. Scatty smiled.
But how did you Josh began.
I am the Warrior, Scatty said simply.
Sophie caught a hint of movement and opened her mouth to scream just as the
shape appeared out of the corridor and a long-fingered hand fell on
Scathach s shoulder. The Warrior didn't react.
I can t leave you alone for ten minutes, Nicholas Flamel said, stepping out
of the shadows. He nodded at the open gate. We d better go, he added,
ushering them toward the alleyway.
You missed the fight, Josh told him. There were ten of them .
Twelve, Scathach corrected him quickly.
I know, the Alchemyst said with a wry smile, only twelve: they didn't
stand a chance.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
E scaped! Dr. John Dee snarled into the cell phone. You had them
surrounded. How could you let them escape?
On the other side of the Atlantic, Niccol Machiavelli remained calm and
controlled, only the tightening of his jaw muscles revealing his anger. You
are remarkably well informed.
I have my sources, Dee snapped, his thin lips twisting into an ugly smile.
He knew it would drive Machiavelli crazy knowing there was a spy in his camp.
You had them trapped in Ojai, I understand, Machiavelli continued softly,
surrounded by an army of the risen dead. And yet they escaped. How could you
let them do that?
Dee sat back in the soft leather seat of the speeding limousine. His face was
lit only by the screen of his cell phone, its glow touching his cheekbones
and outlining his sharp goatee in cold light, leaving his eyes in shadow. He
hadn't told Machiavelli that he d used necromancy to raise an army of dead
humans and beasts. Was this the Italian s subtle way of letting him know that
he had a spy in Dee s camp?