Flamel drifted away, moving toward the door, which was now dark and heaving
with rats, leaving Scatty to face him and the Golem alone.
Maybe she wasn't as good as she d once been, he thought desperately, maybe
time had dulled her powers.
We should help, Josh said.
And do what? Sophie asked, without a trace of sarcasm. They were both
standing on the balcony, looking down into the dojo. They had watched
openmouthed as Flamel and Scatty leaped over the edge and drifted far too
slowly to the ground. The red-haired girl faced the huge Golem, while Flamel
hurried to the door where the rats were gathering. The vermin seemed
reluctant to enter the room.
Without warning, the Golem swung a huge fist, then followed it up with a
massive kick.
Josh opened his mouth to shout a warning, but he didn't get a chance to say
anything before Scatty moved. One moment she was standing directly in front
of the creature, then she was throwing herself forward, moving under the
blows, closing right in on it. Her hand moved, blurringly fast, and she
delivered a flat open-handed blow to the point of the Golem s jaw. There was
a liquid squelch, and then its jaw unhinged and its mouth gaped open. In the
blackness of its maw, the twins could clearly see a yellow rectangle of
paper.
The creature struck out wildly and Scatty danced back out of range. It lashed
out a kick, which missed and struck the polished floorboards, shattering them
to splinters.
we've got to help! Sophie said.
How? Josh shouted, but his twin had run into the kitchen, desperately
looking for a weapon. She emerged a moment later carrying a small microwave
oven. Sophie, Josh murmured, what are you going to do with ?
Sophie heaved the microwave over the edge of the railing. It struck the Golem
full in the chest and stuck, globules of mud spattering everywhere. The Golem
stopped, confused and disorientated. Scatty took advantage of its
disorientation and moved in again, feet and hands striking blows from all
angles, further confusing the creature. Another blow from the Golem came
close enough to ruffle Scatty s spiky red hair, but she caught its arm and
used it as leverage to spin the creature to the floor. Floorboards cracked
and snapped as it hit them. Then her hand shot out and almost delicately
plucked the paper square from the Golem s mouth.
Instantly, the Golem returned to its muddy origins, splashing foul, stinking
water and dirt across the once-pristine dojo floor. The microwave rattled to
the ground.
I guess no one s cooking anything in that, Josh murmured.
Scatty waved the square of paper at the twins. Every magical creature is
kept animated by a spell that is either in or on its body. All you have to do
is remove it to break the spell. Remember that.
Josh glanced quickly at his sister. He knew she was thinking the same thing
he was: if they ever came up against a Golem again, there was no way they
were getting close enough to stick their hands in its mouth.
Nicholas Flamel approached the rats warily. Underestimating them would be
deadly indeed, but while he had no difficulty fighting and destroying magical
creatures, which were never properly alive in the first place, he was
reluctant to destroy living creatures. Even if they were rats. Perry would
have no such compunction, he knew, but he had been an alchemyst for far too
long: he was dedicated to preserving life, not destroying it. The rats were
under Dee s control. The poor creatures were probably terrified though that
would not stop them from eating him.
Flamel crouched on the floor, turned his right hand palm up and curled the
fingers inward. He blew gently into his hand, and a tiny ball of green mist
immediately formed. Then he suddenly turned his hand and plunged it straight
into the polished floorboards, his fingers actually penetrating the wood. The
tiny ball of green energy splashed across the room like a stain. Then the
Alchemyst closed his eyes and his aura flared around his body. Concentrating,
he directed his auric energy to flow through his fingers into the floor.
The wood started to glow.
Still watching from the landing, the twins were unsure what Flamel was doing.
They could see the faint green glow around his body, rising off his flesh
like mist, but they couldn t work out why the furry mass of rats gathered in
the doorway had not burst into the room.
Maybe there s some sort of spell keeping them from coming in, Sophie said,
knowing instinctively that her twin was thinking the same thing.
Scatty heard her. She was systematically shredding the yellow square of paper
she d taken from the Golem s mouth to tiny pieces. It s just a simple
warding spell, she called up, designed to keep bugs and vermin off the
floor. I used to come in here every morning and find bug droppings and moths
all over the place; it took ages to sweep it clean. The warding spell is
keeping the rats at bay but all it takes is one to break through and the
spell will be broken. Then they ll all come.
Nicholas Flamel was fully aware that John Dee could probably see him though
the eyes of the rats. He picked out the largest, a cat-sized creature that
remained unmoving while the rest of the vermin scuttled and heaved about it.
With his right hand still buried in the floorboard, Flamel pointed his left
hand directly at the rat. The creature twitched and, for a single instant,
its eyes blazed with sickly yellow light.
Dr. John Dee, you have made the biggest mistake of your long life. I will be
coming for you, Flamel promised aloud.
Dee glanced up from his scrying bowl to see that Perenelle Flamel was wide
awake and watching him intently. Ah, Madame, you are just in time to see my
creatures overpower your husband. Plus, I'll finally have an opportunity to
deal with that pest Scathach,
didn't notice that Perenelle s eyes had widened at the mention of Scathach s
name. All in all, a good day s work, I think. He focused his full attention
on the biggest rat and issued two simple commands: Attack. Kill.
Dee closed his eyes as the rat uncoiled and launched itself into the room.
The green light flowed out from Flamel's fingers and ran along the
floorboards, outlining the planks in green light. Abruptly, the wooden floor
sprouted twigs, branches, leaves and then a tree trunk then another and a
third. Within a dozen heartbeats a thicket of trees sprouted out of the floor
and were visibly climbing toward the ceiling. Some of the trunks were no
thicker than a finger, others were wrist thick and one, close to the door,
was so wide it almost filled the opening.
