Perenelle smiled. Well, there is one thing . Perhaps you could get a message
to my husband.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
reminders everywhere that they were inside a tree: everything floors, walls
and ceilings was wooden, and in places, little buds and shoots of green
leaves dappled the walls, as if the wood was still growing.
With her hand resting lightly on her brother s shoulder, Sophie looked
around. The house seemed to be composed of a series of circular rooms that
flowed, almost imperceptibly, into one another. She caught glimpses as she
and Josh passed them; almost all the rooms were bare, and most of them had
tall red-barked trees growing through the center of the floor. One room, off
to the side and much larger than the rest, had a large oval-shaped pool in
the middle of the floor. Startlingly large white-flowered water lilies
clustered in the center of the pool, giving it the appearance of a huge
unblinking eye. Another room was filled entirely with wooden wind chimes
dangling from the branches of its red tree. Each set of chimes was a
different size and shape, some etched and carved with symbols, others
unadorned. They hung still and quiet until Sophie looked into the room, and
then they slowly, melodically began to rattle together. It sounded like
distant whispers. Sophie squeezed Josh s shoulder, trying to attract his
attention, but he was staring straight ahead, forehead creased in
concentration.
Where is everyone? Josh finally asked.
There is only Hekate, Scathach said. Those of the Elder Race are solitary
creatures.
Are there many still alive? Sophie wondered aloud.
Scathach paused by an open door and turned to look back over her shoulder.
More than you might think. The majority of them want nothing to do with the
humani and rarely venture from their individual Shadowrealms. Others, like
the Dark Elders, want a return to the old ways, and work through agents like
Dee to make it happen.
And what about you? Josh demanded. Do you want to return to these old
ways?
I never thought they were that great, she said, then added, especially for
the humani.
They found Nicholas Flamel'sitting outside on a raised wooden deck set into a
branch of the tree. Growing horizontally from the tree trunk, the branch was
at least ten feet across, and sloped down to plunge into the earth close to a
crescent-shaped pool. Walking across the branch, Sophie glanced down and was
startled to see that beneath the green weeds that curled and twisted in the
pool, tiny almost-human faces peered upward, mouths and eyes open wide. On
the deck, five high-backed chairs were arranged around a circular table,
which was set with beautifully hand-carved wooden bowls and elegant wooden
cups and goblets. Warm, rough-cut bread and thick slices of hard cheese were
arranged on platters, and there were two huge bowls of fruit apples, oranges
and enormous cherries in the center of the table. The Alchemyst was carefully
slicing the skin off an emerald green apple with a triangular sliver of black
stone that looked like an arrowhead. Sophie noticed that he had arranged the
green skin into shapes that resembled letters.
Scatty slid into the seat beside the Alchemyst. Is Hekate not joining us?
she asked, picking up a piece of cut skin and chewing on it.
I believe she is changing for dinner, Flamel'said, slicing off another curl
of skin to replace the piece Scatty was chewing. He looked over at Sophie and
Josh. Sit, please. Our hostess will join us shortly and then we ll eat. You
must be exhausted, he added.
I am tired, Sophie admitted. She d become aware of the exhaustion a little
earlier, and now she could barely keep her eyes open. She was also a little
frightened, realizing that the tiredness was caused by the magic of the place
feeding off her energy.
When can we go home? Josh demanded, unwilling to admit that he too was worn
out. Even his bones ached. He felt as if he was coming down with a cold.
Nicholas Flamel cut a neat slice from the apple and popped it in his mouth.
I m afraid you will not be able to return for a little while.
Why not? Josh snapped.
Flamel'sighed. He put down the stone arrowhead and the apple and placed his
hands flat on the table. Right now, neither Dee nor the Morrigan knows who
you are. It s only because of that, that you and your family are safe.
Our
might be in danger made her feel queasy. Josh reacted with the same shock,
his lips drawing into a thin white line.
Dee will be thorough, Flamel'said. He is protecting a millennia-old
secret, and he will not stop with killing you. Everyone you know or have come
in contact with will have an
Coffee Cup will burn to the ground simply because you once worked in it.
Bernice might even perish in the fire.
But she has nothing to do with anything, Sophie protested, horrified.
Yes, but Dee doesn't know that. Nor does he care. He has worked with the
Dark Elders for a long time, and now he has come to regard humans as they do:
as little more than beasts.
But we won t tell anyone what we've seen , Josh began, and no one would
believe us anyway . His sentence trailed away.
And if we don't tell anyone, then no one will ever know, Sophie said.
We ll never speak of this again. Dee will never find us. But even as the
words were leaving her mouth, she was beginning to realize that it was
hopeless. She and Josh were as trapped by their knowledge of the Codex s
existence as Nicholas and Perry had been.
He would find you, Flamel'said reasonably. He glanced at the Warrior Maid.
How long do you think it would it take for Dee or one of the Morrigan s
spies to find them?
Not long, she said, munching on the apple skin. A couple of hours maybe.
The rats or birds would track you, then Dee would hunt you down.
Once you have been touched by magic, you are forever changed. Flamel moved
his right hand in front of him, leaving the faintest hint of pale green smoke
