Dangerous what do you mean, dangerous? Something in his mind clicked and he
felt as if his worst fears were about to be realized.
In most cases, the brain cannot cope with the heightened sensations of
Awakening.
In
In almost every case, Hekate'said, and he heard the regret in her voice.
That is why I was unwilling to do this.
Josh asked the question he really didn't want answered: What happens?
The brain effectively shuts down. The person is left in a coma from which
they never awaken.
And Flamel
anger begin in the pit of his stomach. He felt sick. The Alchemyst had known
the Awakening could, in all likelihood, send him and Sophie into a coma, and
yet had still been prepared to let them go through with it. The rage burned
within him, fueled in equal parts by fear and a terrible sense of betrayal.
He d thought Flamel was his friend. He d been wrong.
Of course, Hekate'said. He told you there were dangers, didn't he?
He didn't tell us everything, Josh snapped.
Nicholas Flamel never tells anyone everything. One side of Hekate's face
was touched with the silver light radiating from Sophie, the other was
sheathed in black shadow. Suddenly, Hekate's nostrils flared and her eyes
widened. She looked up at the ceiling of roots. No, she gasped. No!
Sophie s eyes snapped open and then she opened her mouth and screamed.
Fire!
They re burning the World Tree! Hekate howled, her face contorted into a
savage mask. Shoving Josh to one side, she darted out into the corridor,
leaving him alone with the person who had once been his twin. He stared at
the girl floating in the air before him, unsure what to do, afraid to even
touch her. All he knew was that for the first time in their lives, they were
different in ways he could not even begin to comprehend.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
bringing him back to the present.
Josh turned to look at the Alchemyst. There were tears on his cheeks, but he
was unaware of them. Sophie , he whispered.
is going to be fine, Nicholas said firmly. Shouts echoed in the corridor
outside, the sudden clash of weapons mingling with the roars of humans and
animals. Above it all rose Scathach s delighted laughter. Flamel reached for
Sophie, who was still floating four inches above the earth, and his aura
flared white-green when he took her hand. Gently he pulled her back to the
ground. As soon as her feet touched the earth, it was as if all the strength
had left her body, and he caught her before she crumpled to the floor,
unconscious.
Josh was immediately at his sister s side. He pushed Flamel away and held his
twin in his arms. Crackling energy darted from Sophie s fading aura to his
flesh, but he didn't even register the tiny stings. When he looked up at
Flamel, his face was an angry mask. You
dangerous this was. My sister could have been left in a coma.
I knew that was not going to happen, Nicholas said calmly, crouching down
beside Josh. Her aura your aura is too strong. I knew you would both
survive. I would never have deliberately placed either of you in danger. I
swear that. He reached for Sophie s wrist to check her pulse, but Josh
pushed his hand away. He didn't believe him; he wanted to, but somehow
Flamel's words rang false.
They both jumped as an agonized, catlike squeal came from the corridor
outside. It was followed by Scatty s voice. We really should be leaving. And
right now would be a good time!
The smell of burning wood was stronger, and tendrils of gray smoke begun to
curl into the chamber.
we've got to go. We Can'talk about this later, Flamel'said firmly.
You better believe we will, Josh promised.
I'll help you carry her, the Alchemyst offered.
I can do it myself, Josh said, and gathered his sister into his arms. He
wasn't going to trust Sophie to anyone else. He was surprised by how light
she felt, and he was suddenly thankful for all those painful months of
football practice that had made him stronger than he looked.
The Alchemyst picked up the short staff he d left propped against the wall
and spun it in the air before him. The tip glowed green and it left the
faintest of smoking emerald trails in the air. Ready? Flamel asked.
Josh, his sister held tightly against his chest, nodded.
Whatever happens, whatever you see, don't stop, don't turn back. Just about
everything outside this doorway will not hesitate to kill you.
Josh followed Flamel through the door and immediately stopped, frozen in
shock. Scatty was standing in the center of the narrow corridor, her two
short swords a blur before her. Behind the swords, crowding the corridor,
were some of the most terrifying creatures he had ever seen. He d been
expecting monsters; what he had not been expecting were creatures even more
terrifying. Creatures that were neither beast nor human, but something caught
in between. Humans with the heads of cats snarled and slashed at Scatty,
their claws striking sparks off her swords. Others with the bodies of men but
with the huge peaked skulls of ravens jabbed at her, attempting to gouge and
stab her.
Scatty down! Flamel'shouted. Without waiting to see if she even heard him,
he stretched out his arm and leveled the short staff. His aura flared green
and the air was suddenly bitter with the odor of mint. An emerald-colored
globe of spinning light gathered at the tip of the staff and then shot
forward with an audible pop. Scatty barely managed to duck before the ball
sizzled through the air and shattered against the ceiling almost directly
over her head. It left a bright mark, like a stain, which started to dribble
and drip sticky green light. The scarred head of a tabby cat pushed through
the opening, mouth gaping, fangs glinting. It spotted Scatty and lunged for
her and a drop of the gooey light splashed off the top of its head. The
cat-headed human went wild. It threw itself back into the corridor, where it
immediately attacked everything in its path. A birdman stepped up to the
