I did not notice him.
Ha! Dee said triumphantly. He turned back to the sword.
The Morrigan s cloak rustled warningly. Make this your last question,
Doctor.
The trio looked up to see that the utter blackness was almost upon them. Less
than ten feet ahead of them, the world ended in nothingness. Dee turned back
to the sword. Did you Awaken the girl?
A bubble popped and the sword ran with images of Sophie rising off the
ground, her aura blazing silver. Yes.
And the boy?
The sword showed Josh cowering in a corner of a darkened chamber. No.
The Morrigan s clawlike hands gripped Dee s shoulders and jerked him to his
feet. He caught his sword and shook the bubbling water droplets into the
rapidly encroaching void.
The mismatched trio towering Bastet, dark Morrigan and small human raced away
as the world crumbled into nothingness behind them. The last remnants of
their army the birdmen and cat-people remained, wandering aimlessly. When
they saw their leaders fleeing, they turned to follow. Soon every creature
was racing to the east, where the last of the Shadowrealm remained. Senuhet
limped after Bastet, calling out her name, begging her to stop and help him.
But the world dissolved too quickly. It swallowed birds and cats, it took the
ancient trees and rare orchids, the magical creatures and the mythical
monsters. It consumed the last of Hekate's magic.
Then the void claimed the sun and the world went dark and was no more.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
between them. In the next instant the wall of foliage vanished and one of the
many winding paths leading to Mount Tamalpais appeared. They stumbled, and
Dee fell sprawling in the dust.
What now? Bastet growled. Have we lost, have they won? We have destroyed
Hekate, but she has Awakened the girl.
John Dee staggered to his feet and brushed off his ruined coat. There were
scrapes and tears in the sleeve, and something had ripped a fist-sized hole
through the lining. Carefully wiping Excalibur clean, he slid it back into
its concealed sheath. It s not the girl we need to concentrate on now. It s
the boy. The boy is the key.
The Morrigan shook her head, feathers rustling. You talk in riddles. She
glanced up into the clear morning skies, and almost directly overhead a wisp
of gray cloud appeared.
He has seen his sister s tremendous magical powers Awakened; how do you
think the boy is feeling now? Frightened, angry, jealous? Alone? He looked
from the Morrigan to the Cat Goddess. The boy is at least as powerful as the
girl. Is there anyone else on this continent to whom Flamel could take the
boy to have his talents Awakened?
Black Annis is in the Catskills, the Morrigan suggested, the note of
caution clearly audible in her voice.
Too unpredictable, Dee said, she d probably eat him.
I heard that Persephone was in northern Canada, Bastet said.
Dee shook his head. Her years in the Underworld Shadowrealm have driven her
insane. She is dangerous beyond belief.
The Morrigan drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders. The cloud above her
head thickened and drifted lower. Then there is no one in North America. I
came across Nocticula in Austria, and I know that Erichtho still hides out on
Thessaly
You re wrong, Dee interrupted. There is one other who could Awaken the
boy.
Who? Bastet growled, frowning, her snout wrinkling.
Dr. John Dee turned to the Crow Goddess. You could.
The Morrigan stepped away from Dee, black eyes wide with surprise, pointed
teeth pressing against the bruise-colored flesh of her thin lips. A ripple
ran through her black cloak, ruffling all the feathers.
You are mistaken, Bastet hissed. My niece is Next Generation, she hasn t
got the powers.
Dee turned to face the Crow Goddess. If he knew he was playing a
dangerous possibly even deadly game, he showed no sign of it. At one time,
perhaps that would have been true. But the Morrigan s powers are more, much,
much more, than they were.
Niece, what is he talking about? Bastet demanded.
Be very, very careful, humani, the Crow Goddess cackled.
My loyalty is not in question here, Dee said quickly. I have served the
Elders for half a millennium. I am merely looking for a way to achieve our
aim. He stepped up to the Morrigan. Once, like Hekate, you wore three
faces: you were the Morrigan, the Macha and the Badb. Unlike Hekate, though,
you and your two sisters occupied three bodies. It was your consciousnesses
that were linked. Individually you were powerful, but together you were
invincible. He paused and seemed to be taking a moment to gather his
thoughts, but in actuality, he was ensuring he had a firm grip on Excalibur
beneath his coat. When did you decide to kill your sisters? he asked
casually.
With a terrible screech the Morrigan leapt for Dee.
And stopped.
In a flash Excalibur s black stone blade had appeared at her throat, blue
light fizzing and sparking down the blade. The serpent hilt came to life and
hissed at her.
Please Dee smiled, a chilling twist of his lips I ve been responsible for
the death of one Elder today. I ve no wish to add a second to my total. As
he spoke, he watched Bastet, who was moving around behind him. The Morrigan
has the power to Awaken the boy, he said quickly. She possesses the
knowledge and power of her two sisters. If we can Awaken the boy and turn him
to our side, we have gained ourselves an extraordinarily powerful ally.
Remember the prophecy: the two that are one, the one that is all. One to
save the world, one to destroy it.
And which one is the boy? Bastet asked.
Whatever we make him, Dee said, eyes darting from the Morrigan to Bastet
