and back to the Crow Goddess.
Abruptly, Bastet was beside him, her huge claw around his throat. She lifted
him slightly, forcing him to rise on his toes and look into her chilling
eyes. For a single heartbeat, he thought about swinging the sword around, but
he knew that the Cat Goddess was faster, so much faster than he would ever
be. She d see the twitch of his shoulders and simply snap his head clean off.
Bastet glared at her niece. Is it true? Are Macha and the Badb dead?
Yes. The Morrigan glared at Dee. But I did not kill them. They died
willingly, and live inside me still. For a moment her eyes blazed yellow,
then red, then solid black, the colors of the three ancient goddesses.
Dee was tempted to ask how they had gotten inside her, then decided that he
really didn't want to know the answer and now probably wasn't a good time to
ask anyway.
Could you Awaken the boy? Bastet demanded.
Yes.
Then do it, Niece, the Cat Goddess ordered. She turned her attention back
to Dee. Pressing her thumb under his chin, she pushed his head back. And if
you ever raise a weapon to one of the Elder Race again, I will see that you
spend the next millennia in a Shadowrealm of my own special creation. And
trust me, you will not like it. She released her grip and flung him away,
sending him sprawling in the dirt. He was still clutching the sword.
Tell me, Bastet commanded, towering over him. Where are Flamel and the
twins now? Where have they gone?
Dee climbed shakily to his feet. He brushed dirt off his coat, and discovered
yet another tear in the soft leather; he was never buying leather again. He
will need to start training the girl. Hekate Awakened her, but didn't get a
chance to teach her any protective spells. SHe'll need to be taught to
protect herself and control her powers before the stimuli from the physical
world drive her mad.
So where will they go? Bastet growled. She wrapped her arms around her body
and shivered. The cloud the Morrigan had summoned had grown thick and dark as
it drifted-lower, and now hovered just over the treetops. There was moisture
in the air, and the hint of unidentifiable spices.
He'll not stay in San Francisco, Dee continued, he knows we have too many
agents in and around the city.
The Morrigan closed her eyes and turned slowly, then she raised her arm.
They re heading south; I can just about make out the silver traces of her
aura. It s incredibly powerful.
Who is the most powerful Elder south of here? Dee asked quickly. Someone
proficient in elemental magic?
Endor, Bastet answered immediately, in Ojai. The deadly Witch of Endor.
Mistress of the Air, the Morrigan added.
Bastet leaned down, her breath foul in the small man s face. You know where
you have to go. You know what you have to do. We must have the pages of the
Codex.
And the twins? he asked tightly, trying not to breathe.
Capture them if you can if not, then kill them to prevent Flamel from using
their powers. Then both she and the Crow Goddess stepped into the thickening
cloud and were gone. The damp grayness swirled away, leaving Dr. John Dee
alone on the isolated path.
How do I get to Ojai? he called.
But there was no response.
Dee shoved his hands in the pockets of his ruined leather coat and set off
down the narrow path. He hated it when they did that, dismissed him as if he
were nothing more than a child.
But things would change.
The Elders liked to think that Dee was their puppet, their tool. He had seen
how Bastet had abandoned Senuhet, who had been with her for at least a
century, without a second glance. He knew they would do exactly the same to
him, given the chance.
But Dr. John Dee had plans to ensure that they never got that chance.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
long, curving road that led into the small city of Ojai. The stress of
driving four hundred miles in one long trip was etched onto his face, and
although the computer had estimated that it would take around six and a half
hours, it had taken close to nine. Driving the big Hummer on the highway was
surprisingly easy: he d simply put on the cruise control and let it go. It
was boring, but off the highway and on any other type of road, the Hummer was
a nightmare to control. It wasn't like any of his computer games. It was just
so big, and he was terrified he was going to run over something. The huge
jet-black vehicle also attracted a lot of attention he d never thought he d
be so happy to have tinted windows. He wondered what people would think if
they knew it was being driven by a fifteen-year-old.
The road curved to the right, and Ojai s long, straight main street appeared
before him. He slowed as he passed the Psychic Boutique and the Ojai
Playhouse; then the lights changed at Signal Street and he stopped, leaned
across the steering wheel and peered through the smeared, bug-spattered
windshield. His first impression as he looked down the empty street was that
Ojai was surprisingly green. It was June in California, that time of year
when most things had turned brown and withered, but here there were trees
everywhere, contrasting with the white stone of the buildings. Directly in
front of him, to his right, a low, ornate white stone tower rose over the
post office into the brilliant blue sky, while on the left, a row of shops
was set back from the road, sheltered beneath a row of white stone arches.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, he was surprised to find Scatty s eyes on
him.
I thought you were asleep, he said quietly. Sophie, who had moved up into
the passenger seat beside him after a few hours of driving, lay curled up
asleep, and Flamel'snored gently beside Scatty.
I ve no need to sleep, she said simply.
There were a lot of questions he really wanted to ask, but instead, he just
said, Do you know where we re going?
She leaned forward, rested her arms on the back of his seat and her chin on
