Something
unnatural. And she thought she caught the faintest taint of spoiled meat in
the air.
The smile on the Alchemyst s face grew strained. Wearing a hood? Yes, that s
who s been following us. The twins caught the faintest tremor in his voice.
Except he s not a boy, is he? Sophie asked.
Nicholas shook his head. Not even close.
Josh took a deep breath. So should I point out that I can see two more
people wearing green hooded parkas, and they re both heading in our
direction?
Three! No, not them, Flamel whispered in horror. We ve got to go.
Grabbing the twins arms, he pulled them out into the driving rain, turned to
the right and dragged them down the street.
The rain was so cold it took Josh s breath away. Pellets of hard water stung
his face. Who are they? he demanded, blinking water from his eyes, brushing
his hair back out of his face.
The Hooded Ones, the Alchemyst said bitterly. Dee must be desperate, and
more powerful than I thought if he can command them. They are the Genii
Cucullati.
Sophie shivered as memories suddenly flickered at the edges of her
consciousness. She felt something sour at the back of her throat, and her
stomach twisted in disgust. The Witch of Endor had known the Genii
Cucullati and she had loathed them. Sophie looked sidelong at her brother.
Flesh-eaters.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The list grows ever longer, but
the support of so many people
Krista Marino, Beverly Horowitz, Jocelyn Lange and Christine Labov at
Delacorte Press, without whose help, patience, perseverance
Barry Krost at BKM and Frank Weimann at the Literary Group, for continued
support and advice
A particular mention must go to:
Libby Lavella, who gave Perenelle a voice
Sarah Baczewski, who gives the best notes
Jeromy Robert, who created the image
Michael Carroll, who reads it first and last
And finally there are:
Claudette, Brooks, Robin, Mitch, Chris, Elaine, David, Judith, Trista, Cappy,
Andrea, Ron and, of course, Ahmet, for everything else!
Now, I know I ve forgotten someone .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An authority on mythology and folklore, Michael Scott is one of Ireland s
most successful authors. A master of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and
folklore, he has been hailed by the
these isles. He lives and writes in Dublin, where he is at work on the third
book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series
Visit him at www.dillonscott.com.
ALSO BY MICHAEL SCOTT
The Magician
Copyright 2008 by Michael Scott
