you want to tell me what you find so amusing?
You may have defeated me, the Morrigan heaved, but you are already dying.
I can see the age on your face and hands.
Perenelle raised her hand to her face and moved the spearhead so that it shed
light on her flesh. She was shocked to discover a speckling of brown spots on
the back of her hand. She touched her face and neck, fingers tracing the
lines of new wrinkles.
How long before the alchemical formula wears off, Sorceress? How long before
you wither into shriveled old age? Is it measured in days or weeks?
A lot can happen in a few days.
Sorceress, listen to me now. Listen to the truth. The Magician is in Paris.
He has captured the boy and loosed Nidhogg on your husband and the others.
She coughed another laugh. I was sent here to kill you because you and your
husband are worthless. The twins are the key to the future.
Perenelle leaned close to the Morrigan. The spearhead shed a crimson glow
over both their faces, making them look like hideous masks. You re right.
The twins are the key to the future but whose: the Dark Elders or
humankind s?
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
city of Paris. He was standing on the roof of the great Gothic cathedral of
Notre Dame; below was the river Seine and the Pont au Double, and directly
spread out before him was the broad
the ornate brickwork, he drew in a deep shuddering breath and willed his
thumping heart to slow. He had just climbed one thousand and one steps up out
of the catacombs onto the roof of the cathedral, following a secret route Dee
claimed he d used before. His legs were trembling with the effort and his
knees ached. Machiavelli liked to think that he kept himself in good
condition he was a strict vegetarian and exercised every day but the climb
had exhausted him. He was also vaguely irritated that the strenuous climb
hadn't affected Dee in the slightest. When did you say you were last up
here? he asked.
I didn't say, the Magician snapped. He was standing to Machiavelli s left,
in the shadow of the south tower. But if you must know, it was in 1575. He
pointed off to one side. I met the Morrigan right there. It was on this roof
that I first learned of the true nature of Nicholas Flamel and the existence
of the Book of Abraham. So perhaps it is fitting that it ends here too.
Machiavelli leaned out and looked down. He was standing almost directly above
the west rose window. The square below him should have been thronged with
tourists, but it was eerily deserted. And how do you know Flamel and the
others will come out here? he asked.
Dee s small teeth flashed in an ugly grin. We know the boy is
claustrophobic. His senses have just been Awakened. When he comes out of
whatever trance Mars left him in, he s going to be terrified, and his
heightened senses will only add to that terror. For the sake of his sanity,
Flamel will have to get him above ground as quickly as possible. I know that
there is a secret passage leading from the buried Roman city into the
cathedral. He suddenly pointed down as five figures stumbled out of the
central door directly below them. You see? he said triumphantly. I m never
wrong. He looked at Machiavelli. You know what we have to do?
The Italian nodded. I know.
You don't look too happy about it.
Defacing a beautiful building is a crime.
But killing people is not? Dee asked.
Well, people can always be replaced.
Let me just sit, Josh gasped. Without waiting for a response, he crumpled
out of his sister s and Saint-Germain s hands and sat down on a smooth
circular stone set into the cobbled square. Bringing his knees up to his
chest, he rested his chin on his kneecaps and wrapped his arms around his
shins. He was shaking so hard that his heels were tapping off the stone.
We really need to keep moving, Flamel said urgently, looking around.
Give us a minute, Sophie snapped. Kneeling beside her brother, she reached
out to touch him, but a spark cracked between her fingertips and his arm and
they both jumped. I know what you re feeling, she said gently. Everything
is so so bright, so loud, so sharp. Your clothes feel so heavy and rough
against your skin, your shoes are too tight. But you do get used to it. The
feelings do go away. He was undergoing what she d experienced only a couple
of days ago.
My head is throbbing, Josh mumbled. It feels like it s about to explode,
like it s crammed with too much information. I keep thinking these strange
thoughts .
The girl frowned. That didn't sound right. When she d been Awakened, her
senses had been overwhelmed, but it was only when the Witch of Endor had
poured knowledge into her that she d felt as if her brain were about to
burst. A sudden thought struck her, and she remembered that when she d raced
into the chamber, she d seen the Elder s huge hand pressing on her brother s
head. Josh, she said quietly. When Mars Awakened you, what did he say?
Her brother shook his head miserably. I don't know.
Think, she said sharply, and saw him wince at the sound of her voice.
Please, Josh, she said quietly. This is important.
You re not the boss of me, he muttered with a trace of a smile.
I know. She grinned. But I m still your big sister now tell me!
Josh frowned, but the effort hurt his forehead. He said he said that the
Awakening wasn't a gift, that it was something I would have to pay for
later.
What else?
He said he said that mine was one of the most powerful auras he d ever
encountered. Josh had been looking at the god as he d spoken the words,
seeing him for the first time with Awakened eyes, noticing the intricate
detail on his helm and the ornate design on his leather breastplate and
hearing clearly the pain in his voice. He said he was going to give me a
gift, something I might find useful in the days to come.
