Michael Scott - The Necromancer

“And what about those Elders who refuse to leave the earth to fight Coatlicue in the Shadowrealms?” Virginia asked. “And the immortals who are not allied to the Dark Elders? They will fight the monsters.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Dee muttered. Two of the cords fell away from the object he was fumbling with, but he could not undo the third knot. He looked at the woman. “Would you…?”

“I’m going nowhere near it,” Virginia said. She slipped a short flat-bladed knife from a hidden sheath in her sleeve and tossed it to the Magician. He deftly caught it and sliced open the last knot.

“I know the locations of most of the Elders, Next Generation and immortals here on earth. Once they come out of hiding, I can pick them off one by one. When I’m finished, you and I will be the last two immortals on this planet. My Elder masters once promised me this planet: now I’m taking it on my terms.”

“And sharing it with me,” Virginia reminded him.

“And sharing it with you,” he agreed.

“You still haven’t told me what you want me for,” Dare said.

“Why, my dear, you are central to my plan.” He stopped and looked up, smiling slyly. “I always knew we would end up together.”

“Did you, now?”

“We are alike, you and I.”

“I’m sure we are,” Virginia Dare muttered. She dipped her head and said nothing. Dee had known her for most of his life and still had no idea just what she was, or what she was capable of. He had grown up in the Elizabethan Age and his opinions of women had been shaped by that age. Dare was convinced it was one of the many reasons he-and Machiavelli, too-had consistently underestimated Perenelle Flamel.

Dee carefully unfolded the green leather to reveal a twin of the first sword.

“A twin blade,” Virginia Dare said, surprised. “It must be Joyeuse, Charlemagne’s sword.”

“The first sword I ever owned,” the Magician said. “And now I have the complete set.” Dee laid Excalibur and Clarent alongside the first two swords.

Now that the swords lay together on the glass-topped table, the similarities between them were obvious-they were all about twenty inches long and carved from a single piece of stone. Of the four swords, only Clarent was dull and ugly-the rest were polished to a high shine. Virginia noticed subtle differences in the patterns of their hilts, but had she not watched Dee lay them out, she doubted she would have been able to tell them apart-except for Clarent, of course.

“Once I have located and killed any remaining Elders, Next Generation and immortals on this world, I am going to use the swords to destroy the entrances to the Shadowrealms here on earth. Then this will truly become our world.”

“Very clever, I’m sure,” Dare said. “I have just one question…”

“Just one?”

“Why me?”

Dee looked at her blankly.

“You have this so neatly planned out: what do you need me for?” The Magician opened his mouth, but Dare held up her hand to stop him. “And don’t even think about lying,” she whispered. “Not when there are four swords on the table in front of me.” Although the smile did not leave her lips, the threat was plain.

The Englishman nodded. “I came to you because… well, I told you: you are central to my plan. I need your flute.”

“My flute?” Virginia was completely taken aback.

Dee looked vaguely embarrassed. “Well, yes. When the monsters have been released into the city, I should be able to control them for a few days. But once they’ve fed and become feral, I will lose control…” His voice trailed off as he watched for Dare’s reaction.

“And you believe my flute will be able to enchant and control them.”

“I’m sure of it. Remember, I was with you when you stood on the banks of the Red River and turned back a herd of three thousand stampeding buffalo. I have some inkling of the flute’s powers.”

“There is a difference between buffalo and whatever menagerie of nightmares you’ve collected.”

Dee shook his head. “They are all beasts. And earlier, I watched you fell both cucubuths and humani. I have absolute confidence in you.”

“Thank you,” Virginia said sarcastically. “So once I render the creatures unconscious what do you intend to do with them when they wake up?”

Dee shrugged dismissively. “Kill them, or return them to Alcatraz and let them fend for themselves.” He reached for the rectangular wooden box on the table, opened the lid and lifted out a small copper-bound book.

The air in the room immediately crackled with static electricity, green sparks running across all the metal surfaces.

Virginia felt as if all the breath had been sucked from her body. “Is that what I think it is?”

Dee placed the book on the table in the center of the swords. Bound in tarnished green copper, the book was about six inches across by nine inches long, the pages within thick and yellow with ragged edges.

“The Codex-the Book of Abraham the Mage,” Dee said, almost reverentially. “I devoted my entire life to finding this book…” Wrapping a corner of the red silk around his fingers, he carefully opened the cover. “And when I finally acquired it, the last two pages were ripped out.” He turned to the back of the book, where the torn edges of two thick leaves jutted from the binding. The Magician giggled, the sound high-pitched and unnerving. “And do you know something, Virginia: the last two pages contain the Final Summoning, the formula needed to bring the Elders from their Shadowrealms into this world. My masters were very upset that I’d lost it.” His giggling turned to laughter, which quickly grew louder and more hysterical, shaking his entire body. “But now it turns out that we don’t need the Final Summoning, because the Elders will not be coming back.”

“Doctor!” Virginia snapped, suddenly growing frightened of Dee. She’d never seen him like this. “Control yourself.”

John Dee drew in a deep shaky breath. “Of course. I apologize.” He closed the Codex and ran his silk-covered hand across the metal surface. “We will let the monsters ravage the earth for a week, we’ll allow the armies, navies and air forces to exhaust themselves battling the creatures, and then, just when all seems lost, you and I will announce ourselves as the saviors of mankind. We’ll draw away the creatures and take control of the planet. We will become the immortal rulers of the world. You have no master, and mine will either be dead or trapped in a Shadowrealm with no access to this world, so I am safe. I can use this book to remake and reshape the earth in any way that we wish.” He smiled. “The only limits are our imaginations.”

“I’ve got a very vivid imagination,” Virginia murmured. “However, haven’t you forgotten one tiny thing?” she added calmly.

Dee looked at her in surprise. “What?”

“All of this depends on Coatlicue’s doing your bidding.”

“She will,” he said confidently. “The real moment of danger is when she first awakens: she will be ravenous. I just have to make sure to feed her.”

“Coatlicue is not a vegetarian,” Virginia reminded him.

The Magician’s smile turned feral. “Yes, I know. And I’ve got such a tasty feast lined up for her.”

Josh leaned against the door of the study and peered inside. Two of the walls were lined with books, a third with DVDs, while an enormous projection TV took up the fourth wall.

The red-haired Elder was stretched out in a lounger, idly flicking through cable channels at high speed. He hesitated when he came to CNN, watched it for a moment, then clicked to another channel.

Josh rapped on the doorframe. “You wanted to see me,” he said quietly. He was surprised by how calm he felt. There were no nerves, but he wasn’t feeling much excitement, either.