Michael Scott - The Alchemyst

Well, this will be great practice for you, then, the Alchemyst said with asmile.

Sophie looked from Flamel to Scatty. Who is this Witch we re going to see?

Flamel snapped his seat belt into place. We re going to see the Witch ofEndor.

Josh turned the key in the ignition and started the car. He glanced in therearview mirror at Scatty. Someone else you ve fought with? he asked.

Scathach grimaced. Worse than that, she muttered. She s my grandmother.

T he Shadowrealm was breaking down.

In the west, the clouds had vanished and huge patches of the sky had alreadydisappeared, leaving only the blinking stars and the overlarge moon in theblack sky. One by one the stars were winking out of existence, and the moonwas beginning to fray at the edges.

We don t have much time, the Morrigan said, watching the sky.

Dee, who was crouching on the ground, gathering as many icy fragments ofHekate as he could find, thought he could hear a note of fear in theMorrigan s voice. We have time, he said evenly.

We can t afford to be here when the Shadowrealm disappears, she continued,looking down at him, her face expressionless. But he knew by the way shehugged the cloak of crow feathers about her shoulders that she was nervous.

What would happen? Dee wondered aloud. He d never seen the Crow Goddess like this before, and he took pleasure in her discomfiture.

The Morrigan raised her head to look at the encroaching darkness, her blackeyes reflecting the tiny spots of stars. Why, we d disappear also. Suckedaway into the nothingness, she added softly, watching the mountains in thedistance turn to something like dust. The dust then spiraled up into theblack sky and vanished. A true death, the Morrigan murmured.

Dee was crouched among the melting remains of the Yggdrasill, while allaround him Hekate s elegant and beautiful world was turning to dust andblowing away on invisible winds. The goddess had created her Shadowrealm outof nothingness, and now, without her presence to hold it together, it wasreturning to that once more. The mountains had vanished, blown away likegrains of sand, whole swathes of the forest were slowly fading and blinkingout of existence like lights being turned off and the overlarge moon hanginglow in the sky was losing shape and definition. Already it was nothing morethan a featureless ball. In the east, the rising sun was a golden orb oflight and the sky was still blue.

The Crow Goddess turned to her aunt. How long before it all disappears? she asked.

Bastet growled and shrugged her broad shoulders. Who knows? Even I have never witnessed the death of an entire Shadowrealm. Minutes perhaps

That s all I need. Dee laid the sword Excalibur on the ground. The smoothlypolished stone blade reflected the blackness creeping in from the west. Deefound three of the largest chunks of ice that had once been Hekate and placedthem on the blade.

The Morrigan and Bastet leaned over his shoulders and stared at the sword,their reflections rippling and distorted. What is so important that you mustdo it here? Bastet asked.

This was Hekate s home, Dee replied. And here, right here, at the place ofher death, the connection to her will be strongest.

Connection, Bastet growled, and then nodded. She suddenly knew what Deewas about to attempt: the darkest and most dangerous of all the dark arts.

Necromancy, Dee whispered. I m going to talk to the dead goddess. Shespent so many millennia here that it is part of her. I m wagering herconsciousness remains active and attached to this place. He reached out and touched the handle of the sword. The black stone glowed yellow and the carvedsnakes around the hilt came briefly alive, hissing furiously, tonguesflickering, before they solidified once again. As the ice melted, the liquidran over the black stone, covering it in a thin oily sheen. Now we shall see what we shall see, he muttered.

The water on the blade began to bubble and pop, sizzling and crackling. And aface appeared in each bubble: Hekate s face. It kept flickering through herthree guises, only the eyes butter-colored and hateful remaining the same asshe glared at him.

Talk to me, Dee shouted, I command you. Why did Flamel come here?

Hekate s voice was a bubbling, watery snap. To escape you.

Tell me about the human children.

The images that appeared on the sword blade were surprisingly detailed. Theywere all from Hekate s perspective. They showed Flamel arriving with thetwins, showed the two children sitting, fearful and pale, in the battered andscratched car.

Flamel believes they are the twins of legend mentioned in the Codex.

The Morrigan and Bastet crowded closer, ignoring the rapidly encroachingnothingness. In the west, there were no longer any stars in the heavens, themoon was gone and huge portions of the sky had completely vanished, leavingjust blackness in its wake.

Are they? Dee demanded.

The next image on the sword showed the twins auras flaring silver and gold.

Moon and sun, Dee murmured. He didn t know whether to be horrified or elated. His suspicions were confirmed. From the first moment he d seen themtogether, he d started to wonder if the teens were, in fact, twins.

Are these the twins foretold in legend? he demanded again.

Bastet brought her massive head down next to Dee s. Her foot-long whiskerstickled his face, but he didn t risk brushing them away, not with her teethso close. She smelled of wet cat and frankincense; Dee felt a sneeze buildingat the back of his nose. The Cat Goddess reached out for the blade, but Deecaught her hand in his. It was like grasping a lion s paw, and her retractedclaws suddenly appeared dangerously close to his fingers. Please don t touch the blade; this is a delicate spell. There is time for perhaps one or twomore questions, he added, nodding toward the western horizon, to where theedges of the earth were crumbling, blowing away like multicolored dust.

Bastet glared at the black blade, her slit-pupiled eyes flaring. My sisterhas or should I say had a very special gift. She could Awaken powers inothers. Ask her if she did that with these humani twins.

Dee nodded in sudden understanding; he had been wondering why Flamel hadbrought the twins to this place. He remembered now: in the ancient world, itwas believed Hekate had power over magic and spells. Did you Awaken thetwins magical abilities? he asked.

A single bubble popped. No.

Dee rocked back on his heels, surprised. He had been expecting her to sayyes. Had Flamel failed, then?

Bastet growled. She s lying.

She cannot, Dee said. She answers what we ask.

I saw the girl with my own eyes, the Egyptian goddess growled. I saw her wield a whip of pure auric energy. I ve never seen such power in my life, notsince the Elder Times.

Dr. John Dee glanced at her sharply. You saw the girl but what of the boy?What was he doing?

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. Lessthan ten feet ahead of them, the world ended in nothingness. Dee turned backto the sword. Did you Awaken the girl?

A bubble popped and the sword ran with images of Sophie rising off theground, 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 hisfeet. He caught his sword and shook the bubbling water droplets into therapidly encroaching void.

The mismatched trio towering Bastet, dark Morrigan and small human raced awayas the world crumbled into nothingness behind them. The last remnants oftheir army the birdmen and cat-people remained, wandering aimlessly. Whenthey saw their leaders fleeing, they turned to follow. Soon every creaturewas racing to the east, where the last of the Shadowrealm remained. Senuhetlimped after Bastet, calling out her name, begging her to stop and help him.