Michael Scott - The Alchemyst

The Elder Race? Josh asked, his voice rising and cracking. He swallowed hard, conscious now that his heart was thumping in his chest. What had started out as just another ordinary Thursday afternoon had turned into something strange and terrible. He played a lot of computer games, read some fantasy novels, and in those, elder always meant ancient and dangerous.

Elder, as in old?

Very old, Flamel agreed.

You mean there are more like Dee, like you? Josh said, then winced as Sophie kicked his shins.

Flamel turned to look at Josh, his colorless eyes now clouded with anger. There are others like Dee, yes, and others like me, too, but Dee and I are not alike. We were never alike, Flamel added bitterly. We chose to follow different paths, and his has led him down some very dark roads. He too is immortal, though even I am not sure how he retains his youth. But we are both human. He turned to the cash register, which was lying broken open on the floor, and started scooping out the money as he spoke. When he turned to look at the twins, they were startled by the grim expression on his face. Those

whom Dee serves are not and never were from the race of man. Shoving themoney into his pockets, he grabbed a battered leather jacket off the floor.We ve got to get out of here.

Where will you go? What will you do? Sophie asked. What about us? Josh finished the thought for her, as she often did for him. First I have to get you to a place of safety before Dee realizes that the

pages are missing. Then I ll go in search of Perenelle.

The twins looked at each other. Why do you have to get us to a safe place? Sophie asked. We don t know anything, Josh said. Once Dee discovers that the Book is incomplete, he will return for the

missing pages. And I guarantee you, he will leave no witnesses on this

earth. Josh started to laugh, but the sound died in his throat when he realized that his sister was not even smiling. You re He licked suddenly dry lips. You re saying that he would kill us?

Nicholas Flamel tilted his head to one side, considering. No, he said finally, not kill you. Josh heaved a sigh of relief. Believe me, Flamel continued. Dee can do much worse to you. Much worse.

The twins stood on the sidewalk outside the bookshop, glass from the brokenwindows crunching under their feet, watching as Nick produced a key. But we can t just leave, Sophie said firmly.

Josh nodded. We re not going anywhere.

Nick Fleming or Flamel, as they were beginning to think of him turned the keyin the lock of the bookshop and rattled the door. Within the shop, they couldhear books sliding onto the floor. I really loved this shop, Flamel muttered. It reminded me of my very first job. He glanced at Sophie andJosh. You have no choice. If you want to survive the rest of the day, youhave to leave now. Then he turned away, pulling on his battered leatherjacket as he hurried across the road to The Coffee Cup. The twins looked ateach other, then hurried after him.

You ve got keys to lock up?

Sophie nodded. She produced the two keys on their Golden Gate Bridge keyring. Look, if Bernice comes back and finds the shop closed, she ll probablycall the police or something.

Good point, Flamel said. Leave a note, he told Sophie, somethingshort you had to leave suddenly, some sort of emergency, that sort of thing.Say that I accompanied you. Scribble it; make it look as if you left in ahurry. Are your parents still on that dig in Utah? The twins parents werearchaeologists, currently on loan to the University of San Francisco.

Sophie nodded. For another six weeks at least.

We re still staying with Aunt Agnes in Pacific Heights, Josh added. Aunt Agony.

We can t just disappear. She ll be expecting us home for dinner, Sophiesaid. If we re even five minutes late, she gets in a tizzy. Last week, whenthe trolley car broke down and we were an hour late, she d already phoned ourparents by the time we got there. Aunt Agnes was eighty-four, and althoughshe drove the twins to distraction with her constant fussing, they were veryfond of her.

Then you ll need to give her an excuse too, Flamel said bluntly, sweepinginto the coffee shop with Sophie close behind him.

Josh hesitated before stepping into the cool, sweet-smelling gloom of TheCoffee Cup. He stood on the sidewalk, his backpack slung over his shoulder,looking up and down. If you ignored the sparkling glass littering thesidewalk in front of the bookshop, everything looked perfectly normal, anordinary weekday afternoon. The street was still and silent, the air washeavy with just a hint of the ocean. Across the bay, beyond Fisherman sWharf, a ship s horn sounded, the deep noise lost and lonely in the distance.Everything looked more or less as it had half an hour earlier.

And yet And yet it was not the same. It could never be the same again. In the lastthirty minutes, Josh s carefully ordered world had shifted and alteredirrevocably. He was a normal high school sophomore, not too brilliant, butnot stupid either. He played football, sang badly in his friend s band, had afew girls he was interested in, but no real girlfriend yet. He played theoccasional computer game, preferred first person shooters like Quake and Doomand Unreal Tournament, couldn t handle the driving games and got lost inMyst. He loved The Simpsons and could quote chunks of episodes by heart,really liked Shrek, though he d never admit it, thought the new Batman wasall right and that X-Men was excellent. He even liked the new Superman,despite what other people said. Josh was ordinary.

But ordinary teens did not find themselves in the middle of a battle betweentwo incredibly ancient magicians.

There was no magic in the world. Magic was movie special effects. Magic wasstage shows with rabbits and doves and sometimes tigers, and DavidCopperfield sawing people in half and levitating over the audience. There wasno such thing as real magic.

But how then could he explain what had just happened in the bookshop? He hadwatched shelves turn to rotten wood, seen books dissolve into pulp, smelledthe stink of rotten eggs from Dee s spells and the cleaner scent of mint whenFleming Flamel worked his magic.

Josh Newman shivered in the bright afternoon sunshine and ducked into TheCoffee Cup, pulling open his backpack and reaching in for his batteredlaptop. He needed to use the caf s wireless Internet connection; he hadnames he wanted to look up: Doctor John Dee, Perenelle and especiallyNicholas Flamel.

Sophie scribbled a quick note on the back of a napkin, then chewed the end ofthe pencil as she read it.

Mrs. Fleming unwell. Gas leak in the shop. Gone to hospital. Mr. Fleming withus. Everything else OK. Will phone later.

When Bernice came back and found the shop closed just before thelate-afternoon rush, she was not going to be happy. Sophie guessed that shemight even lose her job. Sighing, she signed the note with a flourish thattore through the paper, and stuck it to the cash register.

Nicholas Flamel peered over her shoulder and read it. That s good, verygood, and it explains why the bookshop is closed too. Flamel glanced overhis shoulder to where Josh was tapping furiously at his keyboard. Let s go!

Just checking my mail, Josh muttered, powering off the machine and closingit.

At a time like this? Sophie asked incredulously.

Life goes on. E-mail stops for no man. He attempted a smile, and failed.

Sophie grabbed her bag and vintage denim jacket, taking a last look aroundthe coffee shop. She had the sudden thought that she would not be seeing itagain for a long time, but that was ridiculous, of course. She turned out thelights, ushered her brother and Nick Fleming Flamel through the door ahead of her and hit the alarm. Then she pulled the door shut, turned the key in thelock and dropped the key chain through the letter box.