Scathach heard her front door open and people enter. She was kneeling on a mat in her dojo, facing away from the door. She was wearing white jeans and a white T-shirt.
“Bergamot and Ylang-Ylang and patchouli, I think.” Said one of her visitors, she sounded like a female teenager.
“I’m impressed,” came a familiar voice. One she had not heard in a long time. It belonged to Nicholas Flamel; the human, immortal alchemist.
The previous voice talked about working in a tea shop.
“Where are we?” came a third voice. It sounded like a male teenager.
“Don’t move. Wait Look. Notice.” She heard Flamel say. He continued about how it might keep the others alive. She then heard one of her darts hit the wall. Flamel was probably showing them the traps.
Scathach waited patiently while Flamel and the others; who were likely human children talked about the traps. The darts and the scything blades in the walls. She then heard the secret door open.
We’ve got a problem,” Flamel said to Scathach.
“You’ve got a problem; that’s nothing to do with me,” she replied.
“Dee found me today.”
“It was only a matter of time.”
“He came after me with golems.”
Scathach paused then continued; still kneeling with her back still towards Flamel and the children. “He always was a fool. You don’t use golems in a dry climate. That’s his arrogance.”
“He has taken Perenelle prisoner.”
“Ah. That’s tough. He’ll not harm her, though.”
“And he has the codex.”
Scathach stood and turned to face them. The two were indeed children, they both looked about fifteen years old. The girl had light brown hair, the boy was taller also with light brown hair.
“The Codex?” Scathach asked, “The Book of Abraham the Mage?”
Flamel nodded.
“Then we do have a problem,” she said.
“Well nearly all of the book. He’s missing the Final Summoning.”
“Which he will want.”
“Of course.”
The two children seemed to be closely watching her. Scathach threw back her head, nostrils flaring. She asked, “Is that why I can smell eyes?”
Flamel nodded. “Rats and crows everywhere.”
“And you brought them here? I’ve spent years building this place.”
“If Dee has the Codex, then you know what he will do with it.”
Scathach looked at the children. “And these two?” she asked.
“They were there when Dee attacked. They fought for me, and this young man managed to tear the pages from the book. This is Sophie and this is her twin, Josh.”
“Twins?” She stepped forwards and looked at both of them. “Not identical but I can see the resemblance now.” She turned to Flamel. “You’re not thinking …?”
“I’m thinking it’s an interesting turn of events,” he said mysteriously. He turned to the twins. “I would like to introduce you to Scathach. She’ll not tell you much about herself, so I’ll tell you that she is of the Elder Race and has trained every warrior and hero of legend for the past two thousand years. In mythology she is known as the Warrior Maid, the Shadow, the Daemon Slayer, the King Maker, the-”
Scathach cut him off by saying, “Oh, just call me Scatty.”
Scathach was in her room shovelling clothes into a backpack. “I cannot believe you led them here,” she said to Flamel who was standing in the doorway to her bedroom.
“Everything happened so fast. It was bad enough when Dee got the Codex, but when I realised there were pages missing, I knew the twins would be in danger.”
When he said twins she looked up. “They’re the real reason you’re here, aren’t they?”
Flamel looked at the wall intensely. Scathach stood and walked out into the hallway to make sure that Sophie and Josh were still in the kitchen. She pulled Flamel into her room and closed the door.
“You’re up to something,” she demanded. “This is about more than the loss of the codex. You could have taken Dee and his minions on your own.”
“This is about the prophecy isn’t it?” She continued. “’There will be a time when the Book is taken and the Queen’s man is allied with the Crow. Then the Elder will step out of the Shadows, and the immortal must train the mortal. The two that are one must become the one that is all. The two that are one, and the one that is all, one to save the world, one to destroy it.’”
“You think that they are the ‘two that are one’; the twins of legend,” She finished.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Without question,” she answered immediately.
“Then trust me. I want you to prepare them for what is to come.”
“And what is that?” Scathach asked.
“I have no idea, except that it is going to be bad.”
Scathach returned to packing and Flamel left to watch the twins. She finished packing clothes and started to pack weapons into another bag. She packed her two short swords, her nunchaku, her bow and a quiver of arrows.
She then grabbed both bags and headed to the kitchen where the others were. When she got there she saw a rat launch itself at the window. It crashed into it and fell to the ground. Three golems broke down her door and led an enormous number of rats into the hallway. Scathach and Flamel jumped down from the balcony into the dojo.
Two of the golems and the rats headed down the trapped hallway. The darts and blades destroyed the two golems and killed many of the rats; but there were still many that managed to get past. The pest wards she had set up kept the rats out for a time but they would eventually get through.
The third golem however punched the wall to one side of the hallway, and then the other which gave way. The golem then knocked down the fake wall and went inside the dojo. Scathach stood in front of the golem. The golem swung its fist and followed it with a kick.
Scathach moved forwards quickly. She moved under the blows and she slammed her palm into the golems jaw. A squelch sound came from it and the jaw unhinged revealing a piece of paper in its mouth.
Before she could remove it; which would destroy the golem; it flailed wildly, forcing her to retreat. It kicked at her which missed and broke the floorboards where it connected. She dodged one more punch and then her microwave crashed into the golem’s chest and dazed it. Scathach took advantage of this; she moved in quickly, and struck; hands and feet hitting the golem blindingly fast.
She ducked under a swing from the golem and caught its arm. She spun around throwing the golem to the ground and quickly plucked the paper from the golem’s mouth. The instant the paper was removed the golem changed back into lifeless mud. Dirty water, mud and dirt sprayed across the floor and the microwave dropped to the floor.
Scathach waved the piece of paper at the twins. “Every magical creature is kept animated by a spell that is either in or on its body. All you have to do is remove it to break the spell. Remember that.”
Scathach methodically shredded the piece of paper, watching Flamel. He crouched to the floor, turned his right hand palm up and curled his fingers inward. He blew gently into his hand. A tiny ball of green mist appeared in his hand and he turned his hand over and plunged it into the floorboards. His fingers penetrated into the wood and the ball of energy spread over the surrounding floorboards.
The wood started to glow. He pointed his left hand at the largest rat and said, “Dr. John Dee, you have made the biggest mistake of your long life. I will be coming for you.”
The floorboards sprouted twigs, branches and leaves. Trees started growing out of the floorboards. They quickly blocked the passage. The rats turned and ran away; many dying from the blades on the way out.
Scathach borrowed an SUV from one of her students and the four of them got in the car. Josh driving as he was better than his sister and neither Scathach nor Flamel knew how to.
Scathach borrowed Sophie’s phone and called many of her students, telling them that classes would be cancelled for an indeterminable amount of time. She then called Sunset.
“Hello, Sunset. It’s Scatty.”
“Hi Scatty. Why are you calling.”
“I won’t be at home for an unknown amount of time. I am currently with an old friend and heading towards …” She turned to Flamel. “Where are we going?”
“To Hekate’s shadowrealm.”
“We’re going to Hekate’s shadowrealm. Across the Golden Gate Bridge thirty minutes down the road then turn left onto a narrow track that leads to her shadowrealm. You don’t need to come if you don’t want to; but you could be a lot of help.”
“I’ll come. May take a while though. I’m visiting someone at the moment. I’ll head out after we finish here.” Sunset replied.
“That’s fine.” Scathach ended the call and gave Sophie back her phone.
“Who was that?” Flamel asked.
Scathach smiled mysteriously. “A friend.”
They talked as Josh drove them towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Explaining many things to the twins. How Nicholas Flamel was an immortal human. Scathach was a Next Generation Elder. And how some of the elders want to return the world to how it was when they ruled.
“I don’t know if anyone has noticed,” Josh interrupted suddenly, “but would you say there are a lot of birds gathering?”
Scathach got her nunchaku out of her bag. “Tens of thousands,” said Sophie. She turned to look at Flamel. “What are they?”
“The Morrigan’s children,” he enigmatically replied.
“Trouble,” Scathach added. “Big trouble.”
The huge flock of birds flew them. “You should drive,” Flamel said, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Do not stop. Whatever happens, even if you hit something. Just drive. As fast as you can. Get us off this bridge.”
“We’re in trouble aren’t we?” Sophie asked Flamel.
“Only if the crows catch us. Could I borrow your cell phone?”
Sophie gave him her phone. “Are you going to work some magic?” she hopefully asked.
“No,” he replied, “I’m going to make a call. Let’s hope we don’t get an answering service.”
Flamel called someone and talked to them in the language of the elders. Josh was driving the car as fast as he could. Crashing into a few cars on the way but he kept going. The birds descended upon the bridge.
“They’ve lost focus. They’re looking for us, but they’ve forgotten our description. They have such tiny brains,” Scathach said dismissively.
The birds then rose back up into the air and turned in their direction. “They’re coming back,” Sophie said quickly looking to Flamel and Scathach for support.
“We’re in trouble now.” Scathach said to Sophie with a grim expression on her face.
They were nearing the end of the bridge when a huge crow landed on the hood of the car. It hopped towards the windshield and then pecked at the glass. Causing a small starred puncture. The crow pecked at the glass again causing another puncture.
Three crows landed on the roof causing three thumps to be heard inside the car. Holes started to appear in the metal roof as the birds on the roof pecked at it.
The crow on the hood pecked at the glass again and penetrated it.
“I’m not sure what I can do …” Scathach began. Then Sophie leaned over and pressed the windshield wiper switch. The windshield wiper knocked the dire crow of the hood of the car. Scathach grinned. “Well, there is that. Of course.”
More birds landed on the car. Blocking Josh’s sight so he slowed down. “Close your eyes,” Flamel said. He caused a flash of light which made the birds on the hood of the car fall off. Josh sped the car up again.
A crow punctured the roof and its beak was seen inside the car. Quickly, Scathach flung one side of her nunchaku out and hit it on the beak. It fell off the car’s roof with a bent beak. More crows were closing in when they smelt pomegranates. A wind roared across the bay. It picked up the birds and flung them into the sky.
When they tried to escape the wind, an up-draft would catch them and fling them back into the flock. The wind forced the birds higher and higher and finally they dispersed. None of them flying towards the four in the car.