is fouler, much fouler , he called. This is the stink of something very,
very old .
Drawn by the wailing car alarms, Saint-Germain crossed the garden, clambered
over the broken wall and looked up and down the alley. House and car alarms
were ringing, mainly to his left, and there were lights on in the houses at
that end of the street. In the mouth of the narrow alleyway, he could see the
crushed remains of a black car.
Whatever it was attacked this house, he said, darting back into the
kitchen. There s a two-hundred-thousand-euro car at the end of the street
that s only fit for the scrap yard.
Nidhogg, Flamel whispered in horror. He nodded; it made sense now. The
Disir brought Nidhogg, he said. Then he frowned. But even Machiavelli
wouldn't bring something like that into a major city. He s too cautious.
Nidhogg? Joan and Sophie asked simultaneously, looking at one another.
Think of it as a cross between a dinosaur and a snake, Flamel explained.
But probably older than this planet. I think it s got Scathach and Josh went
after it.
Sophie shook her head firmly. He wouldn't do that he couldn't he s terrified
of snakes.
Then where is he? Flamel asked. Where is Clarent? It s the only
explanation: he s taken the sword and gone in search of the Shadow.
But I heard him calling to her for help .
You heard him call her name. He might have been calling out to her.
Saint-Germain nodded. It makes sense. The Disir only wanted Scathach.
Nidhogg grabbed her and ran. Josh must have followed.
Maybe it grabbed him and she followed, Sophie suggested. That s the sort
of thing she d do.
It had no interest in Josh. It would have just eaten him. No, he went of his
own accord.
That shows great courage, Joan said.
But Josh isn't brave , Sophie began. Yet even as she was saying it, she
knew it wasn't entirely true. He d always stood up for her in school and
protected her. But why would he go after Scatty? She knew he didn't even like
her.
People change, Joan said. No one stays the same.
The noise was louder now, a mingled cacophony of police, ambulance and fire
sirens drawing closer. Nicholas, Sophie, you've got to go, Saint-Germain
said urgently. I think we re about to have police, lots and lots of police
with far too many questions. And we have no answers. If they find you
here without papers or passports I m afraid they ll hold you for
questioning. He tugged out a leather wallet attached to his belt on a long
chain. Here s some cash.
I cannot , the Alchemyst began.
Take it, Saint-Germain insisted. don't use your credit cards; Machiavelli
can track your movements, he continued. I don't know how long the police
will be here. If I m free, I ll meet you tonight at six at the glass pyramid
outside the Louvre. If I m not there at six, I ll try and get there at
midnight, or failing that, at six tomorrow morning.
Thank you, old friend. Nicholas turned to Sophie. Grab your clothes, and
Josh s too, and whatever else you need; we ll not be coming back here.
I ll help you, Joan said, hurrying out of the room with Sophie.
The Alchemyst and his former apprentice stood in the ruins of the kitchen,
listening to the two women run upstairs.
What are you going to do with the block of ice in the hall? Nicholas asked.
We ve got a big chest freezer in the cellar. I ll shove it in there until
the police leave. What about the Disir, are they dead, do you think?
The Disir are practically impossible to kill. Just make sure that ice
doesn t melt anytime soon.
I ll drive it to the Seine one evening and drop it in the river. With luck
it won t thaw till Rouen.
What are you going to tell the police Nicholas waved a hand at the
devastation about all this?
Gas explosion? Saint-Germain suggested.
Lame, Flamel said with a smile, remembering what the twins had said when
he d made the same suggestion.
Lame?
Very lame.
Then I think I just came home and found it like this, he said, and it s
close enough to the truth. I ve no idea how it happened. He suddenly grinned
mischievously. I could sell the story and pictures to one of the tabloids.
Mysterious Forces Destroy Rock Star s House.
Everyone would think it was a publicity stunt.
Yes, they would, wouldn't they? And you know what: I just happen to have a
new album out. It ll be great advertising.
The kitchen door opened and Sophie and Joan walked into the room. They had
both changed into jeans and sweatshirts and were wearing matching backpacks.
I m going with them, Joan said before Saint-Germain could ask the question
that had started to form on his lips. They ll need a guide and a bodyguard.
Would it be worth my while arguing with you? the count asked.
No.
Didn't think so. He hugged his wife. Please be careful, be very careful.
If Machiavelli or Dee is prepared to bring the Disir and Nidhogg into the
city, then they are desperate. And desperate men do stupid things.
Yes, Flamel said simply. Yes, they do. And stupid men make mistakes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
J osh kept looking over his shoulder, trying to orient himself. He was moving
farther and farther away from Saint-Germain s house and was worried that he
was going to get lost. But he couldn't turn back now; he couldn't leave
Scatty to the creature. And so long as he could find the Arc de Triomphe at
the end of the Champs-Elys es, he figured he d be able to get back to the
house. Alternatively, all he had to do was to follow the steady stream of
police cars, fire trucks and ambulances that were racing down the main
street, heading in the direction he was running from.
He tried not to think too much about what he was doing because if he thought
about it he was chasing a dinosaur-like monster through Paris then he d stop,
and Scatty would well, he wasn't sure what would happen to Scatty. Whatever
it was, it wouldn't be good.
Following Nidhogg was simplicity itself. The creature ran in a straight line,
crashing through the countless small streets and alleyways that ran parallel
to the Champs-Elys es. It left a trail of devastation in its wake, trampling
through a side street filled with parked cars, running right over the top of
them, leaving them crumpled, flattened wrecks. As it darted down a narrow
alleyway, its wavering tail punched through the steel shutters on the fronts
of shops on either side of the street, shattering the glass they protected.
Burglar and car alarms added to the mayhem.
Suddenly, a flash of white ahead of him caught his attention.
Josh had briefly glimpsed the figure in white standing outside
Saint-Germain s house. He guessed it was one of the monster s keepers. And
now it looked as if they were also chasing the creature which meant they had
lost control. He glanced up, trying to gauge the time. Directly ahead of him,
the sky was already paling toward the dawn, which meant that he was running
east. What was going to happen when the city woke up to find a prehistoric
monster rampaging through the streets? There d be panic; no doubt the police
and army would be brought in. Josh had hacked at it with his sword and that