01_-_The_Alchemyst

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Josh stood at the edge of the ancient forest with his sister and watched
a trio of tiny winged creatures that looked astonishingly like dragons whirl
and dance through the first shafts of dawn sunlight. Josh glanced at her, then
looked quickly away. “I don’t want you to do this,” he said quickly.
Sophie laid her hand on her brother’s arm. “Why not?” she said. She
moved in front of her twin, forcing him to look at her. Over his left shoulder,
in front of the entrance to the incredible Yggdrasill, she could see Flamel,
Scatty and Hekate watching them. All around, thousands of Torc Allta, both
in their human and wereboar forms, were scurrying about, preparing for
battle. The boars wore plates of leather armor across their haunches and
backs, and the human Torc Allta were carrying bronze spears and swords.
Huge flocks of nathair swooped across the skies and the bushes, and tall
grasses were alive with unseen crawling, slithering, scuttling creatures.
Guards were taking up positions all around the Yggdrasill, clambering out
onto the huge branches, standing guard with bows and spears in every
window.
Sophie looked into her brother’s bright blue eyes. She could see herself
reflected there, and she abruptly realized that his eyes were magnified behind
unshed tears. She reached for him, but he caught her hand and squeezed her
fingers gently. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said simply.
Sophie nodded, unwilling to trust herself to speak. She felt exactly the
same way about her twin.
Three of the enormous pterosaur-like nathair flew overhead, the
downdraft of their wings sending plumes of dust along the ground below.
Neither Sophie nor Josh looked up.
“Nicholas said that there are risks,” Josh continued, “but Hekate said
that it’s dangerous, possibly even deadly. I don’t want you to go through with