01_-_The_Alchemyst

“I am no girl. You may be ancient, but you have never encountered
anything like me. I possess the raw power that can nullify your magic. I
can use it to return the birds and cats to their natural forms.” Sophie’s
head titled to one side, a gesture Josh knew well; his sister did it when she
was listening intently to someone. Then she stretched out her hands toward
the Dark Elder. “What do you think would happen if I were to reach out and
touch you?”
Bastet hissed a command, and a trio of huge catmen raced toward the
girl. Sophie flung out her arm, and a long, whip-like, snaking coil of silver
energy flowed from her hand. It touched each of the cats, crackling across
their haunches and shoulders, and they immediately came to stumbling halts,
rolling and twisting on the ground as they transformed into ordinary everyday
cats, two shorthairs and a ragged-looking Persian. The cats bounded to their
feet and streaked off, howling piteously.
Sophie spun the whip above her head, scattering drops of liquid silver
in every direction. “Let me give you a taste of what I can do….” The silver
whip cracked and snapped as she approached.
Scatty suddenly found that three of her adversaries had transformed into
an American robin, a house finch, and a song sparrow, while the exoticlooking
catman directly in front of her warped into a confused Siamese.
Sophie cracked the silver whip again and again, beating away their
attackers, droplets of silver splashing everywhere, and more and more of the
cat-and birdmen returned to their natural forms. “Get away from Nicholas,”
she said, her lips not moving in synch with her words, “or we will find out
what your true shape is, Bastet, who is also Mafdet, Sekhmet and Menhit.”
Bastet slowly stepped away from Flamel and raised herself to her full
towering height. Her slit-pupiled eyes were wide, her mouth tightly closed.
“It has been a long time since anyone has called me by those names. Who are
you—certainly no modern humani girl?”