01_-_The_Alchemyst

Josh snorted derisively.
Flamel glanced over his shoulder. “It’s true. The aura has even been
photographed by a Russian couple called the Kirlians. The electrical field
surrounds every living organism.”
“What does it look like?” Sophie asked.
Flamel tapped his finger on the shop window. “Just like that: a glow
around the body. Everyone’s aura is unique—different colors, different
strengths. Some glow solidly, others pulse. Some appear around the edge of
the body, other auras cloak the body like an envelope. You can tell a lot from
a person’s aura: whether they are ill or unhappy, angry or frightened, for
example.”
“And you can see these auras?” Sophie said.
Flamel shook his head, surprising them. “No, I cannot. Perry can,
sometimes. I cannot. But I know how to channel and direct the energy. That’s
what you were seeing earlier today: pure auric energy.”
“I think I’d like to learn how to do that,” Sophie said.
Flamel glanced at her quickly. “Be careful what you wish for. Every use
of power has a cost.” He held out his hand. Sophie and Josh crowded around
on the quiet side street. Flamel’s hand was visibly trembling. And when
Sophie looked into his face, she noticed that his eyes were bloodshot. “When
you use auric energy, you burn as many calories as if you had run a marathon.
Think of it like draining a battery. I doubt I could have lasted very much
longer against Dee back there.”
“Is Dee more powerful that you?”
Flamel smiled grimly. “Infinitely.” Shoving his hands back into the
pockets of his leather jacket, he continued down the street, Sophie and Josh
now walking on either side of him. In the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge
began to loom over the rooftops. “Dee has spent the past five centuries
developing his powers; I’ve spent that same time hiding mine, concentrating
only on those few little things I needed to do to keep Perenelle and myself
alive. Dee was always powerful, and I dread to think what he is capable of
now.” At the bottom of the hill he paused, looking left and right, then abruptly