01_-_The_Alchemyst

“Ah. That’s tough. He’ll not harm her, though.”
“And he has the Codex.”
The figure moved, coming slowly to her feet and turning to face them.
The twins were shocked to discover that they were looking at a girl not much
older than themselves. Her skin was pale, dappled with freckles, and her
round face was dominated by grass green eyes. Her red hair was so vibrant
that Sophie wondered if she had dyed it that color.
“The Codex?” The accent was definitely Irish, Sophie decided. “The
Book of Abraham the Mage?”
Nicholas Flamel nodded.
“Then you’re right, we do have a problem.”
Flamel reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pages Josh had
torn from it. “Well, nearly all of the book. He’s missing the Final
Summoning.”
The young woman hissed, the sound like that of water boiling, and a
quick smile flickered across her face. “Which he will want, of course.”
“Of course.”
Josh was watching the red-haired young woman intently, noting how she
stood perfectly still, like most of the martial arts teachers he knew. He
glanced sidelong at his sister and raised his eyebrows in a silent question as
he inclined his chin slightly toward the girl. Sophie shook her head. They
were curious why Nicholas Flamel treated her with such obvious respect.
Sophie had also come to the conclusion that there was something wrong
about the girl’s expression, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was
an ordinary face—perhaps the cheekbones were a little too prominent, the
chin a little too pointed—but the emerald-colored eyes caught and held one’s
attention…and then Sophie realized with a start that the irl didn’t blink.
The young woman suddenly threw back her head and breathed deeply,
her nostrils flaring. “Is that why I can smell Eyes?”
Flamel nodded. “Rats and crows everywhere.”