01_-_The_Alchemyst

Maybe she wasn’t as good as she’d once been, he thought desperately,
maybe time had dulled her powers.
“We should help,” Josh said.
“And do what?” Sophie asked, without a trace of sarcasm. They were
both standing on the balcony, looking down into the dojo. They had watched
openmouthed as Flamel and Scatty leaped over the edge and drifted far too
slowly to the ground. The red-haired girl faced the huge Golem, while
Flamel hurried to the door where the rats were gathering. The vermin seemed
reluctant to enter the room.
Without warning, the Golem swung a huge fist, then followed it up with
a massive kick.
Josh opened his mouth to shout a warning, but he didn’t get a chance to
say anything before Scatty moved. One moment she was standing directly in
front of the creature, then she was throwing herself forward, moving under
the blows, closing right in on it. Her hand moved, blurringly fast, and she
delivered a flat open-handed blow to the point of the Golem’s jaw. There
was a liquid squelch, and then its jaw unhinged and its mouth gaped open. In
the blackness of its maw, the twins could clearly see a yellow rectangle of
paper.
The creature struck out wildly and Scatty danced back out of range. It
lashed out a kick, which missed and struck the polished floorboards,
shattering them to splinters.
“We’ve got to help!” Sophie said.
“How?” Josh shouted, but his twin had run into the kitchen, desperately
looking for a weapon. She emerged a moment later carrying a small
microwave oven. “Sophie,” Josh murmured, “what are you going to do
with…?”
Sophie heaved the microwave over the edge of the railing. It struck the
Golem full in the chest—and stuck, globules of mud spattering everywhere.
The Golem stopped, confused and disorientated. Scatty took advantage of its
disorientation and moved in again, feet and hands striking blows from all