Josh blinked, confused. That didn’t sound right; when Nicholas had been talking to them in London about the power of the Witch’s memories, he’d sounded so sure that he’d even sounded a little frightened himself. “So… tell me, what exactly did Perenelle say?” he asked.

“She told me…” Sophie frowned, trying to remember the exact words. “She said that Nicholas had told us what he believed to be true, and then she added that he was often wrong. She said he makes mistakes. Her exact words were ‘Nicholas is often wrong.’”

“Often wrong?” Josh repeated. “Wow… that’s something-especially coming from his wife.” He sat back in the couch his sister had vacated and tried to absorb this new piece of information. “Can we believe her?”

Sophie shrugged. “I do,” she said simply, then looked quickly at her brother, reading the expression in his eyes. “But you don’t.”

“Why should I?” he asked. “I know you like Perenelle, but don’t let that influence you. I liked Nicholas-really, I did-but once I discovered that he’d been lying to us and that he’d put us in danger, I knew I could never trust him again.”

“That was Nicholas… not Perenelle. She was a prisoner on Alcatraz.”

Josh shook his head in frustration. “Sis, remember, it’s the Flamels-both of them-who’ve been collecting twins for centuries. And we both saw that Perenelle seems to be in charge. I think she’s as guilty as he is. I just don’t trust her.”

“Were you always this suspicious?” Sophie asked.

“This last week has made me think twice about everything and everyone,” Josh said. “What was it Scatty said to us on the very first day: follow your hearts, trust no one…”

“… except each other,” Sophie finished. “I remember.”

“And I’m right to be suspicious. I was right about Nicholas from the very beginning.”

“Yes, you were. But we know so much more now. And I know all that the Witch knows, so that has to give us an advantage. And I know that the Witch trusted Perenelle, so I do too. But Josh, listen to me-if we’re going to survive, we have to learn to trust people.”

“But which people?” he asked, watching her closely, trying to keep his temper in check. Why couldn’t she see that the Flamels were dangerous? “Who do we trust? Nicholas and Perenelle? They’ve both lied to us. Scathach? Even her own sister told us that she’s a liar. Saint-Germain? We know he’s a thief. And Soph, these are supposed to be the good guys. Then there’s Dee, who everyone says is insane, and Machiavelli, who is… well, I don’t know what he is, but I sort of liked him. He was the only one who was straight with me.”

“And don’t forget Gilgamesh,” Sophie added with a small sad smile.