Nicholas reached the end of the ladder and Perenelle and Josh helped him down the last steps. He stood leaning against the wall, his breath coming in great heaving gasps, and Josh suddenly realized that the Alchemyst was now an old man. He looked at Flamel closely, and as he did it became clear just how much the events of the past week had aged the man-his close-cropped hair was now almost bone white, and wrinkles were etched deeply into his forehead and cheeks. The veins on the back of his hands were prominent, and the skin speckled with age spots. Josh turned to look at the Sorceress. She too had aged, though not quite so dramatically as her husband. Perenelle caught him staring at her and her smile turned wistful. Reaching out, she pressed her forefinger to Josh’s chest. Paper crinkled under his T-shirt. “Unless we get the Codex and renew the immortality spell, we will be dead of old age within a matter of days.” Abruptly, her green eyes grew huge with tears. “Nicholas first, then me.”

Josh felt his breath catch in his throat. Although he didn’t trust Nicholas and was unsure how he felt about Perenelle, the thought of them dying filled him with terror. He and Sophie needed the Flamels.

“We must get the Book of Abraham the Mage,” Perenelle repeated.

“Dee has the Codex,” Josh said. “He’s probably passed it on to his masters by now.”

Nicholas shook his head. “I doubt he’s had time to do that. Everything has happened so fast.” He handed Josh the carved wooden box. “Carry that for me, would you?” Josh grunted with the weight of the box; it was surprisingly heavy. “Think-the Magician has been close behind us from the moment he got the Codex last week. I don’t think he would have had time to give it to his Elder masters. And I think it unlikely he would carry it to England with him in his luggage. Logic says it’s probably still here in San Francisco.”

“Where?” Josh asked quickly. “Maybe we could steal it back…” He stopped. Both Perenelle and Nicholas were shaking their heads.

“Even if we could,” the Sorceress said, “I’ll wager it is protected by more than human guards. Also”-she tapped the box in Josh’s arms-“we have more important things to do.”

“We have to find your sister,” Nicholas said.

“And destroy the creatures on Alcatraz,” Perenelle added.

Josh looked at them both in alarm. “But how are you going to do that? Won’t that use all your powers and age you? And kill you?” He added in a whisper.

“Yes,” Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel said in unison.

“And it is a price we are willing to pay,” Perenelle declared.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY