The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #2) by Michael Scott

still left”, Sophie guessed.
    The Warrior nodded. “I left. We didn’t speak for a millennium until they were in trouble and needed my help”, she added with a grim smile. “We talk occasionally now, but I’m afraid they still consider me an embarrassment.”
    Sophie squeezed her hand gently. She felt uncomfortable with what the Warrior had just told her, but she also realized that Scatty had shared something incredibly personal, something that Sophie doubted the ancient warrior had ever shared with anyone else. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    Scathach squeezed back. “You didn’t upset me. They upset me more than two thousand years ago, in fact and I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. It’s been a long time since anyone took the trouble to ask about my life. And believe me, it’s not been all bad. I’ve had some wonderful adventures”, she said brightly. “Did I tell you about the time I was the lead singer in an all-girl band? Sort of goth-punk Spice Girls, but we only did Tori Amos covers. We were very big in Germany.” She lowered her voice. “The problem was, we were all vampires.”
     
    Nicholas and Josh turned onto the Rue de Dunkerque and discovered there were police everywhere. “Keep walking”, Nicholas said urgently as Josh slowed. “And act natural.”
    “Natural”, Josh muttered. “I don’t even know what that means anymore.”
    “Walk quickly, but don’t run”, Nicholas said patiently. “You’re completely innocent, a student on the way to class or heading to a summer job. Look at the police, but don’t stare. And if one looks at you, don’t turn away quickly, just let your eyes drift on to the next character. That’s what an ordinary citizen would do. If we’re stopped, I’ll do the talking. We’ll be fine.” He saw the skeptical look on the boy’s face and his smile widened. “Trust me, I’ve been doing this for a very long time. The trick is to move as if you have every right in the world to be here. The police are trained to look for people who look and act suspicious.”
    “Don’t you think we fall into both categories?” Josh asked.
    “We look like we belong and that makes us invisible.”
    A group of three policemen didn’t even look in their direction as they walked past. Josh noticed that each was wearing a different type of uniform, and the men seemed to be arguing.
    “Good”, Nicholas said when they were out of earshot.
    “What’s good?”
    Nicholas inclined his head in the direction they had just come. “You saw the different uniforms?”
    The boy nodded.
    “France has a complicated police system; Paris even more so. There is the Police Nationale, the Gendarmerie Nationale and the Prefecture de Police. Machiavelli has obviously pulled out all the stops to find us, but his great failing has always been that he assumes that other people are as coldly logical as he is. He obviously thinks that if he puts all these police resources on the streets, they will do nothing but search for us. But there is a great deal of rivalry between the various units, and no doubt everyone wants the credit for capturing the dangerous criminals.”
    “Is that what you’ve made us into now?” Josh asked, unable to disguise the sudden bitterness in his voice. “Two days ago, Sophie and I were happy, normal people. And now look at us: I barely know my own sister. We’ve been hunted, attacked by monsters and now we’re on a police most-wanted list. You’ve made us criminals, Mr. Flamel. But this isn’t the first time you’ve been a criminal, is it?” he snapped. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and closed them into fists to prevent them from shaking. He was scared and angry, and the fear was making him reckless. He’d never talked to an adult like that before.
    “No”, Nicholas said mildly, his pale eyes starting to glitter dangerously. “I’ve been called a criminal. But only by my enemies. It seems to me”, he added after a