Sophie and Josh Newman are finally home, but they're both more confused than ever about their futures. Neither of them has mastered the elemental magics they'll need to protect themselves from the Dark Elders, they've lost Scatty, Macchiavelli is coming to unleash on their city the menagerie of monsters imprisoned in Alcatraz, and they're still being pursued by Dr. John Dee. And most disturbing of all is that now they must ask themselves, can they trust Nicholas Flamel? Worse, can they trust anyone?