Chapter 4

Butler opened a door, carelessly thrown Nika inside of a dark room and closed the door behind her back. The girl painfully hit something hard, breathing "D'Arvit" under her breath she examined, whether something was broken. But, apparently, all she got was bruises.

" How are you? " She heard Holly's sad voice.

" I think I'm fine, " responded Medici, rubbing her shoulder.

She cautiously risen on her legs and slowly straightened. Then has carefully made some steps forward and stopped, leaning on something cold, metal. Her hands groped a mattress and Nika understood that it was a metal bed.

In the dead silence she heard springs creaking. It was Holly who was already sitting on the bed moving.

Medici cautiously lowered her self on the bed, hugging her legs.

" Forgive me Holly, " she told silently. " I am such an idiot."

" Not that much, " answered captain Short.

" No, " hasty told the elf. " This is my entire fault. If I hadn't come up with the idea to meat Fowl, we wouldn't be here."

" But the fact that our shields disappeared, isn't exactly your fault, - reminded Holly. - I would like to know what happened to them.

"Me too."

They set like that for a few minutes in silence. Then Holly heard a noise.

" Nika! " called Short. " Nika! Are you crying?"

On what she answered:

" No, I'm laughing."

" What can be so funny in our situation? " Asked captain Short surprised.

" Nothing much, " Nika burst in a hysterical laughter. " Except now we can return to our question on Fowls sexuality!"


Artemis was still examining his reflection when Butler entered the laboratory.

" I have locked both of them in the cellar, " he reported.

" Perfect, " Artemis bent lips in a small smile and turned to Butler. " Anything else?"

" Yes, " the bodyguard nodded. " Artemis, sir, it was my initiative, but I left them without the light. I hope, it is not too severe?"

Artemis Fowl frowned thoughtfully and then answered:

" No, it's just right. 'tis a pity, I didn't think about it first. It has a remarkable effect on mental health. Let them get scared. And then we will have a talk."

" Who are they sir? " asked Butler, looking at the pistol laying on the table.

Artemis shrugged.

" I don't know, " he instantly recovered." Anyway, I am not confident up to the end of my assumptions. Most likely - elves."

" But sir, " Butler thoughtfully scratched the bridge of his nose, " aren't elves and all other magic creatures fairy tales?"

" It looks like not."

" But what do they need from us?"

" I don't know. But now the question will be put the other way around. Not what THEY want from us, but what I want from THEM - Fowl answered."

" Do you have a plan sir? " Respectfully asked Butler.

" Well, " slowly said Artemis. " For a start i would like to search the vicinities. I know, the territory is huge, and searches will occupy a lot of time, but our guests could have left something behind."

"Would you like me to start now?"

" The sooner the better."

" Anything else, sir."

" Not yet. I need to consider everything properly."

" Artemis, sir, " cautiously begun Butler. " I still don't understand what's going on."

" Well it isn't necessary for you to understand, " responded Fowl in a deaf voice. "Go, Butler."

His bodyguard left. The young man remained alone once again.

He slowly crossed the room and stopped before a recently finished panting. He looked at her closely, frowning. Thin lips opened slightly, having whispered «Holly». And then the criminal genius covered the canvas with a piece of a fabric and promptly left the room


" So, you consider Fowl ...sexy?! " stretched Holly.

Medici, certainly, couldn't see her face, but for some reason it seemed to her, that Holly squinted her eyes. Besides, there were defiantly some hysterical notes in her partner's voice.

" Well yeah, " artlessly answered Medici. " Bad guys are almost always hot."

Holly found her friends shoulders in the darkness, and gave them a good stir which caused Medici instantly to shut up.

" Can't you realize in what kind of - I apologize for the expression - shit are we in? " shouted captain Short. " We are in a vile dark cellar which, as a matter of fact, is chamber! Moreover, we are kidnapped by that bastard Fowl! And it does not remind me a meeting of good old friends! Do you know what that means?!"

" I know, " responded Lieutenant Medici. " Very soon Foaly or Root will want to find out, where are we. They will start calling us, but we won't be able to respond because our transmitters are in our helmets, which are back at the gate. Then they will suspect something strange, define our coordinates from the transmitters and then …"

" Will draw very interesting conclusions! " interrupted a very furious Holly. " And when we will be rescued, that is if we will be rescued because Fowl and the extreme situations connected with him already have bored all, we won't simply lose our ranks, we …"

" We will go to regulate the movement of sewer submarines?

" Even worse. We might get thrown out of the police! Or even from Heaven itself!"

" Holly, calm down!"

" Calm down? I am quiet as ever! I just wish kill everyone! Today! Now! Without any good reasons! In the most severe way!"


Butler densely buttoned up his jacket, pulled gloves, put a torch in his pocket and opened the door of the rear entrance. The wind has instantly thrown a handful of snow him in the face: no matter what those meteorologists promised, the winter was unbearably cold. Fowl's bodyguard frowned: he didn't like the snow nor the cold.

Tightly closing the door behind him, Butler walked on a thin layer of snow, thinking that all important events occurred during the most unpleasant time of the year. There were only a few hours left before dawn, but the territory of the manor was still dark, so finding possible "gifts" from the elves is going to be difficult. Well never mind. Apparently, there still won't be at least a few hours of sleep anyway. Though, to tell the truth, this didn't bother the bodyguard: he could stay awake for several days.

He mentally cursed the unexpected visitors that they flied above ground. « If they, as all normal people - truthfully, not people, but all the same - walked on the ground, there would be traces on the snow , - repeated Butler to himself. - And then I simply would follow these traces and would see, whether these girls left something. To bad this is reality! »

Halfway through the bodyguard regretted having left the house without a hat. The snow fell and fell , and it seemed it wasn't about to stop any time soon. Only the opposite, snow flakes tumbled down more densely. The cold wind blew directly in his face.

Having reached fence of the manor, the man sighed with obvious simplification: the high, massive wall made of stone has protected him from the wind.

" Lets see what we have here, " whispered Butler to himself.

He turned on the torch light and gone along the fencing, carefully examining the ground covered by snow, which took him about forty minutes. The Fowl manor was big enough. Only then did the bodyguard sigh, still thinking that it is necessary to examine the walls once again. And this time walking on top of the walls. Of course it isn't necessary to explain, that no it wasn't pleasant to climb a slippery and icy wall. On the other hand, Artemis Fowl asked him to do just that, and he doesn't do anything without a calculation. And if Artemis ordered him to leave the house in a nasty weather, means he had good reasons.

Butler removed his gloves, put them in the pocket of his jacket and got on the wall. Cautiously rising on the stone surface, on which - thank heavens! - there were almost no ice he begun to inspect the vicinities using a touch light.

He was in luck. In about ten meters the bodyguard noticed two round shaped objects.


Artemis settled down in the study with a cup of coffee which, on misfortune, he risked to make him self. The drink smelled quite comprehensible, but it's taste obviously left much to be desired. It seemed it wasn't necessary to put so much coffee grains. But maybe, their lack has made the coffee unsuitable to drink. However, it wasn't important. Artemis Fowl had more things to care about than some coffee.

At first, of course, the elves. He needed to find out more information and as soon as possible. Actually that's the reason Artemis came to the study.

He opened his notebook which was almost always on, and entered the Internet having started the search program, the Irish leaned back on the back of his armchair and begun his favorite hobby: thinking.

Of course, these two little fools in uniform - were unexpected visitors, he thought. But he had to admit that they didn't run on the spark accidentally. Just recently Artemis Fowl laid his hands on one interesting medieval treatise about elves and other magical creatures. And if what it said there is the truth, there will be new and rather useful opportunities for him.

The medieval treatise was the second thing that bothered Fowl. As much as he tried, not everything was clear. Fowl made the best program of decoding, but it did little to help. I guess, he thought, I will get some help from the elves. If, certainly, they do know something. Hardly such little fools - for some reason Artemis was assured that his captives do not differ neither wit, nor ingenuity - know something important. However he must try.

It's better to begin with the red-headed. Apparently, she was the leader in this pair. The brunette can be left for latter. But he would keep them in the dark chamber to give them a little scare. So he will meet the red-head possibly only tomorrow morning

Butler walked in and put two helmets on the table. Artemis banded over them with interest and whistled: he could swear, that he never seen such complex electronics before.

" What do we have here? " He murmured. " How interesting. Bugs? We won't need them yet."

Switching them off, Artemis looked at Butler.

" Something else, sir? " The bodyguard asked.

" No, Butler. You can go to sleep."

" And you?"

" And I need to consider something."


I've deleted this story a few days ago 'cause no one was reading it(and maybe because i was in a bad mood), but decided to give it another try.So here is the 4th chapter i hope you like it! The more you review, the faster i will update!!!!!!!