Chapter 10: Tickly Tingles

Holly sighed. She was flying next to Juliet and they were heading back to the shuttle port attempting to catch up with Artemis after he had stormed off. It wasn't like him to reach in such a childish way. She couldn't decide whether to smile or feel guilty about it. Before she could decide her thoughts were interrupted.

"I have the answer to the clue," Foaly suddenly announced in her ear.

"That was quick. What is it?" Holly said expectantly.

"Cleopatra's needle," Foaly said plainly, "There was no clue to which one it is. But you may as well check the one in London since you're already there. Lucky that they decided to steal everything from the Egyptians isn't it." He chuckled to himself.

"Do you know where it is?" Holly said abruptly ignoring his joke, not really in the mood for it, "We've lost Artemis."

"It's in Westminster. On the bank of the Thames. I'm sending the co-ordinates." He didn't bother hiding the hurt in his voice.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude, it's just a bit stressful trying to look after Artemis."

"It's alright. Here are the co-ordinates. Good luck."

"Thanks." She flew up to Juliet her mind now firmly on the job, "We are going to what could be the next part of the clue now. We can catch up with Artemis after."

Juliet looked sceptically at Holly, causing some of the passers-by to glance up where she was looking, only to be met with thin air.

"Do you know what my brother would say if he knew I wasn't with him right now? I have to find him right away. I'm his bodyguard."

Holly sighed. "Fine. I'll go. Meet you back at the shuttle port alright?"

Juliet smiled. "Thanks Holly. See you later." She waved and wandered off in the direction of the shuttle port, the other people in the street giving her a wide berth, clearly thinking she was crazy.

Holly sighed again.

"I prefer it on my own anyway." She muttered, causing an old woman to spin around in surprise and fall over dropping her bags of shopping. She quickly set her helmet so her thoughts would be kept to herself, and Foaly of course, and flew off.

She flew south over the hoards of people out shopping in the busy London streets to the Thames and specifically the point where Cleopatra's needle stood proudly next to the river. Gracefully she dropped to the base and began to scan the outside.

"Can you see anything?" she asked Foaly.

"Try around the other side."

She flew around and scanned the base slowly. The granite was smooth and untouched. No inscription appeared on the side she was inspecting. She was just about to move off when Foaly shouted.

"There!"

"Where? I don't see anything."

"That crevice there. Strange. Try touching it. Maybe you need magic to open it or verify your a fairy or something. Press your palm up against it."

She leaned over and touched the surface. It at first felt like what she had expected cold granite to feel like, hard and, well, stony, but just when she was about to complain to Foaly that nothing was happening a tingling spread up her arm from her fingertips. It coursed through her whole body and made her feel the most awake she had ever felt. Her vision slipped from the stone to the floor.

"Look at the stone." Foaly said, "Do you see anything? Anything that was hidden before? That only someone with magic can see?"

Holly turned her head feeling quite light-headed and stared at the granite. A glowing word showed where previously nothing had existed.

"Mut...i…an…yu," she said in a straggled voice and fainted.

Juliet spotted Artemis sulking in the corner of the deserted shuttle port.

"Artemis?" she said gently.

He glared up at her causing her to immediately regret speaking.

"Where's Holly?" he asked looking away to indicate his lack of interest.

"She went to find the next clue without us, something about Cleopatra I think, Foaly called when you ran off."

"I see," he said examining something non-existent on his suit.

"Actually she probably should be back by now. I took some detours when I was searching for you in case you had wandered off. It shouldn't take her that long, especially flying."

Artemis looked unconvinced. "I'm sure she's fine. We can ask Foaly if you're that worried."

"I'm not really that worried, I'm sure you're righ..."

"You're right we should check."

He grabbed his discarded helmet and put it on only to be hit with a tirade of noise.

"…Mud Men! No attention! Holly could be hurt!"

"Foaly?" Artemis asked tentatively.

"YOU!" he shouted, "Go and find Holly NOW! She fainted at the needle."

"What?!" He stood up and ran towards the exit.

"Artemis!" Two voices shouted at once.

"What!" he said stopping confusedly at the sound of his name being called from two different directions.

"Your helmet." Foaly said, "Take it off."

"Oh." Artemis said taking it off hurriedly.

"Where are you going?" Juliet said.

"Cleopatra's needle to get Holly, she could be hurt."

"Well what are we waiting for then?" Juliet said from somewhere in front of him having run past him.

"I…" But he didn't bother finishing, choosing instead to race after Juliet in search of Holly.

Mulch slowly prised his eyes open, having no idea what to expect when he did. The face that loomed over him was not one that he wished to see.

"Julius, what a pleasant…"

"Don't Julius me!"

"Why not that's your name isn't…"

"That's not the point! Don't push your luck convict! You're lucky I don't throw you straight into Howler's Peak!"

Mulch grinned. Root looked suitably annoyed and beetroot. It didn't take a genius to realise something was going on. That and the fact that he hadn't been thrown in Howler's Peek already.

"But you wouldn't do that though would you Julius…"

"Don't…" Root tried to interrupt again.

"..because you need me to help you as usual."

Root looked the other way as if he hadn't heard what Mulch had said.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me. I bet you had to ask Fowl to help too didn't you."

Root scowled.

"Of course you did! That's how this always works. I don't know what the point of the LEP is. They should just employ us convicts all the time."

Root began to turn more red, if that was physically possible, but Mulch felt he could push it once more.

"And I bet if the Council found out you were doing this…"

"Enough!" Root shouted.

He took his moonbelt from around his waist and attached Mulch, who was already bound, to it. Then he reached up to a low hanging pipe protruding from the ceiling and attached the other end to that leaving Mulch hanging upside-down in midair.

"Oi! Let me down!" he said squirming, "This is making my face tingle!"

"When you stop behaving like a primitive species I'll let you down."

Mulch made an unattractive disgusted face.

"Which from your behaviour looks like it will be never."

He chuckled to himself.

Mulch continued to struggle just as Butler entered the shuttle port after finishing practicing his flying. He took one look at Mulch and smiled.

"Can you get me down?" Mulch asked pleadingly.

Butler looked at Root.

"I think it's best to keep you up there."

"But then what's my incentive to help you?"

"So that I don't throw you in Howler's Peak. I thought we already went through this," Root interjected.

"Julius, we found the clue," Foaly's voice said in his ear.

"Good," Root said, ignoring the Julius from Foaly. A smile spread over his face as the red hue faded away, everything seemed to be going right so far. "Which shuttle port?"

"I like what you did with Diggums," Foaly said.

"Thank you. Now which shuttle port?"

"Probably best to leave him…"

"Foaly! What's wrong?! Tell me now!" Root once again started to go a bit red.

"Well Beijing, it seems the old city used to be in China."

"Well what's the problem with that?" Root said calming down.

"Nothing, it's just, you need to make a stop at London. Holly had a bit of trouble getting the clue, I don't know when she'll be awake again to fly the shuttle."

"Is she alright?" Root enquired genuinely concerned.

"Yes...only...she's unconscious."

Root rolled his eyes.

"Fine. I knew it was too good to be true."

"I'll send Trouble to China to meet you."

"Alright. Oh and Foaly?"

"Yes?"

"Don't call me Julius!" He shouted and disconnected.

"Let…me…down…!" Mulch shouted looking considerably red in the face.

Root sighed, but grinned, at least babysitting hadn't been that bad after all.

He watched as Artemis and the Butler girl picked up Holly,with some difficulty considering she was still shielded by her helmet and was therefore invisible, and carried her off towards the shuttle port.

"They're gone." He whispered, "But I don't want to do that! Who will come and collect me if that happens to me?"

"Don't worry about that!" The voice said, "Just get on with it."

The figure moved towards the needle and peered at it.

"What do I do?"

"Press your hand against it."

"Do I have…?"

"Do it!"

The figure pressed his hand against the granite surface.

"Nothing's…Ah it tingles."

"Look! What do you see!"

"Glowing word…Mutianyu…"

"Take your hand off!"

The figure obeyed immediately.

"Right, now go and perform the Ritual. That should get you back up to full strength. Then you need to get to China."

"But I…"

"Go now!"

The figure stood up shakily and took off into the sky.

"Excellent. Soon the Treasure will be mine." The voice said from far away.

A/N: Review Please! Thanks to those who have, it's greatly appreciated :D