Chapter Ten:
A Temporary State
~TLH~
Six weeks ago…The dark haired woman walked quickly through the forest in order to reach the town. Blood was soaking her dress and Artemis's still beating heart was hidden in the folds of her skirt. The cold wedding ring she had stolen from him was safely around her finger, ready to be a part of her lie.
She made sure to bear a terrified expression as she wandered "helplessly" in the streets, mourning her husband.
Once she found the house she was looking for, she forced a few tears to come out of her eyes.
She climbed the front steps of the manor, knocked on its doors and began screaming. "Lord and Lady Fowl! Help please! Help!"
She was punching the door with all of her strength, looking as panicked as possible.
The Fowls arrived by their door. Usually, they would have asked their butler to open if for them, but he had recently died in a "horrible accident."
Of course, the lady had gotten rid of the butler and protector before trying to kill the son.
As mister Fowl slowly opened the entrance, Lady Angeline Fowl let out a horrified gasp. She had caught a glimpse of the blood-covered woman.
"Who are you?" Asked Lord Fowl, suspiciously. He was not exactly following the proper guest etiquette, but he had every reason not to.
"I am your son's wife," the bloody woman answered, raising her left hand, showing off "her" ring to the Fowls. "Well, I was your son's wife," she began to cry some more, pushing a strong dose of hysteria in her voice.
"Was?" Angeline pulled her husband closer. "That is a lie!"
"Oh, really? Why do you think he avoided all of the maidens you presented to him?" The lady raised her eyebrow and made her tone even more frantic. "It was because he loved me! When he ran away from here, it was to secretly get married with me, but now he is dead!" She sobbed. "We got married yesterday night and this morning, I found his horse, deceased in my stables; the doings of a wolf, I tell you! I got outside and there was the creature, feeding on your son!" She showed her blood-covered hands to the Fowls. "I tried to help and save him… I shooed the beast away and attempted to heal him... I got back to my mansion in which I could have found bandages, but when I got back, I could not find the body anymore, only the blood remained."
Angeline felt the tears rising in her eyes, but Lord Fowl knew best. "How do we know if this is the truth?"
The lady pulled out a document from her vest. "This is his own signature, is it not?" She wiped tears away from her eyes and showed them the paper. The certificate was a wedding agreement on which featured the perfectly calligraphed name of Artemis Fowl II. It had been a child's play to copy his signature for the woman; in order to rent a room in her Inn; the guests had to provide one. "And isn't this the ring he was to offer to his wife?" she pointed to her finger once again. "If you really do not believe me now, I can still show you the horse in my stables… But I doubt you want to be the witness of such horror…" The woman let go of the papers and crumbled to the ground in tears.
"He cannot be dead," murmured Angeline. "He cannot be!" It was now her turn to let go of a sob.
"I am terribly sorry, I know how difficult it might be for you, but you must understand that I lost my husband as you lost your son." The woman dabbled in the magic forces around her to force Artemis's parents to believe her. "And it is my right, as his wife, to obtain his fortune." she added as she got to her feet, still using the forces of what she had baptized the Mesmer.
The woman was getting used to dealing with parents and she knew how easily manipulated these heartbroken fools could be.
~TLH~
The sharp steel of the sacrificial knife had yet to pierce Holly's tender skin and heart, for it had met another surface blocking its way; Artemis's cold skin.
He had placed a hand over her heart, stopping her from reaching her flesh with the dagger. The sharp blade had instead touched his bones, preventing it to move any further, passing through the corpse instead of the living body underneath.
"I can't let you do this," for a dead man, Artemis had spoken with so much life in that one simple sentence.
"What is wrong?" Holly's hazel eyes went straight into his.
"This is what is wrong…" Said Artemis moving his hand away, the knife still stuck in his flesh. "When I was murdered, my heart was taken away from me… Well, now I realize that I am as bad as my killer for trying to do the same thing to you. I love you, Holly. But the dead are not worth dying for."
The sound of heels clicking in the central alley of the church made everybody turn their attention to the dark haired woman standing in the middle of it. If she had not been all dressed in white, she would have looked like the angel of death.
"Oh, how touching. I always cry at weddings." She walked slowly, approaching the altar. "The heartless one, loving someone at last. Surely he finally did find someone to give his heart to," she reached Artemis, placing her hands around his collar. "Sad thing he doesn't have it!" She said, dramatically ripping his shirt open revealing the empty spot in his chest.
Artemis starred at her, his eyes growing narrow, this woman… "You!" he exclaimed in fury as he realized who she was, "It's you!"
Artemis backed away from her, covering the hole in his chest with his hand, the one that still had the blade sticking out of it.
"Artemis?" Holly moved towards him, she had already figured out what the woman could have done, but she had to be certain of it…
The corpse's eyes flickered between the two living women. "That is... the Witch who murdered me."
"How nice to meet you two, again!" Opal laughed.
"Two?" Asked Artemis, his dead blue eyes questioningly landing on Holly, "You… know her?"
"Yes, I am her ex-fiancé's wife," said Lady Koboi, still laughing as she reached for something concealed in her skirt. All of the sudden, she stopped mid-laughter and grabbed Holly's wrist, murmuring a new curse. "Sorry to cut things short," she shouted, jamming a knife against Holly's throat. "But, you two have caused enough trouble already!"
"Take your hands off her!" A new voice joined in. Trouble stepped out of the shadows and ran towards Artemis. He dragged the knife out of the corpse's hand and paced towards Opal.
"So, you just set an early time for your death Mister Kelp?" Opal tightened her grip on Holly and pointed her slim, yet trusty knife in Trouble's direction.
"Hey, Miss Opal!" A rather short and hairy dead man called out from the front of the church, he turned his back to her and got closer. Opal tightened her grip on Holly. "There's something I've been holding ever since I died…" Mulch made some type of strange facial expression… Holly knew what was to come… A loud noise suddenly came from the short man, in addition to a horrible stench; rotting gases.
With one hand holding a knife and the other one around her captive, Opal could not do much to chase away the horrible smell. Her nervous center however, thought that the situation was too urgent… In one reflex, Opal let go of Holly, placing her hand on her mouth and nose.
"Thank me later," Mulch added at Trouble's intention, grabbing Holly's hand to lead her away from the psychopathic bride.
On that signal, Trouble ran to his wife, his knife pointed right on her heart. This was certainly not how he had imagined his first quarrel as a married man to be like.
Lady Opal ducked his attack, trying to touch him with her own weapon. Tossing aside and hiding underneath the church's benches, the newly wed couple spun around the room in some type of death waltz.
Opal groaned in fury as the deadly dance stretched in time. She had already killed four men, why wasn't she able to finish off the fifth one as easily? The rage made her gain in speed and intensity. She would get her way!
Then opportunity had finally arrived; Trouble had fallen right in front of her, unprotected…
Opal's blade sank through cloth and flesh and the dead crowd gasped in unison.
Once again, the blade had punctured through a body, but it was not the one of a living being…
Artemis stood between Trouble and Opal. Her blade was for the second time piercing his body.
"Thank goodness you had already removed my heart," murmured the corpse bitterly as he got hold of the knife, removing it from his flesh, pointing the sharp blade at its previous owner.
"Touché, my dear," purred Opal.
Holly watched the situation unfold, still hidden by Mulch. Wasn't it for the dire circumstances, she would have smirked; Artemis's revenge was so near…
Trouble stepped out from behind the dead boy, mimicking his pose. "Two against one… No exactly fair… Perfect! You never played fair, honey."
"Before I let you solve your… argument with your wife, Master Kelp, I want one simple answer from her," said Artemis, his cold, dead eyes digging into Opal's.
"She's all yours," Trouble nodded.
Artemis walked over to the dark haired woman, pushing her up against the wall. "Tell me," he hissed, the blade resting over her heart, he'd not take any more chances with this crazy woman. "Where have you hidden my heart?"
Opal smiled, even if she knew that her end was near, she was also aware that Artemis would never be free without his actual heart… "No, you tell me, can a heart still break once it is detached from its owner?"
Anger filled Artemis's eyes. His hold on the knife tightened enough for his bones to give a faint cracking sound. "Where. Is. It!" Snarled the raven-haired corpse.
Opal pulled her tongue out at Artemis, just like a stubborn child would have done. With one quick movement, she grabbed his wrist and then the knife.
Artemis would have given a surprised gasp, but he was too worried of the possible outcomes this turn of table could cause. Opal would harm somebody; that was for sure…
Surprising everyone, Opal turned the knife towards herself, her tongue still sticking out. She closed her eyes in an attempt to ease the act, and in one sharp gesture, she severed her tongue. All of her secrets would now lie in the small organ that fell from her mouth. She swallowed back gushes of blood, trying to make things slightly cleaner.
As Trouble launched towards her, digging his dagger into her chest, even more furious than he had ever been, Opal laughed. The sound of her hysteria became louder and louder, until a strange gurgle sound escaped her dying lips.
It was not the knife that had finished her off – though it had contributed in making things faster. Lady Opal Koboi, serial killer and expert thief had choked on her own blood.
Artemis had stumbled away from Opal, with wide, horrified eyes. This sight would sure have followed him to the grave, hadn't he already been dead, that is.
"Let me have her!" Came Orion's voice from the benches, "I will exterminate the Witch!"
Of course, he had said it because soon, Lady Koboi would be part of the Land of the Dead… Though she would not be in it for very long, according to Orion and the other angry dead people.
Holly stepped out from behind Mulch, trying to avoid looking at Lady Koboi's the gruesome, lifeless form.
"Oh, Holly!" Trouble ran into her arms. "I thought I would never see you again!" By his tone, he might as well have forgotten that Holly was not exactly interested in him.
"No, Trouble…" She gently pushed him at a reasonable distance from her. "I made a promise," Holly shook her head, granting Artemis a sideways glance.
The boy looked defeated, but his voice was firm. "No, you are free from your promise… Without my heart to give in return for yours, the curse will never be lifted…"
Artemis walked over to her and held her gently by the shoulders. "As much as I would have wished to, I am not to have you…" with those words freshly spoken, he placed a gentle kiss on Holly's lips. "Go live your life."