19.
Preparations
Mulch waited outside the control room, to see Artemis storm out with Butler close behind. Mulch knocked on the door three times. In the middle of the third tap he heard Root say "Come in."
Mulch came in, and saw Foaly, Holly and Root. They all looked grim.
"So," asked Mulch even though he knew the answer, "What's my top- secret mission this time?" He gave a weak laugh.
Root looked at Mulch. "Actually, we've decided that maybe this mission isn't for you."
Mulch's stomach lurched, but he said "How bad can it be? I got in the Fowl Mansion."
"Trust me Mulch." Said Holly. "This is no Artemis."
Mulch looked at them. "Screw it. I know what I'm supposed to do."
"You do?"
"I do. I met a little friend on the plane. Began threatening me and then disappeared."
Root cleared his throat. "What happened is Artemis Fowl's manservant's sister is being held for ransom in the Fowl Manor. None of our LEP can get inside as it is surrounded by heavily armed Goblins and booby- traps. Foaly was thinking someone with your unique abilities could get from underground to inside the house. You know your way around the house, I presume."
"Yes."
"Juliet is being held in the same place Holly was. Doubtless this was a coincidence." He said sarcastically.
"So why are we dealing with Artemis and his gang in the first place?" Mulch asked. "Aren't we supposed to leave them alone?"
Holly looked at him. "Artemis and Butler are with us. His mother has been killed in a goblin attack."
"Again," Said Root. "I don't want blood on my hands. You might die on this job."
"Then who else would do it?" Asked Mulch. "If any of you go and die, the LEP has lost a valuable member. If I die? The jail has an extra space."
"Don't be----"
Mulch held up a hand to silence the centaur and left the room.
When he was outside he dropped the attitude. "Acting was always one of my talents." He said with a bitter chuckle. "Truth is, I'd be happy if a drunken troll sat on me right now to end my misery." He sat down on a nearby boulder and put his head in his hands. If his gut instinct were right, he would have to make some good-byes.
Artemis sat on the bed, trying to make a new suit using some old clothes of Holly's. The cloak was ridiculous, even that Flagg person laughed at it.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Said Artemis. The door opened and he began to say something when he realized it wasn't Holly but a dwarf. Artemis had never met this person, but he remembered this was the creature that let out a big chunk of sticky cement at Butler.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes. Could you summon."
"Butler?"
"Yes."
"May I ask why?"
"I need to settle something with him."
Artemis nodded, and put down his project. He set off to find Butler. A couple of minutes later, Artemis came back with his giant manservant.
"Yes?" Butler asked, his voice tinged with a drop of suspicion. He looked at the dwarf, and Mulch began to speak.
Holly put down her copy of the Book. What she saw written in the pages sent an uneasy chill down her spine. "Someone whom shall need magic on the week of the first,
Will find nothing in store,
Even in if they work so hard they burst."center
"What is it?" Asked Root, who saw a worried expression on Holly's face. Holly showed him the page.
"Oh." Said Root, his face grew pale with that sentence. "Well.how do you know it'll be one of us who needs to use magic this week?"
"I don't know. I just have this feeling in my gut.with all these.IthingsI going on."
"Listen. Does it say any particular species will lose their magic? Maybe its just some random mining dwarf."
Speaking of mining dwarves, Mulch began knocking on the door. Mulch opened it. "Yes?" Mulch opened his mouth and began to speak.
An hour later, Mulch patted the soft, moist wall. This was the entrance he had done to get inside Fowl Manor. He put his hands to his jar, and tweaked it. They began to unhinge. Mulch plowed through the wall.
He was near the wine cellar now. The girl, Artemis's servant, didn't have no magic law. She wasn't commanded to stay there, and she didn't have any magic. This would be easy, especially since she was hidden where Artemis had held Holly.
He thought for a minute. Even if Juliet was saved, what about the goblins standing guard outside the house? They were dimwits, but still deadly. Even if the Dark Man had been defeated, or gave up the girl, the goblins wouldn't leave. They'd stay there and wait for the triumphant Artemis and let fire.
Mulch turned around and headed for the opposite direction. He bumped into something hard and metallic. Opening his eyes, he saw it was a cylinder of some sort. He grabbed it and pocketed it, and moved on.
"What are you doing?" Asked Foaly in Mulch's mini-receiver, which was conveniently placed in his ear. "You're going the wrong way!"
"No I'm not." Mulch said simply.
Mulch burrowed upwards and poked his head from the ground. He saw several high-tech guns pointed at his head. It was a good thing he said goodbye to his friends and to make amends with past enemies, because he wouldn't be able to do it again.
Preparations
Mulch waited outside the control room, to see Artemis storm out with Butler close behind. Mulch knocked on the door three times. In the middle of the third tap he heard Root say "Come in."
Mulch came in, and saw Foaly, Holly and Root. They all looked grim.
"So," asked Mulch even though he knew the answer, "What's my top- secret mission this time?" He gave a weak laugh.
Root looked at Mulch. "Actually, we've decided that maybe this mission isn't for you."
Mulch's stomach lurched, but he said "How bad can it be? I got in the Fowl Mansion."
"Trust me Mulch." Said Holly. "This is no Artemis."
Mulch looked at them. "Screw it. I know what I'm supposed to do."
"You do?"
"I do. I met a little friend on the plane. Began threatening me and then disappeared."
Root cleared his throat. "What happened is Artemis Fowl's manservant's sister is being held for ransom in the Fowl Manor. None of our LEP can get inside as it is surrounded by heavily armed Goblins and booby- traps. Foaly was thinking someone with your unique abilities could get from underground to inside the house. You know your way around the house, I presume."
"Yes."
"Juliet is being held in the same place Holly was. Doubtless this was a coincidence." He said sarcastically.
"So why are we dealing with Artemis and his gang in the first place?" Mulch asked. "Aren't we supposed to leave them alone?"
Holly looked at him. "Artemis and Butler are with us. His mother has been killed in a goblin attack."
"Again," Said Root. "I don't want blood on my hands. You might die on this job."
"Then who else would do it?" Asked Mulch. "If any of you go and die, the LEP has lost a valuable member. If I die? The jail has an extra space."
"Don't be----"
Mulch held up a hand to silence the centaur and left the room.
When he was outside he dropped the attitude. "Acting was always one of my talents." He said with a bitter chuckle. "Truth is, I'd be happy if a drunken troll sat on me right now to end my misery." He sat down on a nearby boulder and put his head in his hands. If his gut instinct were right, he would have to make some good-byes.
Artemis sat on the bed, trying to make a new suit using some old clothes of Holly's. The cloak was ridiculous, even that Flagg person laughed at it.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Said Artemis. The door opened and he began to say something when he realized it wasn't Holly but a dwarf. Artemis had never met this person, but he remembered this was the creature that let out a big chunk of sticky cement at Butler.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes. Could you summon."
"Butler?"
"Yes."
"May I ask why?"
"I need to settle something with him."
Artemis nodded, and put down his project. He set off to find Butler. A couple of minutes later, Artemis came back with his giant manservant.
"Yes?" Butler asked, his voice tinged with a drop of suspicion. He looked at the dwarf, and Mulch began to speak.
Holly put down her copy of the Book. What she saw written in the pages sent an uneasy chill down her spine. "Someone whom shall need magic on the week of the first,
Will find nothing in store,
Even in if they work so hard they burst."center
"What is it?" Asked Root, who saw a worried expression on Holly's face. Holly showed him the page.
"Oh." Said Root, his face grew pale with that sentence. "Well.how do you know it'll be one of us who needs to use magic this week?"
"I don't know. I just have this feeling in my gut.with all these.IthingsI going on."
"Listen. Does it say any particular species will lose their magic? Maybe its just some random mining dwarf."
Speaking of mining dwarves, Mulch began knocking on the door. Mulch opened it. "Yes?" Mulch opened his mouth and began to speak.
An hour later, Mulch patted the soft, moist wall. This was the entrance he had done to get inside Fowl Manor. He put his hands to his jar, and tweaked it. They began to unhinge. Mulch plowed through the wall.
He was near the wine cellar now. The girl, Artemis's servant, didn't have no magic law. She wasn't commanded to stay there, and she didn't have any magic. This would be easy, especially since she was hidden where Artemis had held Holly.
He thought for a minute. Even if Juliet was saved, what about the goblins standing guard outside the house? They were dimwits, but still deadly. Even if the Dark Man had been defeated, or gave up the girl, the goblins wouldn't leave. They'd stay there and wait for the triumphant Artemis and let fire.
Mulch turned around and headed for the opposite direction. He bumped into something hard and metallic. Opening his eyes, he saw it was a cylinder of some sort. He grabbed it and pocketed it, and moved on.
"What are you doing?" Asked Foaly in Mulch's mini-receiver, which was conveniently placed in his ear. "You're going the wrong way!"
"No I'm not." Mulch said simply.
Mulch burrowed upwards and poked his head from the ground. He saw several high-tech guns pointed at his head. It was a good thing he said goodbye to his friends and to make amends with past enemies, because he wouldn't be able to do it again.