A/N: What's this? An update from Kio? Impossible. Perhaps there is hope after all…
Joke aside, I'm sorry it's so long since I updated. I've actually been doing a bunch of work on this story over the past few weeks (not that you'd know it from ) and am pleased to say that I've now finished writing it. Well, the epilogue still needs a few finishing touches, but it's basically done. The final thing clocks in at 26 chapters and almost 140,000 words (excluding author's notes). All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how everything has come together. There are one or two things that might be a touch controversial, but I think they're in keeping with the story so far. And the climax (which begins here) is nothing if not exciting and action packed.
Anyway, the effect of all of that is basically that I just need to edit/proofread what I've already got and I can get the whole thing uploaded. Which hopefully means slightly more timely updates. Fingers crossed. Either way, I hope you at least enjoy this chapter :)
-Kio
Chapter 21; Descent
The Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau
The shuttle ride was a far cry from the one that Artemis and the others had taken to Amber's Nebula Facility two months prior. Then, despite his returning Atlantis Complex and fear of the inevitable danger into which they were headed, Artemis had been able to draw strength from the presence of his friends. There had been an atmosphere of camaraderie. Five friends, bonded by joint hardship, that would have given their lives for each other.
Not this time. Juliet had already given her life. Artemis wasn't sure he would be brave enough to offer his a second time. There were no comfortingly inane comments from Mulch, and Holly wasn't quite her normal feisty self at the moment. And Butler was… well, God only knew what state Butler was in, but he definitely wasn't the same man that had stood by Artemis's side for all those years.
And Natalya? She certainly wasn't a friend. Even grudging ally seemed generous. Artemis knew that while she had agreed to help them, actually relying on her for anything specific would be a mistake.
Nobody spoke. Butler had made it clear that he wasn't interested in conversation. Natalya was given a wide berth for obvious reasons. Not that she seemed to mind. Artemis sat in the cockpit with Holly, but the elf seemed withdrawn. He could tell something was playing on her mind, but he didn't ask any questions. Whatever it was, they had bigger problems at the moment. If it was important, she would tell him later.
Besides, the silence suited him fine. He had had plenty to think about himself since saying farewell to his parents, and he could feel his past decisions weighing even more heavily on him than normal. He found that he wasn't in the mood to talk.
Someone was coming up behind them. Artemis didn't turn. He knew who it was.
"ETA?" Natalya was straight to the point as usual. She didn't really do small talk, a fact that both Artemis and Holly were grateful for. At the very least, it simplified their exchanges.
"Two minutes." Holly replied without taking her eyes off the console in front of her.
Natalya nodded. "You got a plan, Fowl?"
"Not really. Thanks to the shuttle's armoury, we've got plenty of explosives. You find the entrance, we go in, locate the hivemind, and destroy it. Should be fairly straightforward."
"What else do we have from the armoury?"
Holly took that question. "Not much. The explosives are Foaly's pet project so they'll pack a hell of a punch, but there's nothing else worth mentioning. No wings, so I'm grounded once we arrive, and no weapons that'll work against the formers. If we have to fight, we're down to our fists and whatever you and Butler have on you."
Natalya shrugged. "I still have my swords. I'll be fine." She paused. "Fowl. One other thing. Your bodyguard – what's up with him?"
Artemis didn't respond immediately. "His sister died. At Fowl Manor."
There was a tense silence. "I see. I'm sorry."
"No, you're not." The words were out before Holly could stop them. "You buried a sword in his sister's chest not two months ago. You didn't seem to care then."
"They were both trying to kill me. Just because I defended myself then doesn't mean I can't have sympathy now-"
"Don't," Holly interrupted. "Try and explain anything. Just don't."
Natalya went quiet. "I see," she repeated eventually, and turned her attention back to Artemis. "Call me when we arrive. I'll do my best to find your entrance."
Considering the idyllic snow-caps topping the mountains on each side and the fact that it was technically still winter, the valley they landed in wasn't as cold as one might expect. Nevertheless, Artemis suppressed a shudder as he left the shuttle, resisting the urge to comment. Now didn't seem the time for weather complaints.
"Well, Mud Boy," said Holly briskly, surveying the valley they had landed in, her coil heated suit easily staving off the evening chill. "Plan?"
Artemis turned to Natalya, feeling suddenly very small. And maybe a touch foolish. Mountains were big. And there were an awful lot of them around.
"Theoretically, the entrance should be within a few miles of where we are. The sources I reviewed weren't conclusive on the subject, but it is supposed to be inside one of the mountains. In a hidden cave, to be precise."
Natalya's eyebrows rose a fraction. "I'm glad you're so well-informed." She sighed and stepped away from the others, closing her eyes.
"Anything?" Artemis prompted.
Natalya hesitated, then shook her head. "Nothing. I don't even know what I'm trying to do. How did Opal find it?"
"I don't exactly know."
"Fantastic." She sighed again, more loudly this time. "Congratulations, Fowl, I feel ridiculous. Short. You minored in magic at college. Guide me."
Holly narrowed her eyes. "How do you know that?"
"Amber had most of Foaly's files. I've read yours. Now, are you going to help?"
Holly made a sound more or less approximating a growl. "Fine. But I've got no experience with dark magic. I don't see why I'll be any use at all."
Artemis touched her shoulder lightly. "Try," he said softly. "We need to find that entrance."
"Fine," the elf muttered again. "Magic is energy. Well, it's more complicated than that, but whatever. Think of it as energy. It leaves traces. Echoes, if you want. Fairies are often drawn to places that exhibit, or have known, serious magic. We don't fully understand, but we can kind of sense it. Sometimes we don't even know what we're feeling, it's just, something.
"Wherever the entrance is, it will have known magic. It was sealed by magic, and it was opened by magic - Opal's magic. It's possible that you might be able to sense an echo of that. Assuming that your magic is a similar frequency to her augmented magic, which Artemis reckons is likely. Right?"
Artemis nodded.
"Right. So concentrate on that frequency. Reach out with your mind. See if you can feel anything."
Natalya tried. She really did. She put aside all of her contempt for the kind of people that reached out with their minds and she really tried to what Holly asked of her.
She shook her head. "Nothing. You sure this is the right place?"
"D'Arvit," Artemis swore. "Yes, I'm sure." He turned away, frustrated. They couldn't fail here. It wasn't acceptable. He closed his eyes. He had to think.
"Artemis. If I may?"
Artemis was taken aback. The gravelly tone was Butler's. He offered his manservant a smile. "Of course, old friend."
Butler made a weak attempt at returning the smile. "Holly said that fairies could sense echoes of magic, and that the entrance was sealed by magic. How come none of the researchers were drawn to the residue?"
Artemis frowned. "The warlocks must have somehow hidden the magical traces, presumably as part of the locking process. But if the entrance was already unlocked, and remains open…" He looked to Holly, excited. "It's possible those traces will be revealed. Shangri-La may no longer hidden. Natalya might not be able to track Opal's magic, but an experienced elf might be able to track the warlocks'."
Holly looked dubious. "It's possible. But it was a long time ago. And I'm not particularly experienced."
"Try it."
Holly did. And she was surprised to learn that it wasn't even hard. The warlocks' magic was strong and it had left equally strong ripples. The echoes of power were loud, and had been there since the four of them had touched down. All she had needed to do was open her mind and listen.
She reached out with her consciousness and was shown the way. It was as though she had known the answer all along. She smiled and pointed.
"That way."
Artemis looked slightly astonished. "Seriously?"
"Ye of little faith." Holly shook her head and started walking. "Come on, Mud Boys. And girl."
Artemis tried to exchange a look with Butler, but his bodyguard was already following the elf. He is defaulting to soldier-mode, he realised. For now, at least, the grief has robbed him of everything else. Feeling guilty once again, he set off after them. He didn't bother trying to exchange anything with Natalya.
"This is it?" Artemis asked, reluctant to step into the cave. It had an undeniably sinister air to it.
"Seems so," said Holly, similarly hesitant. She had led them this far, but now it came down to it, she found she didn't really fancy continuing.
Natalya harboured no such doubts. She pushed past elf and boy and hopped into the mountain hollow, out of the cold at last. She made a movement with her hand and flames blossomed in her palm, coiling into a fireball. She held it high, the light dancing off the walls.
Butler, Artemis and Holly reluctantly followed her lead. The four of them looked around. A myriad of different paths presented themselves. They looked like they went deep.
"Which way?" asked Holly.
"Those are no ordinary tunnels," replied Artemis. "Even though Opal opened the entrance for us, we still need to navigate the labyrinth."
Butler made an unimpressed sound, and Holly nodded her agreement. Both were soldiers, and soldiers had little time for mazes.
"Legend had it," Artemis continued, apparently oblivious. "That the warlocks created an enchanted labyrinth to guard the dead city. Unless a traveller knew the exact route to take, they would get lost forever and eventually die."
"Sounds fun," muttered Holly, looking around again. Her gaze landed on Natalya, whose eyes were closed and whose face was twisted in concentration. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you up to?"
Natalya took a moment to realise she had been addressed. When she did, she smiled.
"Opal was here," she murmured. "Not long ago." Her eyes flashed open. "I know where to go."
She set off down one of the tunnels, the light of her flames growing steadily dimmer as she made her way further into the darkness. Holly looked at Artemis.
"Well?"
Artemis shrugged and took a couple of steps forward. "I suppose," he said. "We should follow."
Butler appeared at his shoulder, always dependable even in his current state, followed a moment later by Holly. The elf tapped a button on her helmet and twin beams of light filled the path ahead.
Side by side, the three of them followed the flickering orange light. It took some time to catch up to Natalya – the intricate network of tunnels seemed almost to go on forever – but eventually they reached her. The Russian girl was stood over a stone pedestal.
She nodded towards the far wall when she heard the others approach. "Beware," she read aloud. "The wrath of the Fallen."
"You can read Gnomish?"
Natalya nodded. "Naturally. I can speak every language."
Holly grumbled something about her not being worthy of the gift of tongues. Everyone ignored her.
"So this is it?" asked Butler.
Artemis stepped past Natalya. A glowing handprint stood out on top of the altar.
"This looks like some kind of locking mechanism," he observed. "So I would imagine that this is the right place."
Natalya pushed back past him and laid a hand on the outline. "Nothing ventured…" she muttered.
The altar responded immediately. Symbols lit up around the base, pulsing with magic. A moment later, the far wall began to melt away to nothing, revealing their path.
"It's already unlocked," explained Natalya. "All I had to do was open it."
Artemis and Holly stepped forward and looked into the passage. An ornate staircase, painstakingly carved out of the sheer rock and engraved with old Gnomish symbols, descended so deep into the darkness that even Holly's helmet beams couldn't banish the darkness. It went on and on and on and still they couldn't see the bottom. It looked like the path to Hell itself.
"Oh my," said Artemis, to his eternal shame. After all, oh my is hardly the kind of thing a self-respecting criminal mastermind ought to be caught saying. Still, anyone faced with the same sight would have understood the comment. What else was there to say? Big didn't really do it justice. Neither did scary. Even a combination wasn't remotely adequate.
"It's very…" Holly searched for the right words. They didn't seem to be presenting themselves. "Oh my."
Butler and Natalya appeared at their shoulders.
"I see what you mean," agreed the giant manservant.
Natalya didn't say anything, but a glance at her face told Artemis that even she wasn't unaffected by the sheer scale of the way forward. She took a cautious step onto the staircase, ever vigilant, as though she expected to spring a trap. But nothing happened.
She took another step. "I guess it's safe?" She didn't sound convinced. Artemis couldn't blame her.
"At least," he said. "This probably means that we're on the right track. I mean, where else could this possibly go?"
Holly muttered something that might have been the underworld, but no one seemed to quite catch her words. It was probably for the best.
In the end, it was Artemis who was the first to start descending the steps. The other three followed, not bothering to hide their trepidation. It took more than an hour to reach the bottom. Artemis was shattered, but he didn't bother commenting on it. Everyone else was far too fit to be affected by the trek, and he didn't need the inevitable ribbing he would get from Holly.
As they neared their destination, the passageway began to widen, eventually growing large enough to accommodate the ornate archway that marked the entrance to the dead city itself. Artemis glanced at the others, then to the Gnomish inscribed over the gateway.
"Behold paradise," he read. Through the archway, desolate streets of roughly hewn cobbles stretched out, abandoned for thousands of years, lined on each side by ruined buildings. Darkness hovered above but couldn't quite dispel an eerie glow that seemed to cling to the architecture itself. It was like everything was in a state of perpetual twilight. "Not anymore."
Artemis took a few steps forward, crossing the threshold and giving himself his first look at the inside of the city. His breath caught. Because of its age, he had assumed that Shangri-La would have been a small settlement, clumsily carved out of the rock. Not so. Not at all. He was standing in a cavern of impossibly large proportions, miles high and wider still. Vast stone columns rose out up out of the city to meet the cavern's roof, like gigantic artificial stalactites.
"Wow," said Holly, appearing at his shoulder.
"Indeed." Artemis didn't normally approve of such colloquial language, but sometimes exceptions had to be made. Ordinary words couldn't describe what he was seeing. He walked forward, trying to take in the sheer scale the place. There was no denying it – he was completely awestruck. A rare state for Artemis Fowl.
"Careful," Holly called after him, but Artemis wasn't to be dissuaded. His curiosity was thoroughly piqued. After a minute or two, he reached a break in the buildings lining the street that he could use as a vantage point.
"Holly?" he called over his shoulder. "You better come and see this."
He could hear the elf grumbling as she approached. "I hate it when people say stuff like that. Just say whatever the thing is instead of-"
She trailed off as she caught sight of what Artemis was looking at. Shangri-La wasn't built on solid ground: it was suspended in the middle of the cavern, stretching from their side to the other, like a great inhabited bridge. The support columns reached hundreds of miles below them, eventually disappearing into coiling magma. The drop was impossibly sheer. The only things Holly had ever seen that resembled this were the magma chutes that the LEP used to ride hotshots to the surface.
"Frond," she breathed.
Artemis chuckled. "I'm glad none of us suffer from vertigo."
"Don't worry. I think I'm developing it." Holly shook her head. "Frond. How did they build this place?"
"I can't even begin to imagine."
"So, where's the creature? This place is huge. We can't search everywhere."
Artemis thought about it. Holly was right; they couldn't search everywhere. Shangri-La wasn't just big in its horizontal dimensions – it was a tiered city. They had entered on the top level, but Artemis could see at least another level below them. They needed a strategy.
A shout ripped him from his thoughts.
"Contact!"
Butler's voice. It was followed by a frenzied scream. Artemis and Holly span around, Holly already with a weapon in her hand. Not that the neutrino would be any use against the Fallen. The elf ran hard, aiming straight at the source of the shout. She skidded around the corner at full speed, weapon up.
It took her a moment to process the scene before her. "Butler?" she asked, her voice soft. The manservant was standing amid a mess of body parts, hands covered in black blood, breathing hard. He looked angry. More than that, actually. He looked livid.
This, Holly realised with no small amount of fear, is what a grieving Butler looks like in a fight.
Butler looked up at her, and his expression softened. "Formers," he explained. "But it's alright. I can handle them."
Holly nodded shakily. "Artemis?" she called, but the boy was already by her side.
Artemis took one look at the dismembered formers and grimaced. "I was hoping there wouldn't be any of those here. That complicates things. We need to regroup. Natalya?"
The Russian girl materialised out of a building ahead of them and headed towards them, but a pair of formers appeared on the rooftop behind her and dropped down. Artemis shouted a warning, but Natalya was already reacting, slipping into a combat stance and meeting her opponents head on.
The first creature swiped at her, but she caught its forearm and squeezed, crushing the bone. It yelped but she didn't let go, using her grip to swing it around and slam it into the second former. Both creatures stumbled back, and Natalya pressed her advantage.
She lashed out with a kick that caught one of the formers under the chin, shattering the base of its skull. The other one tried to rush at her, but she poured magic into her hand and punched straight through its chest. Feeling bone against her fingers, she closed her fist and wrenched. A chunk of the former's rib cage came free and it slumped to the ground, its screams finally petering out.
Dropping the section of rib cage, Natalya strode over to the other three. "Plan?" she asked casually, as though nothing at all had happened.
Artemis didn't say anything. He didn't need to. He just pointed. Shangri-La was seething as though alive, former fairies emerging from the ruins like survivors crawling from a wreckage. But there was something different about them to the former fairies that had attacked Holly and Artemis in Egypt. Their skin, horribly decayed, hung off their skeletons like rags.
These aren't Opal's slaves, Artemis realised. These are the original residents of Shangri-La. Everlasting, held together by magic and hatred.
"I think we disturbed the hornet's nest," he said, a tad unnecessarily.
"Really?" said Holly. "I hadn't noticed." The elf glanced at Butler. "My neutrino is useless against these things. I need a weapon."
The manservant nodded and handed her a pair of vicious looking knives, and a spare pistol.
Holly shook her head at the gun. "Too big."
Butler gave it to her anyway. "Keep it on you," he said. "As a last resort."
Reluctantly, the elf took it, tucking it away in a pouch on her belt. She glanced at Natalya, and then at the twin swords strapped to the Russian girl's back. On second thoughts, maybe having a lethal ranged weapon would come in useful later on.
Artemis was scanning the ruined city, eyes hunting a solution. He felt Butler lay a huge hand on his shoulder.
"I don't trust the Russian," he said quietly.
"That makes two of us, old friend. But she wants Opal stopped just as much as we do."
"That may be. But what about after we defeat Opal?"
Artemis didn't respond. He didn't have anything to say to that.
"Just be careful, alright?" Butler told him. "Stick close to me. All I care about is getting the three of us out of here alive."
Artemis nodded. "I understand. Believe me, I have no intention of doing anything stupid."
"And Holly?"
Artemis smiled. Butler knew the elf well. "She gave me her word."
Butler gave Artemis's shoulder a slight squeeze, apparently satisfied, and joined his charge in surveying the dead city. The formers were starting to approach them now, but cautiously, with none their newer counterparts' shrieking zeal. They looked for all the world like a colony woken from a deep sleep, curious to see who had disturbed their slumber.
"What are you looking for, Artemis?"
"The answer," said Artemis simply. It took another moment or two, but then he pointed. "There. What does that look like to you?"
Butler followed the youth's finger. Built into the opposite side of the cavern from where they had entered was a massive structure that towered over the rest of the city. Torches cast a flickering orange glow over its entrance, and strange, luminous plants clung to the exterior. And it was crawling with formers.
"It looks like a temple," Butler admitted. "But it's different to the rest of the city. If I had to guess, I would say it was built later."
Artemis nodded. "Very good. And the creatures seem to have made themselves at home there. If the hivemind is anywhere here, it will be there."
Butler nodded. After all this time, he had learned to trust his charge's judgement.
"It's settled then. We kill the creature, and we get out alive. All of us."
They didn't have much time, but Artemis found a spare second to glance at his manservant. Butler sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else.
He's not alright, Artemis reminded himself. He may never be again. It's a miracle that he is even this together.
The boy offered a smile. "We will, old friend. We will."
"Artemis?" Holly's voice. No small amount of urgency. "We're about to have a whole lot of company. Ideas?"
Artemis pointed. "See the temple on the far side? That's where we're headed."
Holly narrowed her eyes in the indicated direction. There was no shortage of Fallen blocking their way.
"We'll need to clear a path. I'm not sure I like our chances."
"I'm not sure it matters whether you like our chances," Artemis countered. "That's where the hivemind is, I'm certain. We cross this city, or the world ends. No other choice."
Holly exhaled, mentally readying herself. "My favourite kind of choice," she muttered to herself, drawing the knives that Butler had given her.
Beside her, Natalya unsheathed one of her swords. "Stick close to Fowl," the Russian girl said to her. "Keep him alive. Don't take any unnecessary risks. I'll engage them and try and clear the way."
"Look at you, acting brave. It's almost like you care."
The Fallen were getting closer every moment. Natalya's eyes never left them. "Not really. You're fragile. I'm not. And if you get yourself killed, it will likely render Fowl useless, and I value his intellect. So, don't die."
She was already walking away before Holly could respond, flames flaring up in her free hand. The curious Fallen were about twenty metres away from them now.
"Fowl," Natalya called. "You ready?"
Artemis wasn't. Not even remotely. But he forced a nod. "Carve us a path."
Natalya hefted her sword. She smiled. Viciously.
"My pleasure."
A/N: So this is it. We're here, in the dead city, with the stage set for the final battle. But don't worry. There's still a hell of a lot of heating up to do before things start cooling down. Five chapters of it, to be precise. So strap in ;)
And finally, if you're the one of the awesome folks who's stuck around in spite of my apparent inability to actually update my stories, you're always welcome to leave a review. Hearing from you guys is 90% of what makes uploading stories worthwhile.
-Kio