A/N: Well, since I'm uploading this on Christmas day (dedication, right?), it technically isn't up by Christmas as promised, but I think it'll do. And besides, this way I get to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! If you celebrate it, that is.

Also, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and really just the whole story. I really appreciate it :)

-Kio

Chapter 16; Ablaze

Artemis Fowl's Laboratory, Fowl Manor, Ireland

"You can come out, now," said Natalya.

Gesturing for his family to stay hidden, Artemis Sr. slowly emerged from their hiding place. He tried to take in every detail of the girl standing before him; she was pretty, there was no denying that, but there was something dangerous about her beauty. Sinister, even. She didn't look older than eighteen, but she had a Kalashnikov slung over her shoulder, a pistol strapped to each thigh and a bloodied short-sword in each hand.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying not to sound too incredulous.

Natalya ignored him, bending down to wipe her swords clean on the body of a former human. Once she was done, she went over the Five-seveN that Holly had left. She picked it up and held it out to Artemis Sr., who eyed it with some distrust.

"What?" she asked coldly, her Russian accent easily discernible even in the single word. "Don't tell me your conscience-" she spat the word "has robbed you of your ability to shoot, as well as every other useful skill you once possessed."

Artemis Sr. took the weapon reluctantly, now aiming his mistrustful gaze at Natalya instead.

"I asked you who you were."

Natalya gave him a look of utter contempt. "I heard you." She nodded towards the corner where the rest of the Fowls still cowered. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your family?"

"Family…?"

Natalya rolled her eyes in a way that would probably have reminded Artemis of Holly. "Yes. Family." She pointed to the corner where the other Fowls were still hiding. "Sound familiar?"

Artemis Sr. looked nervous. "Ah, yes, family. Now you mention it, that does ring a bell. Angeline, I think you should come out now. Bring the twins."

Angeline emerged slowly with Myles and Beckett, visibly afraid. She kept the twins shielded with her arms, as though that would somehow help if Natalya decided to kill them.

Natalya sighed as she watched them. "If I wanted you dead," she said. "You would be. Stop wasting my time with the whole scared parent routine."

Not bothering to wait for a response, the Russian girl went off to grab the bodies of the former humans, dragging them all into the middle of the room and lining them up. Without offering any kind of explanation, she raised her Kalashnikov and fired a single round into the head of the first body in the line.

Beckett screamed. Myles and Angeline flinched back as if burned.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Artemis Sr., rushing forwards and making to snatch the rifle from her hands. "You're scaring the children!"

Natalya shook him off violently, throwing him to the ground. "If you're not thorough," she spat. "They get back up and tear your throat out. Is that what you want?"

She shook her head contemptuously and went back to what she was doing, working her way up the line until every former had a bullet in its skull.

Artemis Sr. pulled himself slowly to his feet, struggling to find his voice. "They… they what?" he managed. "How is that even possible?"

Natalya shrugged. "Ask your son. The genius."

Artemis Sr. swallowed, obviously shaken by the revelation that the formers could sometimes survive apparently fatal wounds.

"I'm sorry… I didn't realise they could do that…"

Natalya rounded on him. "No, of course you didn't. You know nothing about them. But that didn't stop you, did it?" She spat on the ground. "The world is full of stupid, arrogant men like you who act without a second thought for what the consequences might be. I suppose the possibility that perhaps someone else might know better than you just never crossed you mind?"

"Well… I don't think you're being fair…" spluttered Artemis Sr.

Natalya took a step towards him, smiling dangerously. "I don't care what you think. Next time you get in my way, I will hurt you. Clear?"

The Fowl patriarch looked for a moment as if he was going to argue, but then he glanced back at his family and seemed to think better of it. He gave a subdued nod.

"Well done," muttered Natalya scathingly. "You're cleverer than you look. I suppose that's something."

"Excuse me," interjected Angeline, her voice quavering a little. "Miss…?"

Natalya barely spared her a glance. "Fine. If you have to call me something, you may as well call me Natalya."

"Well then… Natalya," continued Angeline, trying to keep her voice even. "Why did you help us?"

The Russian girl gave her a longer look this time, contemplating how to answer.

"Let's just say I was passing by," she said eventually. "Hard as I'm sure that is to believe. I am an opportunist; on my way, I saw an opportunity."

Angeline shrank back. "What opportunity?"

"I decided that keeping you alive would be more beneficial to me than allowing you to die. Slightly." She let the last word hang in the air like a threat. "Her on the other hand," she added, nodding towards Holly's unconscious form. "She is a very useful person to have in my debt. It will almost make up for all the times I nearly killed her."

Artemis and Juliet crashed through the corridors of Fowl Manor, desperately trying to outrun the mob of former humans on their tail. They weren't succeeding. Perhaps Juliet could have done it, but Artemis just wasn't quite able to match their enhanced speed. Slowly but surely, they were gaining on him.

"Artemis," called Juliet from out in front as she ducked into yet another hallway. "See the door at the end of the corridor? We're going in there."

Even though Juliet couldn't see him, Artemis shook his head as he ran. "Can't," he gasped in between breaths. "We'll be trapped."

"No choice. We're dead if we try and outrun them."

Artemis knew that he was the reason Juliet felt they needed to abandon their flight, but he didn't have the energy to argue. His entire body was screaming out for oxygen; all he wanted to do was collapse. He wished he could reassure Juliet that the formers wouldn't kill him yet, but he had already come far too close to dying at their hands tonight to still have confidence in that plan.

Naturally, Juliet was the first to reach the room. She had no idea what was inside; she had chosen it to be their stand solely because the door looked reasonably sturdy.

Unhooking yet another grenade from her belt, Juliet flung open the door and ducked inside. She pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it casually out into the swarm of formers. Artemis reached her a moment later and she dragged him inside and slammed the door shut, fumbling with an old lock

As soon as he was inside, Artemis fell to his knees, gasping for breath and massaging a stitch in his abdomen. Running was definitely not for him. Out in the corridor, there was a loud bang as Juliet's grenade exploded, taking yet another slice out of the formers' numbers.

But the respite didn't last. "Artemis!" Juliet was shouting. "Furniture."

He turned to her; she was stood upright against the door, struggling alongside the lock to contain the creatures on the other side. The sounds of former humans banging and scratching at the wood at they tried to force their way in was easily audible.

The boy took a breath and pulled himself back to his feet. He staggered over the item of furniture nearest the door – a heavy chest of draws – and placed his shoulder against the far side. He leaned into the wood, shoving with what strength he had left.

The chest of draws creaked for a moment, then started to slide obediently across the carpet. Artemis only needed to move it about a metre, but it still took him valuable seconds. Once it was half-way across the door, Juliet joined him, driving it forward until it completely covered the entrance.

Artemis immediately slid to the floor, wiping sweat of his brow. The furious banging and screaming continued on the other side of the door. In fact, he could even hear the formers beginning to assault various sections of wall as well. He didn't know how many were still out there, how many had survived the most recent grenade, but he knew they would be more than enough to overwhelm him and Juliet once they made it inside.

"I don't understand," said Juliet, lugging a pair of cabinets over to help reinforce the door. "Why are they trying to break their way in? Why don't they all just push?"

Artemis shrugged. Juliet was right – it sounded like there were more than enough formers to force the door open.

"They're stupid. It'll probably take them longer to figure that out that it will take them to beat holes in the wall."

Juliet grunted by way of a response, continuing to lug furniture across the room. Artemis stayed slumped against the original chest of draws, taking advantage of the lull in action to recover from all the physical effort he had been forced to endure. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths.

"Come on, Artemis. You can't fall apart now."

Artemis opened his eyes just long enough to glare at Juliet.

Juliet was unimpressed. "I'm serious, Artemis. That won't hold them forever."

"And what exactly do you expect me to do about it?"

Juliet shot him a withering look. "Big brain. Plan. You know the drill."

Artemis sighed. He did know the drill. The problem was that no plan was forthcoming. They were trapped, surrounded by insurmountable adversaries. The assault on their miniature haven continued – it wouldn't be long before the formers broke through and tore them apart.

Come on. Think! He summoned his recovered strength and stood up.

"We need to get out of this room," he said thinking aloud. He walked over the window and glanced out. They were three floors up, and he could still see formers outside; there was no way they would be able run or fight after a drop like that. He turned to Juliet. "What munitions do you have left?"

Juliet took a quick inventory. "One grenade, a spare block of C4, two mags for my rifle and my pistol ammo. Got a couple of flashbangs too, but they don't work on the formers."

Artemis frowned. It wasn't exactly what he had been hoping for. He squeezed his eyes tight shut, trying desperately to concentrate, but no miraculous escape plan occurred to him. He was starting to panic. In his darkest hour, his big brain was deserting him.

Juliet seemed to sense his growing feeling of hopelessness. "Artemis," she said slowly. "I don't mean to hurry you, but…"

Suddenly, the boy's eyes flicked open and darted around the room, finally landing on a cabinet against the opposite wall to formers.

"Fire," he breathed.

"I'm sorry?"

Artemis silenced her with a wave of his hand. "No time to explain. That block of C4 – can you shape it to blow a hole into the next room without harming us?"

Juliet frowned. "Yes, but-"

"No buts. Get it done."

For a moment, Juliet considered arguing, but Artemis had that glint in his eye that generally accompanied an idea that sounded spectacularly dangerous, but would somehow end up saving their lives. She didn't argue.

Artemis, meanwhile, was already putting his plan into effect, flinging open the cupboard he'd been looking at. As one might expect from an absurdly rich, status driven family, the Fowls had numerous well-stocked drinks cabinets. One such drinks cabinet was in this very room.

Artemis raided the cabinet, grabbing as many spirits with a high alcohol content as he could. Anything below forty percent – the minimum required for it to combust at room temperature – was tossed aside. His father would probably have cried to see the aged bottles of brandy crack and their contents seep into the carpet, but there was no time to worry about that now.

Once he had an armful of expensive bottles – mostly whisky and vodka – Artemis made his way over to the wall dividing the room from the corridor outside. Cracks were already starting to appear, and a few fists had even managed to punch through, furiously reaching into the room as though they could grab him or Juliet and drag them back out into the corridor.

Juliet, having finished shaping the block of C4 and rigging it to blow, came over to him.

"What on earth are you doing?"

Artemis didn't respond, depositing his load unceremoniously on the floor. He grabbed a bottle at random and cracked the top open, spilling its liquid over their improvised barricade in front of the door. He handed Juliet a pair of bottles and instructed her to do the same before repeating the process himself.

More clammy hands broke through sections of wall. There were several holes in the door now, too. Juliet swore under her breath – they didn't have long left – but they carried on dousing everything they could with alcohol. Once the furniture barricade was soaked, they moved onto the wall itself, splashing the flammable liquid over it from a distance to avoid the formers' grabbing hands.

Thirty seconds later, the entire front of the room was covered in alcohol. Artemis and Juliet stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"I have a feeling I know what you're going to do," said Juliet. "And I really don't like it."

Artemis ignored her. "I ned a light."

"I don't have one. I don't smoke."

"D'Arvit," muttered Artemis, borrowing a word from the fairy lexicon to vent his frustration. How could he ignite the alcohol without a match or a lighter? After a few valuable seconds' thought, it came to him. "Pass me a rifle round, and a multi-tool if you have one."

Juliet almost asked why. Almost. But then she remembered how little time they had. She popped the mag out of her rifle and dropped a single shiny brass round into her hand. She handed it to Artemis, alongside her Leatherman knife.

Artemis took a breath. What he was going to attempt was extremely dangerous at the best of times, and would have been much easier with proper tools and the luxury of time. Unfortunately, since he had neither, he would have to improvise.

Without bothering to explain, he opened the Leatherman completely, exposing the pliers contained inside. Gripping the narrow end of the rifle cartridge tightly between the metal jaws, Artemis began to apply pressure, bending the exterior of the cartridge ever so slightly. Next, trying not to think about the strong possibility that he was about to lose a couple of fingers, he started twisting. After a few moments, the bullet itself came free of the cartridge, dropping onto the floor.

"Bingo," he muttered, pouring the gunpowder from the now topless cartridge onto the top of a chest of doors.

Even as he worked, the former humans were steadily widening the openings they had managed to create in the wall. In one place, a former had even managed to clamber half-way through before getting stuck and was now wriggling furiously, growling and trying desperately to reach out and snag a victim.

Juliet slotted the magazine back into her rifle and sunk two rounds into its head, but it was immediately hauled out of the way by another former to clear space for the others to take advantage of the hole it had created.

"Whatever you're going to do, Artemis," she called. "Do it fast."

Almost there, thought Artemis. When he and Juliet had been pouring the alcohol everywhere, he had carefully kept one bottle back. He scrambled over to it now, grabbing it and glancing at the label.

Devil Springs Vodka. 80% alcohol. He smiled grimly. Perfect.

Artemis tore a thin strip of fabric from his shirt and broke the seal on the bottle. He clumsily doused the rag in vodka and hung it in the neck of the bottle, then poured a little onto the pile of gunpowder.

"Artemis…" warned Juliet, squeezing off another burst and bringing down the next former trying to force its way in.

Come on, thought the boy, holding the end of the alcohol sodden rag above the puddle of vodka and gunpowder. Come on…

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, all of a sudden, the gunpowder flared up into a bright flame, instantly igniting the rag.

"Stand back," he called to Juliet. Yet another former was trying to clamber through the opening in the wall. Artemis hurled the improvised Molotov cocktail straight at it, and for once, his aim was true.

The bottle connected with its torso, shattering instantly and covering it with burning alcohol. Brilliant blue flames leapt onto the wall and the furniture, dancing across the layer of alcohol that Artemis and Juliet had left there, quickly engulfing the entire front of the room in fire.

The former that had been hit directly staggered back out of the hole into several of its comrades, shrieking and swiping at the air, as though it could swat the oxygen away from the hated flames. The other formers staggered away from it, horrified by the fire.

After thrashing about for a while, the burning creature collapsed into a tapestry of the Fowl family tree, its energy spent. It didn't take long for the flames to spread to the ancient cloth. They rippled up the lines of ancestry and began jumping to anything else flammable they could reach. In minutes, the whole corridor would be ablaze.

Still trapped inside the room, Artemis and Juliet surveyed their handiwork. Even from the other side of the room, the heat was deeply unpleasant.

"Well," said Juliet. "I think you got rid of the formers."

Artemis nodded shakily. In front of him, the fire pulsed like a living, breathing animal. It was no longer an alcohol fire – the flammable vapours had long since burnt out. Now, it fed on the house itself. It was quickly consuming the fuel immediately available to it, and was already starting to spread towards them. Thick smoke swirled around their heads.

Artemis coughed. "I think we should probably go," he spluttered.

Juliet gave him a wry smile. "Funnily enough, I think you're right." She dug a remote out of her pocket and flicked the switch, detonating the block of C4 Artemis had told her to place earlier. A huge hole instantly appeared in one of the other walls, accompanied by an ear-splitting bang.

"Let's not wait around," she said, grabbing Artemis by the forearm and leading him through the improvised exit. They found themselves in a similar room to the one they had just left, but thankfully, it was a lot less on fire.

Artemis took a lungful of smoke free air. He smiled. "That's better."

"Come on, Artemis, we're not out of the woods yet."

The boy composed himself. Juliet was right; they weren't clear yet. And if they didn't get clear quickly, they probably never would be.

Juliet pulled open the door into the corridor and immediately inhaled a lung full of smoke. Doubling up and coughing, she backed up.

"Plenty of smoke," she said helpfully. "But no sign of the formers. Guess they headed off."

"Perhaps. Although I'd be surprised if they gave up that easily, fire or no fire. They might be waiting for us."

Juliet shrugged. They both knew they would die of smoke inhalation if they stayed put. Their only option was to head away from the fire, even if that might mean running straight into a group of former humans.

"Stay low," instructed Juliet. "And stick close to me. Anything gets in the way, I'll deal with it. Just focus on getting clear, alright?"

Artemis nodded, pulling off his jacket and using one hand to hold part of it over his nose and mouth to shield them from the smoke. He clutched the Glock in his other hand. Just in case.

Juliet slung her rifle over shoulder and drew her pistol. She would be much more mobile with it, she reasoned, and it would be far easier to shoot while running.

She took a breath. "Let's go."

With Artemis at her heels, she darted out into the smoke, bent low, weapon up.

"What happened to her?" Natalya nodded towards Holly's sleeping form as she spoke.

The Fowls all turned to look at the elf. As they watched, a wave of tremors wracked her body. She coughed a few times, then moaned in pain before convulsing again. A pair of blue sparks appeared on her neck, but they both disappeared almost immediately.

"I don't know," said Angeline eventually. Her voice was quiet, as though she was afraid of disturbing the elf. "Artemis said… he said she was ill. That she was dying. He said he tried to save her but he didn't think it was going to work."

Natalya's expression shifted a little. An emotion danced behind her eyes for a moment, but it was gone before Angeline could decide exactly what it was.

"Curious," murmured the Russian girl. After a moment's consideration, she reached out a hand and gently touched Holly's cheek. As soon as she made contact, she felt the battle raging inside the elf's body. The desolation called to her, reaching out through her magic.

She felt the parasite scream as it was ripped from its host. She felt Holly's body crying out for reprieve as the toxins tore it apart. She felt the last echoes of the elf's magic fighting to repair the damage before fading away, leaving her completely defenceless. She felt the profound emptiness as Holly's life slipped away.

Natalya withdrew her hand sharply, as though burned. She stared at Holly, breathing deeply. The mask of indifference she always wore was gone.

"She was infected," she whispered. "She's turning into one of those creatures. You're right, Artemis tried to save her. I don't know what he did, but whatever it is, it's going to kill her."

There was a shocked silence. Nobody, it seemed, knew what to say.

Natalya sighed. "I'm going to regret this," she muttered. She reached out both hands and placed one on each of Holly's cheeks, cradling the elf's childlike head in her hands. She closed her eyes, calling her magic.

"Heal," she breathed. Magical sparks spiralled along her arms, sinking into Holly's skin. These sparks weren't the mild blue that Holly's had been; they were a rich, midnight blue, so deep it was almost black. Dark magic. Holly retched and thrashed as they entered her body. Only the handcuffs kept her from twisting out of Natalya's grip.

They stayed like that, human clutching elf, for several seconds, and then it was over. Natalya released Holly's head and the elf slumped back, still once again. Holly breathed more deeply than usual for a few moments, but then she relaxed, falling into a more fitful sleep. She looked almost peaceful.

Natalya straightened up. She looked at Angeline. "Make sure your son knows he owes me one. Actually, forget that. He owes me several."

Angeline gave a shaky nod, trying to work out exactly what she thought of Natalya. "I'll tell him."

There was a clatter of movement above them. Natalya narrowed her eyes. "You lot. I would go back to hiding if I were you. I think we're about to have some more company."

Angeline began to usher the twins back into the shadows, but Artemis Sr. stood his ground, hefting the pistol Natalya had given him.

"I can shoot," he said. "It's my duty to do my part in protecting my family."

Natalya squared up to him. "I just saved your life. It would be extremely inconsiderate if you were to throw it away now based on some misplaced notion of nobility. It would render my previous efforts to keep you alive completely meaningless. And I do not appreciate having my time wasted. So be a good boy and get out of my way."

She turned her back on him without waiting for a response, focusing her attention on the hole in the roof through which she knew any threat would come. There were more sounds above them now; the clatter of footsteps was joined by shrieks and growls. The former humans sounded like they were excited.

Natalya smiled to herself. I suppose that means they don't realise I'm here. That should be a nasty surprise.

She retrieved her Kalashnikov and slotted in a fresh magazine. She knew she wouldn't get the chance to reload once the formers started dropping in, so she would have to make good use of the thirty rounds she had before they ran out. She raised the rifle to her shoulder and got comfortable. The movements were automatic. It was all second nature to her after all these years.

She didn't have to wait long for a target to present itself. A head appeared in the opening as a former human peered down into the room below. Natalya fired a single round, leaving a neat hole between the former's sunken eyes. It hung there comically for a few seconds, staring unblinkingly at Natalya. Nothing moved, aside from the odd droplet of black blood dripping down onto the floor below with a pitter-patter sound that was eerily amplified in the sudden silence.

Then the creature slipped, falling through the hole and landing on the floor of the laboratory with a loud crash. The spell was broken. There was a chorus of snarls from above them, and then a former human dropped down into the lab, baring its teeth.

Natalya picked it out of the air as it fell with a clean headshot. It was dead before it hit the ground. Another one followed and immediately met the same fate. There were a few seconds of respite, and then the rest of the former humans decided to come and tear apart whomever was killing their comrades.

Natalya smiled grimly. Twenty-seven rounds left. Come and have a go, freaks.

She dropped two of them before their feet even touched the floor and followed up with another pair of headshots on formers that were already running towards her, snapping between targets with perfect accuracy. She tapped the trigger three more times. Three more kills.

But despite her best efforts, more and more of the creatures were dropping through the opening, forming a steady stream of former humans rushing towards her. She couldn't afford to conserve ammunition anymore; she would be torn apart if she carried on going for one-shot kills.

Widening her stance for additional stability, Natalya switched to fully automatic. She burned through the remainder of the magazine in seconds, fighting to control the Kalashnikov's recoil. It wasn't her best, but all things considered, the spread wasn't bad. Most of the rounds connected, leaving the majority of the former humans that had managed to make it down into the lab either dead or wounded.

She didn't stop to celebrate. Another wave of formers was already dropping down from the floor above, shrieking in rage as they saw the bodies of their brothers and sisters strewn over the lab. Knowing that the formers would rip her throat out before she managed to slot in another magazine, Natalya tossed aside the now empty rifle, reaching down and drawing the two pistols strapped to her thighs.

The fresh wave of former humans was rapidly approaching her, snarling as they came, their yellow eyes glowing brightly with excitement. In their haste to reach her, they didn't bother spreading out, instead just charging at her from one direction.

Natalya stood her ground. She waited until the first former was only about a metre away from her before raising the twin pistols and firing. At such short range, the two Teflon coated bullets simply eviscerated the former human's head, leaving little more than fine black mist behind.

This is too easy, Natalya smirked to herself. She continued firing, pumping both triggers as fast as she could until both weapons clicked uselessly. She didn't bother mourning her lack of ammunition, instead dropping both guns and reaching behind her.

A former human was unfortunate enough to leap at her as she moved, hands outstretched ready to claw at her face. There was a flash of steel and the former fell to the ground, its head no longer attached to its body. Natalya grinned, a sword in one hand and a fireball in the other. It had been far too long since she had allowed herself to use magic freely in a fight.

"Think you can take me?"

The formers were all around her now, but they hesitated for a split second, wary of the flames in her palm, allowing her to take the fight to them. As if she needed another advantage.

Natalya launched the fireball, engulfing a former in vivid orange flames. The other formers nearby staggered away and she leapt forward, her sword flashing. Two heads rolled to the ground. A former tried to grab at her, but she was too fast, lashing out with a vicious kick that sent it crashing to the ground.

Two more former humans snarled their displeasure and launched themselves at her. The first one came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, Natalya's sword embedded in its chest. The other she caught mid-leap, wrapping her fingers around its throat. She poured magic down her arm into her hand, strengthening her grip until it was like iron, and squeezed. The former human's windpipe tore like rice paper.

She tossed the lifeless figure aside and summoned more fire into her palm. She reached out with her magic, focusing on the flames, growing them and forming them into a sphere. A former human made the mistake of trying to interrupt her. She cut it in half with a single swipe of her sword.

Once it was ready, Natalya hurled the fireball at an approaching former and watched as the tongues of flame blossomed from the impact, leaping to nearby formers, setting them alight as well. They stumbled backwards, swatting at the fire as it burned them, howling.

She couldn't help it. She laughed. This was fun.

Most of the former humans had fled from the rising flames, but there were still a few stragglers waiting for their prey to emerge from the inferno. Artemis and Juliet didn't disappoint.

Juliet spat a curse as she noticed one of the creatures prowling in the corridor, its yellow eyes shining through the smoke. The former noticed her and made to attack, but she fired off a quick three rounds in its general direction. The figure stumbled back and was swallowed up by the smoke.

Another figure darted out in front of Artemis and Juliet, but Juliet shoved it roughly away without slowing down. She didn't fancy their chances if they were forced to stop and fight.

There was movement directly ahead of them. Multiple sets of yellow eyes hovering in the smoke. Juliet made a sudden change of direction, taking a right onto another corridor and grabbing Artemis, dragging him along with her. She could hear a former stumbling behind them, but she spun and lashed out with her foot, catching the former in the chest and sending it flying back into the smoke.

Then, like flicking a switch, the air was clear. They were free of the smoke. Artemis staggered to his knees, gulping lungfuls of oxygen, but Juliet knew they didn't have time to take advantage of the lull in the action. She spun, weapon up, ready for any formers pursuing them.

It wasn't anywhere near as bad as she had thought it would be. Only four of the creatures came for them, and they stumbled uncertainly out of the smoke. Some of them were burned. Juliet squeezed off three double taps, then dispatched the last former by burying a knife in its skull. She threw its body back into the smoke, which continued to billow towards them.

"Good riddance." She turned to Artemis, smiling a little. "Well, we're alive. Somehow. What now?"

"I don't think Opal's time field will hold up much longer. She'll probably want to be gone before it collapses. You know, if we can just hold them off a little longer, we might just make it."

Juliet nodded. "Come on, we should keep moving."

She started walking away from the fire they had started, and Artemis fell in behind her. She wasn't sure where they were heading, but she wanted to put some distance between themselves and the smoke-filled corridors surrounding the fire.

They walked in silence for a short while, but Juliet had a question she had wanted to ask all night, and she didn't think she could resist asking it any longer.

"Artemis," she began. "I wanted to ask… about Holly." Immediately the boy's expression darkened, but Juliet ploughed on. "You said you would fix her."

Artemis's voice was cold. "You're right. I did."

"And did you?"

Artemis stopped walking, unsure what to say. He opened his mouth to speak, but there was a flash of movement in his peripheral vision and then there were former humans leaping out of the shadows. In a heartbeat, they were surrounded.

"Ambush!" yelled Juliet, weapon already up and firing, but she only managed to take down two of the formers they were on her, slapping the gun out of her hand and tackling her to the ground.

Artemis watched in horror as she fought, desperately trying to break free of their hold. Then, all of a sudden, there was a knife in her hand and she was slashing furiously at the former humans, killing two and wounding a third.

Artemis didn't see what happened next. A former human was coming for him as well, stalking down the corridor towards him. It growled menacingly. Artemis brought the Glock around and fired a single shot. More by luck than anything else, it caught the former in the shoulder and sent it stumbling back.

Without stopping to dwell on it, Artemis turned back to Juliet. She was back on her feet, but she looked unsteady, and there was blood on her face and hands. having lost both her pistol and her rifle in the struggle, she clutched a knife in one hand, her expression grim. Black blood dripped from the blade. Seven former humans had her completely surrounded and were slowly circling her, waiting to strike.

"Juliet!"

Her eyes flicked to him. "Artemis. Run. Get away from here. Find Domovoi."

"I can't-"

"Now!"

Artemis raised the Glock, intent on trying to help her, but he knew he couldn't shoot. Even if he hadn't been such a poor shot, he would have had difficulty making sure he didn't hit Juliet. He couldn't just leave her, though. He looked around him, desperately searching for something that he could use to help her.

Nothing came to mind.

The former humans attacked as one, leaping towards Juliet, hands outstretched, trying to grab her. Trying to drag her down. Juliet darted forward, trying to find a gap to slip through, but one of the creatures mirrored her movements, cutting her off. Her knife flashed, slashing its throat, but then the others were on her. Hands grasped at every bit of her body, dragging her back into the group of formers.

Juliet twisted, grabbing a former and flipping it over her hip. Two formers held one of her arms, but her knife arm was still free, so she brought the blade back round, embedding it the hand of one of the formers holding her. She lashed out with her foot, connecting with a former's knee. The former collapsed but didn't relinquish her. She went to try again, but another former grabbed her leg before she could kick out, tugging it out from beneath her.

Juliet staggered, struggling to maintain her balance. She ripped the knife free and swung it wildly, catching a former in the face, but they were all over her now. She tried to move, tried to make space to fight, but the formers were all around her, pressing in from all sides. Sharp finger nails raked across her face, drawing blood. She felt teeth sinking into her shoulder and she cried out.

She tried to stay upright, but she could feel herself being pulled down to the ground. She carried on struggling, her hand forcing its way past the sea of limbs on teeth to her belt; she'd lost the knife, but that didn't matter now.

Not much of anything mattered now.

She couldn't see what she was doing and she was being constantly dragged back and forth by the former humans, so it took a moment for her fingers to brush against what she was looking for. She wrapped her fingers around it and gave a sharp tug.

She couldn't see if Artemis was still there – she couldn't see much of anything – but knowing him, he would have stuck around to see if he could help. But he couldn't, not any more. He had to go.

"Artemis! You have to run!"

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn she heard footsteps heading away from her. Artemis running, maybe. She smiled softly, and opened her hand. The pin from her final grenade fell to the floor, the soft clatter lost in sounds of the struggle above.

Good luck, Artemis, thought Juliet

Then the grenade exploded, and Juliet Butler stopped thinking anything at all.

A/N: How's that for a Christmas present? *does Artemis's vampire smile*

MUAHAAHAHAHA. Review! Call me evil!

Ahem. I may have got a little carried away there. Sorry. In all seriousness, I like Juliet a lot, and I'm sorry do this to her. But there is a reason. You'll see at the end of the story. Also, yes, I may be somewhat destroying Fowl Manor here, so sorry about that too. Although, kudos to anyone that spotted that Artemis joked about setting fire to it in the last chapter, then ended up actually doing it. And as always, I would love to hear your thoughts.

-Kio