A/N Thank you Alexis and Anime Fanatic for your reviews , dont worry Anime Fanatic Artemis will be appearing more and more frequently as the story progresses.
The information involving the tarot cards in this chapter comes from www.facade.com. I forgot to mention earlier , the saucer of milk being pured out , and the iron nail are parts of the standerd Fae mythologey. I have no idea if they apply to the LEP but an Irish family such as the Mc Graneys are bound to use them.
Disclaimer : I do not own Artemis Fowl , which is mundo obvious.
Chapter three
Once , when Amy's father John McGraney had been much younger his father sat him down and explained the way of the world. John McGraney knew he was going to be running the farm as soon as his father would retire. By the age of fourteen he already knew how to use a tractor , take care of the animal husbandry and he'd assisted his father at the city markets. Now it was time for him to learn the truth about McGraney farm. There will be times , his father explained when the night will seem like a wild thing. The moon will be far to loud , the feeling of the air far to thick ( he meant atmosphere and would have said it if he knew what it mean). It will be the sort of night where all you'll want to do is hide under the covers and fall asleep. On this night , you may hear things on the hillock or well imagine you do. What ever you do.. Do not approach the hillock. If you happen to be walking past it at the time do not dare to sneak a look at it. They'll never make a sound , but you'll feel something there. We leave them alone , and they leave us alone. Its part of an ancient bargain which allows our farm to escape dreaded illnesses or dig up priceless artifacts. What ever you do , never ever sell that hillock no matter how bad things get.
John McGraney thought uneasily about it as he opened the broom closet. It was around four in the morning , which meant it was time to milk the cows. Much to his surprise his daughter , still asleep tumbled out of the closet clutching their phone to her chest. She stirred slightly then opened her eyes.
"Your probably wondering why I was sleeping in the closet" Amy said to her father yawning.
"Actually I was wondering why you were hugging the phone lass" her father replied and Amy glanced down at the phone sheepishly.
"Well I'm not telling" she snarled pressing the phone into her father's arms. Still yawning she stood up her legs shaking like a new born calf. Trembling she criss crossed her way to her bed room door , and went inside firmly slamming the door behind her. John McGraney shook his head and reminded himself his temperamental daughter was bound to leave puberty sooner or later.
***
"You look like you've slept in a closet" Seamus said to Amy after school and she yawned noisily.
"That's because I did , well for only three hours" Amy replied tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
"Why would you do that?" He asked.
"I did'nt mean to , I was ringing my grandmother and I wanted some privacy.. Next thing I know! Boom! Sleepy town" Amy replied and Seamus nodded.
"It's probably not very good for your back you know" he said pointing out the obvious.
" Its not very good period , look at me I'm so ugly!" Amy whined.
" Sleeping in a closet doesn't change your psychical appearance that much" Seamus said gravely.
"I know , but I'm still ugly" Amy replied her face appearing very sad and noble. By now , their bikes had almost reached the farm. Seamus said he wanted to go to Amy's house to see Amy's grandmother. Seamus liked her , she always gave him presents despite the fact he wasn't her real grandson.
In the distance , they could see a several cars , one of them belonged to the police.
" Hey its Sergeant Finnigan!" Amy said with confusion skidding her bike to a halt. Seamus , not quite sure how to follow attempted to slow his bike down as well. This lead to it very nearly crashing into a black berry bush.
"Sergeant who?" Seamus asked attempting to keep his balance.
"You know , the fat police officer who lectures our school about graffiti on the buses" Amy replied slightly annoyed with her friend.
"Oh him , I thought he was an actor" Seamus replied. Amy blinked , not quite sure how he had come to that conclusion.
"Dad! What's going on?" Amy called to her father , he looked up and jogged casually towards his daughter.
"Appears some one dumped a stolen car next to the hillock love" He said uneasily scratching his gray blonde hair.
" I don't think it was dumped dad , I saw two guys get out of it last night" Amy replied. John McGraney growled with frustration and shook his daughter by the shoulders.
"Why did'nt you say anything sooner?" He asked and Amy rolled her eyes.
" How was I supposed to know the car had been stolen?" She pointed out.
"She's right Mr. McGraney " Seamus replied loyally.
"You stay out of this Seamus" her father said tiredly turning away from the two teenagers.
"Amy go inside and do your home work , I'm far to busy dealing with these bloody stupid police officers" Farmer McGraney said over his shoulder as he bounded back down towards the hillock.
Sergeant Finnigan and his partner Sergeant Ivory were perplexed to say the very least.
"You see Sarge , the ting is when you really get down to it.. Cars that have been stolen are usually on fire" said Sergeant Ivory smoking from the dog end if his cigarette.
" Your thinking of joy rides Ivory" Sergeant Finnigan said kindly folding his chubby arms.
"Don't see anything to joyful about it Sarge , especially if your on fire" Ivory replied smartly smacking his thin lips together .Sergeant Ivory's main reason for joining the police force , was he found murder stories really funny.
" Officers" Farmer McGraney said tiredly giving the two men a small respectable glance.
"Ah its young McGraney , your the one who called as aint you?" Finnigan asked.
"Actually it was my son James , but that's not the point.. We were wondering if you could call a tow truck and get rid of this thing" Farmer McGraney asked a pleading note to his voice.
"Don't know if we can do that McGraney , you see this cars the latest model of a Bentley . Fancy pants sports vehicle" said Ivory.
" Huh?" McGraney asked a perplexed expression on his face.
"What my partner means to say is that this car belongs to some one rich , and we the local law enforcement community tend to shy away from the rich" Finnigan said uneasily.
"Look , this farm isn't a glorified parking lot! I need that car out of the way so I can get the tractor out of the barn!" Farmer McGraney stated two red splotches appearing on his haggard face.
Amy and Seamus observed the scene vaguely amused clutching onto their copies fog king Lear.
" I never got Shakespeare , I mean look at this line.. We who have lived so much shall never live so long" Amy whined glaring at the page.
"It's supposed to be a metaphor , or something like that" Seamus replied. Seamus was good at English while Amy was better at science the two friends cheated off each other constantly.
"A meta what?" Amy asked.
" You know , something that symbolizes something else.. Like when you say your brothers a stupid dog" Seamus explained carefully.
"Oh I understand" Amy said , although she still found the text very confusing. She wasn't completely sure why her year was doing something as difficult as King Lear. Secretly she suspected that her English teacher Mr. Wilson was trying to prove something to the other teachers.
"Oh by my father reference be hanged!" Seamus cried dramatically in a high pitched falsetto. He was interrupted when there was the sound of a car door being opened by a crow bar.
"Stand back ! you are to close to the vehicle!" A electronic voice cried. Every one , including the two police officers ignored the alarm. Sergeant Ivory , who was the far thinner one of the two crawled into the Bentley.
"Nothing in here Sarge , except for an old issue of PC magazine.. Oh I haven't got this one yet!" He cried with excitement pulling the magazine out of the car. Sergeant Finnigan turned on a small flash light and peered into the gloom.
"Will you look at this? It has a mini bar and every thing.. Including some of that fancy clear mineral water that tastes like pineapples" he grinned reached towards a bottle in the mini bar. He ripped the cork out of a bottle of distilled water using his teeth then took a big gulp.
" Don't you think the owners of the car will object to what your doing?" Seamus pointed out and Sergeant Ivory looked up from his magazine.
"The cars already been dumped" he pointed out.
" In fact , maybe we should take the car in , you know for testing" Sergeant Finnigan said gazing at the steering wheel hungrily. Sergeant Ivory's thoughts turned towards the gleaming town car and the mental image of riding it through the country side with a glamorous super model.
"Yeah I agree Sarge , we need to get DNA samples" he said eyeing the frosty tinted wind shield glass. Amy looked up from her copy of king Lear fearfully , she remembered what she had seen the previous night. The car pulling to a stop , the silvery egg in the hillock. Secretly she knew the car hadn't been dumped but she wasn't quite sure how to break the news to the officers.
"I think some one just parked it hear" she said uneasily , and the two police officers glanced at her disappointed.
"Well if that's all it was.." Began sergeant Finnigan.
"We best be off then" Sergeant Ivory finished closing the magazine , he then folding it up and attempted to hide it in his shirt.
" Put the magazine back" Farmer McGraney stated and reluctantly he placed it back into the car. A few moments later the two officers had left the farm sheepishly , dragging their sirens behind them.
Amy and Seamus inspected the car for nearly ten minutes.
' You know , if I was this rich , I would'nt get a car as boring as this one" Amy said as they sat inside the car siren still blaring around them.
" Its supposed to be dignified" Seamus pointed out.
" It looks like a hearse , if it was me I would get a bright purple cadillac.. You know the ones with no roof?" Amy sighed dreamily leaning against the leather interior.
"We really shouldn't be in here Amy" Seamus pointed out.
"Why?" Amy persisted her eyes closed.
"Because the car doesn't belong to us" Seamus pointed out.
" Oh let me enjoy this opportunity just once , imagine the look on Caitlin's face when she finds out we were in a Bentley !" Amy cackled mirthlessly.
":She'd probably prefer it if we were in a hearse" Seamus replied.
"True" Amy commented biting her lip.
" You two will be in a hearse unless you get out of that car now" an elderly piping voice called from the open door.
" Granny! You scared the shit out of me!" Amy cried clutching onto her school shirt.
" You know we don't say the s word lass!" Her grandmother scolded her and Amy sighed. She crawled over Seamus's lap much to his embarrassment. A few moments later she was standing amongst the heather and grass. Seamus followed her wondering if Amy had gotten them into trouble.. Again.
"Well if it aint my favorite Irishman , still as fair as ever!" Granny smiled ruffling Seamus's thick light blonde hair.
"Why don't you ever compliment me like that?" Amy asked.
" I will once you grow into something worth praise" her grandmother laughed and Amy opened her mouth with outrage.
"Now you two get inside , I got gifts for yer that I picked up on me travels" Amy's Grandmother laughed tottering towards the farm house.
Inside , James was sitting at the kitchen table his shirt sleeves rolled up concentrating furiously on the evening paper.
" Granny , what's a three letter word for something that's not good?" He asked staring at the children's cross word puzzle.
" Bad" his grandmother answered. James's brow wrinkled with concentration and he turned back to the puzzle.
"Amy did'nt explain why you were visiting , I mean not that its a bad thing.. I was just you know curious" Seamus said nervously sitting at the kitchen table.
"I'm going to be taking care of things until Amy's mother gets back" Granny said briskly pouring out a saucer of milk.
"Granny , Daisy doesn't drink milk" Amy pointed out.
"The Milks not for Daisy , its for any of those buggers who happen to be listening in.. They've a weakness for milk yer see not much of it under ground" her grandmother replied and Seamus gave Amy a quizzical look.
"She's crazy" Amy whispered rolling her eyes . Of course Granny heard that , but she ignored it.
"Now lets see , I do believe I have some gifts for my favorite grandchildren" she grinned reaching into the knitted shoulder bag that was sitting on the kitchen table. She pulled out a thick bar of chocolate and tossed it to James , who merely grunted before ripping the rapper off.
"Nice to see you appreciate it boy" she sighed and she pulled out another chocolate bar handing it to Seamus.
"Thank you" Seamus said politely placing the chocolate on his lap.
" Now for you Amy , I got something rather special I picked up a few years back in Italy" her grandmother smiled and she placed a square box onto the table in front of her grand daughter.
"Playing cards?" Amy asked scandalized.
"No , tarot cards" her grandmother replied.
"That's even worse! You know I refuse to believe in that junk" Amy said hotly pushing the cards away from her.
"You should at least give them a chance" her grandmother pointed out and Amy rolled her eyes theatrically.
"Fine" She stated and she opened the box pulling the thick cards out. She handed the cards to Seamus wordlessly.
"I'll pick a card at random and see what it says" Amy stated .
"Are you sure about this Amy?" Seamus asked. As if answering Amy reached towards the pack and snatched a card out at random placing it in front of her grandmother.
"The magician" her grandmother breathed , Amy reached towards the pack and selected another card , and then another until three cards lay on the kitchen table. James looked up from his chocolate bar suddenly interested.
"These cards have fallen into the position of the three fates" her grandmother said glancing at her granddaughter hesitantly.
"The past , the present and your future" she continued. Amy raised an eye brow.
"Go on" she urged her grandmother.
"This card , represents some one from your past , the king of swords" she said gesturing to a faded card , with a man sitting on a throne.
"This person has a violent temperament , and prefers to act on impulse with quick dramatic action rather then seeing the consequences of their actions. This person is a born fighter and commander a possible ally and a dangerous enemy" her grandmother stated. Amy immediately thought of Caitlin , however her thoughts were soon replaced with some one else. Some one who looked liked Caitlin , but also looked different. Amy shook her head when she realized she was trying to remember something she had forgotten again.
"This is the page of cups , a person who is linked to your present . Loyal , intelligent and affectionate a true friend.. Sounds a lot like you lad" her grandmother laughed giving Seamus a quick wink. Seamus immediately coughed loudly a small smile on his face , his skin blushing ever so slightly. Amy rolled her eyes , as far as she was concerned her grandmother was making it up.
"Finally , the last person is the magician" her grandmother breathed.
" A person , who holds the key to your future. The magician is a master of the material world , and a fantastic manipulator. The magician is filled with the wisdom of Hermes and uses his intelligence in order to perform miracles using illusion and trickery. The magician is the god of thieves , trickery and deception." her grandmother finished and Amy frowned.
"Whose Hermes?" She asked and Seamus cleared his throat.
" His a greek god , you know like Zeus or Artemis" he began and Amy's heart skipped a beat.
"Artemis ?" Amy asked her eyes falling onto the magician card. The magician grinned back at her and Amy hurriedly pushed the card away.
" Yes Artemis , well technically Artemis was a goddess not a god" Seamus replied and Amy tucked her hair behind her ears.
' I don't want to know about the future any more" she said hurriedly scooping the cards back up. Quickly she shoved them back into there box and handed the box to her grandmother.
'It was just starting to get good!" Seamus protested.
******
Seamus complained about the situation loudly over the next few days , Amy ignored him. She wasn't sure why Seamus was taking such an interest in the tarot cards.. they were silly and boring. Amy detested all forms of divination , she considered it to be batty . It was almost as bad as her grandmothers obsession with fairies. Amy shook her head distracted as she road her clanking bike like a drunken butterfly down the dirt road leading to the McGraney farm. The word fairy still caused Amy's heart to beat rather rapidly however she refused to believe her grandmothers stories. Days had passed , and the car still remained parked firmly next to the hillock. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Amy had almost forgotten about the situation she was in , until quite suddenly she was very nearly hit by a car.
With very little time to react , Amy skidded to a halt causing her bicycle to slam against the cars side. She tumbled head first off the bike and landed with a mighty crash onto the dusty road. Instantly the wind was knocked out of her , but she wasn't dead which was a good sign she reasoned. Or it would be a good sign as soon as she got her breath back. The car pulled to a stop , Amy did'nt move. Moving required far to much effort , and she was more comfortable on the ground . She heard the sound of a door opening slowly , and then two heavy feat greeted her vision. The feat were huge , at least the size of a Christmas ham. They were encased in black leather , and in turn expensive black trousers. Painfully Amy looked up , she was greeted by a ferocious and very familiar face.
' You" she whispered her shoulders beginning to shake.
"Are you all right?" He questioned coldly and Amy slowly nodded. Before Amy could react Butler stooped down next to her and grabbed her wrist.
" Checking your vitals" he explained and Amy nodded. While the sinister man checked her pulse another car door suddenly opened.
"Butler , is there some sort of delay?'" A voice asked and Amy slowly turned her head. The voice was clipped , calm and young. It was the voice of a young man who resented the fact he wasn't yet an adult.
"Just checking to see if this young ladies all right Master Artemis" the Eurasian man stated releasing Amy's wrist.
"I see" the voice said coldly. The voice belonged to a boyish figure , who had now allowed his face to be revealed in the evening light. The boy was pale , and appeared to be so very tired with deep purple bruises of exhaustion under his blues eyes. There was however something all too familiar about his features.
" You" Amy whispered nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.
" Me?" The boy asked genuinely puzzled.
" Have we met?" He asked coolly and Amy shook her heard.
" No , I've seen you" she managed to stutter slowly standing up. She stood up , her knee's badly grazed and her hands covered with dirt.
" Have you just?" He asked and Amy shivered in the damp evening air.
" I have to go , thank you for making sure I was all right" Amy managed to say to butler slowly backing down the road. Before the two men could react , Amy allowed her self to half run half stumble off the road and into the Cyprus tree's until she was well hidden in the shadows. She was relieved when they did'nt follow her. Still shaking , Amy hugged her denim jacket around her frame and allowed herself to walk the short cut home through the trees.
Slowly , elegantly Artemis Fowl stepped out of his town car. He was puzzled , which was not a normal occurrence .It was obvious that something had happened to his town car during his trip to the arctic. A bottle of distilled water was missing , along with an old issue of PC Magazine. Artemis kept it for sentimental reasons , he had invented a piece of soft ware which had been reviewed in the magazines news section.
"What happened to the young lady Butler?" Artemis inquired glancing at his surroundings.
" Fled into the woods it seems , we must have startled her" Butler replied gravely and Artemis cleared his throat.
"We have no time to deal with her , we must locate mother and Juliet immediately" Artemis replied gravely.
"Yes Artemis" Butler replied and his man servant turned back towards the car , ready to perform a routine bomb check. Artemis's eyes fell momentarily on the ground , something had fallen out of the girls jacket. Slowly he picked it up. It was a card. A slightly faded one , it showed a picture of a man covered in a thick red cloak standing in front of a table. He held a staff in one hand , and he had a perplexed expression on his face.
"Butler , where are we?" He asked as he stepped into the Bentley.
" Some where in the country" his manservant replied and Artemis stroked his chin thoughtfully.
As the Bentley drove down the bumpy dusty road , Artemis allowed himself to stare out the window momentarily. It was by mere chance , or luck he was able to see the small sign post with the words " Mr. Granney's farm" in scripted on it.
"Hmm" Artemis muttered under his breath an intriguing idea beginning to form. He placed the tarot card into his school blazer and leant against the seat closing his eyes momentarily. The business with the card signified a new beginning but it would have to wait. Right now he had to tie up the loose ends of his past , including his father.
The information involving the tarot cards in this chapter comes from www.facade.com. I forgot to mention earlier , the saucer of milk being pured out , and the iron nail are parts of the standerd Fae mythologey. I have no idea if they apply to the LEP but an Irish family such as the Mc Graneys are bound to use them.
Disclaimer : I do not own Artemis Fowl , which is mundo obvious.
Chapter three
Once , when Amy's father John McGraney had been much younger his father sat him down and explained the way of the world. John McGraney knew he was going to be running the farm as soon as his father would retire. By the age of fourteen he already knew how to use a tractor , take care of the animal husbandry and he'd assisted his father at the city markets. Now it was time for him to learn the truth about McGraney farm. There will be times , his father explained when the night will seem like a wild thing. The moon will be far to loud , the feeling of the air far to thick ( he meant atmosphere and would have said it if he knew what it mean). It will be the sort of night where all you'll want to do is hide under the covers and fall asleep. On this night , you may hear things on the hillock or well imagine you do. What ever you do.. Do not approach the hillock. If you happen to be walking past it at the time do not dare to sneak a look at it. They'll never make a sound , but you'll feel something there. We leave them alone , and they leave us alone. Its part of an ancient bargain which allows our farm to escape dreaded illnesses or dig up priceless artifacts. What ever you do , never ever sell that hillock no matter how bad things get.
John McGraney thought uneasily about it as he opened the broom closet. It was around four in the morning , which meant it was time to milk the cows. Much to his surprise his daughter , still asleep tumbled out of the closet clutching their phone to her chest. She stirred slightly then opened her eyes.
"Your probably wondering why I was sleeping in the closet" Amy said to her father yawning.
"Actually I was wondering why you were hugging the phone lass" her father replied and Amy glanced down at the phone sheepishly.
"Well I'm not telling" she snarled pressing the phone into her father's arms. Still yawning she stood up her legs shaking like a new born calf. Trembling she criss crossed her way to her bed room door , and went inside firmly slamming the door behind her. John McGraney shook his head and reminded himself his temperamental daughter was bound to leave puberty sooner or later.
***
"You look like you've slept in a closet" Seamus said to Amy after school and she yawned noisily.
"That's because I did , well for only three hours" Amy replied tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
"Why would you do that?" He asked.
"I did'nt mean to , I was ringing my grandmother and I wanted some privacy.. Next thing I know! Boom! Sleepy town" Amy replied and Seamus nodded.
"It's probably not very good for your back you know" he said pointing out the obvious.
" Its not very good period , look at me I'm so ugly!" Amy whined.
" Sleeping in a closet doesn't change your psychical appearance that much" Seamus said gravely.
"I know , but I'm still ugly" Amy replied her face appearing very sad and noble. By now , their bikes had almost reached the farm. Seamus said he wanted to go to Amy's house to see Amy's grandmother. Seamus liked her , she always gave him presents despite the fact he wasn't her real grandson.
In the distance , they could see a several cars , one of them belonged to the police.
" Hey its Sergeant Finnigan!" Amy said with confusion skidding her bike to a halt. Seamus , not quite sure how to follow attempted to slow his bike down as well. This lead to it very nearly crashing into a black berry bush.
"Sergeant who?" Seamus asked attempting to keep his balance.
"You know , the fat police officer who lectures our school about graffiti on the buses" Amy replied slightly annoyed with her friend.
"Oh him , I thought he was an actor" Seamus replied. Amy blinked , not quite sure how he had come to that conclusion.
"Dad! What's going on?" Amy called to her father , he looked up and jogged casually towards his daughter.
"Appears some one dumped a stolen car next to the hillock love" He said uneasily scratching his gray blonde hair.
" I don't think it was dumped dad , I saw two guys get out of it last night" Amy replied. John McGraney growled with frustration and shook his daughter by the shoulders.
"Why did'nt you say anything sooner?" He asked and Amy rolled her eyes.
" How was I supposed to know the car had been stolen?" She pointed out.
"She's right Mr. McGraney " Seamus replied loyally.
"You stay out of this Seamus" her father said tiredly turning away from the two teenagers.
"Amy go inside and do your home work , I'm far to busy dealing with these bloody stupid police officers" Farmer McGraney said over his shoulder as he bounded back down towards the hillock.
Sergeant Finnigan and his partner Sergeant Ivory were perplexed to say the very least.
"You see Sarge , the ting is when you really get down to it.. Cars that have been stolen are usually on fire" said Sergeant Ivory smoking from the dog end if his cigarette.
" Your thinking of joy rides Ivory" Sergeant Finnigan said kindly folding his chubby arms.
"Don't see anything to joyful about it Sarge , especially if your on fire" Ivory replied smartly smacking his thin lips together .Sergeant Ivory's main reason for joining the police force , was he found murder stories really funny.
" Officers" Farmer McGraney said tiredly giving the two men a small respectable glance.
"Ah its young McGraney , your the one who called as aint you?" Finnigan asked.
"Actually it was my son James , but that's not the point.. We were wondering if you could call a tow truck and get rid of this thing" Farmer McGraney asked a pleading note to his voice.
"Don't know if we can do that McGraney , you see this cars the latest model of a Bentley . Fancy pants sports vehicle" said Ivory.
" Huh?" McGraney asked a perplexed expression on his face.
"What my partner means to say is that this car belongs to some one rich , and we the local law enforcement community tend to shy away from the rich" Finnigan said uneasily.
"Look , this farm isn't a glorified parking lot! I need that car out of the way so I can get the tractor out of the barn!" Farmer McGraney stated two red splotches appearing on his haggard face.
Amy and Seamus observed the scene vaguely amused clutching onto their copies fog king Lear.
" I never got Shakespeare , I mean look at this line.. We who have lived so much shall never live so long" Amy whined glaring at the page.
"It's supposed to be a metaphor , or something like that" Seamus replied. Seamus was good at English while Amy was better at science the two friends cheated off each other constantly.
"A meta what?" Amy asked.
" You know , something that symbolizes something else.. Like when you say your brothers a stupid dog" Seamus explained carefully.
"Oh I understand" Amy said , although she still found the text very confusing. She wasn't completely sure why her year was doing something as difficult as King Lear. Secretly she suspected that her English teacher Mr. Wilson was trying to prove something to the other teachers.
"Oh by my father reference be hanged!" Seamus cried dramatically in a high pitched falsetto. He was interrupted when there was the sound of a car door being opened by a crow bar.
"Stand back ! you are to close to the vehicle!" A electronic voice cried. Every one , including the two police officers ignored the alarm. Sergeant Ivory , who was the far thinner one of the two crawled into the Bentley.
"Nothing in here Sarge , except for an old issue of PC magazine.. Oh I haven't got this one yet!" He cried with excitement pulling the magazine out of the car. Sergeant Finnigan turned on a small flash light and peered into the gloom.
"Will you look at this? It has a mini bar and every thing.. Including some of that fancy clear mineral water that tastes like pineapples" he grinned reached towards a bottle in the mini bar. He ripped the cork out of a bottle of distilled water using his teeth then took a big gulp.
" Don't you think the owners of the car will object to what your doing?" Seamus pointed out and Sergeant Ivory looked up from his magazine.
"The cars already been dumped" he pointed out.
" In fact , maybe we should take the car in , you know for testing" Sergeant Finnigan said gazing at the steering wheel hungrily. Sergeant Ivory's thoughts turned towards the gleaming town car and the mental image of riding it through the country side with a glamorous super model.
"Yeah I agree Sarge , we need to get DNA samples" he said eyeing the frosty tinted wind shield glass. Amy looked up from her copy of king Lear fearfully , she remembered what she had seen the previous night. The car pulling to a stop , the silvery egg in the hillock. Secretly she knew the car hadn't been dumped but she wasn't quite sure how to break the news to the officers.
"I think some one just parked it hear" she said uneasily , and the two police officers glanced at her disappointed.
"Well if that's all it was.." Began sergeant Finnigan.
"We best be off then" Sergeant Ivory finished closing the magazine , he then folding it up and attempted to hide it in his shirt.
" Put the magazine back" Farmer McGraney stated and reluctantly he placed it back into the car. A few moments later the two officers had left the farm sheepishly , dragging their sirens behind them.
Amy and Seamus inspected the car for nearly ten minutes.
' You know , if I was this rich , I would'nt get a car as boring as this one" Amy said as they sat inside the car siren still blaring around them.
" Its supposed to be dignified" Seamus pointed out.
" It looks like a hearse , if it was me I would get a bright purple cadillac.. You know the ones with no roof?" Amy sighed dreamily leaning against the leather interior.
"We really shouldn't be in here Amy" Seamus pointed out.
"Why?" Amy persisted her eyes closed.
"Because the car doesn't belong to us" Seamus pointed out.
" Oh let me enjoy this opportunity just once , imagine the look on Caitlin's face when she finds out we were in a Bentley !" Amy cackled mirthlessly.
":She'd probably prefer it if we were in a hearse" Seamus replied.
"True" Amy commented biting her lip.
" You two will be in a hearse unless you get out of that car now" an elderly piping voice called from the open door.
" Granny! You scared the shit out of me!" Amy cried clutching onto her school shirt.
" You know we don't say the s word lass!" Her grandmother scolded her and Amy sighed. She crawled over Seamus's lap much to his embarrassment. A few moments later she was standing amongst the heather and grass. Seamus followed her wondering if Amy had gotten them into trouble.. Again.
"Well if it aint my favorite Irishman , still as fair as ever!" Granny smiled ruffling Seamus's thick light blonde hair.
"Why don't you ever compliment me like that?" Amy asked.
" I will once you grow into something worth praise" her grandmother laughed and Amy opened her mouth with outrage.
"Now you two get inside , I got gifts for yer that I picked up on me travels" Amy's Grandmother laughed tottering towards the farm house.
Inside , James was sitting at the kitchen table his shirt sleeves rolled up concentrating furiously on the evening paper.
" Granny , what's a three letter word for something that's not good?" He asked staring at the children's cross word puzzle.
" Bad" his grandmother answered. James's brow wrinkled with concentration and he turned back to the puzzle.
"Amy did'nt explain why you were visiting , I mean not that its a bad thing.. I was just you know curious" Seamus said nervously sitting at the kitchen table.
"I'm going to be taking care of things until Amy's mother gets back" Granny said briskly pouring out a saucer of milk.
"Granny , Daisy doesn't drink milk" Amy pointed out.
"The Milks not for Daisy , its for any of those buggers who happen to be listening in.. They've a weakness for milk yer see not much of it under ground" her grandmother replied and Seamus gave Amy a quizzical look.
"She's crazy" Amy whispered rolling her eyes . Of course Granny heard that , but she ignored it.
"Now lets see , I do believe I have some gifts for my favorite grandchildren" she grinned reaching into the knitted shoulder bag that was sitting on the kitchen table. She pulled out a thick bar of chocolate and tossed it to James , who merely grunted before ripping the rapper off.
"Nice to see you appreciate it boy" she sighed and she pulled out another chocolate bar handing it to Seamus.
"Thank you" Seamus said politely placing the chocolate on his lap.
" Now for you Amy , I got something rather special I picked up a few years back in Italy" her grandmother smiled and she placed a square box onto the table in front of her grand daughter.
"Playing cards?" Amy asked scandalized.
"No , tarot cards" her grandmother replied.
"That's even worse! You know I refuse to believe in that junk" Amy said hotly pushing the cards away from her.
"You should at least give them a chance" her grandmother pointed out and Amy rolled her eyes theatrically.
"Fine" She stated and she opened the box pulling the thick cards out. She handed the cards to Seamus wordlessly.
"I'll pick a card at random and see what it says" Amy stated .
"Are you sure about this Amy?" Seamus asked. As if answering Amy reached towards the pack and snatched a card out at random placing it in front of her grandmother.
"The magician" her grandmother breathed , Amy reached towards the pack and selected another card , and then another until three cards lay on the kitchen table. James looked up from his chocolate bar suddenly interested.
"These cards have fallen into the position of the three fates" her grandmother said glancing at her granddaughter hesitantly.
"The past , the present and your future" she continued. Amy raised an eye brow.
"Go on" she urged her grandmother.
"This card , represents some one from your past , the king of swords" she said gesturing to a faded card , with a man sitting on a throne.
"This person has a violent temperament , and prefers to act on impulse with quick dramatic action rather then seeing the consequences of their actions. This person is a born fighter and commander a possible ally and a dangerous enemy" her grandmother stated. Amy immediately thought of Caitlin , however her thoughts were soon replaced with some one else. Some one who looked liked Caitlin , but also looked different. Amy shook her head when she realized she was trying to remember something she had forgotten again.
"This is the page of cups , a person who is linked to your present . Loyal , intelligent and affectionate a true friend.. Sounds a lot like you lad" her grandmother laughed giving Seamus a quick wink. Seamus immediately coughed loudly a small smile on his face , his skin blushing ever so slightly. Amy rolled her eyes , as far as she was concerned her grandmother was making it up.
"Finally , the last person is the magician" her grandmother breathed.
" A person , who holds the key to your future. The magician is a master of the material world , and a fantastic manipulator. The magician is filled with the wisdom of Hermes and uses his intelligence in order to perform miracles using illusion and trickery. The magician is the god of thieves , trickery and deception." her grandmother finished and Amy frowned.
"Whose Hermes?" She asked and Seamus cleared his throat.
" His a greek god , you know like Zeus or Artemis" he began and Amy's heart skipped a beat.
"Artemis ?" Amy asked her eyes falling onto the magician card. The magician grinned back at her and Amy hurriedly pushed the card away.
" Yes Artemis , well technically Artemis was a goddess not a god" Seamus replied and Amy tucked her hair behind her ears.
' I don't want to know about the future any more" she said hurriedly scooping the cards back up. Quickly she shoved them back into there box and handed the box to her grandmother.
'It was just starting to get good!" Seamus protested.
******
Seamus complained about the situation loudly over the next few days , Amy ignored him. She wasn't sure why Seamus was taking such an interest in the tarot cards.. they were silly and boring. Amy detested all forms of divination , she considered it to be batty . It was almost as bad as her grandmothers obsession with fairies. Amy shook her head distracted as she road her clanking bike like a drunken butterfly down the dirt road leading to the McGraney farm. The word fairy still caused Amy's heart to beat rather rapidly however she refused to believe her grandmothers stories. Days had passed , and the car still remained parked firmly next to the hillock. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Amy had almost forgotten about the situation she was in , until quite suddenly she was very nearly hit by a car.
With very little time to react , Amy skidded to a halt causing her bicycle to slam against the cars side. She tumbled head first off the bike and landed with a mighty crash onto the dusty road. Instantly the wind was knocked out of her , but she wasn't dead which was a good sign she reasoned. Or it would be a good sign as soon as she got her breath back. The car pulled to a stop , Amy did'nt move. Moving required far to much effort , and she was more comfortable on the ground . She heard the sound of a door opening slowly , and then two heavy feat greeted her vision. The feat were huge , at least the size of a Christmas ham. They were encased in black leather , and in turn expensive black trousers. Painfully Amy looked up , she was greeted by a ferocious and very familiar face.
' You" she whispered her shoulders beginning to shake.
"Are you all right?" He questioned coldly and Amy slowly nodded. Before Amy could react Butler stooped down next to her and grabbed her wrist.
" Checking your vitals" he explained and Amy nodded. While the sinister man checked her pulse another car door suddenly opened.
"Butler , is there some sort of delay?'" A voice asked and Amy slowly turned her head. The voice was clipped , calm and young. It was the voice of a young man who resented the fact he wasn't yet an adult.
"Just checking to see if this young ladies all right Master Artemis" the Eurasian man stated releasing Amy's wrist.
"I see" the voice said coldly. The voice belonged to a boyish figure , who had now allowed his face to be revealed in the evening light. The boy was pale , and appeared to be so very tired with deep purple bruises of exhaustion under his blues eyes. There was however something all too familiar about his features.
" You" Amy whispered nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ears.
" Me?" The boy asked genuinely puzzled.
" Have we met?" He asked coolly and Amy shook her heard.
" No , I've seen you" she managed to stutter slowly standing up. She stood up , her knee's badly grazed and her hands covered with dirt.
" Have you just?" He asked and Amy shivered in the damp evening air.
" I have to go , thank you for making sure I was all right" Amy managed to say to butler slowly backing down the road. Before the two men could react , Amy allowed her self to half run half stumble off the road and into the Cyprus tree's until she was well hidden in the shadows. She was relieved when they did'nt follow her. Still shaking , Amy hugged her denim jacket around her frame and allowed herself to walk the short cut home through the trees.
Slowly , elegantly Artemis Fowl stepped out of his town car. He was puzzled , which was not a normal occurrence .It was obvious that something had happened to his town car during his trip to the arctic. A bottle of distilled water was missing , along with an old issue of PC Magazine. Artemis kept it for sentimental reasons , he had invented a piece of soft ware which had been reviewed in the magazines news section.
"What happened to the young lady Butler?" Artemis inquired glancing at his surroundings.
" Fled into the woods it seems , we must have startled her" Butler replied gravely and Artemis cleared his throat.
"We have no time to deal with her , we must locate mother and Juliet immediately" Artemis replied gravely.
"Yes Artemis" Butler replied and his man servant turned back towards the car , ready to perform a routine bomb check. Artemis's eyes fell momentarily on the ground , something had fallen out of the girls jacket. Slowly he picked it up. It was a card. A slightly faded one , it showed a picture of a man covered in a thick red cloak standing in front of a table. He held a staff in one hand , and he had a perplexed expression on his face.
"Butler , where are we?" He asked as he stepped into the Bentley.
" Some where in the country" his manservant replied and Artemis stroked his chin thoughtfully.
As the Bentley drove down the bumpy dusty road , Artemis allowed himself to stare out the window momentarily. It was by mere chance , or luck he was able to see the small sign post with the words " Mr. Granney's farm" in scripted on it.
"Hmm" Artemis muttered under his breath an intriguing idea beginning to form. He placed the tarot card into his school blazer and leant against the seat closing his eyes momentarily. The business with the card signified a new beginning but it would have to wait. Right now he had to tie up the loose ends of his past , including his father.