Chapter Seven
Haven City, the Lower Elements
Holly was hurriedly pulling on her uniform. She hadn't realized quite how late it was. If Root didn't blow a blood vessel today, it would only be through divine intervention. She scrambled through the thoroughfare. Almost there, she thought. Almost, almost—
But almost never won the 64 million-ingot prize, and Holly was spotted just before she made it to the office.
"SHORT!" Root bellowed. "My office, IMMEDIATELY!"
Holly sighed. Root would never let her forget this one. She scrambled to his office as fast as possible. "I'm sorry, Commander," she apologized. "I didn't realize how late it was, and the thoroughfare—"
"It's not that, Holly," Root said cryptically. "We've got bigger problems than that. Foaly's missing."
Holly was shocked. Never before had something so drastic befallen their loyal centaur. "Are you sure he's not just late, too?" she asked hopefully.
Root's face was grim—or as grim as possible when your face has the color of an old tomato. "We've got a message from him. The transmission was interrupted, but Scopes got a lock on it. It was coming from Northern Ireland." Root saw the look on Holly's face. "I'm not accusing anyone, Holly, but those are the facts. You were probably right about Fowl's reversion." He glared furiously around the room. "Those imbeciles! When we get out of this mess, I'll have the Psych Brotherhood on the carpet, and they better pray that I only just fire them."
"What did the message say, Commander?" Holly asked.
Root sighed. "Foaly was talking about something that he had found in that piece I conducted yesterday connecting it to the Mud Men. He seemed to think there was some sort of code in it. Before he could finish, though, the transmission just cut off."
"It's confusing, all right, Commander," Holly said. "But Artemis knows nothing about us anymore. How could he be behind it?"
Root shook his head. "I don't know, Holly," he said. "I really don't know."
Northern Ireland
Holly was even more frustrated now than she had been before. After an hour of scouring the site where Foaly's transmission had occurred, all she could find were his own tracks leading away. But if Foaly had left on his own, why hadn't he finished the conversation? And where was his locator?
"Short here," she said. "Foaly seems to have left on his own. There's no trace of him or his locator. If he wants to be found, we'll find him. Until then, we're stuck."
So, where was Foaly? Was he languishing in some aboveground prison? Stuck in a goblin trap? Attacked by a troll? No, none of these. In fact, the great Foaly had fallen victim to—
"Animal Control," he muttered. "I'm stuck in the back of an Animal Control van. Root will never let this one go." If Foaly had been a fairy instead of a centaur, he could have simply mesmerized the driver. However, centaurs had no magic. They couldn't shield, mesmerize, heal—nothing.
The van came to a stop in front of a low, blocky building. Even without magic, Foaly could sense the fear rolling off of the real animals in the van. "Hoo boy," he said. "I'm screwed now."
Haven City, the Lower Elements
Holly was hurriedly pulling on her uniform. She hadn't realized quite how late it was. If Root didn't blow a blood vessel today, it would only be through divine intervention. She scrambled through the thoroughfare. Almost there, she thought. Almost, almost—
But almost never won the 64 million-ingot prize, and Holly was spotted just before she made it to the office.
"SHORT!" Root bellowed. "My office, IMMEDIATELY!"
Holly sighed. Root would never let her forget this one. She scrambled to his office as fast as possible. "I'm sorry, Commander," she apologized. "I didn't realize how late it was, and the thoroughfare—"
"It's not that, Holly," Root said cryptically. "We've got bigger problems than that. Foaly's missing."
Holly was shocked. Never before had something so drastic befallen their loyal centaur. "Are you sure he's not just late, too?" she asked hopefully.
Root's face was grim—or as grim as possible when your face has the color of an old tomato. "We've got a message from him. The transmission was interrupted, but Scopes got a lock on it. It was coming from Northern Ireland." Root saw the look on Holly's face. "I'm not accusing anyone, Holly, but those are the facts. You were probably right about Fowl's reversion." He glared furiously around the room. "Those imbeciles! When we get out of this mess, I'll have the Psych Brotherhood on the carpet, and they better pray that I only just fire them."
"What did the message say, Commander?" Holly asked.
Root sighed. "Foaly was talking about something that he had found in that piece I conducted yesterday connecting it to the Mud Men. He seemed to think there was some sort of code in it. Before he could finish, though, the transmission just cut off."
"It's confusing, all right, Commander," Holly said. "But Artemis knows nothing about us anymore. How could he be behind it?"
Root shook his head. "I don't know, Holly," he said. "I really don't know."
Northern Ireland
Holly was even more frustrated now than she had been before. After an hour of scouring the site where Foaly's transmission had occurred, all she could find were his own tracks leading away. But if Foaly had left on his own, why hadn't he finished the conversation? And where was his locator?
"Short here," she said. "Foaly seems to have left on his own. There's no trace of him or his locator. If he wants to be found, we'll find him. Until then, we're stuck."
So, where was Foaly? Was he languishing in some aboveground prison? Stuck in a goblin trap? Attacked by a troll? No, none of these. In fact, the great Foaly had fallen victim to—
"Animal Control," he muttered. "I'm stuck in the back of an Animal Control van. Root will never let this one go." If Foaly had been a fairy instead of a centaur, he could have simply mesmerized the driver. However, centaurs had no magic. They couldn't shield, mesmerize, heal—nothing.
The van came to a stop in front of a low, blocky building. Even without magic, Foaly could sense the fear rolling off of the real animals in the van. "Hoo boy," he said. "I'm screwed now."