People, I really have to say I'm sorry. That was a horribly long time to wait. I'm going to hurry up and publish the rest of this soon, because I really need to work on my novel. I got half way through, and figured out it was the wrong story... very pleasant, for those of you who like to rewrite page after page. I messed up the characters, and the plot.

Email me, people, I'd like to hear from you. Really.


Artemis began to pace, frowning. Juliet should have checked back with him twenty minutes ago. If something were wrong…

He raised the handset to his mouth, calling for her several times.

No answer.

Artemis rubbed his forehead. Something was wrong then. Juliet was down, so to speak, or her equipment was broken from a possible fight. If that were so, things could get dangerous, fast.

He couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Slowly, he dragged the bodies up the steps, through the house, and out back, where the helicopter was sitting. It couldn't be seen, since it was wrapped in cam-foil, but Artemis had no trouble finding it.

When they were all neatly stacked, and the weapons, helmets, and various gadgets stashed in the front, Artemis tagged them, and sat down to wait. Fifteen more minutes, and he'd have to fly them to the next island, and hide them in the house there.

The next island belonged to him. His grandfather had bought it under a different name almost one hundred years ago, erecting a large beach house, only to change his mind.

Still, it was helpful. There was an old airstrip and hanger, where the Lear Jet was hidden, and the basement was still concrete, so he had plenty of cells.

He glanced at his watch, rifling through his pocket for the ignition key. He'd come back for Juliet later. It would be safer to get rid of these eleven, putting them out of reach of Holly's rescue.


On the island in question, Turnball Root was fussing at Arno.

"You idiot. I don't care about that human girl, I want Artemis Fowl and those other fairies he has. Go back and finish the job!"

Turnball stomped across the room to his computer, opening a window. Right now, they were safe, inside a small storage building opposite Fowl's beach house.

"No." He waved a hand for Arno to come back. "Stay here Blunt. Fowl's coming to us."

"I'll meet him."

"Oh no you won't!" Turnball smirked craftily. "I have a much better plan, that I think you'd better listen to. A much better plan."

Arno sighed. "And when I'm done—"

"You will be paid, and you may do whatever you like with that human girl." Turnball showed his teeth. "She's pretty though. I might keep her for a night or two in bed."

Arno opened the refrigerator he had lugged up the hill only two days earlier, without bothering to answer, searching for something to eat. "So what's this plan of yours?"

Turnball straightened his jacket with care. "You will see Arno; you will see…"


Holly, was groaning quietly to herself underneath the dock on the shore. Even hanging onto a very slow motorboat hurt in rough waves. She felt like one, gigantic, battered bruise. Being saturated by the cold salt water didn't help much either.

After feeling sorry for herself for another ten minutes, Holly hauled herself out of the water, onto the rocks, and across the sand, careful to walk where the waves would wash away her footprints.

Once she was safely hidden in a graveyard of huge boulders, she stopped, straining to think logically.

The shuttle had been empty, and nothing worked. There were no weapons left. Someone must have taken them. She doubted that any of the LEP had taken anything.

After getting out of the shuttle, she had heard Arno. Slung over his shoulder was a body bag. She couldn't tell if it was a human, or two or three fairies. She hadn't recognized him until he had opened his mouth. Those blue shark teeth were kind of hard to miss.

Now, there were three possibilities running around in her mind. Turnball, Artemis, and Spiro.

Why were things so complicated? She didn't even have a utility knife, though what she'd use it for, she didn't know. The idea of any kind of weapon right now, seemed comforting.

With some hesitation, she peeled off her LEP suit. It was soaked. She wouldn't be able to wear it without making tracks for hours. She couldn't afford to wear it.

Taking it off, meant that she was all the more in danger. She wouldn't even have a light shield. Nothing except a pair of flaring jeans, and a white halter-top. Luckily, she had put her hair up this morning, so that was out of the way. But Julius wasn't going to like this one bit.

What are you Short? Some fashion model? Perhaps you're not paid enough at the LEP?

Holly glanced up, squinting against the glare of the sun. It was almost noon. The worst time of the day. The sun was starting to make her feel sick. She shook her head. No time for sick.

She glided across the sand, back to the boat, eyes searching everywhere for attack.

In the boat, she found several things of possible value. Finally, she twisted a roll of strong twine through her belt loop. That would hold possibly three fairies at once. She found a few tools, pries, and other small things she might need, and slipped them into her makeshift belt. The last thing she took, was a small hatchet, that sparkled dangerously when she unsheathed it. It was the perfect size for a fairy.

She had a weapon.


Julius stirred slightly, wondering what the hell had happened. He noticed three things. It was dark. It was cold. And someone was holding his head while examining him for something.

"Julius? Are you awake?"

Vinyáya then. He relaxed slightly, a willing party to letting her cradle his poor head in her gentle hands. Body slams hurt, particularly where you the one getting hit. "Sure."

"Are you hurt?"

Julius shifted with a groan. "No. Not really. Besides a killer headache, I'm fine."

"What happened?"

He opened his eyes. "Should I know?"

Vinyáya shrugged, lowering his head to a concrete floor. "I got jabbed in the back, and woke up in here, beside you. Some kind of tranquilizer gun, I assume. Any ideas?"

Julius bit his tongue. "Well… yes, but—"

"But what?" she asked suspiciously.

"It's probably Turnball again. Like last time. I just hope he doesn't kill anyone else."

Vinyáya leaned back on her heels. "You can't help that. It's not your fault."

He shrugged. "If you like. It just— it is my fault, and it's not. I should have shot him when I had the chance. It wouldn't have been a sin, but I couldn't, and now—"

"Shut up, Julius. You're babbling."

She straightened, sliding into the darkness. "Where's Holly?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "She might have gotten away. She was up in a tree, and I didn't have time to call to her."

"She hit anyone?"

Julius struggled up on his elbows. "Everyone except Coral and Trouble. She got good all of the sudden."

"If she got away, we still have a chance."

"If she didn't… I just hope she's smart enough to go back to the shuttle, and call."

Vinyáya reappeared. "She wouldn't have, Julius. You know that. Either she's planning something I don't want to think about, or she's locked up somewhere."

Julius nodded. "Yeah. I know. At least she's had plenty of experience along those lines."


Artemis Fowl locked up the eleven he had, and flew back to the other island for Juliet, and hopefully Holly.

He scanned the island three times for life.

There wasn't any.

With a worried sigh, he flew back towards the house. Either something he hadn't bargained for was going on, or Juliet was climbing out of the water, with a very grumpy look on her face, and would be exasperated to find all the doors locked.

It was almost two. He had sent her out to find Holly around ten. Things were looking bad. Perhaps Holly was right... 'When are you going to learn? Someone always gets hurt.'


Juliet Butler woke up feeling very uncomfortable. Body bags aren't usually built for comfort.

Artemis, would be angry. She had let herself get attacked, and she still didn't have Holly.

"Listen to me." A voice interrupted her thoughts. "When it's evening, you're going to go down to that house, and shoot Fowl. I don't have time for that kind of danger."

"I can't shoot that kid," came Arno's very unconvinced voice. "I've seen people try it before. He disappeared. Right in front of me, he disappeared. That kid's hexed. I'll probably get some kind of curse on me. Besides, he talks to dead people."

"He does not."

"He does. I know. He sent a ghost of someone I killed to me. That kid has things appearing and disappearing in thin air, including himself. He's a bit odd. Even that girl… Juliet. I swear she wasn't there, and then she was this morning. She appeared."

"It's cam-foil you idiot. She took it off, and there she was. It's probably still on her."

There was a rustling sound, and a little man opened the bag, pulling her head out by the hair.

"You see?" He waved a hand in Juliet's face. "She's here, and she has a backpack on, which is probably where she put her cam-foil. I'll show you too. Just a—"

Juliet bit him.

Arno died laughing, as Turnball hopped around, screaming his rage in ugly profanity.

Juliet took advantage of this, studying the room around her. They were in that storage building, she was sure. She had only a few hours, until Arno left to kill Artemis.

She'd have to escape before then.

Juliet studied the little man she'd bitten. He was a fairy, she was sure, but he must have broken the rules, and not have any magic, like Mulch, because he sure didn't have permission to be in here.

He looked like Julius. A lot like Julius. An older version of him maybe, but he had the same bad complexion, the same cigar smell, and he had the same bad temper.

Artemis would probably want to know that later on.


Please review, people. I promise the next update won't be so long.