Ring of Sagacity

Disclaimer: Yes, yes, I know how this works. I do not own the original story, characters, etc. I do own a lot of other things though…

Setting: Yet again, America

Chapter 4: White Bringer Stolen

Huyen pulled Mindy with her as she rolled to the right. They were around a corner now, out of sight of the monstrous man and the psycho child. The combat the ensued afterward could be heard even from where they hid, the slaps of skin on skin, grunts of pain, and groans of small victories. Huyen looked over Mindy for any wounds. Mindy's neck bore a mark from the man's harsh grip but other than that she was perfectly fine.

"Mindy, we need to get out of here. This isn't safe. Did that man tell you what he wanted?" She questioned. She peeked around the corner. Vesta was still there going in a head on battle against the man. She was holding up relatively well, and served as the distraction she would need to get them both out of here. The boy, however, had yet to move. He still stood in the doorway, watching the fight in an almost uninterested fashion.

"No, he didn't say. I was almost over here, my mom wanted me to check on you, when he just grabbed me around the neck and demanded that I move and be quiet. Huyen, what's going on?" Her panicked voice asked. Huyen shook her head, working out a hasty plan in her head.

Butler dodged the small knife, parrying it with a thrust and then reversing his blade and catching the girl on her arm. The wound wasn't deep, but it did cause her to pull back as her lifeblood came pouring from it.

The girl wasn't very large, and had great reflexes. She had been taught some older fashion of a blade style he had never seen. It was like fighting a wild, unpredictable animal. Though it did not unnerve him, the thought of a wild animal brought the Mercenaries words of Artemis to mind. When that boy losses all of his sanity, I'll be here to end it. Would it really happen?

She rebounded quickly, thrusting in, ducking low and jamming her blade towards his stomach. He grabbed her wrist, twisting to the side. Before he could torque it all the way, the sprit kicked him in the knee, causing him to release his grip. She recovered quickly, switching the blade to the other hand, and dodged in at him again.

Artemis watched in slight amusement as the girl took on Butler. He damaged her, and then tried to disarm her, but she managed to relent his grip and start another wave of attacks. It appeared this battle would take a bit of time, but he was confident in his manservant.

He pulled himself from the fight to look for the White Bringer. Last he saw, she had vanished with her friend around a corner, rolling them both to safety. It made no never mind to him, because he knew he would get what he wanted. His vision had proved that much.

With a smug and happy smile, Artemis turned back to the fight, watching and waiting for it to end. He knew his future would be good. He was going to be the ruler of the world. What more could a young healthy man want?

The blood running down her arm prevented Vesta from using that limb. It would only slick up the knife, undoing her grip and pilling the fight more against her than it already was.

As she jumped at him again, the man somehow switched to the same tactics as herself, ducking low, crouching down, and dodging in at unexpected times. It didn't thrown her off much, but it did throw her enough to give him the advantage. The hilt of his knife pounded into her temple. As she crumpled downward, a rapid chain of blows followed. Each hit seemed to numb another part of her body, immobilizing it completely.

Her body thumped to the floor, sprawling out before him. It would have been a simple job for the man to kill her, but it seemed he had no need. Before she passed out, Vesta called on a desperate strand of magic, one that could only be used by talented fire sprits. It was a Phoenix Consign.

Vesta's body burst into flames. The coolness of them soothed her wounds. Though the human was shocked, he could do nothing as her body burned and vanished. In an hours time, Vesta would reappear in the safety of someone's arms. As to whom it was, even she could not say.

"I don't know, but we are about to get out of here. See that boy at the door?" Mindy nodded. "We're going to shove past him and make a break for your place. We'll call the police and barricade ourselves in your apartment. On my count, ok? One, two…Three!" She grasped Mindy's hand and rushed the boy. He barely glanced at her before she shoved him out of her way. The young man fell onto the rail outside her apartment, groaning as his back slammed into it.

"Run Mindy!" Huyen urged with a shove.

"But, what are you going to do?" The girl asked, halting at the top of the stairs.

"I'm going to help this so called 'sprit'," she responded. "Now, go home and call the cops. Just do it, Mindy!" The other girl gave up trying to argue, knowing it to be useless against her iron will, and flew down the stairwell.

Huyen, turning back to the chaotic scene in her home, didn't expect what came all so suddenly toward her. It was the large man, who had somehow incapacitated Vesta. He latched onto her, injecting her arm with something or other that immediately started to haze her head.

"You didn't have to use that, you know. I would have come willingly," she said thickly. He simply grunted in acknowledgment. The man held her as her seemingly solid legs turned to liquid beneath her. Then the boy, who had finally regained his composure from the rough shove, joined in.

"White Bringer, I am ecstatic that you could join us. I am Artemis Fowl II, and this is my companion, Butler. You may know something or nothing about us, but I insure you that by the end of this you'll know all you need. In the mean time, I do hope you can enjoy my hospitality and when you awake, we shall be boarded on my personal jet on a trip to my home."

"Home?"

"Ireland, to Fowl Manor. Your younger sister awaits there, and soon the middle child shall too."

Huyen laughed. "This is ridiculous. I haven't got any siblings. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

"Don't worry, they aren't directly related. At least, they aren't in this timeline. You were, however, related in a past life, in fact you have been in several, and this relates you in your future lives. I assure you, dear girl, I know who I have before me when I take someone captive. Butler, if you will?"

The large man leaned down and picked up her knees. With his other arm supporting her back, Huyen could do nothing to escape. That was, at the moment, a thought she was not considering. She was more occupied with staying conscious and working out their villainous plans.

And what the hell is a White Bringer? she questioned as an odd black consumed her mind.

A bright light shone before her eyes. Huyen was in some room that was utterly white. But she wasn't alone. Another female was here. It was a girl around her own age, maybe a bit younger. She had long brown hair, though blond poked through here and there. Appearances would have it that she was gothic, or attempting to be, but not all things are what they appear as.

"Hello? Who are you?" The girl questioned. Huyen was slightly startled, but decided she could play this out.

"My name is Huyen Dur. I'm just some kid who was kidnapped before being sedated. Who are you?"

"Deidra Nevin. I'm in much the same of a case. Do you know much about this whole Sisters thing?"

"Um, no, I can't say I do. I only met my Guardian a while ago. Her name was Vesta. Do you know her?"

Deidra shook her head. "Never heard of her. How 'bout you, ever heard of Anya?" Huyen shook her head as well. "Alright, well, who do they say you are? I'm suppose to be the Silent Reaper." She sounded so skeptical.

"Oh, they called me the White Bringer," she replied casually.

"'White Bringer?' Bringer of what exactly?"

"How should I know? I was just kidnapped by an insane boy and this huge-"

"Gorilla, right? I met him too. Gave me a nice smack or two that one did." She turned her head, showing of a small bruise from the punch he had landed.

"So, what do you think happens to us now? I mean, we've both been kidnapped, and- hey, wait a second, are you unconscious too?"

" Yes, I think I'm sedated again. Yeah, I keep having these odd dreams whenever I go to sleep now. I keep meeting weird people. There's this one guy called the Mercenary- he gives me the shivers."

"Alright," Huyen concluded. "so, we're both out cold. I guess this is a mental plane or something like that. We can talk here and communicate, however useful that is. I want to kill that kid so badly right now!" She exclaimed. Deidra suddenly downcast her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? You ok?"

"I-I killed people. I didn't want to, understand that much, but he made me. It was this stupid necklace, and my- my magic. I know that sounds lame, but-"

"No, it doesn't. I know what you mean. What do you suffer from?"

"Well, I just said I killed some people. Hint to you, wink, wink. That's my power. Death."

"Oh. I mess with people's minds. I can make them think anything, and block out thoughts. I can demolish their minds or restore them-"

"You have magic too? Did they tell you what item you wield?" She interrupted.

"Item? Say what?"

"Item, you know, the one we sisters have. I hold the Amulet of Quietus. They said that means death, so it really fits me. Any idea what you have?"

"Nope, not a clue. But I don't want to know either. I just want to wake up thinking this was all just a bad dream. My friend Mindy was suppose to call the police, but if I've been kidnapped it won't matter. I won't be there when they show up."

Deidra didn't have a chance to respond before a sudden gust of wind brought an unexpected visitor. She was a young girl, yet again around their age, with shining blond hair. The girl wore jeans and a tank top, nothing flashy, no jewelry or anything. Another small detail they both noticed was that she didn't seem nearly as freaked out by this meeting as they did.

"Hello there. Are you two part of my dream?" Her soft voice carried over to them.

"Um, sure, why not? Who are you?" Deidra demanded.

"I'm Amara Callaghan. But you might just call me the Betraying Angel. I guess you're my sisters, Silent Reaper and White Bringer. Which is which?"

"Reaper," Deidra stated.

"Bringer."

"Ah, I see. How long have you two know about us?"

"About five minutes," Huyen said.

"Around five days, I think. Depends on how long I've been out," Deidra added in. "How long have you know, Amara was it?"

"Yes, that's right. I've know for quite some time. Since my Guardian first tried to kill me."

"What!" Both girls exclaimed.

"Oh, it's just her job. I don't hold it against her. Adamina, that's my Guardian, was raised as an assassin. She was told to kill me, and that's what she is suppose to do."

Deidra and Huyen shared a look of disbelief, Huyen wording their thoughts.

"Are you insane? The woman wants to kill you, and all you can say is 'Ok'?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, it's her job. Anyway, I was just here to say hello to you, and to make sure you two were ok. Now that I have seen to that I must return to my own mental awareness. My Guardian is bound to be about somewhere. Don't want her killing me or anything. See you two soon." She cried happily and then faded from view.

"How weird," Deidra voiced.

"Talk about it."

"I hope we get out of here soon."

"I don't. Personally, I don't want to know what Artemis has planned. He said I'd see him on the plane, but I don't really want- oh, no, I think I'm waking up!" Huyen tried to hold on, but it was useless. Her body was being pulled from the unconscious realm.

"Um, bye! I'll see you again sometime, Huyen. I hope," Deidra called softly. "I hate being alone."

"But you're not alone, Silent Reaper," A cold voice whispered through the light.

Author's Note

I'm sorry guys. I don't mean to slack like I do, but I'm in a three week depression (so far) and I don't write much but pessimistic poetry when I'm upset. I don't know what's causing this, but I hope it stops or goes away.

Anyway, another cliff, like always. No reviews, except Heather. As usual. Oh, my story on Fiction Press, A War of Four is totally spiff! Try it out. I'm only partially done, but it's not so bad.

Right, well, see you guys around.

Finelley