Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Artemis Fowl. Those go to Eoin Colfer.

For the sister thing, you'll have to wait for chapter 7. Sorry! Now I get to grin with a look of pure malice on my face.

Chapter 6: Ears Say All

Fowl Manor, Ireland

"Look out!" Mulch screamed. His face was pale as he stared at the strange cylindrical object whirring on the floor of the study.

"No, no it's a communication probe," Foaly explained. He still approached it with some caution, then flipped a switch on the contraption. A screen on the bottom part lit up, and Foaly set it on one of the tables in the room. For a moment, Artemis was confused. There was an ear on the screen.

"Hello, dear Foaly. You really should stop wearing those tin foil hats covered in a tracking lacquer. You are probably wondering why you are looking at an ear. My ear to be precise. I am showing you so that you will not accuse the wrong pixie. See how lovely it is? See how pointed it is? Good. It doesn't belong to some Mud Girl. However, while we're on that topic, look what I've got."

The camera was moved down, showing the group a quick glance at a silk covered arm. It zoomed in on two hooded people in a cage. One was fairy sized, the other was bigger. Human size.

"We have a few friends here. However, they really don't like their new home. So, I have an idea. You get all the fairies, elf or dwarf, and Mud Men that brought about the downfall of Miss Koboi. As you can tell, I am not her. I am doing this alone. Bring them to me, and these ones go free."

The pixie zoomed in even closer on the hooded figures.

"Remove the hoods!" she ordered. The first hood was pulled off, and Holly heard Artemis gasp. It was the Mud Girl, Alexis. The second mask came off, and it was Major Trouble Kelp. Foaly snorted angrily behind her. The girl was asleep, but Trouble was struggling against his bonds.

The camera went back to the ear. "Now, neither of these two has magic, so I recommend you find those so called heroes and get here soon, or these two will have to suffer in your stead. If you're as smart as you say you are, you'll be able to find me. If you're not, then it will just be more painful for me to kill these two."

The ear laughed for a few moments. The pixie composed herself, brushing some hair behind her ear.

"Seventy-two hours Foaly. After the trial, I have my fun and revenge," the pixie laughed again, and the picture winked out.

"This could be a problem," Foaly said.

"Well, we're all here," Mulch said. "At least part of the task is already done."

"That was the easy part, Mulch," Butler said quietly. He was gazing with concerned eyes at his young master. Artemis was quiet, and for once even he couldn't read the mature face. "Are you alright Artemis?"

The boy looked up with a start. "Yes, I'm fine, just thinking."

"Foaly, any ideas?" Holly asked. She was fiddling with the communications probe, trying to replay the message. "She must've left clues here."

"Foaly," Artemis started slowly, "how many buildings in Haven have well known ceilings?"

"Ceilings? Plenty, I'm sure," Foaly said. "Why?"

"That pixie turned the camera downward, towards the floor when she moved it. She could have simply turned it forward by turning her wrist. At first I assumed that it was to hide her face, which would have been shown when she moved the camera. What if she did it to hide the ceiling?"

"That's right," Foaly said, nodding as he understood Artemis' point. "There are quite a few buildings with well know murals and other paintings."

"Oh yeah, like the Aquarium has the whales painted on it," Holly added.

"Here," Artemis said, grabbing a sheet of paper and handing it to Foaly. "Write down all the possibilities. We'll narrow it down from there."

Mulch watched as everyone crowded around the pad of paper. Was he the only one to notice the pixie's arm?

"Uh, guys," Mulch said. "You saw what she was wearing right? It was silk."

"Yeah, but I'm sure tons of fairies have access to silk," Butler said.

"Well, there was writing on the sleeve, like a badge," Mulch pointed to the device. "Can't you rewind it? If this pixie is part of an organization, then it'll be easier to track her down."

Everyone looked to Mulch in silence. How had he seen what they all missed?

Mulch shifted nervously under everyone's gaze. "I was part of a dwarf club once. I was a younger fairy then, I'll tell you. My mom thought that I should explore my options. I was in a dwarf ballet class."

Foaly and Holly simply burst out laughing. Butler turned his face away, imagining the dwarf dancing about in a tutu. Artemis remained silent, prompting for Mulch to finish.

With a red face, Mulch coughed to get attention.

"Sorry," Foaly whinnied. "You don't seem to have carried that grace with you."

"Yes he did," Holly countered. "How else could he have been such a great thief? He'd distract his victims by dancing in front of them! I would be distracted if I saw Mulch dancing."

Both Foaly and Holly entered a new fit of giggles.

"Anyway," Mulch continued loudly. "There was a required uniform. Each had our name on it, along with the dance company."

"Okay, we see your point Mulch. Sorry," Holly muttered. "Foaly, Artemis, can you two figure out that thing?"

"Sure," Artemis said. Before he could even get close the machine started to buzz again, and it started on fire. Butler calmly grabbed a hidden fire extinguisher, and set the small blaze out.

"Well, there goes that idea," Mulch said brightly. Holly glared at him.

"What type of club has a well known ceiling and silk embroidered shirts?" she asked.

"I think I know one," Foaly said. "But in case I'm wrong, we should get underground pronto. That way, we'll have more time to search. And we have a trial to testify at anyway. Opal can't do anything in jail. Yet."

I promise that 7 will be longer!