Artemis Fowl: Blue Eyes
"Ficlett the fowl.. before the Fowl... ficlettes you."--- the all-mighty Shan-chan (on Don't ask; I don't know what it means either. But it sounded pretty cool. :)
Chapter 7- Something Magic Stirs in South Asia
India.
Religous holy grounds for all species. Who could've guessed it was seething with natural power too?
Ice did, of course- the devil...
When Holly first arrived, the sheer magical force of the place hit her like an anvil. It was torterous to still have all the qualities of a fiary and to not technically be a fairy. Yes, she was still a human. No, she didn't know why. It was four hours past the time she was supposed to be shorter and have pointy ears, and it was starting to become bothersome, and slightly worrysome. But this place was definately magical, and why the LEP never wanted to check it out was something she'd have to discuss with her commander.
Holly was currently contemplating a way to escape the evil leash the blue-haired fairy had on her. She'd crossed off every way she could think of: running, hiding, pretending to be a native, holding Mulch hostage, even a voiced threat that she would commit suicide- nothing worked. He always knew what she was planning and he always knew how to counter it. Possibly, Mulch was her problem- overhearing her mumblings then prancing back to tell his all-mighty master. It made her sick.
Not only was Ice a mean super-villan wannabe, but he was also very uncreative. "Why should I waste my brain power, when you've already done that for me?" he'd said. "Good job, my peach. I'm impressed."
Oh, how she could just blast him with a Neutrino until he was nothing but a repulsive lump of intestines!
Ice was also now in the physical form of a human. He'd flirted with Holly the whole time since they arrived and had personally seen to it that she was publically embarrassed. How in the world he figured out how to become human in such a short amout of time, she didn't know; unless it had something to do with that big head of his having something in it besides hot air. What a stupid idea! Holly thought miserably, Why didn't I just listen to Root for once? Stupid fairy!
She didn't know if she meant Ice or herself. Trying to become human was definately a dumb idea. She'd have to put it on her Don't-ever-do-that-again list.
"Hey, Ice-" She said, looking at a beautiful Indian dress made of silk. Ice turned around. "Why did you take me here?" Holly had her suspicions, but needed them confirmed by the mastermind.
"I can't tell you because it's a surprise, my love," he grinned evily.
That cocky little piece of Goblin's ass... The nerve! "Well, tell me anyway," Holly said slowly through gritted teeth. She refrained from knocking the stuffing out of him. "I don't like surprises."
"You'll like this one, my little princess," Ice replied. He flipped out a coin and bought the dress Holly was looking at. "Believe me, it will blow you off your pretty little feet."
Artemis Fowl was infuriated... at himself. With every ounce of on-track minded criminal genius he had, he couldn't even think up a simple plan to get Holly back. Or stop Ice, for that matter. He wasn't stupid, but he was sure acting it. It was like the feel of Holly's hands hadn't worn off yet... The fuzzy feeling was clogging up the good half of his brain. He'd have to do something about that.
Where did Ice go? Why did he take Holly?
And more importantly, why did Artemis even care?
He shook his shaggy, dark hair in frustration. Think...think! Time passed by slowly as he sat in the luxurious guest room alone, contemplating things normal people didn't have the caliber to even try to understand. How to find a fairy-human without knowing where in the world (literally) she was...
He looked up quickly, his chain of through broken, as the large window beside him shattered into lots of tiny pieces and a three-foot, purple faced commander rolled over to Artemis' feet. The boy blinked, then set to quickly adjusting his partially-formed plan.
"Commander Root," he laughed, "so you've decided to come barging into my residence without my permission? The last time we spoke, you were tampering with my memory; shame. on. you." Artemis waved his finger, but Root wasn't in the mood for petty jokes. His expression darkened.
"Fowl..." he said slowly, blocking out the weak, sick feeling of having entered Artemis' house, "I don't have a clue why I'm telling you this, but Foaly says you could be a crucial asset. I think you're much more of a danger to our world than a cool new spy, but I'll give it a go. Once."
"So, Foaly's here too? How ever ddi you find time out of your busy schedule to come and see moi?" So there was a little humor in Artemis after all. His head felt light, save for the slight planning he'd done moments ago.
"Cut the crap, Fowl, and listen to me. A highly dangerous fairy with an IQ to rival yours has taken a hostage- my Captain- to India. We don't yet know what he wants, but this is fairy business-"
Artemis, mumbled, "Isn't it always?", but Root ignored him and went on, "-so you need to stay out of the way as MUCH as possible; do I make myself clear?"
The boy-genius rolled his eyes and mock-saluted. "Yes, sir!" His tone was very bored.
Artemis mumbled quietly on this new information- "I know about Ice and Holly... and now I know where he went..."
"Did you say something?"
"No."
"Good. I've already sent agent Trouble and his team after Ice, but I'm very low on magic and I need a way to get there. You have a plane." Root said it as a matter of fact instead of a request for a flying machine.
"Yes, I suppose I do," Artemis looked out the window. He wasn't really paying much attention to Commander Root. He was busy with his own personal plannings. so he knew where Holly was (to a certain degree) and he had a way to get there, but how, exactly, to get her would be another matter. He was also worrying himself over the fact that he'd been very out of character lately, and it had something to do with his bizzare interest in Holly. He felt normal by now, since it'd been an hour since she was kidnapped and she was miles and miles away. He could make snide comments at Root all day long and not even lift a brow- but whenever Holly was around, his words faded away...
The only way to solve his problem seemed to be to talk to Holly herself.
"Well? Are you gonna get going or are you gonna just stare at the clouds all day!"
"Don't pop a blood vein, Root, I'm thinking. And you know what happens after I've thought for a while."
"Heh, yeah. Trouble with a capital 'T'."
Artemis looked down at the floor and mumbled for a moment. (That makes another bad habit to break..) "Trouble... He is one of your fairy officers, correct?"
"Yes, I told you that."
"And he is already in India?"
"Yeah, but I don't see where you're-"
"Can you contact him?"
"Of course I can! But I still don't-"
"Tell him to stay right where he is. I don't want the fun to start without us there. It seems I'm going to have to deal with Ice his way for a while."
Confusion, or misunderstand, or maybe just plain idiocy- all three together couldn't describe the look on Root's face.
"Yes," Artemis continued, standing to exit the room, "I'll play your little game, until the time is right to bend the rules a bit. Come, Julius. I've got to round up Butler. We're taking a trip to India by my latest new toy- the rocket-jet 9000, specially designed by yours truly."
The commander sighed and followed Artemis out of the room.
Surprisingly, Butler had already found Foaly and gotten him out of the huge trench. The centaur was explaining to the bodyguard his extrodinary plan to get them out. "So I kicked Julius as hard as I could, and sent him flying into Fowl manor, where he could plead for help from either you..or Artemis..." his voice trailed off as Root shot him a death glare and stood up straight, tapping his foot in annoyance.
"Some help you are, ya mule! Beg for Fowl's help... I'll be toasted by a Goblin first!" Foaly laughed quietly, but Artemis spoke up unexpectedly,
"I'll remember that."
Everything turned quiet for a long moment, though the expressions from Artemis' comment differed quite bluntly: Butler was smiling fondly, Foaly's mouth was open in a suspended 'Huh?', and Root's face was now a deep plum color. After a few more moments of silence, Artemis said, "Come now, we've got other serious business to attend to besides stupid jokes. Foaly- can you fly a jet?"
The centaur snorted. "Can I fly a jet... Can a monkey eat a banana?"
"Excellent, because I need to speak with Butler on the way there. This trip won't take over ten minutes. Butler?"
The bodyguard looked up. "Yes?"
"I have a very important job for you, and it needs to be done quickly and efficiently. First- I must know if you'll accept this duty. If you cannot perform at that standard, it is perfectly all right."
He looked slightly confused that Artemis had asked him, instead of told him to do something like he would normally, but he answered without flinching, "It is my duty, Artemis."
"Fine. Let us board, then."
Artemis and his group were immediately well on their way to India. He'd constructed the jet very well- the interior was as comfortable as a hotel room suite, while in reality the land outside was flying by at a speed that neared how fast sound traveled. Beckoning for Butler to follow him to the back, Artemis took a seat. They were both out of earshot of Root and Foaly, so Artemis continued quickly. He didn't have long to explain this. "Butler, it has clearly been stated that I have been decieved. Ice- the 'salesman' with blue hair- was only using me to get to Hollya, who you will now remember as Holly. It also seems that, though I really hate to admit it- he is indeed an opponent with smarts to challenge my own. I'm deeply disappointed in his accomplice- Mulch- who has very stupidly taken up with the wrong side. We used to be friends. Are you following all this?" Butler seemed to be realizing something; Artemis knew what it was, too. Memory restoration- how it soothed his soul.
Butler looked up at Artemis and said, "This is all very useful information, Artemis, but what does it have to do with the thing you want me to tackle?"
Abruptly, Artemis started laughing, as if Butler had made some sort of a joke. "Hehe...tackle...Mmm..." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "That would be and efficient way to do it. Butler- I need you to kidnap Mulch Diggums from Ice. We're going to propose a trade off."
Butler pondered on this for a long time. He wondered why Artemis would have such a simple task. His usual plans were all deep and complex, yet all he wnated was a person. Or fairy, or dwarf, or whatever Mulch was. It didn't matter. He was supposed to kidnap the thing, and that was that.
Artemis smiled at Butler's deep-in-thought look. He stood and stated in an acute tone, "I have my reasons."
Ice was leading Holly, now clad in her radiant, orange Indian dress, down a long-since abandoned hallway. They were in a Palace. She'd tried to mark things and places in her mind (a potted plant here, a cracked pillar there) but eventually she became so lost that she didn't think she'd ever make it out again. Her only option was to follow Ice and hope that he didn't leave her there. What's worse, Holly coule feel her magic slowly slipping away, like sand through her fingers. When was the lsat time she'd perfomed the ritual? She couldn't remember. Why was that ALWAYS her biggest problem at the time!
Ice looked back at his new traveling companion and smiled. She was so beautiful... and so fragile; so easily broken. He wanted to break he, and he would, just you wait. He winked at Mulch, which was his signal to the Dwarf that it was "almost time." Holly would assume he'd winked at her, while in reality it was a signal that she really should've recognized. When the blue haired fairy rounded a corner, suddenly, everything was black; all the lights had gone out. Ice couldn't resist a snicker as he moved slowly toward Holly.
Holly's breath caught in her throat. Well, this was unexpected... She felt around for the wall, but a pair of gentle hands lighted on her waist, stopping her movement completely. She knew their owner. She felt his body leaning further against her, his chin on her shoulder. she tried to pull away when those soft cands skated their way up her bosom, but he held her tight. Maybe she wasn't trying hard enough... She would deny it, but part of her didn't want to move.
She couldn't move an inch if she had tried. She was helpless, deep in a palace with no source of salvation, as Ice laughed in her ear- a delicious and bone-chilling, sweet cackle.
Holly wouldn't allow that for long, though. She'd think of something to get out of there. She had to, otherwise be raped by a psycho and live the rest of her thousand plus years wanting to die. If no one came for her, she'd just have to get out of Ice's grip by herself.
a/n—ok, yes, I have finally updated (Tch, after about half a year... sorry guys.) I made a promise I meant to keep. I may finish this pretty soon, though... I've got this other thing I'm working that will NOT be humor and WILL be rated M for all the juicy bad things I can put in it. -laughs like evil villianess because she can- Sadly, my muse for the fowl ficlett is lost somewhere. Again. I think I saw it floating behind a cloud just now, but I'll have to get back to you on that.
I'm posting this chapter anyway, since I got even MORE reviews, that I never, ever in a bagazillion years thought I'd get. Thanks to CSIfreak92, beeble, spastic chicken, HollyShortgirl, Black Aliss, and especially Scarab, DarkFlames3185 andMirany for reviewing chapter six. You guys know you rock, right? Yeah, that's what I thought. -nods- S, DF3185 andM, youguys gave the fowl ficlett new life. You reviewed FIVE WHOLE MONTHS after the chapter was posted and brought back my inspiration and dedication to this, and for that, I thankies thee. (Though I silently wonder whyS and M areboth anon. and decided to review on the same day... freaky...) Thank you thank you thank you!
Now I must get back to work on chapter eight, so good luck with finding good fics. I hope one day mine can be as good as those that get three hundred reviews, and again, I'm pleased you all like this. It's been a heck of a lot of fun to write! ---Shaku
