Chapter 6
...Let No Man Put Asunder
"Have you been told that you resemble Fowl an awful lot?" an unpleasant voice spoke up behind Patrick.
The boy, who had been absentmindedly gazing at Juliet who happened to be dancing with a bulky man (presumably an admirer of hers from the Limerick Wrestling Club), now turned around to face the same chubby man who had made nasty comments about his father at the wedding table.
"Mr… Malcolm?" he asked politely.
"Davenport, Malcolm Davenport." The man drew himself up in a pompous way. Patrick was forced to think of one Dudley Dursley.
"Whatever." The boy shrugged. "So, what were you asking, sir?"
"I merely said you looked suspiciously lot like Fowl." Malcolm sneered at him.
"Which Fowl?" Young Short raised a red eyebrow at the man. "Artemis the First, Artemis the Second or Holly Fowl? Because if the latter, then it's no wonder I resemble her. I'm her nephew, after all."
"I was talking about that self-importa… I mean, the groom. Artemis the Second. You resemble him, boy."
"I doubt that. The only thing I have in common with him is that I absolutely detest having to talk to idiots who think they are clever… sir." Patrick gave Malcolm a meaningful glance. He would have preferred adding a vampire smile, but he fought down the urge – vampire smiles would only make him resemble his father even more.
"Ah, the groom's back!" Someone behind him said aloud.
Patrick turned to see his father descend the stairs. The groom was very noticeably alone.
Young Short used the opportunity to get away from Artemis's one-time classmate and sidled to the stairs. "Where's Mu… my aunt?" he asked quickly.
"Yes, where's the charming bride?" Signor Cavalieri enquired. Several other guests gathered around him to hear the groom's words.
"She isn't feeling up to returning to us," Artemis replied. Patrick couldn't help noticing that his father's voice was trembling and that he was unusually pale.
"But… it's not serious, is it?"
"No." Artemis shook his head with a forced smile. "She's just too dizzy and tired. She asks everyone to forgive her for not coming down, and she wishes everyone a nice time for the rest of the evening."
The guests scattered from the stairway with indulgent smiles, and Artemis made a beeline for the nearest sofa and collapsed on it as though suddenly all his strength had left him.
"Lucky that you've come, because things were getting dangerous," Patrick told him as he sat down next to him.
"What?" Artemis shuddered and looked at the boy. "Sorry, I haven't paid attention."
"Thing were getting dangerous. That Malcolm or whoever told me I looked like you."
"Oh. And what did you tell him?"
"I gave him evasive answers. Why, what should I have told him?"
Artemis was staring at the floor with his chin resting in his palms.
"So?"
"So what?" He looked up, his face confused. "What were you saying?"
"I asked you what I should have told him. That Malcolm person," Patrick replied.
"Oh, him. Nothing. You shouldn't have told him anything. He's been asking stupid questions all his life. Like… how much is two and two…" Artemis gave his son a sour glance. "Don't even listen to him. And now, go, talk with Root or someone else, it's not good if people see us together all the time. They might get even more suspicious about our blood-relation."
"Ah, yeah, you're right." Patrick nodded and stood up. However, he had barely taken two steps towards his uncle when he felt forced to look back. Artemis was again staring at the floor, his eyes unfocused.
The boy returned to the sofa and took a place next to the groom again. Artemis didn't even notice.
"Hey…"
"Huh?" His father glanced at him. "You still here?"
"No. Yes. Well, I left but I returned. And you haven't even noticed it. What's wrong, D… Artemis?"
"Why do you think anything's wrong?"
"You're behaving like a madman, Artemis. I'm not saying this to hurt you, you know I respect you, but… I see something's seriously amiss with you. Or… not with you but with… Mum?" He gulped. "You weren't telling the truth about her, were you? She's not feeling all right, is she? Tell me if she's very sick, I might be able to help her…"
"She isn't sick," Artemis enunciated. "Or… she might be. Or the baby. Chloroform can cause miscarriage…"
"What are you talking about?" Patrick whispered, his eyes wide.
"Come with me to someplace where others can't overhear us." Artemis stood up and hurried into the crowd with deliberate steps. The boy had to start running if he didn't want to let his father out of sight.
Minutes later they were out of the crowd, Artemis turned into a narrow corridor and headed for a tapestry that depicted a knight in shining armour. Probably Lord Hugo de Fole, Patrick thought for a second, then let out a gasp as his father lifted the tapestry and opened a hidden door behind it.
Without a word, Patrick followed him into the room. The tapestry fell back into place, and Artemis carefully closed the door behind the boy.
"What - is – this - about, Dad?" Patrick asked sharply.
The young husband turned to his son with an ashen face. "Your mother's been kidnapped."
A quarter of an hour later Patrick returned to the entrance hall, paler than ever. Had anyone had a better look at him, they would have easily recognised the haunted expression in his eyes, but no one paid him any attention.
A few minutes after Patrick, Artemis too rejoined the guests, his expression barely different from that of his son, but – probably due to several years' experience – he managed to force at least a faint version of the trademark Fowl vampire smile onto his face. Acting the perfect host, he mingled with the guests, giving each a few polite words, while Patrick withdrew into a corner and tried to be as unnoticeable as possible.
Hours passed like this, and slowly the crowd started to dwindle.
Four o'clock in the morning found the members of the Fowl and Butler family in the empty entrance hall, examining the 'ruins'. The tables by the walls were packed with dirty plates and cutlery, shards of broken glass littered the marble floor (some clumsy guest must have dropped them), and even a pair of garlands had been torn from the ceiling, now hanging like limp snakes over the baroque railings.
"Well, it's over," Artemis the First spoke up.
"Yes, it is." The groom nodded sombrely.
"What's this dark expression, Artemis?" Butler put a hand on his one-time charge's shoulder. "Surely Holly isn't feeling too sick to skip the wedding night?"
Artemis glanced up on his old friend to see the manservant's eyes glinting in a mischievous way. "The problem is, Butler, that I don't know at all how she's feeling."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go and ask her!" His father gave him a grin. "I bet your charming bride's been missing you all evening, it's not nice to make her wait so long…"
"For the time being, Father, I have no bride, and there will be no wedding night," the groom replied.
"What?" Juliet gasped. "What are you talking about, Arty?"
Artemis drew himself up and forced his features to remain calm. "She's been kidnapped."
"What?" A raspy voice shouted from under one of the tables. The white tablecloth was lifted and the grumpy face of Mulch Diggums appeared. "Kidnapped? Have you been drinking too much, kid?"
"Apparently you have, Mulch," Artemis pointed out. "But I assume you no longer care about the no-alcohol-for-fairies-in-mud-man-company rule, do you?"
The dwarf waved lazily and stood up. "No one will find out. Julius here won't tell anyone, will you, old chum?"
"First, I'm no chum to you," Root growled, "second, don't call me Julius, third: Fowl, what the d'Arvitting hell do you mean by Holly's been kidnapped?"
"When I went to check on her a few hours ago, I found this." Artemis pulled a crumpled sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the commander.
"Mr Fowl, first of all, let me congratulate…" Root muttered under his breath as his eyes skimmed the paper.
"Louder!" Juliet demanded. Angeline merely nodded, her face as white as a sheet.
Root's voice rose in pitch so that everyone in the room could hear every word. "…for the time being, it all depends on her… best wishes again, uninvited guest."
"I don't understand this. I really don't." The Fowl patriarch shook his head in disbelief. "Why would anyone kidnap Holly? And what touchy subjects do they want to talk to her about?"
Artemis took a deep breath. "I'm not sure, but…"
"…But it's obvious," Patrick interjected.
"Obvious? What?" Butler frowned.
"The kidnapper, whoever they are, must know Mum's a fairy," the boy explained.
"That's what I thought too." His father nodded. "Seriously, I have no idea how they could have found out about it, but they must know… and they must know much more than that. If I were paranoid, I'd say someone has been spying on us somehow. Otherwise they couldn't have known Holly was pregnant. The kidnap seemed to have been organised… planned out. And the guests hadn't known about the baby before this afternoon. But someone has. And this someone must know she's a fairy, and perhaps even the fact that she cannot use magic in her condition, otherwise they wouldn't have tried to kidnap her."
"But… but Arty…" Angeline spoke up in a shaky voice, "isn't it possible that the kidnapper merely wanted to get to you by abducting her? Couldn't you be the real target of their actions?"
Artemis heaved a sigh. "I know you always worry about me, Mother, but for once in a lifetime, worry about Holly. I am not the target. What would anyone want from me, especially through my wife? Not the secret code to my Swiss bank account, that's for sure."
"No need to be sarcastic," his mother said sharply, but tears were brimming her eyes at the same time. "I just can't help being a mother who worries about her only child! That's something you can't blame me for! And if you're right, and she was kidnapped for what she really is, then…"
"Then what, Mother?" The young man gave her a challenging look.
"I always told you that girl was dangerous," she replied coldly.
"Dangerous? Oh, yes, exactly! A dangerous girl who only healed you out of your insanity, Mother! A dangerous girl who saved Father from the Russian mafia at the Arctic! Without her, neither of you would be here! Father would be long dead, and you would be drooling in a padded cell, wearing a straight jacket! She's very dangerous indeed! And oh, the horror! She got kidnapped wearing your most expensive pair of diamond earrings! What if they get lost? That would be a terrible loss, wouldn't it, Mother?"
"That's right, Mud boy, don't hold back," Mulch commented with a grin.
Angeline stared at her son, her face rigid with terror. Was this her clever, impassive, ever so calm Arty?
Artemis was panting, his eyes radiating anger, frustration and… shame.
"Sorry." The young man mumbled, hanging his head. "I don't know what's happening to me. This day should have been the most wonderful day of my life, and here I am, yelling at you again…"
Angeline reached out and gently squeezed his arm. "It's all right, dear. What… what did you mean by saying that Holly saved your father and me?"
"I would like to hear about that too," the older Mr Fowl added.
"Holly never wanted to tell you," Artemis whispered, his eyes focused on the motherly hand that was still grabbing his arm. "There were a few things we deliberately left out of our story when we recounted it to you. Some things we found were superfluous to mention, some things we thought would scare you. I wouldn't have minded if we told you about Holly's involvement in saving you both, but she insisted it wasn't important." He glanced up from Angeline's hand to meet her eyes. "She wanted you to like her for who she is, and not for what she has done for you. She never expected gratitude from anyone."
"Oh, Arty… if I had known…" Angeline's voice faltered and her grip on his arm became even stronger.
"See, that's why she didn't want you to know." With that Artemis gently peeled her hand off him and stumbled to the nearest sofa, dropping himself on it. "But once the toothpaste is out of the tube…"
"What's the toothpaste have to do with anything?" Mulch wondered, only to be silenced by a strict glance from Butler.
"For the time being all we can do is wait," Artemis said, "so I might as well tell you the story, Mother."
Holly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a bow on the wall of a fairly dark room that most definitely wasn't Artemis's. The bow seemed rather peculiar – it didn't look a thing like the ones she and Artemis had received from the Aztecs. This one looked more sophisticated, and much, much older. It should be placed in some museum, she thought.
A museum? A bow? What am I doing here? And where is here?
She sat up on the sofa she had been lying on and looked around. The room itself seemed some sort of a museum, but she knew well that it couldn't be one, as the curators wouldn't have allowed her to rest on an ancient-looking sofa like this. Come to think of it, they wouldn't even have let her touch it, let alone nap on it.
But had it been a nap?
Holly rubbed her forehead, trying to chase the annoying headache out of her head. What the hell happened?
She established that she was still wearing her wedding dress, though it was slightly creased now. Her veil had been removed or had fallen off, though. Well, she was better off without it, that stupid veil had been too long and heavy.
Tentatively Holly stood up and was relieved to feel her legs strong enough to support her weight. She walked to the only window of the room and glanced out. In the dim light of dawn, she saw a rather nondescript garden. Or to be more precise, a rather nondescript park. There were grassy mounds as long as the eye could see. Must be some kind of a manor, she thought, as she couldn't see other houses or even a road nearby. A manor, far from civilisation, probably somewhere in the Irish countryside. All she could establish for sure was that the window was facing East, as the horizon was a lovely mixture of pink and orange. Apparently only a few seconds were left till sunrise.
Quickly realising that she couldn't figure out anything by staring out the window, Holly turned away from it and marched up to the door to open it… but, as she had sort of expected, it was locked.
This could mean only one thing – one thing that she had subconsciously assumed right after waking up, but had tried to deny it for a few minutes: she was a prisoner in a museum-look-alike.
Racking her brains, she tried to remember how she had got here, but the last thing she could recall was that she had been lying on her and Artemis's bed, facing the window when she heard steps and felt some funny scent… The scent must have been chloroform. She had smelled it on a few occasions when Patrick had been experimenting at their Haven home. Those steps she heard, however, couldn't have been that of her husband.
Her husband…
A funny feeling came over her: she was married to Artemis Fowl. True, she had already understood it with her mind, but not with her heart. Not up till now. But here, not even knowing where she was, it finally sank in.
Images flashed across her mind: she, staring at herself in the mirror while Juliet was fixing her gorgeous but extremely annoying veil; Artemis standing at the end of the garden path, wearing a stupid but overly very sweet expression; Artemis saying his vows and she feeling tears welling up in her eyes; Dr. Po raising to toast them; Artemis's father asking her for a dance; Artemis carrying her up the stairs after she's fainted… Then those steps… Those steps echoed through her mind… Clank… clank… Those steps were too loud to belong to Artemis or anyone she knew… It sounded a bit like Lili Frond's stilettos…
A woman? Holly frowned, leaning to the closed door. Could her kidnapper be a female?
Well, even if it was a female, she must have had a very funny taste in decorations. The bow Holly had first spotted wasn't the only ancient-looking object in the room. The sun just appeared on the horizon, providing enough light for Holly to properly make out the furnishing. There was something that seemed like an extremely old shield in the corner, and something that reminded her of some ancient jewellery was hanging from a candle-bracket. A tapestry over the sofa depicted a hunting scene… or battle scene, she wasn't sure which one. Men with funny braids were riding horses and seemed to be shooting arrows… backwards.
Whoever owned this place must have had a fascination for the Middle Ages. Or was it the Middle Ages at all? – Holly wondered. It could as easily have been the end of the antiquity. She couldn't tell, as she had never been interested in Mud Man history enough to learn much about it. Patrick, however, would surely be able to tell her which era these objects came from…
A sigh escaped Holly's lips at this thought. Her little son… she had done everything in her power to save him from his kidnapper, and now here she was, kidnapped, just like he had been. But what for? What could anyone want from her? Or from Artemis?
Well, Artemis was rich… could the kidnapper want ransom? A sarcastic smile appeared on Holly's face. Kidnapped for ransom – again? If that wasn't ironic…
What could Artemis be thinking now? Was he scared? Desperate? Or just simply sad? Well, at least now he too learns what it feels like having some you love kidnapped…
Holy Frond, what am I thinking? – She berated herself. Three months earlier she would have felt some malicious joy knowing that the stuck-up Mud Boy finally got his, but she wasn't supposed to feel the same way now. Yes, Artemis had been a horrible little bugger as a child, but he had changed. For her. He was a good man now. And he was surely beside himself with worry for her and for their baby.
Fear stabbed at Holly's heart like a dagger. The baby. Chloroform. Once Patrick had explained the properties of chloroform to her. It always caused unconsciousness, but sometimes even miscarriages and… and… malformed developing babies…
No! – her mind screamed. - My baby's fine! She's healthy! My magic has defended her, it wouldn't let her be harmed! Do you hear me, sweetie? Be healthy for Mummy, please!
What she would have given at that moment to be able to lay her hands on her abdomen and caress it; but it was impossible, as her enormous hoop skirt gave her no access to her lower regions. With a sigh, she sank onto the sofa. For a few seconds she just stared at the floor with a resigned expression, then a smile spread on her face. She realised that subconsciously, she had called the baby 'her'.
"Would you be disappointed if it were a girl?" she had asked Artemis only a few weeks earlier.
"If she's going to be as pretty and spunky as her mother, then no. Not a bit. Just don't teach her to punch people in the face," he had answered.
At this moment, Holly couldn't even imagine that the baby could be anything but a girl. Artemis is a girl's name… But we still won't call her Artemis, she thought, grinning.
Suddenly, there were noises coming from outside. Steps echoing through a corridor or adjacent room, then the jingling of keys… and the door opened.
By the time Artemis finished recounting the story of Holly healing Angeline and rescuing Artemis Senior, the Fowl parents were rendered speechless. Angeline even had tears in her eyes, and a pleading look that tried to convey the message 'I will never ever say ill of that girl again, I promise, Arty'.
Artemis knew he should feel some kind of satisfaction seeing the shame on his mother's face, but he felt none of it. He felt utter lethargy instead.
"It's really not how I imagined my wedding night," he said once his parents had turned in.
"It's not like Holly and you hadn't been acting as though every night since April had been your wedding night," Juliet commented.
"Now I really needed to hear that." Patrick rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Really, Artemis," Butler spoke up, "how come the kidnapper managed to get into your room? They cannot have known the code…"
"Ah, don't even remind me of that…" The young businessman hid his face in his palms. "I left that bloody door open because Holly wanted a through draught."
"Well, no use crying over spilt milk, is there?" Root said matter-of-factly. "It's time to start the investigation. But with what?" He started tucking at his Gandalf-like beard. "Hmm… Too bad humans don't wear eyeball gems…"
Juliet nodded, remembering how the LEP had found out who had kidnapped Patrick. It seemed to have happened ages ago, even though only three months had passed.
"Well, there is a camera directed at the back door…" Artemis replied thoughtfully.
In the next instant everyone hopped up from the sofa and the surrounding chairs and hurried upstairs into the study.
Holly drew herself up and sat as elegantly on the sofa as possible. Whoever her captor was, she mustn't show any signs of fear or despair. She must look strong and self-confident. The latter was something she had seen enough times from Artemis to be able to copy it.
Even if she knew that her kidnapper must have been a woman, she was expecting her captor – the mastermind behind the kidnapping - to be a possibly large, unsympathetic man, thus she was more than surprised to see a woman enter. The sun shone into the room, filling it with a joyful yellowish hue, giving Holly a detailed view of the newcomer. The woman couldn't have been older than twenty-eight and had enigmatic green eyes and dark brown – almost black – hair that reached to her waistline. She wore high heels that clanked with every step she made.
"I expect you were the one who kidnapped me," Holly addressed the newcomer.
"Brilliant deduction, Miss Short. Oh, sorry, Mrs Fowl." A nasty smile appeared on the otherwise aloof woman's face.
"You know my name, but I don't know yours," Holly replied sharply. "And I'd like to know your reasons for kidnapping me."
"One question at a time," the woman said coldly. "My name is Emese."
"Emese… that's a Hungarian name, isn't it? But Emese What? I take you have a surname?" The fairy raised an eyebrow at the Mud Woman.
"I do, but I'm not stupid enough to disclose it. If everything goes well, then I will have the required information and you are free to leave in a few hours, and you can forget that I ever existed. No need for petty police investigations… and no need for you to know my full name."
"So you want information." Holly crossed her arms. "What sort? I doubt I know anything that could help dubious characters in their business ventures. I can assure you I have no idea about my husband's trade secrets if that's what you…"
The dark-haired woman began laughing. "Oh, no, nooooo… trade secrets? Now honestly… Do I look like someone who wants money?"
"You look greedy enough," Holly replied with a withering glance.
"Greedy, yes, but not for money… for knowledge, little fairy."
All of a sudden, all the blood ran out of Holly's face. "What… what did you call me?"
"Fairy, my dear. After all, that's what you are… aren't you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Holly hissed.
"Oh, I am sure you know what I'm talking about," Emese trilled. "Young Mr Fowl was always said to be a weirdo, and his weirdness manifested itself brilliantly in marrying a female of another species…"
"What do you want from me?"
"Getting down to business already? Are all fairies this impatient?"
"No, but all fairies get nervous very quick, and if they get nervous, they hypnotize humans and control them at their pleasure. Would you like to hop around on one leg, barking like a dog?" Holly gave the woman a satisfied grin.
"Not really," Emese replied. "But I doubt you could hypnotize me in your condition, Mrs Fowl."
Holly's face darkened.
"I happen to know that pregnant fairies can't use magic unless they want to risk their baby's health…" The captor carried on with a smug smile. "Would you like to endanger that little Fowl-fairy?"
"Get – down – to – business," Holly said heavily.
"Okay, okay, no need to be grouchy, dear." Emese waved playfully. "As I said, I need information."
"If you want me to tell you the fairies' secrets, then you're very daft, dear," Holly answered. "I'd rather die than to betray my people."
"Who said I wanted you to betray them? Do I look that evil?" Emese made a pout. "No, Mrs Fowl, I don't care for fairy-secrets, I'm rather interested in Attila's grave."
"Who's grave?" The elf blinked.
"Great Hun king in the fifth century. Don't pretend you don't know…"
"Why do you think I would know? I haven't even heard the bloke's name, let alone know anything about his grave."
The dark-haired woman gave Holly a quizzical look. "Don't you fairies have legends? Don't you spread stories about exciting things that happened to you?"
"Certainly we do, but I still don't understand what legends have to do with this Attila person."
"Well, let's say I believe you... I don't, but let's imagine that I do…" With that Emese stepped to a cabinet and withdrew something that looked like two thin panes of glass with something yellowish between them.
"What's this?"
"A part of a diary, written by Attila's Roman clerk. It says that the slaves who had buried Attila all died when the Huns shot them, but there was a female fairy who had witnessed the funeral and escaped from the arrows. Don't tell me that you guys don't have the fairy-version of the story…"
"We don't," Holly replied. "Even if that particular fairy survived, she kept the secret. Probably took it with herself to the grave, if she's died yet."
"If she's died yet?" Emese's eyes widened. "Is it possible she still lives?"
"Of course. Fairies can live up to two thousand years." A sarcastic smile appeared on Holly's face. "You will long be dead and forgotten when I'm still around, telling stories to my great-great-grandchildren about a stupid woman who kidnapped me from my wedding."
"If you don't die much earlier, dear," came the cold reply. "Because if I don't get what I want, you and poor Artemis will never have a chance to have your wedding night… unless he's one for necrophilia…"
Holly made a grimace at the mental image. "My husband can be a bit perverted sometimes, but not that much," she commented. "So, what do you expect of me? I don't know whether this particular fairy is still alive or not, so there's nothing I can do."
"No, I don't think you can, especially here in captivity." Emese shook her head with a thoughtful expression. "However, other fairies surely can."
"Other fairies?" Holly frowned.
"Yeah. I bet you have loads of friends among the fairies… friends who'd do anything in their power to help you out of here. Fairies who'd go to any length to get me the information and buy your freedom."
"My freedom? Don't make me laugh." Young Mrs Fowl rolled her eyes. "Even if I can't use magic, I could beat you at close-quarters anytime and escape from here."
"Close-quarters? In a hoop skirt? Highly unlikely, dear. You can barely move in it, let alone fight… And even if you managed to knock me unconscious and fled from this room, you wouldn't get out of the building without my guards noticing. They are extremely well-trained. Not even a mouse could enter or leave without them noticing, let alone a bride in a pompous white dress."
"So what are you going to do now, Emmy, dear?" Holly leaned back into the sofa, trying to look as cool and nonchalant as possible.
"Contact your beloved hubby, Holly, dear."
"Looks like a woman to me," Butler said as he, his sister, Artemis, Patrick, Mulch and Root examined the replayed tape. He had just hit the 'pause' button and the screen showed a figure carrying, or rather pulling, Holly's limp body. The kidnapper had some kind of a cloak whose hood covered its head, but its moves seemed feminine enough and in the lower right-hand corner of the screen something like the heel of a stiletto was visible.
"Agreed." Artemis nodded sullenly. Having seen the letter by the 'uninvited guest', he'd immediately guessed that the kidnapper – or at least the letter's writer – must have been female. "I'm just wondering how this woman had got into the house… She might as well have been one of the invited guests who sort of… escaped a bit earlier, but she could as easily have sneaked in without an invitation. After all, not a single guard was looking at the parking place… remind me later to lodge a complaint against their employer. What company was that again?"
"The Dublin Security," Juliet answered. "One of the best, right, Dom?"
"At least they are said to be the best…"
"Whatever. I will gladly help them on the way of going bankrupt," Artemis replied darkly.
"Normally I'm not a man of revenge, but this once I agree with you," Butler said. "Such negligence is unacceptable from security people."
"And? What's the next step?" Mulch enquired.
"The next step is that you leave, Diggums," Root barked at the dwarf.
"No reason to treat me like that, Julius," Mulch said in a would-be-hurt voice. "If I may remind you, I'm no convict anymore. I've been pardoned and I'm free to go wherever I please. And if I please to stay at Fowl Manor for a while, then that's what I will do. If I'm welcomed here, of course." He sent the 'groom' a meaningful glance.
"Of course you're welcome, Mulch," Artemis sighed, running his hand tiredly through his pitch-black locks. "As for your question… the next step? No idea. Patrick?" He turned to the boy whose auburn hair looked flaming red in the light of the rising sun. "Can you, as the resident genius, suggest something?"
The child shook his head. "Not really, Dad. If all we can get from the tape is a hooded figure and half a stiletto, then I'm at my wit's end."
"Then all we can do is wait…" His father sighed. "Again."
"Dad! Dad?"
Artemis awoke to being shaken by someone. "No Mum, I don't want that lollypop…" he muttered, still half-asleep.
"DAD!" Patrick's voice sounded peremptory.
"What?" Artemis yawned, rubbing his eyes. As he looked around, he saw that he was half-sitting, half-lying in an armchair by the study's window. What was he doing here?
Then it hit him: Holly had been kidnapped, they had established that the abductor was a female, and he'd tried to stay awake in case news from Holly arrived, but somehow he still must have fallen asleep. By the look of things it was late in the afternoon that meant he must have slept at least eight-nine hours. Heavens, so many things could happen in eight hours! So many things could have happened to Holly!
His mind screaming curses at himself for dozing off, he sat up properly and glanced at his son, stifling another yawn. "Any news?"
"Yeah." The boy nodded excitedly. "An email. We haven't read it yet, it came for you, after all…"
As though hit by an electric bolt, Artemis jumped up from the armchair and hurried over to the computers. Only one was switched on, the Outlook Express flickering on its screen.
With week knees, Artemis took a place on the chair facing the computer and clicked on the one single email in his Inbox.
With shadows under their eyes, Root, Butler and Juliet watched young Fowl read the message. Mulch didn't watch anyone, as he was snoring under one of the tables.
As Artemis's eyes scanned the mail, a bell buzzed – the one that Angeline used to alert Juliet that she needed the young woman's services.
With a sour expression the Butler girl rose from her chair and left.
Second after second passed, and Domovoi, Root and Patrick started to fidget more and more excitedly.
"So?" the boy said after another few seconds.
Artemis pretended not to have heard him and carried on reading.
A crack came from under the table, signalling that the dwarf had moved.
Root was the next to clear his throat to remind the young man that they were polite enough not to look into his private mail but they were also getting more and more annoyed by the lack of information.
"Ehm… Artemis…?" Butler asked after a while.
Mulch, who had indeed moved and had even woken up, now scampered to the rest of the group.
Finally the new husband let out a sigh. "Finished."
"And?" asked Patrick, Butler and Root in unison.
"You could have read it along with me, you know…" Artemis replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Come." He stood up and let Butler take his place. Root and Patrick peeked over the manservant's broad shoulders while Mulch pulled up a chair and stood on it to be tall enough to see the screen.
Mr Fowl,
As I expected, and I take you expected it too, I have to resort to contacting you, as your wife is unwilling to provide me with the information I need.
Apparently she doesn't even know the answer to my question, but even if she does, she's reluctant to share it. She claims that she has never heard of a fairy who witnessed the Hun King Attila's funeral (oh yes, I know she's a fairy – I must say it's something that surprised her too).
However, young Mrs Fowl says that fairies have long lives, and it is possible that the fairy – a female one – who had been an acquaintance of Attila is still alive. If so, find that fairy. Find out whether she's still alive or not, and if she's alive, get her to tell you where the Hun King was buried. I give you one week, Mr Fowl. Until then Mrs Fowl shall remain unharmed, you have my word for it.
Once you have the required information, just reply to this email.
Have a nice investigation!
Sincerely,
The Kidnapper
For a few seconds everyone just stared at the screen without uttering a single word, then they turned to Artemis.
"They know Holly's a fairy…" Root said grumpily.
Artemis nodded with a dark expression. "I told you they might know," he said. "The question is: how did they find out?"
The commander and Butler turned to the dwarf.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mulch whined. "I haven't told anyone that fairies exist, honest!"
"We don't suspect you." Artemis waved irritably. "Butler, can we trace the email?"
"No." The manservant shook his shaven head. "At least we can't."
Artemis exchanged a glance with Patrick. "Foaly," they breathed.
"You rang, madam?" Juliet asked as she entered the older Fowl couple's room.
Artemis the First was standing by the window, staring out while Angeline was still in bed, looking very pale and on the verge of tears.
"Yes, Juliet." She nodded. "Any news on Holly?"
Juliet opened her mouth to reply 'yes, Arty's just received an email', but she thought better of it. She knew well enough how much Artemis disliked enquiries from his parents, and if he found out that she had spilt things to his parents without his consent, he might get angry.
"No, madam. No news yet. But Artemis will surely tell you if there's something. Would you like something?"
"Just a pain-killer. This terrible head-ache…" Angeline rubbed her forehead. "Worrying doesn't do me any good. But I can't stop worrying… that poor girl… pregnant and kidnapped!"
"Don't worry about Holly, madam. She's a tough girl and can take care of herself. I bet she's beating the crap out of her kidnappers right now…" Juliet winked at the lady of Fowl Manor. Before Angeline could give her a scandalised look, she turned on her heels. "I'll get you your pain-killer, madam."
"What's the news?" Juliet hurried into the study, completely forgetting about the pain-killer she had promised to Angeline.
"Read it for yourself." Artemis shrugged, motioning the woman to sit before the computer.
"Attila… what the heck?" Juliet said as she finished reading. "This tramp must have gone mad!"
"Not necessarily mad… just greedy," Artemis replied, dropping himself into the armchair by the window.
"Why, what's so special about Attila's grave?"
"It is said to have a lot of treasures in it," young Fowl explained. "Attila himself was buried in a triple coffin: bronze outside, silver in the middle and gold inside. Archaeologists have been looking for that grave for centuries, but no luck so far. If someone found it, it would rival the discovery of Tutankamen's grave. And, what did my mother want?"
Juliet shrugged. "Just a pain-killer. She's worried herself dead about Holly. But I didn't tell her that you've just received an email…"
"Good. Don't even tell her. Anything. Nor father. I don't want them involved in this madness."
"Hey, Dad, it's Foaly." Patrick beckoned to Artemis.
The centaur's face appeared on the screen with a forlorn expression. "Got your coded message, Pat. Things sound real bad. What can I do for you?"
"Track the email I forwarded to you," the boy responded.
"No problem…" Foaly's face disappeared from the screen as the centaur galloped over to another computer in the Ops booth. For a while nothing but the tapping of keys could be heard, then finally Foaly reappeared. "That was easy enough. The email was sent from the Dublin airport."
"D'Arvit," Patrick breathed. "That doesn't help a bit."
"No, it doesn't." Artemis sighed. "Apparently our little kidnapper was smart enough not to send the email from their home."
"And what now?" The centaur asked. "Shall we start looking for that female fairy, Julius?"
Root shook his head with a lethargic expression, even forgetting to tell off the technical genius for calling him Julius. "It can't be done. We know nothing, absolutely nothing about that fairy, only that she was alive one thousand and five hundred years ago. There are thousands of fairies old enough to be her. We can't visit each and ask 'hey, did you know one Hun King, old lady?'"
"Why not advertise? L.E.P. seeking a fairy who knew Attila," Juliet suggested.
"Out of the question," Artemis answered before Root could have commented. "People would be curious to know why the L.E.P is after this fairy… the truth about Holly would come out and that would be the end of her life. Her life as a fairy, to be exact. If the People found out that she's left Haven to live with me, she'd become an outcast. Right, Commander?" He turned to Root.
The elderly elf nodded. "The People loathe humans. If they found out that Holly has consorted with one… worse, slept with one… even worse, carried one's child, she'd be regarded as though she were…"
"…contaminated?" Artemis finished the sentence.
"Yes," came the silent reply.
"See, Juliet," said the young husband, "we can't let anyone below ground know why we are looking for that fairy. We can't risk Holly's future."
"Aren't you her future?" The female bodyguard asked.
"For a while… yes. But I must never forget that she will have a much longer future without me," Artemis answered, staring at the armrests of the chair he was sitting in, clearly avoiding everyone's glances. But even like this, the onlookers could see the pain on his features. "The point is, I mustn't be selfish enough to disclose the truth about us to the fairies just to find her and get her back. I can't choose the short-lived happiness. I have to make a long-range decision here, and I will not be risking Holly's reputation as a fairy. We need to find another solution."
"I agree." Patrick nodded. "But what?"
Artemis rose from the armchair. "Come with me, Son." As the others stirred as well, he added: "Patrick only."
Mulch and Root gave him a hurt expression, Butler groaned with frustration and Juliet stuck her tongue out at Artemis.
Patrick followed his father out of the study and after a few minutes of walk he saw where they were heading: the same hidden room Artemis had guided him into the previous evening to make sure that no one of the guests would overhear their conversation. The tapestry depicting Lord Hugo de Fole was lifted by his father and they slipped into the room behind it.
"What is this about?" Patrick questioned as Fowl Junior switched on the lights and walked to a table at the end of the room. Carefully Artemis opened one of the drawers and lifted out something that looked a lot like a semi-finished watch.
"What's this?"
"This, my Son, is a time-machine."