Part III, The Farewell

Chapter Thirty-Seven, The Count of Three

Silyah buried her face in her palms, unable to look at the single truffle left in Artemis's box.

Artemis took the piece of poisoned chocolate between his slim fingers. "Are you sure?" he asked Silver slowly.

The girl from 6 smiled. "It's the Hunger Games," she said.

Artemis nodded, lifting up Silver's head with his free hand. "We'll win… And if it can't be both of us, I will make sure it's her…" he said, not loud enough for Silyah to pick it up. He steadied Silver's head, wondering if he was doing the right thing. "It won't hurt…"

"As if it could hurt more than broken ribs," breathed the girl. "Good luck, Ice Prince," she then added.

Artemis gave her the truffle. For a second, he thought that it might have been too old to have any kind of effect but eventually, he felt Silver's head go limp in his hand, her eyelids gradually closing as her lips formed one last sentence.

"At least death was sweet on me…"

At first, Silyah could not believe what was happening, but the realization came upon her like a twister upon a house; as ravaging as a storm in the middle of winter. She plucked a purple aremèsia from the ground and wrapped Silver's fingers around the stem.

Artemis gently laid Silver's head down in the soft grass. He turned to Silyah, taking the pale-faced girl in his slim arms. "She would have wanted this," he whispered in her ear.

Silyah hugged Artemis even closer. There was so much to take in and so little time. The chases, the running, the allies, the enemies, the lovers, the truffles and the deaths… So, so many deaths… All of this would come to an end in a matter of days.

Artemis let out a ragged breath. "We better get moving… There are only three of us left and I am sure that the Capitol wants their victor…" He helped Silyah get to her feet.

The blue-eyed girl slid her arm around Artemis's back. "You know, you are the one who told me that the plan for today was to stay alive. Promise me we are going to stick to that plan."

They walked away from Silver, letting her get the respect she deserved from her family and friends.

"We will," nodded Artemis.

Silence filled the air for a long moment, well, almost considering that a cannon rang for Silver and that a hovercraft had entered the arena.

"Do we go back to the waterfall?" finally asked Silyah, unable to stand the silence.

"Yes…" For once, Artemis Fowl did not mind having another person this close to him.

"It is now confirmed, two new deaths occurred in the last fifteen minutes. Zinque Chart and Silver Canemon just perished, leaving behind Caskar Tristol, Artemis Fowl and Silyah Natho as our last tributes," announced Claudius Templesmith in his deep, radio-worthy voice.

Beetee was not sure of how to react to the news. In fact, he was thorn between enjoying a glass of champaign with the celebrating stylists, or call whomever had been responsible of making him this year's a mentor to quit. He knew very well how the next events would evolve. Someone from 3 would end up dead and the other one would be devastated or helpless until their own death. Not to mention that the Capitol had made sure to have a close up of Artemis's face when he promised Silver that if one of Beetee's tributes had to win, he would make sure that Silyah would be the one.

So here are the last three tributes, though Beetee. There was a previously delusional killer, a probably still delusional boy who appeared to contemplate suicide and a delusional-to-be mahogany-kicking girl…

"Isn't it wonderful?" Effie smiled brightly at Beetee, her blue lips still disturbing the District 3 mentor. "We have so many supporters! The people of Panem love our tributes and let's face it; Caskar is not exactly what we can call likable."

"Caskar is not likable, not at all, I agree, but he is a Career tribute."

"Beetee, you are such a pessimist." Effie grabbed a glass of champaign from a plate held by an Avox. "Celebrate with us! Our two tributes are still alive!" It was the second time something as such had occurred in Effie's entire career, the first time being with Katniss and Peeta. This time, the escort could not have been more satisfied! She was glad to be a part of the new District 3 team… Not to mention that the word 'fashionistic' was slowly creeping its way in the Panem vocabulary. Delighted, the woman leaned back in her chair and sipped her champaign, completely oblivious to the fact that Caskar had cured his madness.

Caskar was lying on his back, enjoying the confident feeling hovering in his mind. He had heard the cannons and had just seen the faces of those who had died appear in the sky. Now, Artemis and Silyah were the only vermin to get rid of and he would do so just like he had done with the squirrels. The only thing he had been a tad disappointed about had been the fact that he had not killed Silver with his own hands, but truly, he was also relieved about it. He would not have to face any kind of resistance anymore; the next people he would have to kill would be at his mercy!

Caskar made his blade spin between his fingers, admiring the reflection of the full moon in it. Soon enough the silver blade would turn red… The only thing left to do was to find the two other tributes and from how the previous Hunger Games had unfolded, the boy from District 1 knew that it would not take too long before he would.

Surely, the Gamemakers would take care of that…

Silyah leaned on a tree, which was missing a small part of its bark. Of course, that piece had been safely tucked in Silyah's back pocket some time ago and it was now etched with a portrait of Artemis. So much had changed ever since the last time she had sat there.

The anthem of Panem had recently played and the faces of the day's Fallen had filled the sky. Artemis had refused to look up during that moment; he could not bring himself to do so, fearing that Silver's face might join Kalheb and Aquilna's when nighttime would come.

Silyah had not left his side during the rest of the evening. They both knew that they would need each other's support not to fall back into horrible nightmares.

After having helped the girl with building a tent, Artemis had gotten to work; he needed a small project to calm down, both from the death of Silver and from what he knew was to come sooner or later.

In the meantime, Silyah simply kept a half-closed eye on him. She was exhausted beyond belief, both mentally and physically. The part of her that was still alert wondered what Artemis was doing, but she felt too worn-out to ask. In a moment of nostalgia, she remembered the first day of training; how she had almost hit Artemis with her boots when she had tossed them at the other end of the living room. She sighed, smiling.

Artemis let out a breath, his eyes making their way up to the dark sky, which was lit up by a bright and perfectly circular full moon. Artemis closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the waterfall flowing down into the river… When he opened them back, they landed on an old oak tree, not too far from the tent. For a moment, Artemis remained still as a new brainwave went through his mind.

"From the earth thine power flows,
Given through courtesy, so thanks are owed.
Pluck thou the magick seed,
Where full moon, ancient oak and twisted water meet.
And bury it far from where it was found,
So return your gift into the ground"

Artemis's mismatching eyes caught sight of a small object in the tree, an acorn to be precise… Silyah raised an eyebrow as she watched Artemis get up. The boy walked over to the tree, bending down to pick up a fallen acorn.

"Maybe…" he murmured in the dark. A pale smirk painted itself on Artemis's lips as a new spark enlightened the shadowy parts of his fresh plan…

From where she was sitting, Silyah could not clearly see the boy's expression, but by the way he stood, she clearly knew that he had something in mind and that a smirk usually accompanied his stance. "Why the grin?" she asked.

Artemis got closer to her, giving her a mysterious look. "You'll see soon enough."

"All right…" Silyah began to crawl into the tent. "Ready for the night?"

The raven-haired teen nodded, following her.

As tired as she was, Silyah was still feeling too raw to sleep; she simply wanted to rest under the protection of her trusty shelter. The girl thus made herself comfortable and held out the cross necklace and the alliance Silver had given her as a token of the trust she had in District 3's victory. She scratched the dried blood from it, cleaning it thoroughly.

"Silyah?"

The girl's gaze went to Artemis. "Yes?"

The teenager placed his head on her lap, looking up to her with his stunning bright blue and hazel eyes.

"What was that for?" Silyah laughed, placing Silver's cross back in her pocket.

Artemis shrugged. "Nothing in particular…" he admitted.

Strange, thought Silyah. Though enjoyable… "Needed a pillow?" she suggested.

"Something along those lines."

She slowly began to brush his hair with her fingers. "We have come a long way, didn't we?" Her voice was soft and soothing.

"I dare say we did," agreed Artemis, closing his eyes.

"Mr. Fowl, tell me something about yourself… Something simple…"

A smirked stretched on the boy's lips. "What next? Are you going to show me an inkblot and ask me what I think it looks like? Besides, I think you probably know most of what there is to know about me…"

Silyah laughed once again. "I just need something to fill up the silence. I don't want to get into psychology yet," she replied, still smoothing back his hair. "I told you a little bit about my family, why don't you tell me about yours?" Now that she knew that he was not the adoptive son of Mayor Hewatts, she was curious about him.

For a split second, Artemis frowned, then his brow smoothed itself out again. "I have two younger brothers who are three years old," he said in the simplified version of Gnommish he had taught Silyah.

"What are their names?"

"Myles and Beckett," he said, still unaccustomed to thinking of himself as a big brother.

"Are they as clever as you?" she asked with a smile.

"Myles is," nodded Artemis.

"And the other one?"

"Well, he is… Creative…"

"I've got one like these at home… He's more of the sporty type isn't he?"

"Yes, he is."

"What about your parents?"

"Well…" Artemis seemed a bit paler, or perhaps it was just a trick of light due to the full moon shinning through the navy blue fabric of their shelter.

Silyah lightly brushed Artemis's forehead with her fingers. "If you don't want to talk about them, I can give you the opportunity to ask the questions."

Artemis sighed. "How do you think the Games would have been if I hadn't been strolling by?"

Silyah's hand froze for a moment. That was not an anticipated question. "I… I think that I would be in a coffin, or ready to be placed in one right now… District 3 would probably have been the first district to perish."

Artemis hid a frown.

"What would you be doing right now if you had not been picked at the Reaping?"

"You mean in this time? Well, the idea of rotting in a coffin in a foreign continent is one of the most plausible theories."

"I meant back in your own time and space, Artemis," precised Silyah, a bit concerned by the boy's answer.

The teenager gave a faint chuckle. "Ah, of course… Well…" Artemis thought about it for a few seconds. "I would probably be in trouble. Somehow, it always seems to find me no matter how hard I try to stay away from it."

"I have no difficulty believing in that…" Silyah smiled again, looking down towards Artemis. "Comfy?"

The raven-haired tribute nodded.

"My last question for tonight; do you want to have the first sleeping shift?"

The boy opened his hazel eye halfway through, his gaze providing Silyah with the answer she required.

"Good night then…" The girl let go of his raven hair and began wondering if she would be his pillow for the night. Apparently, the answer was yes.

Soon enough, the boy's breathing slowed down, indicating Silyah that the boy had fallen asleep. The brown-haired girl leaned down and kissed his forehead.

Her plan had gotten even clearer now that she knew what Artemis would have to give up if he ever remained stuck in her time.

The full moon eventually disappeared from the sky, allowing a glorious golden sun to take its place.

As he gathered his weapons, Artemis's hand went to his pocket, feeling for the small item stored in it, making sure that is was still there.

Silyah had already packed up the tent and was currently cooking a breakfast using the boy's invention.

The two of them were seated, each with a piece of rabbit meat in hand, when they both began the same sentence. "I have to tell you something," was how they started.

Once again at the same time, they told each other to go ahead. By now, it was clear that they had the same idea in mind.

"We have to split up," was the conclusion of that idea.

Silyah smiled slightly, realizing that they both had had the same logic at this point in the Games.

"You might want to take this," said Artemis, pointing towards his electrical device.

"Then let's make this fair…" The girl gave him two blankets and then reached for her right shoe to remove a blade from it.

Artemis raised his left eyebrow. Silyah had a knife in her shoe?

"Don't be surprised. We're in the Hunger Games."

"Touché."

"So… How do we do this?" asked Silyah, tossing away the remains of what had been their breakfast.

"Well, walking in different directions usually does the trick…" Artemis got up, shortly followed by Silyah.

"I'll let you choose your side," mentioned Silyah. However, before Artemis could do anything, she stepped closer to him and trapped the boy in a caring hug. "Stay safe, Ice Prince."

"Likewise, Clockwork Angel… Oh, I have one more thing for you before we part ways," replied Artemis. He took something for his pocket. When he opened his hand a small piece of gold tied to a narrow strip of fabric was at its center. Although it seemed a bit rough, its aremèsia shape was unmistakable.

"You found that piece of gold in the mines, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did…" Artemis made the girl turn around, fastening the piece of fabric around her neck.

"Thank you," she said, facing back towards him. Since she did not have anything to give him in return, she opened her arms to him one last time.

To her surprise, Artemis took her hand and pulled her close to him. "Good luck," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on the girl's cheek. Silyah wrapped her arms around him once more.

"May the odds be ever in your favor," she whispered when she let him go. The pair was now standing back to back. "On the count of three?"

"You make this feel like a duel to the death," murmured Artemis, his heart pounding.

"Three… Two…" She glanced at him one last time. "One."

Silyah took a few slow steps, heading straight ahead as Artemis stopped for a moment, turning to look at Silyah over his shoulder. She was not taking small steps anymore; she had started to run.

I'll make sure you get home safely, thought Artemis before slowly making his way into the depths of the forest.

Silyah was struggling hard not to look behind her. The choice she had made would be for the best, after all. It would be like a game of hazard and probabilities in which the District 3 tributes would be the variables and Caskar the expected result.

There was still a chance that Silver might have been right; she had been more than once. Perhaps one of them could finish Caskar off… And in that case, Silyah knew exactly what she would have to do in the aftermath…

The girl walked in the forest until she could not recognize anything and then sat down on a rock.

Was it too early for a little bit of acting?

Silyah reached for the pendant at her neck and gazed in the distance. She bowed her head and whispered his name. That would make the audience go wild, which was exactly what Silyah wanted; to keep the audience entertained to make sure that the final confrontation would not be provoked too soon by the Gamemakers… And that by all means possible…

When she would be done with her little scenario, which would most likely be when she would die, her family might have a hard time, but the girl understood that Artemis had a lot more to lose than her. The boy lived in a peaceful era, he had friends who often counted on him and he had a family that had been broken apart so many times. Silyah, on the other hand, was living in Panem only to die and be replaced by another worker. She was living to serve the Capitol and enjoy the fact that her family was not the poorest household in the country.

"I will do everything to keep you safe," murmured the brunette, still holding on to her pendant. It was not a lie, but her exaggerated expression had been meant to make even the coldest of hearts fall for Artemis and Silyah, just as they had done with Katniss and Peeta.

For a moment, Silyah wondered if she should fake a few tears, but decided against it. Instead, she established her new role as one similar to a vengeful widow's. She fought against her knife, which was stuck in her left boot and when she finally managed to retrieve it, she began to sharpen her spear.

It was strange for her to pay attention to her every move, to act for an invisible audience, but as long as Artemis would be alive, there would be hope… A hope that maybe, if he ever went back to his own time, he could change the future… Kill Panem.

As some of you might have noticed, today (August 18th) is a very special day for this story; exactly a year ago, we posted its very first chapter. Therefore to celebrate, here is the first Chapter of the last part of the story!
Happy first birthday Artemis Fowl and the Games of Hunger!