Chapter 3.

Artemis wok up early in the morning. Holly slept on his shoulder, her left hand rested on his chest. Her tousled auburn almost completely hid her face; Artemis could see only a part of her cheek and a pointed ear. She looks so peaceful, Artemis thought.

As if reading his mind, Holly opened her eyes, with a few movements showed back her hair, sat up and stretched gracefully, showing of her curves.

Artemis caught himself in the desire to take her shoulders and finish what he started last time.

« Wait, stop, - he mentally gave himself a slap. - You are still a Fowl, not a piece of butter on a heated pan. Concentrate, why did you come here ».

"Holly, we haven't finished talking."

Holly grinned.

"Now I know how people in your family say good morning!" She said. "If you must know we didn't even start a conversation. Someone's faint did not promote this. And then that someone actually tried to kiss me without my permeation."

"But the other someone fell asleep on my shoulder!" Artemis shot back. His silent admiration for the elf was quickly replaced by malice. "Nika would be so happy to find this. Sometimes it seems to me, that she is the real matchmaker. Doesn't she have her own personal life?"

Captain Short frowned.

"Hard to say. We aren't really that close. Besides, we now each other for only five years."

"And who is your closest friend?" Fowl asked.

Holly thought for a moment:

"Foaly or Trouble Kelp. It is difficult to say. You must know Trouble: he and Nika took you from the hospital."

Artemis nodded.

" But Trouble is very close to Nika. They know each other since childhood." Continued Holly.

"Holly, I want to talk about you." Said Artemis.

She looked at him confused.

"I really appreciate what you've don for me. And I am sorry that you have lost a part your magic. It's all my nonsense that got us into this mess. If I could do something for you…"

"You can," Nodded Holly. "Don't talk about this anymore. It's perhaps all that I ask."

This time Artemis looked confused.

'I don't want to remember…..some details," Holly said.

Fowl nodded.

"Agreed."

Holly got of the bed and straitened the ends of her dress. She opened the drawer on her desk and took her hairbrush.

"I would have liked to eat something," Fowl admitted.

"I think Nika wouldn't be upset if you rob her from some food," Holly sniffed combing her auburn hair. "Well I'm hungry too. If you can wait for a few minutes I will accompany you."

Interesting, what's the day of the week, he thought? And did Mr. and Mrs. Fowl return from the resort? And if they did what did they think finding that he wasn't home? And Butler?

"Holly," Artemis said worried. "Holly, where is Butler?"

Holly slowly put her brush down. Artemis could see that she was lost.

"I do not know," Holly almost whispered. "I was unconscious, as well as you."

Artemis squeezed his teeth. If Butler is dead then it is his fault. The bodyguard always trusted him without a question. He believed that his charge is capable to calculate all possible courses of the opponent and to find an optimum variant. As it has appeared, geniuses too can make mistakes. Mistakes which can cause others lives.

"Lets go," Said Holly, interrupting the stream of his ideas.

When they entered the dining room, Nika and Trouble where already sitting on the high stools at the bar. Artemis was a little surprised that they have got up so early.

After the greetings in the room ceased, Artemis sat on the stool and stared expectantly at Nika. Medici resisted his glare for several seconds, but Artemis nevertheless, won. Sighing the elf put down her fork and went to the refrigerator.

Having received his portion of toast with cherry jam and a big mug of hot tea, Fowl winked at Holly ,who ignored him, and begun to eat his breakfast.

"The dishwasher is over there," Pointed Medici . "Remember Fowl, I am not your maid."

"I will," Agreed Аrtemis. "You think that I am a spoiled young man from a rich family?

Nika nodded.

There was nothing to object to. Even partly she was right. Artemis never knew the needs in something, never engaged in heavy and dirty work, never thought of the daily food. However, he did not consider himself spoiled, if of course genius does not defect. He did not come home tipsy, did not cover himself with women, and did not behave defiantly with people who weren't as rich.

"Where is Butler?" Artemis asked. "Holly said that you would know."

"He is alright," Nika answered after finishing her coffee. "They just gave him a very strong tranquilizer."

"And what did you did with him?" Artemis strained. "You haven't transported him here, right?"

"Certainly, no," the brunette answered. "We dragged him to the sofa and left to sleep."

"Oh, what a difficult thing it was ." Trouble sighed rubbing his back.

"Nothing bad happened to him." Continued Medici. It has no side-effects. At least for the People."

Artemis wasn't confident in that however. He remembered that even he was afraid to give Holly anything like that thinking that she might not wake up at all.

"My parents and Juliet should have arrived," he noticed. "What would they think?"

"Foaly sent them e-mails from your name," Said Holly. "That you have supposedly rented a small cottage wanting to be alone."

"I do not think that, that will convince them."

"There's nothing to be done," captain Kelp said resolutely. "The Council wishes to see you."

"The Council?" asked Artemis. "What for."

"You, Holly and Nika had really got your self into a big mess. They will probably send them to the surface and erase your memory. Maybe thy will think of something else. It is impossible to say what Karhets might do. Between us, he was always such a blockhead.

"And when do they want to see us?" Asked Artemis feeling an unpleasant shiver run down his spine.

"Today at nine in the morning," was his answer.