Chapter 5: Good Girl Gone Bad
ARTEMIS'S P.O.V
I take a long look out of the window. Fields of sheep and forests flick past. Ah. Ireland. I smile at the memories. Suddenly, the peaceful silence is interrupted by a shrill ringing.
"Hello?" Butler answers the phone. After a few seconds, Butler holds out the phone. "It's for you, Artemis."
I mentally ask Butler a question. Who is it? He can't read minds, but he can tell what I'm thinking, just by looking at my eyes.
"Commander Root."
"Pass it over." I clear my throat, and prepare myself. It's not often I get phone calls from elves. "Commander Root, I presume."
"Don't get smart with me, mud boy."
I can picture Root's snarl as he spits that out.
"How can I be of service?"
"Why do you think we need your help?"
"How often do you get a call from an elf?"
"Point taken. At 1600 hours, we received an anonymous phone call from a stranger. Here is the recording."
There's silence. Suddenly, a husky voice fills it. 'Three days. We have the girl. Hazel Dunsworth. Bring a sack of gold'.
I'm surprised. Gold? Normally it would be money, any currency, which Foaly could run off his machine. But few humans ask for gold. In fact, there's only one person besides me that knows of the fairy existence...
Trouble is, asking for gold is more demanding. Gold is precious to fairies; their love, and desire. Gold is everything to them. And on the surface, gold holds high value. But it's sparse on this earth, since humans began mining for it.
"Commander. I'm on my way to Haven."
"Good. I'll have an elf meet you there."
I snap the phone shut, and hand it to Butler. I settle down, and set my mind to work. Who? Why? Why Hazel? Why gold?
The person I have in mind, it's so... ludicrous. Yet... believable. The plot thickens... I think.
HOLLY'S P.O.V
"GET DOWN, CORPORAL!"
A stream of fire shoots through the air, and I duck. The troll we hunted down is feistier than originally thought. In other words, it's angry, confused, and irritated. Not a good combination with a troll. The troll sends a furry arm through the air, and slashes a man. He screams, and falls down. Great. Just when things couldn't get any worse. I fly through the air, dodging the claws of the enraged beast. I flutter down by the injured fairy, and force my magic to heal him. I'm running low, and the effort exhausts me. Luckily, I have just enough left, and the bloodied claw marks slashed across his chest heal. I call to one of the captains, who rescues the fairy.
Unfortunately, I was too busy to notice the troll lumbering towards me. The force of his arm knocks the wind out of me, I struggle to breathe. My lungs are screaming for air, but each breath I take has no effect. One of the fairies notices my ragged breath, and calls for medics. I protest weakly, but I'm carried away on a stretcher. The remaining officers and corporals manage to pin down the beast, and through a net over him. The troll roars, and attempts to escape. The net is one of Foaly's inventions, and can hold under the pressure of brute strength, even a troll's. It takes fifty men to drag it away, leading it underground. It'll be released once they find a stable area. I watch all this on a stretcher, with hysteric harpy medics trying to find the cause of my ragged breathing.
I can only hope they heal me in time. Fortunately, I feel the soothing caress of magic as it flows into me, and my breathing becomes steady.
"Are you alright now, dear? We were worried we'd lose you."
"I'm...fine, thanks." I take deep gulps of air, enjoying the sweet taste of surface air.
Once the pandemonium is over, and I return to Haven, I get an urgent text from Foaly. It reads- Hry! Hzl kdnapped and artms on his way. Unkwn kdnapper wnts bag of gld for rnsom.
All I can do is roll my eyes. Ever since Foaly got that mobile phone, my life has been a nightmare. Normally, I'd fly a shuttle on the way to LEP headquarters, but the medics are refusing to let me do that- alone.
"For a few days, dearie, I'm afraid you'll have to take a taxi to get around. We wouldn't want that nasty lung infection to come back!"
As sweet as harpies are, they get on my nerves with their fussing. I'll be perfectly fine flying a shuttle- it's in my blood. But now I have to take a taxi?! That's worse than being locked in a cell in Howler's Creak! It's no use trying to change their minds. Harpies are stubborn creatures.
"Taxi!" I call, waving my arms. It's no use. Traffic in Haven is so heavy. The humans think their traffic jams are tough; they should try driving in Haven. A few passer-bys snigger at me. My anger rises, and I feel like kicking all of them in the face. Then I remember my position in the LEP; and the code for not harming civilians unnecessarily. Stupid code... I think, then feel shocked at myself for thinking that.
"Taxi!" I yell again, waving my arms wildly. I know I look like a fool, but I wish men dwarves wouldn't yell at me, 'Nice suit, darling!"
One dwarf actually had me believe I was showing too much cleavage, and I look down. He sniggers, hiding his smirk behind a hairy hand. I'm in no condition to kick his butt. Eventually, the familiar blue and yellow local Haven taxi pulls up beside me.
"Thank you" I say breathlessly, opening the door and jumping in. "Drive to the LEP headquarters."
The driver looks at me incredulously.
"Are you serious, darling." He grunts, wiping an arm across his runny nose. "I ain't going anywhere the LEP headquarters, not after what they did to my cousin."
I puff up my chest, and give him a steely glare.
"Do it, or else dwarf, or you'll have more to worry about than just the LEP."
The threat works a treat. The dwarf nods silently, and slams his foot against the accelerator. I'd forgotten how flimsy and unstable Haven taxis were. I'm thrown forward, slamming into the back of a front seat chair. Tufts of foam sprout out of the chair. This taxi is falling apart...
"Here you go, darling. LEP headquarters."
"Thanks, dwarf boy." I toss him a miniature sack of gold. "And don't call me darling."
He gulps, and as soon as I step out of the taxi, he zooms of. I open my mouth to shout at him that his door's flying open, when it snaps off, sending sparks of metal shower over onlookers. Oh well. Too late.
I stride in, head up, hoping I radiate confidence."Captain Short." Captain Kelp salutes me. "Good to see you back."
"Likewise." I reply.
Conversations between officers in our department are short. We both leave, heading off in different directions. We both have work to do.
"Holly!" Foaly gallops towards me, embracing me in a tight hug. At least someone's glad to see me.
"Commander Root." I salute.
"At ease, Captain Short. Good to see you're not in pieces."
"It was a close one, sir. The troll we captured, thanks to Foaly's invention..." I trail off, determined not to catch Foaly's eye. "...Was eventually freed underground. The abandoned mansion." I finish.
"Fowl." I nod at Artemis, who's leaning against a wall, looking bemused.
"Short." He nods back.
His bodyguard, Butler, looks tense. Like he's expecting something bad to happen.
"Artemis... we should look for her."
"Yes. You're right, of course. Foaly, can you trace Hazel Dunsworth above ground?"
Foaly looks thoughtful. "Hmm... It'll be tricky, with no DNA sample or tracker."
"Ah. I suspected you might say that. I planted a tracker in her, while she was asleep."
Foaly says nothing, his fingers fly across the keyboard. In no time, we find Hazel. A red dot softly glows on the screen, about 20 klicks from where we are.
"That's interesting. Only 20 klicks from here."
"In human measurement?"
"In mud man measurement, 5 miles. Very close. Almost conveniently close."
Foaly and Artemis both look thoughtful. I don't have time for a genius pondering session. It's Butler who gets there before I do.
"Look, we've found Hazel, why don't we bust open the door, and grab her?"
"It's not as simple as that, Butler. The abandoned warehouse she's in is overrun with goblins. In fact, it's a goblin hotspot for trading."
Typical. The goblins are involved with everything, without realising.
"How about I distract the goblins, while you rescue Hazel?"
It's the only plan we've got. It might work. After all, Butler rescued me from a troll.
"Fair enough." They all turn to look at me. "Come on, what are we waiting for?" I select a blaster hanging from the wall.
I see Artemis dithering. "Come on, Artemis, what are you waiting for? World War III?"
He smiles wolfishly, which sends a tingle down my spine.
"You called me Artemis."
"Whatever, mud boy. Now," I face my crew. Two humans, a beetroot commander and a centaur. Good luck, Holly. "Let's go kick some butt."