Artemis Fowl: Opal's Revenge. Chapter three.
Butler unlocked the door.
"Holly?" asked Artemis, looking frightened. "Holly? I thought I shot you?"
"Artemis, you're back!" said Holly.
"Opal is in me!" said Artemis. "I tried to fight her, but she completely took over my mental faculties! I don't even know what's happened since I pulled the trigger. I just came to here, chained to the chair."
"Artemis, I'm sorry," said Butler. "You-Opal-tried to shoot Holly and you were kicking and screaming, so we had to chain you up." He explained what Opal had said.
"The fat's gone, isn't it?" asked Artemis.
"Yes," said Butler and Holly in unison.
Artemis swore. "I didn't think we'd need it to draw any fairy spirits out people anymore. How did Opal leech onto me? I never felt anything. I had a dream." He explained to Holly and Butler about it and the vision in the garden earlier. "I didn't think much of the vision; I thought I was just remembering the dream. How could I have done that?"
"It's not your fault," said Holly. "You didn't know."
"Opal's bad!" said Beckett. "Lets me kick her!"
Artemis looked at his brothers sadly. "You two need to be in bed."
"I'm not tired," said Beckett, letting out a huge yawn.
"We do need sleep," said Myles. "Children our age require about ten hours a night. But it will be hard. I'm worried about you, Artemis."
Artemis looked pained. "Don't worry, we'll figure a way out of this."
Holly led the two boys back upstairs, surprised that all the commotion had awoken Angeline, but the she usually slept like bear. A train could have crashed through her room and she wouldn't hear it.
Artemis looked at Butler sadly. "I'm sorry old friend, to put you through this."
"It's not your fault,' said Butler.
"I suppose it would be unwise to release me, as Opal could come back at any moment," said Artemis. "And I don't believe I could stop her. I tried to before, and I failed. She took over by body first. I struggled to keep myself from pulling the trigger, but I did, and then everything went black."
"I'll get her next time."
Artemis shifted uncomfortable and grunted.
"What?" said Butler, pricking his ears like a cat.
"I heard her thought," said Artemis. "She said, 'I'll get her next time.'"
"You can hear her thoughts?" asked Holly, coming back into the room.
Artemis let his mind go blank for a moment, trying to see if anymore thoughts came to him.
"I think she let me hear it," replied Artemis. "She's trying to antagonize me."
They finally decided that Butler could go to bed and Holly could watch him. They moved Artemis to the bed and shackled his hands in front of him, with the chain running to the headboard. They did the same to his feet. This way, he could lay comfortably and turn over.
"You should try and get some sleep," said Holly. "Foaly won't answer the email I sent him until morning. He'll be at home, snuggled up with Caballine. I hate seeing you all tied up like this."
"It's important that I remain restrained," said Artemis. "I could turn back and kill you. I couldn't live with myself if I did that."
Butler objected to go back to bed, but Holly assured him she would be alright. He went upstairs.
She set her Neutrino on the floor and sat in the chair, trying to get comfortable. Butler came back down stairs with some soft blankets and a little pillow. Holly thanked him, and draped a thick plush one, made of faux fur, over chair and curled up it in, covering herself with the cotton one. Butler draped a cotton one over Artemis.
"Thank you," said Artemis. "It was little chilly in here."
Butler left to go to bed. Artemis and Holly looked at each other.
"It's always something isn't it," said Artemis. "I thought we would have an easier life, just rebuilding our lives since Opal destroyed so much in the world. But we were getting on though right?"
"Yeah," said Holly. "And now we have to deal with her again."
Artemis finally managed to go to sleep, and so did Holly.
Artemis awoke to find that one of his hands was free. He tried to say something but couldn't. Opal was in control again.
Holly snoozed in the chair, completely unaware. Artemis tried to say something, to warn her, but he couldn't open his mouth.
"Mmff," was all that came out.
"Be quiet, brat!" snarled Opals voice in his head. "Stop fighting me and just let me do I what I need."
Artemis watched in horror while Opal made his free hand remove a loose screw from the shackle. It was thin and therefore could be used to unscrew the top part of the chain from the bed. He did so, removing it. The shackle on his other hand was too tight to wiggle his hand out of.
"Stupid mud man, stupid fairy," chortled Opal in his head. "Left just enough slack in the other one to wriggle this bony hand out of."
Artemis kept struggling to say something, but it was impossible. He picked the lock with the thin screw, releasing his other hand. He did the same to his feet. He was free now, and held a four foot length of chain in his hands.
"Give me full control!" snapped Opal. Artemis felt an uncomfortable tingle in his body. "There, now let me do my work, and you can watch."
"NO!" shrieked Artemis. But he realized his body said nothing. He was trapped in his body, his mind. He could speak, but only to Opal it seemed.
"Yes!" retorted Opal. She made Artemis's mouth open to release a little snicker.
Holly opened her eyes and blinked. She noticed Artemis standing there, holding the chain.
"What? No!" she lunged for the gun, but Artemis whipped the chain through the air. It hit Holly's wrist.
"OW!" shrieked Holly. Artemis yanked her from the chair and threw her up against the wall.
"NO! NO!" Artemis screamed, but his body did not say those words.
"YES! YES!" screeched Opal with glee in his mind. Then using Artemis's mouth: "You will suffer, you wretched piece of filth!"
"Artemis!" screamed Holly. "Listen to me! You have to get back in control of your body!"
"I'm trying!" yelled Artemis, struggling to do so, but he had no control over what his body said or did.
Opal hit Holly with the length of the chain, across the face. Holly cried out in pain. The chain cut her face. A few sparks of magic fizzed out, healing it. But she realized she didn't have enough. She had done the Ritual, but she had used up quite a bit of magic, fighting the rampant troll and shielding on flight over. She didn't know how long she would last. Why hadn't she done it again?
Holly focused and used the Mesmer on Artemis.
"Opal, you feel tired, so you should go to the other side, leave Artemis," crooned Holly, laying the magic on thick.
"No, I don't," said Opal. "Sorry, that won't work." She threw Holly on the ground and whipped her with the chain. The manacled part hit Holly, cutting through her clothes, bruising her, even though the magic quickly repaired her. She tried to get up to fight Artemis, but the chain would come down again, knocking her to floor, hurting her. She screamed.
"BUTLER! BUTLER! HELP! HELP ME! PLEASE! IT'S OPAL!"
"Butler can't hear you, the concrete is too thick!" snarled Opal, whipping Holly. Holly could feel her magic draining away, from the constant healing. Holly shielded herself and rolled to the side. The chain smashed into the concrete. She thought maybe Opal couldn't see her, through Artemis eyes.
"I can still see you!" sneered Opal, hitting her again.
Holly was knocked into the wall with the force of the blow. How could Artemis's arms be so strong?
Her skull cracked from the force of being knocked into the wall. Her shield fizzled and went out as the last bit of magic went to repair her skull.
Opal lunged on Holly, wrapping the chain around her neck.
"HELP!" Holly managed to shriek out, before the chain tightened.
They fell backwards on the floor, Opal pulling the chain, choking Holly. Her magic was gone. She'd be dead in a few minutes.
The gun!
Holly could see the Neutrino on the floor by the chair, where she'd left it. She reached a hand for it, but she couldn't reach it.
Artemis was shrieking in his head, screaming for Opal to release Holly.
"No! No! Please!" he begged. He could feel his arms holding the chain around Holly's throat. Holly was choking, thrashing against his body.
"Watch your friend die!" spat Opal.
Holly couldn't breathe. She needed the gun! But her hand was too far away.
Her vision started to get blurry. Her thrashes grew weaker.
No…Holly thought. Please, not like this.
Her vision faded out. She couldn't breathe. She needed air!
Air! I need oxygen. I need…I need…I…
Blackness…
Her hand stopped moving. Her body stopped struggling. She gave a last shudder…
Artemis could see her face was blue.
Artemis seen the fingers of her hand relax and curl slightly.
Artemis felt her body go limp and still.
"NOOOOOOO!" screamed Artemis.