Chapter 52

Phoenix Rising

RECAP:

Holly then made it a point to wave to all of them. They all nodded back or gave her some sort of acknowledgment. It was rather obvious that she was well liked here. And everywhere else in Haven. Finally, we approached the door that would lead us to the next domain. "I don't suppose that you'll tell me what's behind this door, will you?"

"You should know better than that," she grinned as she opened the door and pushed Jayjay and I through it.

Holly's POV:

After pushing the guys through the door, I followed suit.

This area was very similar to the last one. The grass was the same thick green, however the sky was black and only lit by twinkling, shimmering stars. The only other light was a distant and hazy red glow from over the crest of a hill.

"C'mon guys," I said, clutching Arty's hand. No, I wasn't trying to be flirty; I just wanted to make sure that he didn't hurt himself in the dark. But all the same, grabbing his hand felt so... one hundred percent natural. It was insticntual, just like breathing.

"Where are we going?" he asked, not seeming to mind our contact. Of course, as a gentleman it would be rude of him to say so if he did.

"Just follow that reddish haze," I ordered. "It'll get us to where we need to be."

He looked at me like I had said something insane. In his mind, it probably reminded him of the human saying 'follow the yellow brick road'. Yet, he still did as I told him to. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

After about five minutes of walking, Artemis broke the silence. "You do realize that the red haze is moving don't you?"

I felt confused as I stopped and looked up at the light. He was right; it was indeeed moving very slowly away from us. "Guys!" I called. "You've had your fun. Come out now."

Artemis POV:

As soon as Holly said that, a bright red light flashed as two creatures shot into the dark sky. They ascended rather high before turning and speeding directly towards us. Thankfully, they stopped right above our heads, and managed to land gracefully in front of us.

The creatures were birds that were tall enough to reach my navel. Their plumage was a bright red that seemed to glow and shimmer despite the lack of light. Their beaks were long and graceful while the bright golden eyes were intelligent and knowing. Both birds had a bright orange, almost curly tuft of feathers on their heads. Not very much unlike a mohawk. The edges of the wings and the tip of the long, trailing tails that were the same orange color.

"You're both Phoenixes, if I'm not mistaken." And I wasn't.

"No, you are not mistaken, Artemis Fowl or should I say Avian Sprout?" The phoenix directly in front of me asked, his voice seeming almost ageless. He was young and old at the same time just as all ancient lore depicted.

My eyes widened slightly as I took in what he had said. "Ah, I see that the old myths do have some validity."

The phoenix in front of Holly chuckled, her voice high and musical. "Yes, surprisingly the humans do get some things right. Though, I understand that you're an exception to the rule."

"Always."

Holly chose that moment to speak up. "Before the three of you get into a battle of wills, maybe you should introduce yourselves."

"Excuse us. My name is Goldfeather," the female smiled slightly, giving me a small curtsy. Obviously, manners were highly valued among this species. Thankfully, the same was true for my family.

"And I am her partner and mate. My name is Wisebeak," he said and bowed.

"Artemis Fowl," I introduced myself as a young gentleman should, also bowing.

"Of course, we know quite a bit about you," Goldfeather said. "Our dear Holly keeps us caught up on everything that goes on in her life."

"Does she?" I asked, turning to face her.

She shrugged and smiled. "You're my best friend. Of course, I talk about you."

I wiped a false tear from my eyes. "Touching."

Now it was Wisebeak's turn to chuckle. "You wouldn't think that it was so 'touching' if you had heard her when you two first met."

When we had first met, I was twelve and had kidnapped her. Goodness knows that I would not have had anything remotely kind to say if I had been her. "Somehow, I'm sure that I'd agree with you."

Holly bumped me lightly with her hip, sending a strange sensation running down my spine. Note to self: examine that feeling at a later time. "At least I don't hate you now."

"And I am grateful for that." More grateful than she would ever know. Because without her, I wouldn't be myself now. And no matter what I did, I could never thank her enough for what she has done for my family and me.

The four of us lulled into a comfortable silence. Goldfeather and Wisebeak were looking at each other and seemed to be communicating through a form of telekinesis. Holly stepped even closer and somewhat leaned into my side as Jayjay skittered up her arm and settled with his tail wrapped around her neck. Obviously he was tired of lounging on my neck. Or maybe he sensed that Holly needed him more. Either way, it was interesting to see.

Finally, Wisebeak broke the silence. "I believe you talked to the dragons earlier."

"We did," I confirmed. "They're quite interesting." Especially young Flame. If he could do that at his young age, just imagine what he would be capable of when he was an adult.

"Of course. New cultures always are," he commented with the wisdom of one who had probably came into contact with a dozen cultures, all of which were now probably extinct. "I'm aware of the fact that the young one showed you something that proved to be very... interesting."

Needless to say, my mind involuntarily reverted to the images that Flame had fed to me. The warmth, the happiness, the life. I quickly pushed all of those thoughts out of my head, as they were nothing more than the fantasies of a child. A child who saw all as being good, kind, and happy. "Yes, he did."

Holly looked at me, obviously picking up on my tense posture. "What did Flame show you?" she asked.

"Nothing that you need to worry yourself about my dear," he soothed. "But to return to our previous conversation, we both know what you saw."

Once again, I felt my throat constrict. Apparently, all of the myths about the phoenix were true. They could see into the distant future, pick up on thoughts and were just generally otherworldly in respect to their powers. "Would you like to explain how that is possible?"

"You know that we Phoenixes never truly die. We are reborn from our ashes. This life gives us a... viewpoint of more than what most see. To us, time becomes irrelevant and unnecessary. Future, past, present. They all blend together after a while," Goldfeather shrugged as much as she could.

"So, you have a measure of clairvoyance?"

"We do," they answered in unison.

"Where exactly is this going?" Holly asked defensively.

Wisebeak went on as if Holly had asked nothing. "You see, we both have a different name other than the ones that we have told you."

"And those would be?"

"I am Fate," Wisebeak said.

"And I am Desire," Goldfeather completed. "We want to show you something."

I felt a hum of electricity in the air. A compulsion. I needed and wanted to know what they had in store for me. "Show me."

The two nodded and began to sing. Not like one would expect of normal members of the avian family. Think more along the lines of the most beautiful aria ever written. No singer past, present, or future could ever compare. The very sound made the hair on my neck stand up with pleasure.

Within seconds, I was being carried away, floating on a sea of darkness.

Fate appeared before me. I don't know how I knew that it was him and not his mate, but I did. Intuition, I suppose.

"I know that the young dragon showed you your possible future if you accepted Holly into your heart."

"We are both aware that it was nothing more than his image of what he believes should happen in my life."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. I suspect you believe what you say. Boys always find it the most difficult to confess their feelings," he lamented. "Never the less, I'm going to show you how your life will be if you deny your feelings when the time comes."

Once again, everything darkened. I was hurled forward and flung out onto the ground. It was sunny and I seemed to be at the same wedding as earlier. However, this time I was sitting in the audience in the second row.

As I looked up at the platform, I recognized the groom. Trouble Kelp. Before I could notice anything else, a different type of wedding song, probably elfin, began. The bride quickly marched to the front, and when she turned around, I saw her face. Holly.

Holly was marrying Trouble. It seemed almost like some sort of sick, perverted joke. Even the look on her face showed that this was not a match made in heaven. To be honest, Holly looked like she was about to have a very painful surgery. Even her vows were the typical and lackluster instead of the creative way that she would have preferred had she truly wanted this marriage. This 'marriage'...it all seemed forced.

Why on Earth would she do this? And as I contemplated this something descended and landed on my seat. "You weren't there, so when Trouble kept bothering her about going out with him, she finally gave in. They've been dating for about three years. And when he asked her to marry him, she agreed out of convenience not love."

"Implausible," I chided staring at the show in front of me. "Holly is too strong and too stubborn for that type of behavior." She never gives up. If she wants something then she'll do anything to get it.

"That's what you'd like to think, but everyone has their breaking point." I thought of my mother who was so strong, but when she lost my father she went into a full psychotic break. Perhaps even someone as strong as Holly could succumb if given the right push.

"True. Though, I must admit that I believed that hers would have been much higher."

"Perhaps. Oh, and I'd close my eyes if I were you," he advised, his attention stuck on what was unfolding in front of us.

Naturally, I found that I couldn't look away. My eyes were riveted on the soon to be married couple. "Are there any reasons that these two should not be wed?" the elfin priest asked.

No one said anything. I felt somewhat angry. Obviously these two did not belong together and everyone there was well aware of this. Where was Foaly or Mulch and why weren't they speaking out in Holly's defense?

"Why don't you stop it?" he whispered to me.

"I can't control her life. She's an adult and has to make her own decisions," I told him, though a part of me would love to interrupt the service, and stop this travesty.

"It's your decision, but the next portion is almost guaranteed to be painful."

Of course, with my large brain, I automatically understood what he meant. "You may now kiss the bride."

Trouble leaned in expectantly, but Holly pulled back away just a bit. Her new husband completely ignored this as he pulled her forward. He attacked her lips while she stood stiffly with her fists balled at her sides. All signs that showed that kissing him was the last thing that she wanted to do.

I felt the blood flow out of my brain. He was kissing her, and she obviously wanted nothing to do with it. With him. How could no one have the decency to stop her?

"No one tried anymore after you refused to ask her out. It seemed better for her this way," he answered my thoughts. "But perhaps we should move on to the next lesson before you attempt to murder the groom."

And once again, my view became black. "Now, let's take a look at your not so distant future." The darkness burst into colored dots, and the scene changed. I was in Fowl manor in my laboratory, busily mixing chemicals and writing notes.

"An average day in the life of Artemis Fowl II," I narrated. Honestly, this was nothing more than my typical behavior. After all, how could I expect the world to change if I was not willing to work at it?

"It is average now," he said, shaking his head. "Ever since Holly got married, you've thrown yourself into work. You can't face the facts, so you try to find cures for diseases. You spend around thirteen hours a day down here."

"Thirteen hours?" I wondered aloud. That was nearly twice as much time as a regular day now. "How does Butler react to this?"

"He has enough trouble trying to get you to eat. Everyday he tries to comfort you, but you can't be consoled."

I ignored the bird, and approached myself, trying to get a look at my face. I was shocked. My body was even thinner than normal if that was possible. My eyes seemed hollow and gaunt and shined with a frenzied, and made my face seem more like a mask that I was wearing. My clothes were as pristine as usual, but hung off of my body.

"Not very pretty, is it?" Fate asked sympathetically. "We'll move on to another possible and a probable future."

And the scene changed. I was back at the outside wedding, and once again, I was the groom. The bride was already standing in front of me. I looked at her expecting to see Holly, and almost jumped out of my skin. The bride... she was... Minerva Paradizo.

The priest rattled on and on before finally getting to our vows. Minerva gushed out something very heartfelt and caring. When it was my turn, I managed to mumbled some seemingly sweet phrases that were as far from the truth as one could possibly get.

Then it was time to kiss the bride. I could feel my back stiffen and my face contort in disgust. She was my friend, but I had never had any type of sexual interest in her. She was pretty, but not for me. Yet she had no qualms concerning me. Minerva leant forward and kissed me passionately while I just stood there, unable to move, unable to respond.

Thankfully, things faded back to black before I could get sick. "I married Minerva?" I muttered, trying to control the heaving that was going on in my stomach at the very thought. I knew that exposure to a person couldn't actually get one sick. I knew that it was just a response to my thoughts, but that did not stop the feeling from existing.

"Yes. But to make you feel better, you never loved her. She married for love and you married her convenience."

My brows furrowed. "That seems rather cruel even for me," I commented. As a person, I have done many things that I am not proud of, but I would never willingly hurt a woman, no matter how much I disliked her.

Fate chuckled into his wing. "Not as you are now. But as you got older, you became somewhat withdrawn. Some might even say cold."

"And?" I hedged. I did not want to seem interested in something that I knew was unreal, but still some part of me felt that I needed to know.

"The two of you never had any children because you are completely uncomfortable with touching her in any way. Eventually, you two get a divorce because of your lack of attention, but she feels so sorry for you that she doesn't even try to take any of your all, she knows what it's like to have her true love be stolen away by someone else."

Surprising really. Holly had always assumed that Minerva would be a 'golddigger' as she put it. And I must say that I would agree which leads me to believe that these images are nothing more than the imaginings of a telepathic phoenix. Minerva had never been the type to give selflessly of herself no matter what.

"And my relationship with Holly?"

"Suffered," he sighed. "You were jealous of Trouble and she was still hurt that you hadn't loved her. Then, you decided to marry Minerva. All the while, you continued on as friends but it was never the same."

"Needless to say, you became a lot closer after the divorce. Then eventually you accepted your feelings and admitted them to her. However, she felt so bad for lying to Trouble for all of those years that she couldn't leave him. It broke both of your hearts, but you understood. And you remained friends, but things were strained from then on. It was never the same."

"Of course not," I replied.

"I know you don't believe me, but you will come to see in time."

"Yes, I'm sure," I lied.

"May I offer you some free advice?"

My parents had taught me to obey and listen to my elders, and it was quite obvious that Wisebeak was my elder. "You may."

"I suggest that you completely forget about today and let the chips fall as they may. And when the chance presents itself, please be ready to take it or fall apart."

"I accept your advice, but please don't expect me to apply it just because you want me to."

He chortled loudly. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now, let's get back to the females."

Wisebeak did not wait for my response. Within the next moment, I was standing next to Holly again. "Welcome back," she smiled, patting my arm.

"Glad to be here," I joked, hoping that I betrayed no signs of where I had been.

"Hmm, are you two aware of the time?"

"No," we responded in unison.

"It's later than you expect. You should probably move along," Goldfeather advised.

"Ooookay," Holly acknowledged. "Would you mind escorting us to the door?"

"No, of course not," Wisebeak said. And the two phoenixes took off into the air, leaving, a slight red shine behind them for us to follow.

And we did follow. At one point, I tripped on an upraised tree root. As usual, Holly grabbed my arm to steady me. But this time, my mind was full of swirling and confusing thoughts all of which caused me to blush profusely.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

Ah, she was always so very intuitive. Especially when it came to her friends. "Nothing. I'm perfectly fine."

But Holly had always been able to see through my tricks. "That's crap and you know it. Now tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing Holly," I sighed.

"What did he show you?" she hissed, her eyes flashing in anger. Of course, she was used to instant gratification, which was something that I never gave to anyone.

"Nothing important."

"You know I don't believe you, right?"

I chuckled to myself. "Of course you don't."

"And you know that we're going to talk about this later," she warned. Really almost everything out of her mouth was a warning. One that usually went unheeded.

"I look forward to it." Holly glanced at me and pouted the rest of the way to the door.

"Good-bye and good luck," the two phoenixes said, and flew off taking their light with them.

Holly grimaced at me, and opened the door. We entered and stepped into the next area...

A/N:

Whoo-hoo! Another Chapter down. Rest assured that I am working on this story quite a bit. Be patient, I haven't abandoned anything, and don't plan on it.

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