Chapter 4

That next morning, Holly arrived at the Case Archives for the LEP with her fake orders ready. One of the advantages of being rendered irrelevant was that no one really gave a second thought to any low priority orders you presented them, and only cared if someone else with a higher priority came with a similar request.

Holly doubted anyone was going to be requesting the same information she was. It was a suspicion she confirmed when she was informed the case files she sought weren't even viewable electronically, only kept in hard copy in the archive's basement. She was escorted to the stairwell, the door unlocked, then wished luck by the library pixie who was no doubt overworked as it was.

Holly knew that resorting to material that was unreliable at best could potentially be disastrous, but it was all she had available for background information on the enigmatic Fey that would hopefully be her way out of her current miserable existance. She wanted to know more about the other fairies who went this route, where the deals went wrong, and if those pitfalls were ones she could avoid.

One thing that she realized was how many of the tales had parallels in human literature, although passed down no doubt through an oral tradition rather than studiously recorded warped the details considerably.

For example, the first casefile, pertaining to a pixie that had fallen in love with a human prince in what was now northern France; she had used Fey transformation to become a human princess, most notably intricate glass slippers that she could use to prove her identity (as well as serving as a key to her personal wealth) after the royal ball where she introduced herself.

The humans made the pixie a human commoner (the details varied depending on the telling), and the Fey was a "fairy godmother." No note of fairy gold had been made, and the human tale had her living happily ever after. In reality, the pixie grew jaded by rustic human life, and the prince had many affairs with commoners (likely where the pixie became a commoner in the human version), leading to a vicious fight where the former pixie went on a murderous rampage, killing the prince, their two children, and herself.

Another case file happened in Greece, with similar results almost to the letter. The elf Medea, married a human prince of Thessaly, allowing the Fey to turn her human to be with him. This prince turned out to have little love for her, trading her off for a different woman later in life. In revenge, the former elf killed her two sons and cursed both herself and the father of her children. At least the human version came across as similar, even noting that Medea was not of human ancestry; but getting said ancestry completely wrong and not acknowledging fey transformation was involved.

The last case file that came across as relevant dealt with a water sprite (the humans called it a mermaid), who used fey magic to become human, again to win the heart of a human prince.

Why was it they were all women and all fascinated with human nobles, Holly wondered. She jerked herself back on task by reminding her she was a woman, and that Artemis Fowl wasn't exactly a human peasant by any stretch of the imagination either. She really wasn't in much position to judge.

At any rate, this sprite found that the prince, while enamored, didn't consider her marriage material, already having a fiance of his own. In despair, she drowned herself rather than return in shame.

It was unique from the other case files in that it was only one that mentioned the fey's price for the transformation, the sprite's voice... which seemed like a very odd price, and one Holly doubted was accurate. However, this price was also given in the human version... but the humans labeled the Fey as a singular "sea witch."

The problems that these fairies faced led to probably the most important question Holly had to answer. Could such a relationship even be possible? Could two people of such drastically different natures and nurtures be a sustainable one?

In the last case, something that caught Holly's eye was how the human version of the tale changed over time. The initial telling of their version played out similarly to the actual case, although with some superfluous garbage about the sea-witch offering a second deal that was not the least bit reflected in the actual case file.

However, more recent tellings of the tale followed in line with the "happily ever after" tone of the first case. Holly actually remembered watching it with Artemis during one of her trips to the surface. Other fairy tales showed similar morphing. Where initial fairy tales painted the People as something to at the very best be wary of, if not fear; modern tales held much less animosity.

It confirmed what she had seen from her own experience; humans were changing, slowly perhaps, but they were. Fairies weren't something humans feared universally anymore. In most cases, fairies were a curiosity more than a threat... and sometimes... something to love.

She knew of one human-fairy relationship right away, because it was an end she saw play out first hand; Turnball Root and his human wife. Even at the time, she noted that the two earnestly loved each other; and while the ending was tragic, it was more because Turnball resorted to despicable crimes to try and prolong his wife's life.

Holly, on the other hand, was prepared to do the opposite. She knew human life spans were far shorter than a fairies. She was more than willing to sacrifice 800 years of her life for 80 with Artemis. Hell, she'd probably put herself out of her misery at this rate anyway.

Meanwhile, in all these other examples, the fairies either barely knew the target of their affections, or not at all. They rushed into love without even knowing who they were supposedly in love with.

That was certainly not the case with her and Artemis. Sometimes, she felt she knew him too well. Over the years, they went from loathing to loving. Adversaries, allies, then best friends until reaching whatever they could call themselves now.

She knew that, despite all appearances and his insistence on being seen in public wearing highest of fashion, that privately he had taken to wearing much more comfortable shirts and khakis. She knew that he had also grown fond of cold pizza for breakfast (which was a decidedly odd trait considering his upbringing).

She knew that he had a very certain way his bathroom cabinet could be arranged, and the slightest alteration made him rather cross (she had decided to leave a toothbrush at his flat without telling him; you would have thought she had let Mulch Diggums take up residence in his washroom).

She knew that he had come to like flying, even if he preferred being the one piloting (like hell, mudboy). She knew that he had become addicted to cat pictures on-line (okay, so had she). She knew that he still felt tremendous amounts of guilt for what he had done in the past, and missing so much of his twin brothers' lives (moments of very deep depression that wrenched Holly's heart).

Holly Short knew Artemis Fowl better than anyone, human or fairy. And through it all, despite knowing his faults and foibles, was hopelessly in love with him anyway. It was not likely that outside factors like money were ever going to be an issue (though Holly really wasn't concerned with being poor; it wasn't like she was rolling in gold as it was). If that wasn't enough to build a strong, lasting relationship on... what was?

Her fact finding mission didn't tell her a good many things; like where to find the Fey or what to expect them to demand of her in exchange, but it did reassure her that the failings of those that came before were not inevitable or immutable, and did not apply to her case. She was ready to proceed further down the rabbit hole, so to speak.

Her path, however, nearly came to a horrible end when Trouble called her to his office two days later.

He was sitting behind his desk when Holly arrived, his eyes penetrating and suspicious. This... could be very bad.

"So, I learned that you were at the archives two days ago." Trouble said, his voice flat, though the sense of accusation hung heavily in the air.

Holly nearly panicked. Did he find out about her forgery? But her logical mind forced her to remain calm. If he had found out about that, she wouldn't be having this meeting here. It'd be down in the interrogation room, and she'd be in restraints. "Yes, sir. I was."

"Why? I believe I gave you permission to take some personal days."

Holly initially began formulating a story, and figured the best way for her to buy time in order to formulate it was by telling the truth. It would be something he'd likely follow up on anyway, and at the very least, it would throw off the scent for a little while. "I was doing research for my class. Dealing with fey transformations and their impact in Human-People relations."

Trouble seemed perplexed, and it didn't serve to sate his suspicion. "Why would you do that?" He asked warily.

"Because they are stories that the humans and us share to some extent. They're a good starting point for finding a common ground, and something that I was missing in my original curriculum."

Trouble shook his head, and rephrased, "No... I mean, why do that at all? You hate that class, you barely do what you're required to. Why do the extra work now?"

Holly now felt he had her story set, and launched into it confidently, "I did. And maybe I still do. But... maybe that's how I fight this pressure on me, you know? Yeah, maybe only two students out of thirty give half a goblin shit about it... but those are the two I need to focus on. Maybe that's how I can push back; one student at a time, one year at a time."

Holly's instinct was spot on, and exactly what Commander Trouble Kelp wanted to hear. Holly would have thought that after years of paying lip service and doing the exact opposite, that her superiors would be wise to it by now... but apparently not.

He smiled warmly, and said, "Ya know, Major Short, we might just make a proper elf out of you yet."

Trouble no doubt thought the smile Holly gave him was a pleased one for the compliment. In truth, Holly was wondering just what Trouble would think had he known the last thing Holly wanted to be was a proper elf...

Or an elf at all...

With her plans back on track, she still had one major hurdle to clear... finding the damn Fey. It was entirely unclear in her research just how others had done so, and considering how dumb they had to be to fall in love with total strangers, made her wonder how the Fey could remain undetected while fools stumbled onto their doorstep.

Holly had some ideas, but she was going to need equipment. She was going to need Foaly.

The centaur was, not surprisingly, a little taken aback by Holly's request. "Holly... uh... I did tell you that I was joking, right?"

Holly slapped him on the shoulder, "Of course you did. I'm not going to change myself into a human, but Trouble and I want the Fey to think I'm turning on the People. It's a perfect opportunity. I have all the signs of a disillusioned elf, and that could be my way inside."

"The Fey are bad news." Foaly said with uncertainty. He did not like this plan at all, and he thought it was real.

Holly imagined what his reaction would be if he knew it was fake.

"Yes, they're bad news, which is why the sooner we can get inside and blow the cover off what they are doing, the better Trouble and the LEP can sleep at night. Surely you remember how it used to gnaw at Julius?"

That actually wasn't a lie. On the rare occasions that their old mentor and father-like figure would let his guard down (usually after a handful of stiff drinks), he would reveal that it bothered him there was this legendary group of powerful magicians who lived outside the law and could exist without being held accountable for anything they may or may not do. It wouldn't be a stretch at all that Trouble, who had adored Julius to the point of disturbing discomfort, would have taken those flights of fancy to heart.

"Maybe... but... I..." Foaly stumbled over himself. He didn't like being without words. "Are you sure this will even work?"

Holly shook her head. "Not at all. Which is why it's a low priority mission. It's a wild stab in the dark. On top of that, I think Trouble has little expectation of success; I suspect he thinks it's just something to keep me busy."

That got Foaly to laugh. "I suppose that's true."

Playing it off as a rather unimportant thing was crucial to Holly's plan. Throwing it out as a silly flight of fancy meant it was less likely that Foaly would be willing to bring it up at all to Trouble. As much like Foaly's relationship with Trouble's predecessor, the working relationship was a strained one, and communication between the technical officer and the commander was done only when absolutely necessary.

Foaly looked at the manifest Holly had provided, and nodded quickly, "None of this will be difficult to obtain. Most of it I have already. You think the Fey is using some sort of camo to hide their den?"

"They're using some form of magic, obviously. They have to be using energy to fuel it. I figure that maybe these sensors will pick up some clues, and I can work from there. I'll spend my free days dropping them off, swing back a couple days later, and see what they find."

And that answer was "less than nothing."

Granted, it had been roughly a week, and she hadn't even really begun to scan even an eighth of the Lower Elements. But she had a gut instinct as to potential hiding places, and had went to those places first... and the results had been dismally depressing.

She was at a favorite cafe of hers in downtown Haven, looking over the results on her handheld from her latest prospective site while having lunch; an open magma field that was believed to have an empty chamber below it. The preliminary report showed nothing. Nada. Jack squat.

It was depressing to say the least. She had at least been hoping for a sign she was on the right track.

She was half-aware of someone taking a seat across from her at the open air table, but it didn't draw her full attention. Such was not uncommon; as it was a popular eatery and seating was often limited especially at this hour of the day.

It was uncommon when the time remained 12:07 for five minutes, though.

"I was wondering when you would notice."

The taunt came from the man across from her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she got a good look at him. It was easy to see why he didn't cause any alarm initially; he looked like a perfectly average elf at a sideways glance; crew cut ginger hair, walnut colored skin, a little chubby but hardly obese...

But those wholly black eyes kinda screamed, "not normal."

At that point, Holly discovered the rest of the problem. Haven had been frozen in place, people in a dead stop, unmoving. Vehicles as if they were parked in the middle of the street, and flyers frozen in the sky above.

"What... is this?" Holly asked, "A time stop? In the middle of Haven? You'll have the whole of the LEP and the LEAF on our heads the moment this dispels!"

"Time to you is much like a river to one such as me. It can be redirected and altered... it can even be dammed to a trickle." The man said, his voice shifting from elfish... to something else. It was both deep yet soft, so perfect in tone and pitch with every syllable that it struck her ears as unnatural. "Do not insult my magics with the comparison your crude 'time stops.' Time is a relative, fluid thing, what is a year to one person can be nary a blink of an eye to another. We are right now experiencing the river of time at a speed far slower than anyone else. Your LEP and LEAF won't descend upon us like vultures because, to them, nothing is amiss."

"What? How?"

"I will not waste too much of my energy explaining our mastery of disciplines beyond your understanding, but I'll offer this attempt. The paradoxical death of Opal Koboi did considerable damage, did it not?"

Holly nodded slowly.

"Yet, ask yourself... why did it limit itself to just her technology? Wouldn't it stand to reason that anything she touched, even tangentially, should have been irreparably altered as well? Aren't you taught that cause and effect are inexorably tied together, and that all events are bound to one another?"

Again, Holly acknowledged the statement with a nod.

"All of time should have collapsed upon itself... and it would have... if I and my kin had not stopped the damage when we did. Such is the depth of our mastery."

"What are you?" Holly asked, though she answered her own question not even a second later. "You're one of the Fey."

"One does not search for the Fey, for the Fey cannot be found." Her visitor said. "The Fey find you. Congratulations, Major Holly Short. We have found you. You seek our counsel, you seek to deal with us. Oh yes, my dear, we know what you seek, and you have been deemed worthy to trade with us."

He raised his right hand, and a small slip of paper materialized in his fingers. Pressing it tight onto the table surface, he slowly slid it across the table surface until it was in front of Holly. "This has directions that only you will be able to see. Come alone at the designated time, and tell no one of this arrangement, or the deal will be void, and we will never approach you again."

He stood, pushing out his chair, and with a shade of a bow said in parting, "Have a pleasant lunch, Major Short. We will see you tomorrow at the chosen time."

In the time it took Holly to blink, the Fey was gone, and the clock ticked to 12:08, and normal life resumed; only the sheet of paper still resting in front of her any sign that anything unusual had occurred. She swiftly grabbed it and studied its contents, committing it to memory just in case she somehow lost it.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, and she wasn't going to miss it.