Artemis Fowl: The Vampire Conspiration, chapter 5
After a week, here is the fifth installment of the story.
Summary: The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.
ETA: For now, there are only four chapters on fanfiction.net, because I can't manage to upload the latest chapter to their site. This is getting frustrating! Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
On fanfiction.net
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
“What else will keep you in line, boy? If you ever, ever do anything to contradict me and my plans, you can be certain I will hunt her down, no matter where she hides, and tear her apart while you watch. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, master,” Artemis answered, defeated.
“Now, I am very sorry to say, but it is time for your punishment. Jane is on her way as we speak. Believe me, Artemis, by the middle of it, you will be begging to be human again so you can die.”
Chapter 5: Travel
One perk about being a vampire was that even after the most horrendous torture session, your muscles didn’t ache. If Artemis had still been human, he wouldn’t have to be able to move for days after that. Or, in all probability, his heart would have given away halfway through.
Ahh, to be a vampire.
They were currently traveling in the south of France-the Italian border had been passed long ago. Each day, they would stop during the day to hunt. Felix had explained that feeding so often would make them stronger in prevision of the battle that was coming.
Artemis was dreading the days they spent hiding in cities, with all the human scents around and no way to quench his thirst on animals. It took immense concentration and self-abnegation not to jump at the throats of humans passing too close. He could now try to breathe in their presence, but he also often needed to hold his breath to avoid temptation, which frustrated him immensely when he saw how his friend seemed unaffected.
Irina didn’t seem troubled by it.
“It’s just practice,” she’d explain with a little laugh. “I have had a lot of years to get used to it, and I certainly didn’t have your self-control at the same age. You are doing very well, Artemis.”
The rest of the time, Irina didn’t talk much to him, and after the news that he had done something to displease Aro had started to spread, neither did the rest of the vampires.
Well, who was he to complain? They were beneath him, weren’t they?
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At last, Holly thought as she sifted the LEP equipment in the Florence hideout. There were wings, an LEP jumpsuit (though Holly was planning to bring her old uniform as well, in case she didn’t want to be tracked), a helmet, and other little gadgets that Foaly raved about every time he got the chance.
It was reassuring however to put back on her normal uniform, and to hear Foaly in her ear the instant she put her helmet back on.
“Nice job with the detector, by the way, captain. I’ve managed to track those buggers all the way to France.”
“France?”
“Yes, they’re going towards Paris as we speak. They’re driving fast, I can tell you.”
“They can run fast, too,” Holly commented as she added another Neutrino to her belt, just in case. “Well, if Artemis is going to France-which we aren’t yet certain-he’ll love it.”
“If he gets the chance to visit whatever obscure art gallery he hasn’t already seen, which I doubt he will.”
“What news in Haven?” Holly asked finally, with a bit of apprehension.
“Well,” Foaly started, sounding official. “I have to admit the information you gave us is certainly helping your case. You’ve done such a good job that I can officially tell you we’re keeping you on the Recon for this mission, even though Trouble will probably send some more agents in Paris, if that’s where the vampires are going.
“Great,” Holly muttered. She knew her unorthodox methods wouldn’t please the rest of the play-by-the-rules Recon officers.
“Yeah, I do believe Trouble will want to somehow keep an eye on you. You’re somewhat of a wild card.”
“At least I get things done.”
“That, Holly,” Foaly said, “and the fact that I do everything I can to save you, is the only reason you are still in the Police force.”
He had a point there.
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The large group had split sometime during the last night. It was considered more prudent-it limited the killings in one area. Already, Artemis could read headlines talking about series of murders and disappearances on their tracks in the newspapers he had managed to steal. That was another definite perk about being a vampires: how amazingly easy it was for him to steal-if he ever escaped the Volturi, his new state would prove to be an extremely valuable asset.
“The plan is to meet in Roissy, where we have private jet waiting for us,” Demetri explained. He seemed to be the only one who forgave Artemis his misstep enough to talk to him, or maybe it was only Aro who had ordered him to instruct Artemis on the procedure. “We’ll take it to New York and then separate again. We’ll all meet in Seattle and make the last stretch together. By that time, everybody should have fed enough to avoid any killings in the area. There already was trouble last year, it would do no good to add to the suspicion.”
Artemis nodded meekly. It made no doubt in his mind that he would be in Aro’s group-someone had to monitor him, after all.
He just hoped Holly had listened to him. He tried to convince himself that she had listened to him for the next time Aro probed his mind. If Aro found out Artemis believed Holly was following them, he would be on the lookout for the elfin captain. However, if she had disregarded what he had said the first time, there was a chance she would do exactly the same the second…
Oh, how he hoped she had been listening.
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No matter how desperate the circumstances, there always was a silver lining. The People were about to be exposed by ruthless and bloodthirsty creatures, Artemis was their prisoner, but Holly was flying.
She had gotten the permission to go the land route, and that was a rare feat. However, in cases of emergency, Trouble Kelp wasn’t known for being a rule-enforcing bureaucrat.
As she flew over the Alps, Holly remembered that the last time she had taken this particular trip; she had flown straight into a trap laid by a twelve year-old Artemis Fowl. Now she was going back to save him. How things had changed.
It was impossible to deny, really. She had seen his face again-more beautiful than she had ever seen it-and spotted the fraction of second when he had looked at her with terrified eyes. And that instant, she had known, as surely as she knew he was afraid for her and not for himself, that she was in love with him.
She had fallen in love with a Mud Boy, and now she was in love with a vampire.
Her life was never boring, was it?
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“Are you alright, Irina?” Artemis asked concernedly when he saw her sitting despondently under a tree.
“I miss my sisters,” she whispered, in a rare moment of unguardedness.
That was a new development.
“You have sisters?”
Irina laughed bitterly.
“Yes, two of them. Their names are Tanya and Kate. We’ve been together for centuries; it’s hard for us to be apart.”
“Do they know about the Cullens’ problem?” Artemis couldn’t help but ask. Didn’t she once say that if someone was involved with an immortal child and didn’t cooperate with the Volturi, they would be punished?
“I haven’t told them,” Irina whispered. “I hope they do not know. It was hard enough for me to denounce them, and I had a reason to be angry.”
“It’s never easy to betray your friends.”
Irina snorted sadly.
“You’re a bit young to make these kind of statements, aren’t you?”
“I’m precocious.”
Oh, how he hated to remember what he did to Holly. How she had trusted him, cared for him enough to … And then he had betrayed her, made her believe she had poisoned his mother when she had been innocent.
Why was Holly still trying to save him, after all he had done to her? Maybe he should have been meaner, made her never want to come to the rescue. Artemis wasn’t sure he would have managed to pull it off without Holly figuring out that it was hurting him almost as much as what he was doing to her. The elf was maybe worthless at planning, but she understood feelings so much better than him.
Had she been right, then, to kiss him?
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It took only a few hours for Holly to catch up with the vampires in the car she had traced. To her disappointment, Artemis wasn’t part of that group.
“What do I do now?” she asked Foaly, surprising the centaur with the panic in her voice. “What if the two parties are totally unrelated, and Artemis isn’t going to Paris at all? We’ll lose him, and we have no idea how to ever find him again!”
“Calm down, Holly,” he answered. “I know this is difficult, but we don’t have any other lead. We have nothing to localize Artemis, so it would be pointless for you to go looking for him. Just follow these guys and try to find out as much as you can.”
“Alright,” Holly whispered back, trying to sound determined.
“And Holly …”
“Yes, Foaly?”
“Be careful out there. These creatures probably have heightened senses. Don’t get too close, and make sure you don’t get caught.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
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Everybody arrived safely in Roissy, where they managed to get into a private jet without attracting attention.
“Who owns the plane?” Artemis asked Demetri, curiosity overcoming his aversion for his companions. He didn’t doubt the Volturi’s wealth, but he wondered at their interactions with humans. Gianna had known about vampires, and she had died. Were they people all over the world aware of their secret, or did the Volturi manage to fool everyone?
“That would be a millionaire known by the name of Marc Voltoure,” Demetri answered with a smirk.
“Marcus?” asked Artemis, astounded.
“The very same,” confirmed Demetri as he sat down at his seat. He mention the spot next to him, and Artemis warily took place. “Though the whole coven controls the account really. We just needed a cover name.”
“Why go for such an obvious name? Don’t you want to keep your existence secret?”
“Only from the humans,” Demetri answered with a predatory smile. “We don’t mind so much if the other vampires know how far reaching our connexions are.”
“With all these preparations, don’t you think the Cullens will have found out about our expedition? If they are harboring an immortal child, they are probably on the lookout for any reaction on our side.”
Demetri chuckled.
“Even if they weren’t on the lookout, they would know we were coming. One of them can see the future. They know we’re coming.”
If Artemis had still been human, he would have paled. This was going to be even more dangerous than what he had anticipated. He was worthless at combat. What was the point of turning him into a vampire if he was going to get destroyed immediately after?
“One of them can see the future?” he repeated.
“They are a very powerful coven. The one called Alice can see the future and Edward can read minds, a little like Aro.”
Artemis winced.
“Though he only hears what you are thinking at the moment, he can do so without any contact. Then, they have Jasper, who can manipulate people’s moods. The other four don’t have blatant powers like those three, but they are still powerful. Besides, they have a new addition to their coven: Edward’s wife, Bella. We don’t know what her powers exactly are, but she was impervious to Aro, Jane and Edward’s powers in her human form, which you might guess is exceptional. We suspect she also resists Alec’s, but we can’t know for sure.”
“Will her powers have developed with the change?” Artemis asked with a strangled voice.
“It would be foolish not to think so.”
“We won’t all make it back,” Artemis pointed out calmly. Numerous extremely situations had forced him to stay analytical in situations like this. Which didn’t mean he liked it one bit.
“Probably not,” Demetri agreed, untroubled.
It seemed to Artemis that Chelsea had done a very good job on that particular vampire, at the very least. She still had work to do before he ran headfirst to his certain demise, though.
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Holly almost missed the vampires on their flight out of the country. Though she didn’t manage to follow them on their private jet-that would have been foolish in any case-she did discover their destination and snuck into the next plane headed for the same airport. Luckily, it was only a few minutes after the first.
“Foaly, I need you to track that jet, and tell me the instant it’s landed where it’s parked and where it’s inhabitants have gone.”
“Sure, sure,” answered a slightly frazzled Foaly. “By the way, I’m rebuilding the security system from scratch-not an easy feat by the way. It probably won’t be as powerful as the previous, so be extra careful. It’s only advantage is that Artemis and the vampires know nothing of it. Number One and Qwan are even helping me to code it in some ancient warlock language to throw them off.”
“Great,” Holly answered absently, as she tried to find a hiding place in the luggage compartment. Already the cold was starting to hurt her. She didn’t how she was going to survive the six hour flight to New York. “Foaly, please tell me this suit has some kind of heating system, otherwise I think you should find yourself another Recon officer.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Foaly chuckled in her helmet. “You know I think of everything.”
“I hope you do.”
She wasn’t only talking about her suit’s heating system.
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The rest of the flight was silent. It suited Artemis perfectly. If he could just think, find a compromise that would save Holly without losing her respect for ever … He still didn’t know what he would chose if he couldn’t find a way out: help the Volturi to save Holly or do what she would have wanted him to do-and let her die.
He let out a frustrated sigh. He was Artemis Fowl the second, and he was being manipulated
like some low class pawn. Artemis Fowl was never a pawn!
He knew enough about the Volturi to understand a few things about the situation at hand with the Cullens. It wasn’t really punishment that interested them in the Cullen’s case, but acquisition. Demetri had given him more information than Artemis needed.
It had come to him suddenly. Even Demetri wasn’t aware of the grand plan. However, he had talked of the Cullen’s powers with the same admiration that Aro probably had, and Artemis knew enough about people like Aro-he quite resembled him himself in the finer points-to know exactly why the Volturi were so determined to fight the Cullen coven.
Aro would love to have more powerful vampires to add to his already impressive collection-especially Alice, the one who could see the future. Demetri had also talked about the newest Cullen, Bella with enough enthusiasm to show the interest the Volturi had in her. The Volturi had wondered, even before she was turned, what powers she would gain.
Artemis wished he had this Bella’s powers. Not so much to escape Jane-he amazed himself with his selflessness sometimes-but just to keep his thoughts to himself. If he could have kept the People from being discovered …
“Artemis,” a beautiful vampire that he had come to know as Heidi called. “Aro wants to speak to you.”
What now?
“Of course, Heidi,” Artemis answered dutifully as he got up. Silently, he made his way to the front of the plane, where the Volturi brothers-and their ever-present bodyguards-were staying.
“You asked for me, master?”
It hurt Artemis to call Aro that, but it was better than another torture session with Jane. Vicious witch.
If he hadn’t been a vampire, he wouldn’t have noticed Marcus’ hand ghosting by Aro’s. He narrowed his eyes. He was aware of Marcus’ power: to sense everybody’s relationships and allegiances. Other than that, he was apathetic. What had changed since last time he saw the old vampire … was that he knew the Volturi’s real goal concerning the Cullens. Had that changed his allegiances so much Marcus would notice it? Since when did he care for a coven he knew nothing about, when so many people he cared for were in danger?
Aro’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, before his face went back to his congenial mask and he held out his hand. Obedient, Artemis put his on top. Aro chuckled.
“You may be foolish sometimes, but it is undeniable that you are smart. Not even the ones who have stayed with us the longest have figured that out, and it took you a mere week.” Aro glanced at the bodyguards assembled before looking back at Artemis. “I would rather prefer if you kept your discoveries to yourself or my brothers and I.”
“Of course, master.”
If the others were idiots enough not to realize they were all an acquisition to the Volturi brothers, why would he bother to tell them otherwise? Besides, Chelsea had done her job too well: they probably wouldn’t even mind if they knew.
“Marcus tells me,” Aro continued, “that your desire to stay with us has weakened.”
“It was never strong to begin with,” Artemis pointed out.
The advantage of speaking with someone who could read minds, was that they weren’t offended when spoken frankly. Aro laughed.
“I still believe we have a rather convincing argument on our side, though, don’t we?”
Artemis tried not to clench his fists. It was an epic fail.
“By the way,” Aro continued, “do you think she listened to you when you spoke to her?”
No. No, no, Aro couldn’t have picked up that. If the vampires were on the lookout for Holly, she would be caught sooner or later, and then …
“I hope she did.”
“I, quite frankly, don’t,” Aro answered. His smile was pleasant but Artemis had to contain his shiver. “You have no idea how much I long to meet captain Short.”
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Holly was going to die, she was certain of it. She could barely hear Foaly coaching her through her earpiece. It was so cold; her suit’s heating system wasn’t helping much. Fairies had a very low tolerance for cold, and it was a known fact that even humans had died freezing in the luggage compartment.
“Holly? Holly, for Ford’s sake, answer me!” Foaly yelled on the other end.
“What?” Holly answered sleepily. Fairies might hate cold, but it wasn’t that much of an unpleasant way to die. You just fell asleep.
“Holly, you have to stay awake, otherwise you’ll freeze to death. Do you understand?”
“Yeah …”
In Heaven, Foaly wasn’t very reassured by that answer. “Yeah” wasn’t usually part of captain Short’s vocabulary. He had to find some way to keep her awake; there were still three hours to go.
“Holly, don’t make me get Trouble Kelp. You have to stay awake.”
Trouble’s mention seemed to get a reaction out of Holly, because she was much clearer when she answered:
“Alright, I’ll stay awake. Thanks again for keeping me awake, Foaly. Artemis owes me-us-big.”
“He already did,” Foaly pointed out distractedly. “I’m going to have to get someone else to talk you through this, Holly, because I have a meeting with other fairy inventors to try to find a way to protect all our accesses to the surface from vampires.”
“Sounds like fun.”
Foaly snorted.
“With absolutely no information about said vampires, that’s the last word I would qualify our meeting. By the end of it, if we manage to find some shield, we won’t even know if it will work until it’s tested by the real thing.”
“Reassuring, to say the least.” Holly held back a huge yawn.
“Say, Holly, how was your time working with Mulch Diggums?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well,” Foaly explained. “I was thinking of him to take care of you for the rest of the trip. Did you find his conversation agreeable?”
“Do you?” Holly answered with a laugh.
“Well, I’m out of options anyway, so it’ll be Mulch.”
The sound of Mulch Diggum’s loud complaining could already be heard through the intercom.
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It was snowing in New York when the plane landed, to the great delight of all the vampires. Not only did they not mind the cold, but the bleak weather was always better when one had to show oneself in public.
The Volturi brothers had already decided who would go in each group. There would be three of them, instructed to convince other vampires they would meet along the way to come as “witnesses.” Of course, Artemis was with Aro.
Also in his group were Caius and Aro’s wife, their bodyguards, as well as Jane and Alec. Artemis was worried, because for the first time, he wouldn’t be with Irina. He hoped the Volturi would still let him hunt animals.
The walk through the airport was agony. Volterra had been nothing, nothing at all. How could a small Tuscany town compare with the mass of hundreds of human bodies pushing each other, of their hearts pumping in an immense symphony? Artemis didn’t even try to breathe in.
In a surprising movement, Aro’s impassive wife, Sulpicia, put her arm gracefully around his shoulder and held him close to her.
She could pass as his mother-strikingly beautiful and young, but nothing too shocking. The only thing missing was a hint of some kind of positive feeling towards him. Her tone was formal when she spoke to him.
“Concentrate on your goal-the doors over there. I’ll hold you if you lose control.”
Artemis nodded. He knew if he wanted to be polite, he should answer her properly, but he certainly wasn’t going to risk opening his mouth in such a place.
He hoped there would be no human driver in the cars that would take them out of New York.
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Mulch’s conversation had been as refined as expected, but it had kept her awake in the freezing cold. Well, Holly had learned something relatively useful: Mulch told her that Foaly had managed to trace the owner of the private jet the vampires had taken to New York.
“Marc Voltoure, apparently,” he had told her.
“Have you ever heard of him?” Holly asked. Mulch’s underground connexions were notorious. Some were even literally above ground, a rare feat for the reclusive fairies.
“The name came up once or twice in a conversation. I didn’t really dig any deeper-that’s a metaphor, for your information-because he was reputed to be an absolutely ruthless business partner, but he never seemed interested in anything remotely adventurous.”
Holly had to laugh at the understatement. Mulch was known for his high profile crimes, like stealing oscar statues to world-famous actresses. She could understand that someone related to vampires would probably not want that much attention. For Ford’s sake, even the People did not usually want that much attention!
“Nothing ever made you think he wasn’t purely a Mud Man?”
“Hey!” Mulch protested. “We don’t even know if he isn’t a Mud Man. We just know it’s his jet the vampires used to travel. It might not mean much.”
“I h-hope not,” Holly remarked, with a great shiver. “We need every lead we have.”
“Well, in any case,” Mulch said, “Foaly has already programmed the security cameras in JFK to surveil the vampires the instant they set foot off the plane. Hopefully that’ll give you enough time to catch up with them.”
“Hopefully.”
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The taxi driver in Artemis’ car was dealt with the second every vampire had sat down. He didn’t have time to yell. The three other vampires wasted no time to drain him of every drop of blood in his body. Artemis closed his eyes and refused to breathe. If he lost control once-and flowing blood was bound to do exactly that- it would be that much harder to go back to drinking from animals, Irina had told him.
To his left was Sulpicia, and to his right the driver’s body. Driving was Aro’s bodyguard, Renata, while Aro himself was driving shotgun. The only one wearing a seatbelt was the driver, his face resting against the window, as if sleeping. Artemis had almost put his on, before catching Renata’s amused glance.
“Artemis,” Aro said softly. “Open your eyes and breathe in. You won’t have anything to drink, but the human’s scent is still more potent than if he were unwounded and living. Try to resist the smell.”
Reluctantly, Artemis obeyed. The scent of blood assaulted his senses immediately, but it wasn’t anywhere near as overwhelming as Gianna’s pulsing blood. He took three painful deep breaths, as thirst burned his throat. He needed to hunt soon.
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Holly shot out of the airplane the instant it opened-under the protection of her shield. She would have to find a place to complete the ritual fast; the plane ride had exhausted her. Foaly was on the other line again, and she was delighted to learn she was only ten minutes behind the vampires. Foaly also had other good news for her.
“I caught Artemis on camera-it seems some of the myths about vampires don’t apply. He’s with the group that came out of the jet.” Then the news wasn’t too good. “There’s a lot of them, Holly. A lot. You’ll have to be very careful.”
“Where are they now?” she asked, flying over the airport towards it’s exit.
“In customs. Our little friends also seem to be very good at faking passports, which is hardly surprising when you come to think of it. They’ve probably been in existence since the things have been invented, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to counterfeit.”
“Speaking of security,” Holly said, more than a little willing to avoid Foaly’s sarcasm and lectures after such a tiring ride, “did you find a foolproof way to protect the chutes?”
“You can be a true ray of sunshine sometimes, Holly,” Foaly answered grumpily.
“It’s snowing here.”
“Oh, ha ha.” She heard Foaly’s sigh. Well, she couldn’t say she was that surprised. “We were thinking of using the Book as an access pass.”
“What happens to those who don’t have the Book and try to pass anyway?” Holly asked.
“Well, we’re still working on that,” Foaly answered concernedly. “You see, I’m not quite sure a Bio Bomb would work very well on the undead.”
“You have a point there,” Holly conceded. But then, what weapon did they have?
“We’re trying to see if we can use fire as a shield. You know, these vampires don’t seem to mind the sunlight, but there still is a chance that their bodies won’t resist fire-we’ll there aren’t many moving things on this planet the size of a human who would, come to think of it.”
“This is becoming absolutely gruesome, Foaly,” Holly interrupted pleasantly. “Are they out of customs yet?”
“Yep, they’re moving towards the exit. Be prepared to fire the tracers the instant they take a car. Just stay out of reach.”
“Yes, daddy.” Foaly snorted. “By the way, assuming you keep this “Book-as-passport” solution, don’t you remember Artemis managed to get a copy of one from a fairy?”
“I know,” he answered. “I just don’t see any other solution for the while. It’s in a case like these that we need Artemis’ mind.”
“Too bad it’s working for the other side right now.”
Artemis had worked against the fairies once, and the fairies had been defeated. Things definitely weren’t looking good. Foaly interrupted Holly’s thoughts a second later.
“They’re coming out! Can you see them?”
Holly quickly scanned the exits of the airport and spotted the group of vampires walking out of the terminal. It wasn’t really hard to spot them; instinctively, all the humans shied away from the vampires.
She was not prepared for the physical reaction of fear she had when she saw how important the group was. If she had been a few decades younger, she would have run and hidden right there. But Holly was the best Recon officer and stayed at her post on the airport rooftop, silently charging the gun that would propel the tracers to the cars the vampires would climb in.
But above all, she was not prepared for the way her heart started thumping harder than she ever remembered at the sight of Artemis Fowl’s immaculate and tortured face.
It took her a full ten seconds for her gun to be perfectly steady.
“D’Arvit!” she swore, echoed thousands of kilometers from there by Foaly in the command booth. “Taxis.”
“Fire any way. The tracers you picked up have cameras. We might be able to find a little bit more.”
The tracers were little marvel of technology, if Foaly said so himself. Not only did they have microscopic cameras, but their size was so tiny that if shot correctly, they could be the completely camouflaged behind the radio antenna. They even had a cushioning system to make the impact almost completely silent.
Thanks to the sound of the engine, even the vampires didn’t hear the tracers hitting-precisely on target-each taxi cab. After all, Holly was a superb shot.
Chapter 6
Summary: The Volturi hear about Artemis Fowl's prodigious intelligence and decide to turn him into a vampire and make him join the guard. Artemis must not only protect the People from the Volturi's greediness, but there's also the matter of punitive expedition concerning the Cullens. Post TTP and during Breaking Dawn. A/H, canon Twilight couples.
ETA: For now, there are only four chapters on fanfiction.net, because I can't manage to upload the latest chapter to their site. This is getting frustrating! Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
On fanfiction.net
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
“What else will keep you in line, boy? If you ever, ever do anything to contradict me and my plans, you can be certain I will hunt her down, no matter where she hides, and tear her apart while you watch. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, master,” Artemis answered, defeated.
“Now, I am very sorry to say, but it is time for your punishment. Jane is on her way as we speak. Believe me, Artemis, by the middle of it, you will be begging to be human again so you can die.”
Chapter 5: Travel
One perk about being a vampire was that even after the most horrendous torture session, your muscles didn’t ache. If Artemis had still been human, he wouldn’t have to be able to move for days after that. Or, in all probability, his heart would have given away halfway through.
Ahh, to be a vampire.
They were currently traveling in the south of France-the Italian border had been passed long ago. Each day, they would stop during the day to hunt. Felix had explained that feeding so often would make them stronger in prevision of the battle that was coming.
Artemis was dreading the days they spent hiding in cities, with all the human scents around and no way to quench his thirst on animals. It took immense concentration and self-abnegation not to jump at the throats of humans passing too close. He could now try to breathe in their presence, but he also often needed to hold his breath to avoid temptation, which frustrated him immensely when he saw how his friend seemed unaffected.
Irina didn’t seem troubled by it.
“It’s just practice,” she’d explain with a little laugh. “I have had a lot of years to get used to it, and I certainly didn’t have your self-control at the same age. You are doing very well, Artemis.”
The rest of the time, Irina didn’t talk much to him, and after the news that he had done something to displease Aro had started to spread, neither did the rest of the vampires.
Well, who was he to complain? They were beneath him, weren’t they?
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At last, Holly thought as she sifted the LEP equipment in the Florence hideout. There were wings, an LEP jumpsuit (though Holly was planning to bring her old uniform as well, in case she didn’t want to be tracked), a helmet, and other little gadgets that Foaly raved about every time he got the chance.
It was reassuring however to put back on her normal uniform, and to hear Foaly in her ear the instant she put her helmet back on.
“Nice job with the detector, by the way, captain. I’ve managed to track those buggers all the way to France.”
“France?”
“Yes, they’re going towards Paris as we speak. They’re driving fast, I can tell you.”
“They can run fast, too,” Holly commented as she added another Neutrino to her belt, just in case. “Well, if Artemis is going to France-which we aren’t yet certain-he’ll love it.”
“If he gets the chance to visit whatever obscure art gallery he hasn’t already seen, which I doubt he will.”
“What news in Haven?” Holly asked finally, with a bit of apprehension.
“Well,” Foaly started, sounding official. “I have to admit the information you gave us is certainly helping your case. You’ve done such a good job that I can officially tell you we’re keeping you on the Recon for this mission, even though Trouble will probably send some more agents in Paris, if that’s where the vampires are going.
“Great,” Holly muttered. She knew her unorthodox methods wouldn’t please the rest of the play-by-the-rules Recon officers.
“Yeah, I do believe Trouble will want to somehow keep an eye on you. You’re somewhat of a wild card.”
“At least I get things done.”
“That, Holly,” Foaly said, “and the fact that I do everything I can to save you, is the only reason you are still in the Police force.”
He had a point there.
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The large group had split sometime during the last night. It was considered more prudent-it limited the killings in one area. Already, Artemis could read headlines talking about series of murders and disappearances on their tracks in the newspapers he had managed to steal. That was another definite perk about being a vampires: how amazingly easy it was for him to steal-if he ever escaped the Volturi, his new state would prove to be an extremely valuable asset.
“The plan is to meet in Roissy, where we have private jet waiting for us,” Demetri explained. He seemed to be the only one who forgave Artemis his misstep enough to talk to him, or maybe it was only Aro who had ordered him to instruct Artemis on the procedure. “We’ll take it to New York and then separate again. We’ll all meet in Seattle and make the last stretch together. By that time, everybody should have fed enough to avoid any killings in the area. There already was trouble last year, it would do no good to add to the suspicion.”
Artemis nodded meekly. It made no doubt in his mind that he would be in Aro’s group-someone had to monitor him, after all.
He just hoped Holly had listened to him. He tried to convince himself that she had listened to him for the next time Aro probed his mind. If Aro found out Artemis believed Holly was following them, he would be on the lookout for the elfin captain. However, if she had disregarded what he had said the first time, there was a chance she would do exactly the same the second…
Oh, how he hoped she had been listening.
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No matter how desperate the circumstances, there always was a silver lining. The People were about to be exposed by ruthless and bloodthirsty creatures, Artemis was their prisoner, but Holly was flying.
She had gotten the permission to go the land route, and that was a rare feat. However, in cases of emergency, Trouble Kelp wasn’t known for being a rule-enforcing bureaucrat.
As she flew over the Alps, Holly remembered that the last time she had taken this particular trip; she had flown straight into a trap laid by a twelve year-old Artemis Fowl. Now she was going back to save him. How things had changed.
It was impossible to deny, really. She had seen his face again-more beautiful than she had ever seen it-and spotted the fraction of second when he had looked at her with terrified eyes. And that instant, she had known, as surely as she knew he was afraid for her and not for himself, that she was in love with him.
She had fallen in love with a Mud Boy, and now she was in love with a vampire.
Her life was never boring, was it?
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“Are you alright, Irina?” Artemis asked concernedly when he saw her sitting despondently under a tree.
“I miss my sisters,” she whispered, in a rare moment of unguardedness.
That was a new development.
“You have sisters?”
Irina laughed bitterly.
“Yes, two of them. Their names are Tanya and Kate. We’ve been together for centuries; it’s hard for us to be apart.”
“Do they know about the Cullens’ problem?” Artemis couldn’t help but ask. Didn’t she once say that if someone was involved with an immortal child and didn’t cooperate with the Volturi, they would be punished?
“I haven’t told them,” Irina whispered. “I hope they do not know. It was hard enough for me to denounce them, and I had a reason to be angry.”
“It’s never easy to betray your friends.”
Irina snorted sadly.
“You’re a bit young to make these kind of statements, aren’t you?”
“I’m precocious.”
Oh, how he hated to remember what he did to Holly. How she had trusted him, cared for him enough to … And then he had betrayed her, made her believe she had poisoned his mother when she had been innocent.
Why was Holly still trying to save him, after all he had done to her? Maybe he should have been meaner, made her never want to come to the rescue. Artemis wasn’t sure he would have managed to pull it off without Holly figuring out that it was hurting him almost as much as what he was doing to her. The elf was maybe worthless at planning, but she understood feelings so much better than him.
Had she been right, then, to kiss him?
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It took only a few hours for Holly to catch up with the vampires in the car she had traced. To her disappointment, Artemis wasn’t part of that group.
“What do I do now?” she asked Foaly, surprising the centaur with the panic in her voice. “What if the two parties are totally unrelated, and Artemis isn’t going to Paris at all? We’ll lose him, and we have no idea how to ever find him again!”
“Calm down, Holly,” he answered. “I know this is difficult, but we don’t have any other lead. We have nothing to localize Artemis, so it would be pointless for you to go looking for him. Just follow these guys and try to find out as much as you can.”
“Alright,” Holly whispered back, trying to sound determined.
“And Holly …”
“Yes, Foaly?”
“Be careful out there. These creatures probably have heightened senses. Don’t get too close, and make sure you don’t get caught.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
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Everybody arrived safely in Roissy, where they managed to get into a private jet without attracting attention.
“Who owns the plane?” Artemis asked Demetri, curiosity overcoming his aversion for his companions. He didn’t doubt the Volturi’s wealth, but he wondered at their interactions with humans. Gianna had known about vampires, and she had died. Were they people all over the world aware of their secret, or did the Volturi manage to fool everyone?
“That would be a millionaire known by the name of Marc Voltoure,” Demetri answered with a smirk.
“Marcus?” asked Artemis, astounded.
“The very same,” confirmed Demetri as he sat down at his seat. He mention the spot next to him, and Artemis warily took place. “Though the whole coven controls the account really. We just needed a cover name.”
“Why go for such an obvious name? Don’t you want to keep your existence secret?”
“Only from the humans,” Demetri answered with a predatory smile. “We don’t mind so much if the other vampires know how far reaching our connexions are.”
“With all these preparations, don’t you think the Cullens will have found out about our expedition? If they are harboring an immortal child, they are probably on the lookout for any reaction on our side.”
Demetri chuckled.
“Even if they weren’t on the lookout, they would know we were coming. One of them can see the future. They know we’re coming.”
If Artemis had still been human, he would have paled. This was going to be even more dangerous than what he had anticipated. He was worthless at combat. What was the point of turning him into a vampire if he was going to get destroyed immediately after?
“One of them can see the future?” he repeated.
“They are a very powerful coven. The one called Alice can see the future and Edward can read minds, a little like Aro.”
Artemis winced.
“Though he only hears what you are thinking at the moment, he can do so without any contact. Then, they have Jasper, who can manipulate people’s moods. The other four don’t have blatant powers like those three, but they are still powerful. Besides, they have a new addition to their coven: Edward’s wife, Bella. We don’t know what her powers exactly are, but she was impervious to Aro, Jane and Edward’s powers in her human form, which you might guess is exceptional. We suspect she also resists Alec’s, but we can’t know for sure.”
“Will her powers have developed with the change?” Artemis asked with a strangled voice.
“It would be foolish not to think so.”
“We won’t all make it back,” Artemis pointed out calmly. Numerous extremely situations had forced him to stay analytical in situations like this. Which didn’t mean he liked it one bit.
“Probably not,” Demetri agreed, untroubled.
It seemed to Artemis that Chelsea had done a very good job on that particular vampire, at the very least. She still had work to do before he ran headfirst to his certain demise, though.
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Holly almost missed the vampires on their flight out of the country. Though she didn’t manage to follow them on their private jet-that would have been foolish in any case-she did discover their destination and snuck into the next plane headed for the same airport. Luckily, it was only a few minutes after the first.
“Foaly, I need you to track that jet, and tell me the instant it’s landed where it’s parked and where it’s inhabitants have gone.”
“Sure, sure,” answered a slightly frazzled Foaly. “By the way, I’m rebuilding the security system from scratch-not an easy feat by the way. It probably won’t be as powerful as the previous, so be extra careful. It’s only advantage is that Artemis and the vampires know nothing of it. Number One and Qwan are even helping me to code it in some ancient warlock language to throw them off.”
“Great,” Holly answered absently, as she tried to find a hiding place in the luggage compartment. Already the cold was starting to hurt her. She didn’t how she was going to survive the six hour flight to New York. “Foaly, please tell me this suit has some kind of heating system, otherwise I think you should find yourself another Recon officer.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Foaly chuckled in her helmet. “You know I think of everything.”
“I hope you do.”
She wasn’t only talking about her suit’s heating system.
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The rest of the flight was silent. It suited Artemis perfectly. If he could just think, find a compromise that would save Holly without losing her respect for ever … He still didn’t know what he would chose if he couldn’t find a way out: help the Volturi to save Holly or do what she would have wanted him to do-and let her die.
He let out a frustrated sigh. He was Artemis Fowl the second, and he was being manipulated
like some low class pawn. Artemis Fowl was never a pawn!
He knew enough about the Volturi to understand a few things about the situation at hand with the Cullens. It wasn’t really punishment that interested them in the Cullen’s case, but acquisition. Demetri had given him more information than Artemis needed.
It had come to him suddenly. Even Demetri wasn’t aware of the grand plan. However, he had talked of the Cullen’s powers with the same admiration that Aro probably had, and Artemis knew enough about people like Aro-he quite resembled him himself in the finer points-to know exactly why the Volturi were so determined to fight the Cullen coven.
Aro would love to have more powerful vampires to add to his already impressive collection-especially Alice, the one who could see the future. Demetri had also talked about the newest Cullen, Bella with enough enthusiasm to show the interest the Volturi had in her. The Volturi had wondered, even before she was turned, what powers she would gain.
Artemis wished he had this Bella’s powers. Not so much to escape Jane-he amazed himself with his selflessness sometimes-but just to keep his thoughts to himself. If he could have kept the People from being discovered …
“Artemis,” a beautiful vampire that he had come to know as Heidi called. “Aro wants to speak to you.”
What now?
“Of course, Heidi,” Artemis answered dutifully as he got up. Silently, he made his way to the front of the plane, where the Volturi brothers-and their ever-present bodyguards-were staying.
“You asked for me, master?”
It hurt Artemis to call Aro that, but it was better than another torture session with Jane. Vicious witch.
If he hadn’t been a vampire, he wouldn’t have noticed Marcus’ hand ghosting by Aro’s. He narrowed his eyes. He was aware of Marcus’ power: to sense everybody’s relationships and allegiances. Other than that, he was apathetic. What had changed since last time he saw the old vampire … was that he knew the Volturi’s real goal concerning the Cullens. Had that changed his allegiances so much Marcus would notice it? Since when did he care for a coven he knew nothing about, when so many people he cared for were in danger?
Aro’s eyebrows lifted ever so slightly, before his face went back to his congenial mask and he held out his hand. Obedient, Artemis put his on top. Aro chuckled.
“You may be foolish sometimes, but it is undeniable that you are smart. Not even the ones who have stayed with us the longest have figured that out, and it took you a mere week.” Aro glanced at the bodyguards assembled before looking back at Artemis. “I would rather prefer if you kept your discoveries to yourself or my brothers and I.”
“Of course, master.”
If the others were idiots enough not to realize they were all an acquisition to the Volturi brothers, why would he bother to tell them otherwise? Besides, Chelsea had done her job too well: they probably wouldn’t even mind if they knew.
“Marcus tells me,” Aro continued, “that your desire to stay with us has weakened.”
“It was never strong to begin with,” Artemis pointed out.
The advantage of speaking with someone who could read minds, was that they weren’t offended when spoken frankly. Aro laughed.
“I still believe we have a rather convincing argument on our side, though, don’t we?”
Artemis tried not to clench his fists. It was an epic fail.
“By the way,” Aro continued, “do you think she listened to you when you spoke to her?”
No. No, no, Aro couldn’t have picked up that. If the vampires were on the lookout for Holly, she would be caught sooner or later, and then …
“I hope she did.”
“I, quite frankly, don’t,” Aro answered. His smile was pleasant but Artemis had to contain his shiver. “You have no idea how much I long to meet captain Short.”
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Holly was going to die, she was certain of it. She could barely hear Foaly coaching her through her earpiece. It was so cold; her suit’s heating system wasn’t helping much. Fairies had a very low tolerance for cold, and it was a known fact that even humans had died freezing in the luggage compartment.
“Holly? Holly, for Ford’s sake, answer me!” Foaly yelled on the other end.
“What?” Holly answered sleepily. Fairies might hate cold, but it wasn’t that much of an unpleasant way to die. You just fell asleep.
“Holly, you have to stay awake, otherwise you’ll freeze to death. Do you understand?”
“Yeah …”
In Heaven, Foaly wasn’t very reassured by that answer. “Yeah” wasn’t usually part of captain Short’s vocabulary. He had to find some way to keep her awake; there were still three hours to go.
“Holly, don’t make me get Trouble Kelp. You have to stay awake.”
Trouble’s mention seemed to get a reaction out of Holly, because she was much clearer when she answered:
“Alright, I’ll stay awake. Thanks again for keeping me awake, Foaly. Artemis owes me-us-big.”
“He already did,” Foaly pointed out distractedly. “I’m going to have to get someone else to talk you through this, Holly, because I have a meeting with other fairy inventors to try to find a way to protect all our accesses to the surface from vampires.”
“Sounds like fun.”
Foaly snorted.
“With absolutely no information about said vampires, that’s the last word I would qualify our meeting. By the end of it, if we manage to find some shield, we won’t even know if it will work until it’s tested by the real thing.”
“Reassuring, to say the least.” Holly held back a huge yawn.
“Say, Holly, how was your time working with Mulch Diggums?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Well,” Foaly explained. “I was thinking of him to take care of you for the rest of the trip. Did you find his conversation agreeable?”
“Do you?” Holly answered with a laugh.
“Well, I’m out of options anyway, so it’ll be Mulch.”
The sound of Mulch Diggum’s loud complaining could already be heard through the intercom.
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It was snowing in New York when the plane landed, to the great delight of all the vampires. Not only did they not mind the cold, but the bleak weather was always better when one had to show oneself in public.
The Volturi brothers had already decided who would go in each group. There would be three of them, instructed to convince other vampires they would meet along the way to come as “witnesses.” Of course, Artemis was with Aro.
Also in his group were Caius and Aro’s wife, their bodyguards, as well as Jane and Alec. Artemis was worried, because for the first time, he wouldn’t be with Irina. He hoped the Volturi would still let him hunt animals.
The walk through the airport was agony. Volterra had been nothing, nothing at all. How could a small Tuscany town compare with the mass of hundreds of human bodies pushing each other, of their hearts pumping in an immense symphony? Artemis didn’t even try to breathe in.
In a surprising movement, Aro’s impassive wife, Sulpicia, put her arm gracefully around his shoulder and held him close to her.
She could pass as his mother-strikingly beautiful and young, but nothing too shocking. The only thing missing was a hint of some kind of positive feeling towards him. Her tone was formal when she spoke to him.
“Concentrate on your goal-the doors over there. I’ll hold you if you lose control.”
Artemis nodded. He knew if he wanted to be polite, he should answer her properly, but he certainly wasn’t going to risk opening his mouth in such a place.
He hoped there would be no human driver in the cars that would take them out of New York.
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Mulch’s conversation had been as refined as expected, but it had kept her awake in the freezing cold. Well, Holly had learned something relatively useful: Mulch told her that Foaly had managed to trace the owner of the private jet the vampires had taken to New York.
“Marc Voltoure, apparently,” he had told her.
“Have you ever heard of him?” Holly asked. Mulch’s underground connexions were notorious. Some were even literally above ground, a rare feat for the reclusive fairies.
“The name came up once or twice in a conversation. I didn’t really dig any deeper-that’s a metaphor, for your information-because he was reputed to be an absolutely ruthless business partner, but he never seemed interested in anything remotely adventurous.”
Holly had to laugh at the understatement. Mulch was known for his high profile crimes, like stealing oscar statues to world-famous actresses. She could understand that someone related to vampires would probably not want that much attention. For Ford’s sake, even the People did not usually want that much attention!
“Nothing ever made you think he wasn’t purely a Mud Man?”
“Hey!” Mulch protested. “We don’t even know if he isn’t a Mud Man. We just know it’s his jet the vampires used to travel. It might not mean much.”
“I h-hope not,” Holly remarked, with a great shiver. “We need every lead we have.”
“Well, in any case,” Mulch said, “Foaly has already programmed the security cameras in JFK to surveil the vampires the instant they set foot off the plane. Hopefully that’ll give you enough time to catch up with them.”
“Hopefully.”
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The taxi driver in Artemis’ car was dealt with the second every vampire had sat down. He didn’t have time to yell. The three other vampires wasted no time to drain him of every drop of blood in his body. Artemis closed his eyes and refused to breathe. If he lost control once-and flowing blood was bound to do exactly that- it would be that much harder to go back to drinking from animals, Irina had told him.
To his left was Sulpicia, and to his right the driver’s body. Driving was Aro’s bodyguard, Renata, while Aro himself was driving shotgun. The only one wearing a seatbelt was the driver, his face resting against the window, as if sleeping. Artemis had almost put his on, before catching Renata’s amused glance.
“Artemis,” Aro said softly. “Open your eyes and breathe in. You won’t have anything to drink, but the human’s scent is still more potent than if he were unwounded and living. Try to resist the smell.”
Reluctantly, Artemis obeyed. The scent of blood assaulted his senses immediately, but it wasn’t anywhere near as overwhelming as Gianna’s pulsing blood. He took three painful deep breaths, as thirst burned his throat. He needed to hunt soon.
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Holly shot out of the airplane the instant it opened-under the protection of her shield. She would have to find a place to complete the ritual fast; the plane ride had exhausted her. Foaly was on the other line again, and she was delighted to learn she was only ten minutes behind the vampires. Foaly also had other good news for her.
“I caught Artemis on camera-it seems some of the myths about vampires don’t apply. He’s with the group that came out of the jet.” Then the news wasn’t too good. “There’s a lot of them, Holly. A lot. You’ll have to be very careful.”
“Where are they now?” she asked, flying over the airport towards it’s exit.
“In customs. Our little friends also seem to be very good at faking passports, which is hardly surprising when you come to think of it. They’ve probably been in existence since the things have been invented, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to counterfeit.”
“Speaking of security,” Holly said, more than a little willing to avoid Foaly’s sarcasm and lectures after such a tiring ride, “did you find a foolproof way to protect the chutes?”
“You can be a true ray of sunshine sometimes, Holly,” Foaly answered grumpily.
“It’s snowing here.”
“Oh, ha ha.” She heard Foaly’s sigh. Well, she couldn’t say she was that surprised. “We were thinking of using the Book as an access pass.”
“What happens to those who don’t have the Book and try to pass anyway?” Holly asked.
“Well, we’re still working on that,” Foaly answered concernedly. “You see, I’m not quite sure a Bio Bomb would work very well on the undead.”
“You have a point there,” Holly conceded. But then, what weapon did they have?
“We’re trying to see if we can use fire as a shield. You know, these vampires don’t seem to mind the sunlight, but there still is a chance that their bodies won’t resist fire-we’ll there aren’t many moving things on this planet the size of a human who would, come to think of it.”
“This is becoming absolutely gruesome, Foaly,” Holly interrupted pleasantly. “Are they out of customs yet?”
“Yep, they’re moving towards the exit. Be prepared to fire the tracers the instant they take a car. Just stay out of reach.”
“Yes, daddy.” Foaly snorted. “By the way, assuming you keep this “Book-as-passport” solution, don’t you remember Artemis managed to get a copy of one from a fairy?”
“I know,” he answered. “I just don’t see any other solution for the while. It’s in a case like these that we need Artemis’ mind.”
“Too bad it’s working for the other side right now.”
Artemis had worked against the fairies once, and the fairies had been defeated. Things definitely weren’t looking good. Foaly interrupted Holly’s thoughts a second later.
“They’re coming out! Can you see them?”
Holly quickly scanned the exits of the airport and spotted the group of vampires walking out of the terminal. It wasn’t really hard to spot them; instinctively, all the humans shied away from the vampires.
She was not prepared for the physical reaction of fear she had when she saw how important the group was. If she had been a few decades younger, she would have run and hidden right there. But Holly was the best Recon officer and stayed at her post on the airport rooftop, silently charging the gun that would propel the tracers to the cars the vampires would climb in.
But above all, she was not prepared for the way her heart started thumping harder than she ever remembered at the sight of Artemis Fowl’s immaculate and tortured face.
It took her a full ten seconds for her gun to be perfectly steady.
“D’Arvit!” she swore, echoed thousands of kilometers from there by Foaly in the command booth. “Taxis.”
“Fire any way. The tracers you picked up have cameras. We might be able to find a little bit more.”
The tracers were little marvel of technology, if Foaly said so himself. Not only did they have microscopic cameras, but their size was so tiny that if shot correctly, they could be the completely camouflaged behind the radio antenna. They even had a cushioning system to make the impact almost completely silent.
Thanks to the sound of the engine, even the vampires didn’t hear the tracers hitting-precisely on target-each taxi cab. After all, Holly was a superb shot.
Chapter 6