Artemis Fowl: The Vampire Conspiration, chapter 6
It was a hectic week (classes starting again, night shift on Monday and Tursday), but I still managed to update! The chapter is a little shorter than the last few. I hope you enjoy it.
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.
On Fanfiction.net
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Cahpter 5
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.
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: America
The thing with vampires is that they had so much time on their hands that they didn’t talk nearly as much as poor humans who had to fit all their conversations in eighty short years. In consequence, the taxi ride was completely silent.
It didn’t bother Artemis much. After, he didn’t feel like he held much in common with the other people in the car, save the fact that they belonged to the same species. That wasn’t quite enough for them to develop a kinship.
However, even in the silence, the bond between Aro in Sulpicia was palpable to Artemis. He had never witnessed anything quite like it. Of course, his own parents loved each other and weren’t shy about it, but he doubted it would be so visible after three thousand years. Did being a vampire also develop feelings of love and attachment?
“We will stop to hunt in place close to wildlife for you, Artemis,” Aro informed him once they had left New York.
“Thank you, master,” he responded weakly, wondering who would accompany him now. They wouldn’t let a newborn on his own-even less one who openly expressed his rebellious thoughts.
Sulpicia looked at him with mild curiosity.
“Have you never tasted human blood, boy?”
“Once,” he answered tensely. “The first day.” His fists were tight; not only was he trying to control his remorse and anger in remembrance of that particular event, but also his thirst. She had tasted so good in comparison to animals. So much more satisfying …
“And you never wanted to do it again?”
Aro laughed affectingly at her puzzled tone.
“It goes against my moral principles, ma’am,” Artemis answered. “I don’t have many, so I try to respect the few I do believe in.”
“But those are human morals!”
Sulpicia hadn’t raised her voice, but her incomprehension was written plainly on her beautiful face. She looked up at her husband, who smiled almost tenderly back at her, though his filmy eyes didn’t help much at conveying the sentiment, in Artemis’ opinion.
“Artemis has prided himself on the fact that he wasn’t a murderer. I believe he intends to try staying as “innocent” as he can.”
Renata at the wheel made a small disbelieving noise. Aro laughed exuberantly.
“My dear, he’s doing so well! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he achieved to control himself almost as well as Carlisle.”
The laughter died on his face as he mentioned of the leader of the Cullen clan. Apparently, it wasn’t a happy thought to plan the execution of someone you once called a friend.
If somebody as ruthless as Aro could feel sad at his friend’s execution, how could Artemis ever bear the murder of his friends?
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Holly Short had been joined by other fairies from Atlantis, who were closer to the United States than Haven. Each was assigned a car to follow in case they separated-Holly reserved herself the car with Artemis.
It was a wise decision: right after they left New York, the cars divided into three groups. Artemis’ went north.
“Perfect,” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth. “I didn’t think I had gotten cold enough.” The two other fairies who followed the taxis with her grunted in approval.
On the other line, she heard Trouble Kelp entering Foaly’s command booth.
“Captain Short?” he asked in his usual formal tone. Holly rolled her eyes, while the other fairies looked at her strangely.
“Yes, Commander?”
“It’s good to hear you through official channels, captain. I was growing worried that I would have to suspend you.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t,” Holly answered mockingly as she kept following Artemis’ car from above.
Trouble’s laugh wasn’t very reassured.
“You know if the Council puts it’s nose into this, I wouldn’t have much power to stop their decision from taking effect.”
“I was aware of the possible consequences, Commander,” Holly said seriously. “I would have faced them.”
“He’s a Mud Boy, Holly!” Trouble said, worry and disbelief plain in his voice.
“Not anymore, Trouble.”
“It’s not exactly helping his case,” he pointed out, and Holly couldn’t find anything to say to that.
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They stayed close to the coast after reaching Boston and turning north. The moment the last house disappeared behind them, Renata started inspecting the coastline attentively.
“There,” she said after a while, as she parked the car next to a cliff overseeing the ocean. Gracefully, she got out of the car to inspect the water, several hundred meters below.
“It’s perfect,” she told Aro as she came back to the car. “It will dive straight into the water.”
“Do you know how deep it is?” he asked.
“I’m not quite sure,” she answered, “but probably a good hundred meters. That should be enough.”
Aro nodded, before looking joyfully at Artemis.
“Everybody out!”
Artemis looked apprehensively at the taxi driver, already guessing what his fate would be. His family would never know what had become of him. The wedding band on his left hand would be the last thing to dissolve in the Atlantic ocean.
Renata carried the driver to the front seat, where she attached his seatbelt, before positioning the car in front of the cliff-a seemingly effortless move that surprised the week-old Artemis, who hadn’t had much time to explore his new strength. She opened all the windows, turned the engine on, and then, faster than any human could have, planted the dead driver’s foot strongly on the accelerator before closing the door.
The car soared through the air before diving down and shattering the waves below.
“Your newborn doesn’t look too good,” Sulpicia told Aro dispassionately.
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“Well, there goes your tracer, Foaly,” Holly said after a good minute of disbelieving silence. She had known the instant the taxi driver had been taken out of the car that he was already dead, but it still was one of the most shocking things the peace-loving fairy had seen. Even now, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t be sick. She noticed Artemis didn’t look much better than her, which reassured her: he hadn’t completely lost his humanity-or decency, if Artemis Fowl ever had any.
The scariest part, however, had been to witness the female vampire’s incredible strength. She had moved, almost carried the taxi cab as if it weighed nothing. True, with magic, fairies could increase their strength. If it was sufficient to punch a face stronger than the best human professional boxer, they would never even dream of lifting a car.
The vampires were going to make mincemeat out of the People, if they were given the chance. Holly couldn’t imagine what they could ever do to stop those creatures.
Foaly’s answer came very late, also knocked out by the sight.
“The view was better from your helmet, anyway.”
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“Artemis has to hunt,” Aro pointed out as they walked to find Caius’ and Marcus’ groups-though they were faster than the fastest human sprinter. Artemis wondered how long it would take them to go to Forks, Washington by foot. How tired could a vampire get? Could they run for hours, even days?
“He can’t go alone,” Sulpicia pointed out. Aro laughed and she smiled, rolling her filmy eyes.
“Of course,” she muttered, before frowning at Artemis. “He really is such a hassle.”
“A hassle that not only has enormous talent, but has brought us new knowledge,” Aro replied unconcernedly. “He was just changed at a very inconvenient time. We could not have foreseen it, however.”
It took their group an hour to find Marcus’ party. It was composed only of two bodyguards and Marcus himself, looking as bored as ever.
“Caius went the furthest north, master,” one of the bodyguards informed Aro, who turned back to Sulpicia.
“This would be the perfect occasion for you to take young Artemis hunting. We will meet in Portland, Maine, before heading west.”
“We’re going through Canada?” Artemis asked. Aro simply nodded.
“Well, let’s get going,” Sulpicia said impatiently. She briefly and gracefully held Aro, who kissed her lightly, before turning to Artemis and taking his hand. In a flash, they had left the cliffs and were running in the forest.
“You don’t want to hunt too close to humans, I guess?” Sulpicia asked with a resigned sigh.
“I would rather, if you please, ma’am,” Artemis answered just as gracefully. It was exhilarating that he, who had never been athletic or particularly agile-two left hands, Holly had said once-could run faster than a train and still be able to speak without being out of breath.
He felt so … powerful when he was running. At moments like that, he was torn between his exhilarated state, and the knowledge that he was enjoying his new condition far two much.
Artemis was a little bit apprehensive of hunting with Sulpicia. Irina had always been patient and understanding. She had even brought him spare clothes the first time, a good idea since his shirt had been soaked in blood by the end of the expedition. Now, he would have to be clean, quick, and efficient so as not to displease the millenary-old Volturi wife.
After an hour of running-Artemis wasn’t even tired-Sulpicia took Artemis’ arm to stop him.
“Now, it should be safe. I believe it will be the first time you will eat a carnivore.” She smiled ruefully. “It is said that they are a much more satisfying prey than what you used to hunt in Tuscany. Though of course,” she added derisively, “nothing will ever sate you like human blood.”
Artemis chose not to take the bait, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Besides, it was a fact he was already familiar with.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The instant later he was running after his prey.
Sulpicia had been so right! Of course, a coyote still wasn’t as good as Gianna’s blood-Artemis was satisfied to note that after a hunt he could now think of human blood without feeling quite so thirsty-but it was so much more appealing than the small game he had had to do with in Italy.
And he only had one tiny bloodstain on his shirt. That was definite progress. Once he had effectively camouflaged his meal, Sulpicia motioned him to get going. Just before they started running, she told him, in the kindest voice he had heard her when she addressed him:
“There is no need to call me “ma’am,” Artemis. Vampires use first names. We do not let human protocol come between us.”
She mentioned “human protocol” with a disgusted sneer that offended Artemis-though he was much too controlled to show it. It seemed Sulpicia couldn’t be polite for more than two sentences.
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Fairies were vegetarians. The thought of killing other living creatures for their subsistence was abhorrent to them. Therefore, it was extremely hard for Holly to witness Artemis hunting. He was more an animal than she had ever seen him. He showed as much mercy for his prey than the trolls they had fought, and he was much more deadly. The poor coyote didn’t stand a chance.
In a mere five minutes, it was done, and the scene had been cleared of any traces of the incident.
It’s better than eating humans, she tried to convince herself. Yes, she wouldn’t have been able to stomach seeing Artemis Fowl subjecting a Mud Man to what he had done to that coyote.
Curiously, the female vampire that was with him didn’t take part of the feast, and Holly could find no explanation for that. It was another unsolved mystery about the vampires, which wasn’t very reassuring. The little she had seen was scary enough. Her wings had barely held up to their speed while they ran.
Now, they were running back towards the rest of the vampires that had gone north, where the other Recon fairies were hopefully on their tails. She just hoped the two other vampires she had left on their own would do the same.
Most of all, she hoped the vampires would pause long enough for her to complete the Ritual. The two other Recon officers had been briefed in advance, and were consequently running hot, but she had spent too much magic to keep herself warm in the airplane and constantly shielded as she had followed them through Europe and New York.
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By the time Sulpicia and Artemis joined the group, new vampires were waiting with the rest of the Volturi. Artemis guessed they were the “witnesses” Aro had wished to bring with him to fight the Cullens.
The new vampires were dressed very differently than the Volturi guard. None of them wore long grey cloaks like them, instead they had put some casual clothes on. They eyed Artemis and Sulpicia warily as they came out from the woods.
“Not to worry, friends!” Aro exclaimed genially. “These are Sulpicia, my wife-” as he said that he took her hand, “-and Artemis, the newest member of my guard.”
If the vampires had been wary before, they were now clearly tense. Their attention had left Sulpicia after a brief salute to focus on Artemis.
“As I said,” Aro repeated, a note of warning in his voice, “not to worry. Artemis may be young, but he is extremely controlled. I do not believe he has lost his temper once.”
Well, of course not, Artemis thought indignantly. Fowls never lost their temper.
A dark haired female advanced hesitantly towards Artemis and nodded at him.
“Hello Artemis, I am Emily.”
“Delighted, ma’am,” he answered back in his most aristocratic tone. Emily smiled, and the other vampires relaxed.
“It’s just Emily. You seem very young-” she turned towards Aro curiously, before looking back at Artemis, “-for someone to be turned.”
Aro laughed, but it didn’t seem as joyful as usual.
“It turned out little Artemis has lived a little less than what his birth date seemed to indicate.”
Artemis winced. It was always painful to remember the three years he had lost during his adventures in the time spell. He had worried his family so much, and worst of all, he had missed his mother’s pregnancy and the birth of Beckett and Miles. On the other hand, he was quite certain he would never see them again, so maybe it wasn’t something he should get worked up about.
Emily didn’t ask any more questions, probably aware that Aro didn’t want to go into more details. The two other vampires, a male and another female, quickly introduced themselves as Abraham and Catherine.
“Let’s go, shall we?” Caius asked impatiently. The three new vampires looked at him worriedly. It wasn’t very hard for Artemis to tell how powerful and feared by other vampires the Volturi were.
They started running.
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Holly and the two other Recon officers flew as fast as their wings could carry them to keep up with the vampires. It was obvious they were now going west, always more to the west. When the group would stop to “feed” (Holly had followed some once, she would never do it again), a fairy would stay around on the lookout, trying to learn as much as they could, while the two others went out to either get food or complete the Ritual, if needed.
It was that way Holly learned the vampire’s final destination was someplace in the state of Washington. It was hard for her to hear them-the vampires apparently had excellent hearing, because they spoke very low-she had even needed to use her helmet’s sound enhancer. Foaly had started organizing Retrieval teams ready to come help if the situation required it in Washington.
Despite the difficulties, Holly lived for these moments where she could really see Artemis, not his back running ahead of her. She saw as his mood lifted throughout the trip, though his worried frown never quite left him, and his dislike for most of his companions was apparent.
How she longed to be able to get closer, to talk to him, to touch him just once, to make sure he was fine …
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Artemis knew a deadly battle with an enemy coven was approaching. He knew every second brought the People closer to their doom. And yet, he had never been so happy in his vampire existence.
Running wasn’t tiring, it was the most thrilling thing. Canada was a beautiful country, even better through his sharp vampire eyes. Most of all, his “meals” were so much better than in Italy. Here, even the herbivores were so enormous that their blood wasn’t completely unappealing.
Too soon, however, they reached Washington. Too soon, they found the other groups, which were also enlarged by the witnesses, all of them determined to see the Cullens pay for their sins. Too soon, they were making their way to Forks, silently walking through the snowy forest to a large gleaming meadow.
Artemis had been trained for combat during this trip through America. He knew where and how to attack, though he also knew that as a newborn, he would be a very easy target, and easily taken down. Though even Caius had hinted once that he was impressed by Artemis’ self-control, he still wasn’t old enough to stay focused during a fight.
The forest was beautiful. Certainly, it didn’t have Ireland’s charm, but it was stunning nonetheless. Awed, he looked up at the trees …
… and froze in horror.
Perched up a branch and looking down at them, was Holly.
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Aro always kept close to Artemis for a reason. He knew the elfin captain would be too stubborn to abandon her friend, no matter how much he pleaded. When he saw his newborn freezing in horror, he understood immediately what was happening. He had taken the time when Artemis had been hunting to come up with a plan.
Lightly touching Artemis’ hand, he spotted Holly Short in the tree nearby. Startled, Artemis wretched his hand away, but it was too late. With one look from Aro, Artemis was writhing on the ground as Jane immobilized him with a delighted smile.
Artemis’ cries prevented Holly from hearing Aro giving Felix instructions. It already took everything she had to stay put and not fly to his rescue. If he had been human, he would have been light enough for her to swoop down and carry him away from harm.
Now, she watched in anguish as his tortured cries echoed through the forest, and never noticed the huge vampire who climbed silently the tree behind her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late; Felix had already caught her.
She kicked and thrashed to try to escape his hold as he jumped down the tree, but it was useless. How had they found her? Artemis could see her, but she had thought the others were fooled by her shield. In her helmet, Foaly was screaming.
“Excellent work, Felix,” what looked like the chief vampire told her captor. “Jane, release Artemis.” The instant he said that, Artemis stopped screaming, but lay panting on the wet ground.
“Artemis!” Holly couldn’t but exclaiming, realizing that not only her helmet would prevent anybody from hearing her, and that if they did, it would
seem like thin air was talking.
The chief vampire motioned the rest of his group to continue walking. Most of them obeyed, but some stayed around, obviously aware of their master’s scheme.
“Can you see her, master?” Felix asked.
“Not yet,” the vampire answered, before looking at the space between Felix’s hands. “I would like to introduce myself, Captain Short, as you know none of us apart from young Artemis. I am Aro, one of the three Volturi brothers, the ruling vampires. Now, I would rather be able to see your pretty face, so would you please unshield?”
Holly only thrashed more, and Aro sighed.
“My dear, I was hoping you would be more accommodating. However, it does not really matter if you are not visible. We can still smell you and hear your moves and heartbeat, which, if I may point out, is going a little too fast now. It would just be so much nicer for us if we could see you. I believe I also have another way to convince you.” He turned to the child vampire that had watched Artemis suffering with delight. “Jane here, you see, has quite amazing powers, as you have seen demonstrated on your friend. Now, if you do not want a repeat performance, I suggest you unshield.”
Holly became instantly visible, despite Artemis’ desperate protests.
“How touching!” Aro exclaimed delightedly, before approaching Holly and taking her hand.
“No!” Artemis cried, and Demetri snarled at him. Aro frowned after a while.
“Interesting,” he said. “I cannot hear her. Her smell is also quite unappealing. It does seem her species is vastly different from humans.” Turning with an amused smile towards Artemis, he started: “Now, boy, please do not make a spectacle of yourself like Edward Cullen did when I tried this with Bella. Jane, would you please?”
“No!” Artemis roared, and this time he threw himself at Jane, but Demetri and Alec caught him and held him tightly. “No, no, no!” he continued screaming. “You can’t do that, don’t you dare!”
But Holly didn’t react to Jane’s power, as well as Alec’s later on. Aro was not put out. On the contrary, he seemed delighted by the turn of the events.
“This is quite fascinating! There is so much to explore, to discover!” He sobered out quickly. “However, we have more pressing matters to deal with. I believe the Cullens are waiting for us, we should not disappoint them. Demetri, if you could take off captain Short’s helmet and let Felix hand her to Sulpicia, I would be very grateful.”
In a second, Holly was passed from one vampire to another. If she had hoped to escape from her new captor, she was disappointed. Just like Felix’s arms, Sulpicia’s were as unyielding as granite. She saw the vampire Felix keep a hand on Artemis’ shoulder.
The ex-Mud Boy looked at her with a desperate expression. In Gnommish, he whispered to her:
“I told you not to follow me!”
“You thought I would abandon you?” she shot back defiantly, trying to hide her fear. Aro, leading the group, chuckled, while the other vampires only looked puzzled.
“Touching,” he repeated, and Artemis snarled.
The Volturi’s goal was too close now, they could already see the opening in the forest where the other vampires were waiting for them. Preoccupied as he was, Artemis still noticed Aro’s greedy expression and Felix’s anticipatory grin.
Artemis had to plot, and fast.
Aro would not lose any time or concentration to read his mind during their encounter with the Cullens. He would have to come up with a plan that could be used before Aro’s interest refocused on him.
Easy. He had done worse.
The People were coming, that was almost a given. Holly was wearing a sparkling new LEPrecon suit, and he was betting Foaly was probably listening and filming through the helmet that Demetri had tucked under his elbow.
Demetri, walking only a few feet in front of him. Demetri, unknowingly holding the helmet so that the camera was facing him. This was too good to be true. Foaly would be more than able to lip-read him. Felix was far too occupied, trying to spot the Cullens from far away.
“Holly alive,” he mouthed. “Bring reinforcements, and Number One. Battle between vampires about to happen. They will be weakened by the end of it. Come quick. Vampires destroyed by fire.”
He didn’t have time to say more. At the other end of the field, the Cullens were waiting for them.
Chapter 7
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.
On Fanfiction.net
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Cahpter 5
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.
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: America
The thing with vampires is that they had so much time on their hands that they didn’t talk nearly as much as poor humans who had to fit all their conversations in eighty short years. In consequence, the taxi ride was completely silent.
It didn’t bother Artemis much. After, he didn’t feel like he held much in common with the other people in the car, save the fact that they belonged to the same species. That wasn’t quite enough for them to develop a kinship.
However, even in the silence, the bond between Aro in Sulpicia was palpable to Artemis. He had never witnessed anything quite like it. Of course, his own parents loved each other and weren’t shy about it, but he doubted it would be so visible after three thousand years. Did being a vampire also develop feelings of love and attachment?
“We will stop to hunt in place close to wildlife for you, Artemis,” Aro informed him once they had left New York.
“Thank you, master,” he responded weakly, wondering who would accompany him now. They wouldn’t let a newborn on his own-even less one who openly expressed his rebellious thoughts.
Sulpicia looked at him with mild curiosity.
“Have you never tasted human blood, boy?”
“Once,” he answered tensely. “The first day.” His fists were tight; not only was he trying to control his remorse and anger in remembrance of that particular event, but also his thirst. She had tasted so good in comparison to animals. So much more satisfying …
“And you never wanted to do it again?”
Aro laughed affectingly at her puzzled tone.
“It goes against my moral principles, ma’am,” Artemis answered. “I don’t have many, so I try to respect the few I do believe in.”
“But those are human morals!”
Sulpicia hadn’t raised her voice, but her incomprehension was written plainly on her beautiful face. She looked up at her husband, who smiled almost tenderly back at her, though his filmy eyes didn’t help much at conveying the sentiment, in Artemis’ opinion.
“Artemis has prided himself on the fact that he wasn’t a murderer. I believe he intends to try staying as “innocent” as he can.”
Renata at the wheel made a small disbelieving noise. Aro laughed exuberantly.
“My dear, he’s doing so well! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he achieved to control himself almost as well as Carlisle.”
The laughter died on his face as he mentioned of the leader of the Cullen clan. Apparently, it wasn’t a happy thought to plan the execution of someone you once called a friend.
If somebody as ruthless as Aro could feel sad at his friend’s execution, how could Artemis ever bear the murder of his friends?
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Holly Short had been joined by other fairies from Atlantis, who were closer to the United States than Haven. Each was assigned a car to follow in case they separated-Holly reserved herself the car with Artemis.
It was a wise decision: right after they left New York, the cars divided into three groups. Artemis’ went north.
“Perfect,” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth. “I didn’t think I had gotten cold enough.” The two other fairies who followed the taxis with her grunted in approval.
On the other line, she heard Trouble Kelp entering Foaly’s command booth.
“Captain Short?” he asked in his usual formal tone. Holly rolled her eyes, while the other fairies looked at her strangely.
“Yes, Commander?”
“It’s good to hear you through official channels, captain. I was growing worried that I would have to suspend you.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t,” Holly answered mockingly as she kept following Artemis’ car from above.
Trouble’s laugh wasn’t very reassured.
“You know if the Council puts it’s nose into this, I wouldn’t have much power to stop their decision from taking effect.”
“I was aware of the possible consequences, Commander,” Holly said seriously. “I would have faced them.”
“He’s a Mud Boy, Holly!” Trouble said, worry and disbelief plain in his voice.
“Not anymore, Trouble.”
“It’s not exactly helping his case,” he pointed out, and Holly couldn’t find anything to say to that.
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They stayed close to the coast after reaching Boston and turning north. The moment the last house disappeared behind them, Renata started inspecting the coastline attentively.
“There,” she said after a while, as she parked the car next to a cliff overseeing the ocean. Gracefully, she got out of the car to inspect the water, several hundred meters below.
“It’s perfect,” she told Aro as she came back to the car. “It will dive straight into the water.”
“Do you know how deep it is?” he asked.
“I’m not quite sure,” she answered, “but probably a good hundred meters. That should be enough.”
Aro nodded, before looking joyfully at Artemis.
“Everybody out!”
Artemis looked apprehensively at the taxi driver, already guessing what his fate would be. His family would never know what had become of him. The wedding band on his left hand would be the last thing to dissolve in the Atlantic ocean.
Renata carried the driver to the front seat, where she attached his seatbelt, before positioning the car in front of the cliff-a seemingly effortless move that surprised the week-old Artemis, who hadn’t had much time to explore his new strength. She opened all the windows, turned the engine on, and then, faster than any human could have, planted the dead driver’s foot strongly on the accelerator before closing the door.
The car soared through the air before diving down and shattering the waves below.
“Your newborn doesn’t look too good,” Sulpicia told Aro dispassionately.
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“Well, there goes your tracer, Foaly,” Holly said after a good minute of disbelieving silence. She had known the instant the taxi driver had been taken out of the car that he was already dead, but it still was one of the most shocking things the peace-loving fairy had seen. Even now, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t be sick. She noticed Artemis didn’t look much better than her, which reassured her: he hadn’t completely lost his humanity-or decency, if Artemis Fowl ever had any.
The scariest part, however, had been to witness the female vampire’s incredible strength. She had moved, almost carried the taxi cab as if it weighed nothing. True, with magic, fairies could increase their strength. If it was sufficient to punch a face stronger than the best human professional boxer, they would never even dream of lifting a car.
The vampires were going to make mincemeat out of the People, if they were given the chance. Holly couldn’t imagine what they could ever do to stop those creatures.
Foaly’s answer came very late, also knocked out by the sight.
“The view was better from your helmet, anyway.”
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“Artemis has to hunt,” Aro pointed out as they walked to find Caius’ and Marcus’ groups-though they were faster than the fastest human sprinter. Artemis wondered how long it would take them to go to Forks, Washington by foot. How tired could a vampire get? Could they run for hours, even days?
“He can’t go alone,” Sulpicia pointed out. Aro laughed and she smiled, rolling her filmy eyes.
“Of course,” she muttered, before frowning at Artemis. “He really is such a hassle.”
“A hassle that not only has enormous talent, but has brought us new knowledge,” Aro replied unconcernedly. “He was just changed at a very inconvenient time. We could not have foreseen it, however.”
It took their group an hour to find Marcus’ party. It was composed only of two bodyguards and Marcus himself, looking as bored as ever.
“Caius went the furthest north, master,” one of the bodyguards informed Aro, who turned back to Sulpicia.
“This would be the perfect occasion for you to take young Artemis hunting. We will meet in Portland, Maine, before heading west.”
“We’re going through Canada?” Artemis asked. Aro simply nodded.
“Well, let’s get going,” Sulpicia said impatiently. She briefly and gracefully held Aro, who kissed her lightly, before turning to Artemis and taking his hand. In a flash, they had left the cliffs and were running in the forest.
“You don’t want to hunt too close to humans, I guess?” Sulpicia asked with a resigned sigh.
“I would rather, if you please, ma’am,” Artemis answered just as gracefully. It was exhilarating that he, who had never been athletic or particularly agile-two left hands, Holly had said once-could run faster than a train and still be able to speak without being out of breath.
He felt so … powerful when he was running. At moments like that, he was torn between his exhilarated state, and the knowledge that he was enjoying his new condition far two much.
Artemis was a little bit apprehensive of hunting with Sulpicia. Irina had always been patient and understanding. She had even brought him spare clothes the first time, a good idea since his shirt had been soaked in blood by the end of the expedition. Now, he would have to be clean, quick, and efficient so as not to displease the millenary-old Volturi wife.
After an hour of running-Artemis wasn’t even tired-Sulpicia took Artemis’ arm to stop him.
“Now, it should be safe. I believe it will be the first time you will eat a carnivore.” She smiled ruefully. “It is said that they are a much more satisfying prey than what you used to hunt in Tuscany. Though of course,” she added derisively, “nothing will ever sate you like human blood.”
Artemis chose not to take the bait, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Besides, it was a fact he was already familiar with.
“Thank you, ma’am.”
The instant later he was running after his prey.
Sulpicia had been so right! Of course, a coyote still wasn’t as good as Gianna’s blood-Artemis was satisfied to note that after a hunt he could now think of human blood without feeling quite so thirsty-but it was so much more appealing than the small game he had had to do with in Italy.
And he only had one tiny bloodstain on his shirt. That was definite progress. Once he had effectively camouflaged his meal, Sulpicia motioned him to get going. Just before they started running, she told him, in the kindest voice he had heard her when she addressed him:
“There is no need to call me “ma’am,” Artemis. Vampires use first names. We do not let human protocol come between us.”
She mentioned “human protocol” with a disgusted sneer that offended Artemis-though he was much too controlled to show it. It seemed Sulpicia couldn’t be polite for more than two sentences.
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Fairies were vegetarians. The thought of killing other living creatures for their subsistence was abhorrent to them. Therefore, it was extremely hard for Holly to witness Artemis hunting. He was more an animal than she had ever seen him. He showed as much mercy for his prey than the trolls they had fought, and he was much more deadly. The poor coyote didn’t stand a chance.
In a mere five minutes, it was done, and the scene had been cleared of any traces of the incident.
It’s better than eating humans, she tried to convince herself. Yes, she wouldn’t have been able to stomach seeing Artemis Fowl subjecting a Mud Man to what he had done to that coyote.
Curiously, the female vampire that was with him didn’t take part of the feast, and Holly could find no explanation for that. It was another unsolved mystery about the vampires, which wasn’t very reassuring. The little she had seen was scary enough. Her wings had barely held up to their speed while they ran.
Now, they were running back towards the rest of the vampires that had gone north, where the other Recon fairies were hopefully on their tails. She just hoped the two other vampires she had left on their own would do the same.
Most of all, she hoped the vampires would pause long enough for her to complete the Ritual. The two other Recon officers had been briefed in advance, and were consequently running hot, but she had spent too much magic to keep herself warm in the airplane and constantly shielded as she had followed them through Europe and New York.
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By the time Sulpicia and Artemis joined the group, new vampires were waiting with the rest of the Volturi. Artemis guessed they were the “witnesses” Aro had wished to bring with him to fight the Cullens.
The new vampires were dressed very differently than the Volturi guard. None of them wore long grey cloaks like them, instead they had put some casual clothes on. They eyed Artemis and Sulpicia warily as they came out from the woods.
“Not to worry, friends!” Aro exclaimed genially. “These are Sulpicia, my wife-” as he said that he took her hand, “-and Artemis, the newest member of my guard.”
If the vampires had been wary before, they were now clearly tense. Their attention had left Sulpicia after a brief salute to focus on Artemis.
“As I said,” Aro repeated, a note of warning in his voice, “not to worry. Artemis may be young, but he is extremely controlled. I do not believe he has lost his temper once.”
Well, of course not, Artemis thought indignantly. Fowls never lost their temper.
A dark haired female advanced hesitantly towards Artemis and nodded at him.
“Hello Artemis, I am Emily.”
“Delighted, ma’am,” he answered back in his most aristocratic tone. Emily smiled, and the other vampires relaxed.
“It’s just Emily. You seem very young-” she turned towards Aro curiously, before looking back at Artemis, “-for someone to be turned.”
Aro laughed, but it didn’t seem as joyful as usual.
“It turned out little Artemis has lived a little less than what his birth date seemed to indicate.”
Artemis winced. It was always painful to remember the three years he had lost during his adventures in the time spell. He had worried his family so much, and worst of all, he had missed his mother’s pregnancy and the birth of Beckett and Miles. On the other hand, he was quite certain he would never see them again, so maybe it wasn’t something he should get worked up about.
Emily didn’t ask any more questions, probably aware that Aro didn’t want to go into more details. The two other vampires, a male and another female, quickly introduced themselves as Abraham and Catherine.
“Let’s go, shall we?” Caius asked impatiently. The three new vampires looked at him worriedly. It wasn’t very hard for Artemis to tell how powerful and feared by other vampires the Volturi were.
They started running.
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Holly and the two other Recon officers flew as fast as their wings could carry them to keep up with the vampires. It was obvious they were now going west, always more to the west. When the group would stop to “feed” (Holly had followed some once, she would never do it again), a fairy would stay around on the lookout, trying to learn as much as they could, while the two others went out to either get food or complete the Ritual, if needed.
It was that way Holly learned the vampire’s final destination was someplace in the state of Washington. It was hard for her to hear them-the vampires apparently had excellent hearing, because they spoke very low-she had even needed to use her helmet’s sound enhancer. Foaly had started organizing Retrieval teams ready to come help if the situation required it in Washington.
Despite the difficulties, Holly lived for these moments where she could really see Artemis, not his back running ahead of her. She saw as his mood lifted throughout the trip, though his worried frown never quite left him, and his dislike for most of his companions was apparent.
How she longed to be able to get closer, to talk to him, to touch him just once, to make sure he was fine …
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Artemis knew a deadly battle with an enemy coven was approaching. He knew every second brought the People closer to their doom. And yet, he had never been so happy in his vampire existence.
Running wasn’t tiring, it was the most thrilling thing. Canada was a beautiful country, even better through his sharp vampire eyes. Most of all, his “meals” were so much better than in Italy. Here, even the herbivores were so enormous that their blood wasn’t completely unappealing.
Too soon, however, they reached Washington. Too soon, they found the other groups, which were also enlarged by the witnesses, all of them determined to see the Cullens pay for their sins. Too soon, they were making their way to Forks, silently walking through the snowy forest to a large gleaming meadow.
Artemis had been trained for combat during this trip through America. He knew where and how to attack, though he also knew that as a newborn, he would be a very easy target, and easily taken down. Though even Caius had hinted once that he was impressed by Artemis’ self-control, he still wasn’t old enough to stay focused during a fight.
The forest was beautiful. Certainly, it didn’t have Ireland’s charm, but it was stunning nonetheless. Awed, he looked up at the trees …
… and froze in horror.
Perched up a branch and looking down at them, was Holly.
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Aro always kept close to Artemis for a reason. He knew the elfin captain would be too stubborn to abandon her friend, no matter how much he pleaded. When he saw his newborn freezing in horror, he understood immediately what was happening. He had taken the time when Artemis had been hunting to come up with a plan.
Lightly touching Artemis’ hand, he spotted Holly Short in the tree nearby. Startled, Artemis wretched his hand away, but it was too late. With one look from Aro, Artemis was writhing on the ground as Jane immobilized him with a delighted smile.
Artemis’ cries prevented Holly from hearing Aro giving Felix instructions. It already took everything she had to stay put and not fly to his rescue. If he had been human, he would have been light enough for her to swoop down and carry him away from harm.
Now, she watched in anguish as his tortured cries echoed through the forest, and never noticed the huge vampire who climbed silently the tree behind her. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late; Felix had already caught her.
She kicked and thrashed to try to escape his hold as he jumped down the tree, but it was useless. How had they found her? Artemis could see her, but she had thought the others were fooled by her shield. In her helmet, Foaly was screaming.
“Excellent work, Felix,” what looked like the chief vampire told her captor. “Jane, release Artemis.” The instant he said that, Artemis stopped screaming, but lay panting on the wet ground.
“Artemis!” Holly couldn’t but exclaiming, realizing that not only her helmet would prevent anybody from hearing her, and that if they did, it would
seem like thin air was talking.
The chief vampire motioned the rest of his group to continue walking. Most of them obeyed, but some stayed around, obviously aware of their master’s scheme.
“Can you see her, master?” Felix asked.
“Not yet,” the vampire answered, before looking at the space between Felix’s hands. “I would like to introduce myself, Captain Short, as you know none of us apart from young Artemis. I am Aro, one of the three Volturi brothers, the ruling vampires. Now, I would rather be able to see your pretty face, so would you please unshield?”
Holly only thrashed more, and Aro sighed.
“My dear, I was hoping you would be more accommodating. However, it does not really matter if you are not visible. We can still smell you and hear your moves and heartbeat, which, if I may point out, is going a little too fast now. It would just be so much nicer for us if we could see you. I believe I also have another way to convince you.” He turned to the child vampire that had watched Artemis suffering with delight. “Jane here, you see, has quite amazing powers, as you have seen demonstrated on your friend. Now, if you do not want a repeat performance, I suggest you unshield.”
Holly became instantly visible, despite Artemis’ desperate protests.
“How touching!” Aro exclaimed delightedly, before approaching Holly and taking her hand.
“No!” Artemis cried, and Demetri snarled at him. Aro frowned after a while.
“Interesting,” he said. “I cannot hear her. Her smell is also quite unappealing. It does seem her species is vastly different from humans.” Turning with an amused smile towards Artemis, he started: “Now, boy, please do not make a spectacle of yourself like Edward Cullen did when I tried this with Bella. Jane, would you please?”
“No!” Artemis roared, and this time he threw himself at Jane, but Demetri and Alec caught him and held him tightly. “No, no, no!” he continued screaming. “You can’t do that, don’t you dare!”
But Holly didn’t react to Jane’s power, as well as Alec’s later on. Aro was not put out. On the contrary, he seemed delighted by the turn of the events.
“This is quite fascinating! There is so much to explore, to discover!” He sobered out quickly. “However, we have more pressing matters to deal with. I believe the Cullens are waiting for us, we should not disappoint them. Demetri, if you could take off captain Short’s helmet and let Felix hand her to Sulpicia, I would be very grateful.”
In a second, Holly was passed from one vampire to another. If she had hoped to escape from her new captor, she was disappointed. Just like Felix’s arms, Sulpicia’s were as unyielding as granite. She saw the vampire Felix keep a hand on Artemis’ shoulder.
The ex-Mud Boy looked at her with a desperate expression. In Gnommish, he whispered to her:
“I told you not to follow me!”
“You thought I would abandon you?” she shot back defiantly, trying to hide her fear. Aro, leading the group, chuckled, while the other vampires only looked puzzled.
“Touching,” he repeated, and Artemis snarled.
The Volturi’s goal was too close now, they could already see the opening in the forest where the other vampires were waiting for them. Preoccupied as he was, Artemis still noticed Aro’s greedy expression and Felix’s anticipatory grin.
Artemis had to plot, and fast.
Aro would not lose any time or concentration to read his mind during their encounter with the Cullens. He would have to come up with a plan that could be used before Aro’s interest refocused on him.
Easy. He had done worse.
The People were coming, that was almost a given. Holly was wearing a sparkling new LEPrecon suit, and he was betting Foaly was probably listening and filming through the helmet that Demetri had tucked under his elbow.
Demetri, walking only a few feet in front of him. Demetri, unknowingly holding the helmet so that the camera was facing him. This was too good to be true. Foaly would be more than able to lip-read him. Felix was far too occupied, trying to spot the Cullens from far away.
“Holly alive,” he mouthed. “Bring reinforcements, and Number One. Battle between vampires about to happen. They will be weakened by the end of it. Come quick. Vampires destroyed by fire.”
He didn’t have time to say more. At the other end of the field, the Cullens were waiting for them.
Chapter 7