Chapter 1

  Holly leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She sat in Artemis’s study in an armchair about five times the size of her. Butler stood near the wall like he always did while Artemis worked. Artemis was typing a report on his laptop, trying to catch up from being gone for three years. Minerva had her laptop perched on her lap and was playing solitare. She had beat the computer on hard five times sense they started relaxing ten minutes previously. In all, it was a nice time. There haden’t been any adventures for a few weeks, and that was perfectly okay with them. Relaxation was nice.

  Suddenly, there was a red light that activated on Artemis’s computer. Everyone looked up at full alert, including Artemis. He clicked on the light and typed in a few passwords before the reason for the light emerged. Someone had revealed the existance of faeries over the phone or email. Artemis made a few more adjustments to the program and they pulled up the phone conversation.

  It was a male voice that said almost as low as a whisper, “No Meg, it was them. I saw it with my own eyes. Paradizo and Fowl togeather. Neither are insane, and our bugs got them calling something, or someone who seemed to be invisible, Holly. Run a scan over the tape I send you and meet me at the Dublin station in three hours. I will get him this time Meg if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Artemis’s ring vibrated and he opened it in one swift movement, “We’re listening Foaly. I assume you were as well?”

  He put it on speaker phone before Foaly replied, “Yes and I don’t like it. No one should know that much about Holly. Or the fact that you and the Mud Girl even know eachother. Haven’t you two been playing it safe?”

  Minerva said, “Oh please Foaly. You majorly underestimate us. The press has had no way to put two and two togeather, we have been so careful. The last thing Artemis and I need is attention from the press over our supposed ‘dating’.”

  “Then how did this guy find that tape?” Foaly asked.

  Artemis replied, “That is what I intend to find out. Foaly, would you mind hacking the call and finding out everything you can about these two people?”

  “I can but what about you? You can just as easily as me.”

  “I need to get a head start to Dublin. It’s much easier to do these interrigations in person rather then over the phone.”

  “Are you sure that is wise Mud Boy?” Holly asked, “If they know as much about us as that call suggested, we could be walking right into a trap.”

  “I never walk into traps elf. I intend to walk away from this in perfect condition. This person knows more about me then I feel is right though. I prefer to keep my life to myself.”

  “Then let’s do it,” Holly smiled, “Buckle up Minerva, you’re about to experence a Holly Short and Artemis Fowl adventure.”

Some other stories by Olive:

• Hey hey hey!!!
• Kidnapping
• Comedy in Turns
• Parallel
• War