Qwan would have to put Abbot in the magic circle unconscious.
'Sorry,' she said, and flicked up the power setting above the pistol's thumb-rest.
Holly aimed with practised accuracy. The beam which pulsed from the Neutrino's barrel was a more dangerous red now, and should knock Abbot head over heels a couple of times.
I'll try not to enjoy that sight, thought Holly.
It was a sight she never got to enjoy, for at that precise moment the time surge reversed for a count of two. The beam disappeared into the past and Holly felt like throwing up as her atoms were scrambled once again by time quandary. She caught a glimpse of her ghostly past self less than a metre to her right. Out-of-focus past versions of the demons scrambled behind them like speed trails. Then the past was gone for another minute.
Abbot was still coming. Dangerously close now. Holly reckoned she had time for another shot. And with any luck, the demon Council would lose their singularity of purpose with their leader out of the picture.
She adjusted her aim, then the world shattered before her like a broken mirror. A curved section of the earth rose above her like a tidal wave, then dematerialized in a glittering flurry of sparks. Holly caught a glimpse of alternate dimensions through the gaps. There was sun and space and enormous multi-tentacled creatures.
The sheer amount of magic present in the air squeezed Holly's head like a vice. She vaguely noted groaning behind her as Artemis and the others succumbed to the magical overload.
But she could not succumb. Some of the demons may have been sucked up into the time tunnel, but there could be more left. The air shimmered and settled. Rivulets of dust and rock spilled from mid-air.
Huge chasms yawned all around, with nothing below but red space.
There was more emptiness now than land.
Most of the demons were gone. Most, but not all. Abbot alone was left.
Grinning maniacally, his sword extended before him.
'Hello, elf,' he said, and plunged the sword into Holly's chest.
Holly felt the steel slide through the delicate membrane of elfin skin, between the eighth and ninth ribs and lodge a millimetre below her heart. It was cold as ice and more painful than words can describe. She fell backwards, slipping off the slick blade, crashing through the crust of ash. Blood poured out of her like water from a ruptured vessel. Her own heart did gravity's work, emptying her veins with every beat.
'Magic,' she gasped, through the pain.
Abbot was jubilant. 'Magic cannot help you, elf. I've been working on this sword for a long time, in case the warlocks ever showed up. There's enough enchantment in this steel to stop an entire magic circle.' He shook the sword as he talked. Spittle sprayed from his mouth, and Holly's blood dripped from the blade, splattering lines on the ash.
Holly coughed, the action felt like it was splitting her in two. Magic could not help her here. There was only one person who could.
'Artemis,' she said, her voice weak and thin. 'Artemis, help me.'
Artemis Fowl glanced her way briefly, then returned his gaze to the bomb's timer, leaving Holly Short to die on the ground. Which she did.
Chapter 15: HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN:
Artemis was hauling the bomb when the big shift came. The magical overspill hit him like a rugby tackle, driving him to his knees. For a moment his senses were completely overloaded and he was left gasping in a vacuum. Sight was first to return, distorted by tears and stars.
He checked the bomb's timer. Three minutes to go, providing the pattern did not disintegrate. He glanced to his left where Qwan and N°l were returning to the business of conjuring, while over his right shoulder Holly was holding whatever demons were left. All around, the world was vibrating itself out of this existence. The noise was hellacious and the smell coated the inside of his nostrils. The bomb was heavy enough to make Artemis's knuckles crack, and not for the first time, he wished Butler was at his side to take the strain. But he wasn't at his side, and wouldn't be again if Artemis did not get going. It was a simple plan: move the box to the plateau. Object A to point B. There was no sense in thinking about it.
Then Holly got stabbed and the plan got a lot more complicated.
Artemis saw the blade going in out of the corner of his eye. And worse still he heard the sound it made. A clean snick, like a key going into a lock.
This can't be real, he thought. We have been through too much together for Holly to be taken so quickly.
The sound the sword made coming out of Holly was hideous beyond imagination. Artemis knew that he would take that sound to his own grave.
Abbot was gloating now. 'Magic cannot help you, elf. I've been working on this sword for a long time.'
Artemis sank to his haunches, fighting the urge to crawl to Holly's side.
Magic could not help Holly, but perhaps a combination of magic and science could. He forced himself to ignore the spurts of deep red blood seeping from her wound. There was nothing in Holly Short's future but death.
Her current future. But the future could be changed.
No.1 and Qwan had not seen the assault. They were deep in concentration, building the blue rings. Abbot was moving towards them now. The tip of his sword dripped blood on the ash like a leaky pen joining the dots to his next victims.
Holly spoke her last. 'Artemis,' she said. 'Artemis, help me.'
Artemis glanced at her. Once. Briefly. He shouldn't have. The sight of his friend dying almost threw off his count. And right now, the count was the most important thing.
Holly died without a friend to hold her hand. Artemis felt her go — another gift of the magic. He kept on counting, brushing away the tears on his cheeks.
Keep counting. That's all that matters.
Artemis rose, walking swiftly to his fallen friend. Abbot saw him go. He pointed the sword in Artemis's direction.
'You're next, Mud Boy. First the warlocks, then you. Once you are gone, things will return to how they were.'
Artemis ignored him, nodding along with the count in his head, making sure not to rush. The count must be accurate or all was lost.
Abbot elbowed his way between Qwan and No.1. They were so focused that they barely realized that he was there. With two strokes of his cursed sword, the job was done. No.1 fell backwards, blue magic trailing from his fingers. Qwan did not fall, because the tip of Abbot's sword was keeping him upright.
Artemis did not look into Holly's eyes. He could not. Instead he prised the handgun from her hand and pointed it away from him.
Be careful now. Timing is everything.
Abbot yanked his sword from Qwan's chest, and the small body slumped lifelessly to the ground. Three dead in less time than it would take to tie a shoelace.
Artemis ignored the last breaths and the rhythmic crunching of ash that told him Abbot was coming. Not that the demon was trying to hide it.
'I'm back here, human. Why don't you see if you can turn round in time.'
Artemis searched the volcano floor around Holly for footprints. There were many, but only two side by side, where Abbot had stood as he struck. All the while, he counted, remembering his own calculations.
An hour per second for a count of forty, followed by a deceleration to thirty minutes per second for a count of eighteen, then a slight jump backwards in time, one minute per second back for a count of two. Then it repeats.
'Maybe I'll keep you,' chuckled Abbot, prodding Artemis's back with his sword. 'It'd be nice to have a pet human around. I could teach you tricks.'
'I have a trick for you,' said Artemis, and he fired a single blast from the gun.
