All this time. All this strife and nobody wins. What a tragedy.
The light glowed brighter and shards detached themselves from the corona to become liquid, congealing around the Berserkers inside the circle. Some left their bodies easily, as though slipping from an old coat; others were yanked out limb by limb, jerking into the sky. Oro dropped his dagger, disgusted by what had been necessary, then vacated Beckett’s body in a flash of green fire.
At last, he may have said, though Artemis could not be sure. On either side of him, the clay warriors disintegrated as the Berserker spirits vacated them, and Artemis dropped to the ground, coming face to face with Nopal.
The clone lay with her eyes uncharacteristically bright and what might have been a smile on her face. She seemed to focus on Artemis for a moment, then the light died in her eyes and she was gone. She was peaceful at the end and, unlike the other fairies, no soul detached itself from her body.
You were never meant to be, realized Artemis, and then his thoughts turned to his own safety.
I need to escape the magic as quickly as possible.
The odds were in his favor, he knew, but that was no guarantee. He had survived against all odds so many times over the past few years that he knew that sometimes percentages counted for nothing.
It occurred to Artemis that, as a human, he should simply be able to hurl himself through the walls of this magical hemisphere and survive.
With all the genius in my head, I am to be saved by a simple high jump.
He scrambled to his feet and ran toward the edge of the gate tower. It was no more than ten feet. Difficult, but not impossible from a height.
What I wouldn’t give for a set of Foaly’s hummingbird wings now, he thought.
Through the green liquid Artemis saw Holly and Butler cresting the hill, running toward the crater.
Stay back, my friends, he thought. I am coming.
And he jumped for his life. Artemis was glad that Butler was there to witness his effort, as it was almost athletic. From this height, Artemis felt as though he were flying.
There was Holly racing down the slope, outrunning Butler for once. Artemis could see by the shape of her mouth that she was shouting his name.
His hands reached the skin of the magic bubble and passed through, and Artemis felt tremendous relief.
It worked. Everything will be different now. A new world with humans and fairies living together. I could be an ambassador.
Then the spell caught him as neatly as a bug in a jar, and Artemis slid down the inside of the magical corona as though it were made of glass.
Holly rushed down the hillside, reaching toward the magical light.
“Stay back!” Artemis shouted, and his voice was slightly out of synch with his lips. “The spell will kill you.”
Holly did not slow, and Artemis could see that she intended to attempt a rescue.
She does not understand, he thought.
“Butler!” he called. “Stop her.”
The bodyguard reached out his massive arms and folded Holly in a bear hug. She used every escape maneuver in the manual, but there was no slipping such a grip.
“Butler, please. This is not right. It was supposed to be me.”
“Wait,” said Butler. “Just wait, Holly. Artemis has a plan.” He squinted through the green dome. “What is your plan, Artemis?”
All Artemis could do was smile and shrug.
Holly stopped struggling. “The magic shouldn’t affect a human, Artemis. Why hasn’t it released you yet?”
Artemis felt the magic scanning his person, looking for something. It found that something in his eye socket.
“I have a fairy eye—one of yours, remember?” said Artemis, pointing to the brown iris. “I thought my human genes could overcome that, but this is perceptive magic. Smart power.”
“I’ll get the defibrillator,” said Butler. “Perhaps there will be a spark left.”
“No,” said Artemis. “It will be too late.”
Holly’s eyes were slits now, and a pallor spread across her skin like white paint. She felt sick and broken.
“You knew. Why, Artemis? Why did you do this?”
Artemis did not answer this question. Holly knew him well enough by now to unravel his motives later. He had seconds left, and there were more urgent things to be said.
“Butler, you did not fail me. I tricked you. After all, I am a tactical genius and you were unconscious. I want you to remember that, just in case…”
“Just in case of what?” Butler shouted through the viscous light.
Again, Artemis did not answer the question. One way or another, Butler would find out.
“Do you remember what I said to you?” said Artemis, touching his own forehead.
“I remember,” said Holly. “But…”