No1 noticed both Artemis’s and Holly’s awkward expressions and took pity on them.
“I suppose you could keep one thing, if you must. A small garment, but make sure it’s your color, because you could be wearing it for a really long time.”
Though they both knew that this was no time for modesty, neither Artemis nor Holly could suppress a blush. Holly covered her embarrassment by tearing off her Shimmer Suit as quickly as possible.
“I’m keeping the one-piece,” she said belligerently, daring No1 to argue. The one-piece looked similar to a swimsuit but was padded on the shoulders and back to support a wing rig. There were also heat and kinetic panels that could absorb energy from the wearer to power the suit.
“Okay,” said No1. “But I would advise you to remove the pads and any other electronics.”
Holly nodded, tearing the pads from their Velcro strips.
Artemis gathered Holly’s things. “I will put your helmet and suit in the safe, just to be certain they are secure. No need to take chances with the People’s technology.”
“Now you’re thinking like a centaur,” Foaly piped up.
It took only a minute to hide the fairy gear, and when he returned from the safe room, Artemis took off his shirt and trousers carefully, hanging them in his wardrobe. He placed his loafers on a shoe rack alongside several similar black pairs, and one brown, for casual days.
“Nice underwear,” snickered Foaly from the screen, momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation.
Artemis was wearing a pair of red Armani boxer shorts, which were pretty much the same color as his face.
“Can we get on with it?” he snapped. “Where do you need us to stand?”
“Wherever you need to be,” replied No1 simply. “It’s far easier for me if you take off and land at the same point. It’s hard enough shooting you down a wormhole faster than the speed of light without worrying about location too.”
“We are in the right location,” said Artemis. “This is where we need to be.”
“You need to know when you want to arrive,” added No1. “The temporal coordinates are as important as the geographical ones.”
“I know when.”
“Very well,” said No1, rubbing his hands together. “Time to send you on your way.”
Holly remembered something. “I haven’t completed the Ritual,” she said. “I’m low on magic, and without weapons, that could be a problem. We don’t have an acorn.”
“Not to mention a bend in the river,” added Artemis.
No1 smirked. “Those things could be problems. Unless . ..”
A spiral rune on the demon’s forehead glowed red and spun like a Catherine wheel. It was hypnotizing.
“Wow,” said Holly. “That’s really . . .”
Then a pulsing beam of crimson magic blasted from the center of the rune, enveloping Holly in a cocoon of light.
“Now you’re full to the brim,” said No1, bowing low. “Thank you very much. I’m here all week. Don’t forget to tip your goblins and bury those acorns.”
“Wow,” said Holly again when her fingertips stopped buzzing. “That’s a neat trick.”
“More than you know. That’s my own signature magic. The No1 cocktail, if you like, which makes you a beacon in the time stream.”
Artemis shuffled self-consciously. “How long do we have?”
No1 gazed at the ceiling while he ran some calculations. “Three hundred years . . . No, no, three days. Holly can bring you back at any point before that simply by making herself open to my power, but after three days the link grows weaker.”
“Is there anything we can do about that?”
“Let’s face facts: all-powerful I may be, but I’m a novice at this, so taking off from where you landed is vital. If you go beyond three days, then you are stuck in the past.”
“If we do get separated, couldn’t Holly come back and get me?” wondered Artemis.
“No, she could not,” said No1. “It would be impossible for you to meet at a point neither of you had experienced. This is a one-time deal only. It will take everything I have to hold you together for this trip. Any more and your atoms would lose their memory and simply forget where it is they are supposed to go. Both of you have already been in the time stream twice. I can transport objects forever and a day, but living beings break down without a warlock in the stream to shield them.”
Holly asked a very pertinent question. “No1, have you done this before?”
“Of course,” said the demon. “Several times. On a simulator. And two of the holograms survived.”
Artemis’s determination barely flickered. “Two survived. The last two?”
“No,” admitted No1. “The last two were trapped in a time wormhole and consumed by quantum zombies.”
Holly felt her pointy ears tingle, always a bad sign. Elfin ears could sense danger.
“Quantum zombies? You’re not serious.”
“That’s what I said to Qwan. He wrote the program.”