Artemis Fowl Ship Moments

Artemis x Holly

Book 2 - Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident

Page 160, Paragraph 3 - Page 161, Paragraph 3

Holly suddenly stopped moving. Her hand froze, then dropped through the mist. The Arctic night rushed in to reclaim the silence.

They inched closer, leaning into the fog. Artemis wanted to see, but he was afraid to look.

Butler took a breath, batting aside sheets of mist. All was quiet below. Holly's frame lay still as the grave.

Artemis peered at the shape in the hole. "I think she's awake . . ."

He was cut short by Holly's sudden return to consciousness. She bolted upright, icicles coating her eyelashes and auburn hair. Her chest ballooned as she swallowed huge gulps of air.

Artemis grabbed her shoulders, for once abandoning his shell of icy composure. "Holly. Holly, speak to me. Your finger. Is it okay?"

Holly wiggled her fingers, then curled them into a fist. "I think so," she said, and whacked Artemis right between the eyes. The surprised boy landed in a snowdrift for the fourth time that day.

Holly winked at an amazed Butler. "Now we're even," she said.

Commander Root didn't have many treasured memories. But in future days, when things were at their grimmest, he would conjure up this moment and have a quiet chuckle.