The Lost Colony (Disney) by Eoin Colfer

Author:Eoin Colfer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2018-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

The sun was setting as Butler expertly steered the car around the natural chicanes of the Route de Vence. The road had been hewn from the mountainside, with stone villas teetering above and the Gorges du Loup yawning below. It took a skilled driver to negotiate the bends at speed, but Butler had once driven an Al Fahd armored vehicle through a crowded Cairo market, so the Alpine roads were not too much of a challenge for him.

As it turned out, there was no car chase. The Paradizo fleet lay in flaming, mangled, inverted heaps in the Chateau driveway. There was not so much as a moped left intact to tail the getaway car.

Butler checked the rearview mirror constantly, and only allowed himself a satisfied grin when they passed through the toll station at Cagnes sur Mer.

“We’re clear,” he pronounced, accelerating into the motorway’s fast lane. “There’s not a vehicle left intact on the estate, including little Beau’s toy car.”

Artemis smiled, giddy with success. “Perhaps we should have left them Mr. Day’s marvelous booster.”

Holly noticed that No1 was happily examining his seat belt.

“Buckle up,” she said, slotting the buckle into its catch.

“Buckle,” said No1. “Clasp, clip, fastener. Why are you with these humans?”

“They’re going to help us,” Holly explained gently.

No1 had a million questions, and knew exactly how to phrase every one of them. But for the moment, words took a backseat to pictures, and No1’s square impish jaw dropped farther and farther as he stared through the tinted glass, absorbing the wonders of the modern motorway.

Holly took the opportunity to catch up with events.

“Doodah and Mulch got away okay?”

“Yes,” confirmed Artemis. “Foaly was anxious to have the shuttle returned, as he had taken it without clearance. We shouldn’t be more than a few hours behind them. By the time you get to the shuttleport, the shutdown should be lifted. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve earned yourself a medal, Holly. Job spectacularly well done.”

“There are still loose ends.”

“True. But nothing an LEP mindwipe team can’t take care of. There is no physical evidence that anything other than humans caused this devastation.”

Holly leaned back against the seat. “I’m forgetting something.”

“You’re forgetting the demons. Their spell is disintegrating. Their island will be lost in time. Will be, or has been. They drift in and out of time, making contact like a bouncing ball.”

No1 picked up on one word. “Disintegrating?”

“Hybras is doomed,” said Artemis frankly. “Your home will shortly be dragged through the time tunnel along with everything on it. When I say shortly, I mean at our end. At your end it could have already happened, or maybe it will happen in a million years.” He extended his hand. “And by the way, my name is Artemis Fowl.”

No1 took the hand, nibbling the forefinger as was the demon custom.

“I am No1. Imp. Isn’t there something we can do to save Hybras?”

“Hardly,” replied Artemis, retrieving his finger and checking it for bite marks. “The only way to save Hybras is to bring it back to Earth under controlled circumstances.

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