Abduction
- Artemis has a problem, and that's how to find a fairy to stealits gold now that he has the Book.
- Artemis gives a little seminar (not a joke—he actually has apodium in his study) to the Butlers about fairy rituals.
- He claims that the specific rules and rituals a fairy has canbe used to find one, but Juliet responds by telling him leprechauns aren't real, and Artemis realizes Butler didn't share the mission with his sister even though he was supposed to.
- We get a brief human moment with Butler as we learn that he'ssuper tough except when it comes to being laughed at by his little sister.
- Artemis explains that the People have to pick a seed from anancient oak tree by a bend in a river, which is so specific that he's able to narrow it down to 129 locations where doing so is possible.
- Each of the Butlers is given a set of instructions—Juliet getsthe cellar specs, and Butler gets a stakeout shopping list.
- Butler, in typical Butler fashion, asks why they didn't justabduct the origi nal sprite that gave them the Book—so Artemis explains that drinking with humans makes a fairy an outcast forever (harsh), so that sprite wouldn't have been worth any gold.
- There's a brief moment of foreshadowing when Butler sees sunglasses on his stakeout list and wonders why you'd need those at night.
- Here's where the timing of the story starts getting allwobbly. It jumps back and forth between Holly and Artemis, and if you're not paying close attention, you can miss the parts that tell you when things are happening.
- Pan over to Holly, who is flying along a majorly scenic detourfrom the approved route.
- It's a full moon tonight and Holly notes that Immigration(which apparently is tasked with not letting fairies out of Haven) will be swamped with "surface-sick" fairies—the fact that they're forced to live underground is starting to seem worse and worse.
- There's a little bit of background here where we learn thatfairies used to all have wings, but evolved away from that trait (except for sprites).
- Holly considers visiting Disneyland Paris as she flies overEurope, where apparently some of the LEP are employed in the Snow White exhibit.
- She comes across a group of dolphins and it's obvious thatfairies have some innate connection to animals and the environment.
- Her flight eventually lands her in the most magical place onthe surface: Ireland, home of the goofy, non-police-baton-wielding kind of leprechauns.
- The story sticks us in the middle of real Irish mythology andthen also laughs about the whole leprechaun myth with the pot of gold—apparently the gold they have is actually a ransom fund for kidnapped police officers.
- There's a brief moment where the story entertains thepossibility that humans and fairies are related.
- Holly picks a spot to avoid all the tourist fairies who willbe at the hill of Tara tonight, and glides down to earth.
- Pan back over to Artemis and Butler, where we learn that they'vebeen on stakeouts for four months. Wait, what? Obsessed much, Artemis? We guess this means the whole Holly/troll thing must have actually happened four months after Artemis tells the Butlers all about the fairy rituals.
- Artemis and Butler happen to be at a completely inaccessiblesite tonight, which we can easily guess is the same one Holly is at.
- They sit in a foil-lined blind that Artemis invented. It'sdesigned to hide from animals that are sensitive to heat and make an instant shelter wherever you put it.
- There's a brief human moment for Artemis too, when we learnthat he refused to sell the patent for the blind to military representatives, and instead is selling it to a sporting goods company.
- Butler, worried about Artemis and the worry wrinkles healready has, finally asks him if he's all right.
- Artemis confesses that he's worried about his mother, and itall ends up feeling kind of sad that Artemis never got to really be a twelve-year-old kid.
- Suddenly their alarm flashes, telling them there's someonenearby.
- Quick jump back to Holly, who lands and removes her helmet.
- She picks up an acorn—ain't no thang—and now all she has to dois put it back in the ground somewhere else.
- Meanwhile, Butler checks the radar and it reveals a non-humansized figure by the tree.
- They put on the mirrored sunglasses (told you they would showup again) and creep out into the night.
- Butler is carrying a highly specialized Kenyan hunting riflewith tranquilizer darts, and as they watch Holly take off her wings and helmet, Butler takes aim at her back.
- Unfortunately, this exact moment is when Holly bends down toget an acorn, so Butler misses.
- Back in Holly's perspective, she hears something whizz overher head and immediately recognizes the sound—her training kicks in and she draws her weapon and rolls toward the tree trunk.
- Butler is waiting at the tree and takes Holly's gun with his freehand.
- Holly hears a cold voice and turns, ready to fight—shethreatens Artemis, but he merely laughs.
- Holly tries to bluff her way out, but Artemis knows all aboutthe Ritual and her lack of power.
- She makes one last-ditch attempt to mesmerize him with thefinal bit of magic she has, but Artemis is wearing his mirrored sunglasses and, as such, is safe from her power.
- Butler shoots her with a dart and she passes out.
- From Artemis's perspective, what we see is him noticing thefairy is a female and suddenly experiencing some doubts that he pushes aside.
- Artemis retrieves Holly's helmet and takes the nuclear batteryout of the video camera.
- Butler scoops Holly's comatose form into a duffel bag and theyhead out.