The Lower Elements
Opal Koboi’s shuttle was a concept model that had never gone into mass production. It was years ahead of anything on the market, but its skin of stealth ore and cam-foil made the cost of such a vehicle so exorbitant2 that even Opal Koboi couldn’t have afforded one without the government grants that had helped to pay for it.
Scant3 secured the prisoners into the passenger bay, while Merv piloted them across to Scotland, then underground through a mountain river in the highlands. Opal busied herself making sure that her other plan, the one involving world domination, was proceeding4 smoothly6.
She closed the screen on her video phone and dialed a connection to Sicily.
The person at the other end picked up in the middle of the first ring. “Belinda, my dear. Is it you?”
The man who had answered was in his late forties, with Latin good looks and gray-streaked black hair framing his tanned face. He wore a white lab coat over an open-necked striped Versace shirt.
‘Yes, Papa. It’s me. Don’t worry, I am safe.“
Opal’s voice was layered with the hypnotic mesmer.
The poor human was utterly7 in her power, as he had been for over a month.
‘When are you coming home, my dear? I miss you.“
‘Today, Papa, in a few hours. How is everything there?“ The man smiled dreamily.
‘Molto bene. Wonderful. The weather is fine. We can take a drive to the mountains. Perhaps I can teach you to ski.“
Opal frowned impatiently. “Listen to me, idiota… Papa. How is everything with the probe? Are we on schedule?“ For a moment, a flash of annoyance8 wrinkled the Italian’s brow, then he was bewitched again.
‘Yes, my dear.
Everything is on schedule. The explosive pods are being buried to the probe’s systems’ check was a resounding9 success.“
Opal clapped her hands, the picture of a delighted daughter. “Excellent, Papa. You are so good to your little Belinda. I will be with you soon.”
‘Hurry home, my dear,“ said the man, utterly lost without the creature he believed to be his daughter.
Opal ended the call. “Fool,” she said contemptuously. But Giovanni Zito would be allowed to live at least until the probe he was constructing to her specifications10 punctured11 the Lower Elements. Now that she had spoken to Zito, Opal was eager to concentrate on the probe portion of her plan. Revenge was certainly sweet, but it was also a distraction12. Perhaps she should just dump these two from the shuttle and let the earth’s magma core have them.
‘Merv,“ she barked. ”How long to the theme park?“
Merv checked the instruments on the shuttle’s dashboard.
‘We’ve just entered the main chute network, Miss Koboi. Five hours,“ he called over his shoulder. ”Perhaps less.“
Five hours, mused13 Opal, curling in her bucket seat like a contented14 cat. She could spare five hours.
Some time later, Artemis and Holly15 were stirring in their seats. Scant helped them into consciousness with a couple of jolts16 from a buzz baton17.
‘Welcome back to the land of the condemned,“ said Opal. ”How do you like my shuttle?“
The craft was impressive, even if it was ferrying Artemis and Holly to their deaths. The seats were covered with illegally harvested fur, and the decor was plusher than your average palace. There were small entertainment hologram cubes suspended from the ceiling, in case the passengers wanted to watch a movie.
Holly began to squirm when she noticed what she was sitting on. “Fur! You animal.”
‘No,“ said Opal. ”You’re sitting on the animals. As I told you, I am human now. And that is what humans do, skin animals for their own comfort. Isn’t that right, Master Fowl19?“
‘Some do,“ said Artemis coolly. ”Not me personally.“
‘Really, Artemis,“ said Opal archly. ”I hardly think that qualifies you for sainthood. From what I hear, you’re just as eager to exploit the People as I am.“
‘Perhaps. I don’t remember.“
Opal rose from her seat and fixed20 herself a light salad from the buffet21. “Of course, they mind-wiped you. But surely you must remember now? Not even your subconscious22 could deny that this is happening.”
Artemis concentrated. He could remember something.
Vague out of focus images. Nothing very specific. “I do remember something.”
Opal lifted her eyes from her plate.
‘Yes?“
Artemis fixed her with a cool stare. “I remember how Foaly defeated you before with superior intellect. I am certain he will do it again.”
Of course, Artemis had not truly remembered this; he was simply repeating what Holly had told him. But the statement had the desired effect.
‘That ridiculous centaur23!“ shrieked24 Opal, hurling25 her plate against the wall. ”He was lucky, and I was hampered26 by that idiot Cudgeon. Not this time. This time I am the architect of my own fate. And of yours.“
‘And what is it this time?“ Artemis asked mockingly. ”Another orchestrated rebellion? Or perhaps a mechanical dinosaur27?“
Opal’s face grew white with rage. “Is there no end to your impudence28, Mud Boy? No small-scale rebellions this time. I have a grander vision. I will lead the humans to the People. When the two worlds collide, there will be a war and my adopted people will win.”
‘You’re a fairy, Koboi,“ interjected Holly. ”One of us. Rounded ears don’t change that. Don’t you think the humans will notice when you don’t get any taller?“
Opal patted Holly’s cheek almost affectionately. “My poor, dear, underpaid police officer. Don’t you think I thought of all this while I stewed29 in that coma31 for almost a year? Don’t you think I thought of everything? I have always known humans would discover us eventually, so I have prepared.” Opal leaned over, parting her jet-black hair to reveal a magically fading three-inch scar on her scalp.
‘Getting my ears rounded wasn’t the only surgery I had done. I also had something inserted in my skull32.“
‘A pituitary gland33,“ guessed Artemis.
‘Very good, Mud Boy. A rather tiny artificial human pituitary gland. HGH is one of seven hormones34 secreted35 by the pituitary.“
‘HGH?“ interrupted Holly.
‘Human growth hormone,“ explained Artemis.
‘Exactly. As the name implies, HGH enhances the growth of various organs and tissues, especially muscle and bone. In three months, I have already grown half an inch. Oh, maybe I’ll never make the basketball team, but no one will ever believe that I am a fairy.“
‘You’re no fairy,“ said Holly bitterly.
‘At heart you’ve always been human.“
‘That’s supposed to be an insult, I suppose. Maybe I deserve that, considering what I am about to do to you. In an hour’s time, there won’t be enough of you two remaining to fill the booty box.“
This was a term that Artemis had not heard before.
‘Booty box“ That sounds like a pirate expression.“
Opal opened a secret panel in the flooring, revealing a small compartment37 underneath38. “This is a booty box. The term was coined by vegetable smugglers more than eight thousand years ago. A secret compartment that would go unnoticed by customs officials. Of course, these days, with X-ray, infrared40, and motion-sensitive cameras, a booty box isn’t much good.” Opal smiled slyly, like a child who has put one over on her teacher. “Unless of course the box is completely constructed from stealth ore, refrigerated, and has internal projectors41 to fool X-ray and infrared. The only way to detect this booty box is to put your foot into it. So, even if the LEP did board my shuttle, they would not find whatever it is I am choosing to smuggle39.
Which in this case is a jar of chocolate truffles. Hardly illegal, but the cooler is full. Chocolate truffles are my passion, you know. All that time I was away, truffles were one of two things I craved42. The other was revenge.“
Artemis yawned. “How fascinating. A secret compartment. What a genius you are. How can you fail to take over the world with a booty box full of truffles?”
Opal smoothed Artemis’s hair back from his forehead. “Make all the jokes you want, Mud Boy. Words are all you have now.”
Minutes later, Merv brought the stealth shuttle in to land. Artemis and Holly were cuffed43 and led down the retractable44 gangplank. They emerged into a giant tunnel dimly illuminated45 by Glo-Strips. Most of the lighting46 panels were shattered, the rest were on their last legs. This section of the chute had once been part of a thriving metropolis47, but now was completely deserted48 and derelict. Demolition49 notices were pasted across various drooping50 billboards52.
Opal pointed53 to one. “This whole place is being torn down in a month. We just made the deadline.”
‘Lucky us,“ muttered Holly.
Merv and Scant prodded54 them wordlessly along the chute with their gun barrels. The road surface beneath their feet was buckled55 and cracked. Swear toads56 clustered in damp patches, spouting57 obscenities.
The roadside was lined with abandoned concession58 stands and souvenir shops.
In one window, human dolls were arranged in various warlike poses.
Artemis stopped in spite of the gun at his back. “Is that how you see us?” he asked.
‘Oh, no,“ said Opal. ”You’re much worse than that, but the manufacturers don’t want to scare the children.“
Several huge hemispherical structures squatted59 at the end of the tunnel. Each one the size of a football stadium. They were constructed of hexagonal panels welded together along the seams.
Some panels were opaque60, others were transparent61.
Each panel was roughly the dimensions of a small house.
Before the hemispheres was a huge arch, with strips of tattered62 gold leaf hanging from its frame. A sign hung from the arch, emblazoned with six-foot-high Gnommish letters.
‘The Eleven Wonders of the Human World,“ declared Opal theatrically63. ”Ten thousand years of civilization, and you only manage to produce eleven so-called wonders.“
Artemis tested his cuffs64. They were tightly fastened. “You know of course that there are only seven wonders on the official list.”
‘I know that,“ said Opal testily65. ”But humans are so narrow-minded. Fairy scholars studied video footage and decided66 to include the Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt, the Moai Statues in Rapa Nui, the Borobudur Temple in Indonesia, and the Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran.“
‘If humans are so narrow-minded,“ commented Holly. ”I’m surprised that you want to be one of them.“
Opal passed through the arch. “Well, I would prefer to be a pixie, no offense67 Artemis, but the Fairy People are shortly to be wiped out. I shall be seeing to that personally as soon as I have dropped you off in your new home. In ten minutes I’ll be on my way to the island, watching you two get torn apart on the shuttle monitors.”
They proceeded through the theme park, past the first hemisphere, which contained a two-thirds scale model of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Several of the hexagonal panels had been ripped out and Artemis could see the remains68 of the model through the gaps. It was an impressive sight, made even more so by the scores of shaggy creatures scrambling69 across the pyramid’s slopes.
‘Trolls,“ explained Opal. ”They have taken over the exhibits. But don’t worry, they are extremely territorial70 and won’t attack unless you approach the pyramid.“
Artemis was beyond amazement71 at this point, but even so, the sight of these magnificent carnivores preying72 on one another was enough to speed his heart up a few beats. He paused to study the nearest specimen73. It was a terrifying creature: at least eight feet tall, with grimy dreadlocks swinging about its massive head. The troll’s fur-matted arms swung below its knees, and two curved serrated tusks75 jutted76 from its lower jaw77. The beast watched them pass, night eyes glowing red in their sockets79.
The group arrived at the second exhibit. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The hologram by the entrance displayed a revolving80 image of the Turkish building.
Opal read the history panel. “Interesting,” she said. “Now, why do you suppose someone would name a male child after a female goddess?”
‘It’s my father’s name,“ said Artemis wearily, having explained this a hundred times. ”It can be used for girls or boys, and means the hunter. Rather apt, don’t you think? It may interest you to know that your chosen human name, Belinda, means beautiful snake. Also rather fitting. Half of it, at any rate.“
Opal pointed a tiny finger at Artemis’s nose. “You are a very annoying creature, Fowl. I do hope all humans are not like you.“
She nodded at Scant.
‘Spray them,“ she ordered.
Scant took a small atomizer from his pocket and doused81 Holly and Artemis liberally with the contents.
The liquid was yellow and foul82 smelling.
‘Troll pheromones,“ said Scant, almost apologetically. ”These trolls will take one whiff of you and go absolutely crazy. To them you smell like females in heat. When they find out you’re not, they’ll tear you into a thousand little bits, then chew on the pieces. We’ve had all of the broken panels repaired, so there’s no escape. You can jump in the river if you like; the scent83 should wash off in about a thousand years. And, Captain Short, I have removed the wings from your suit and shorted out the cam-foil. I did leave the heating coils. After all, one deserves a sporting chance.“
A lot of use heating coils will be against trolls, thought Holly glumly84.
Merv was checking the entrance through one of the transparent panels. “Okay. We’re clear.”
The pixie opened the main entrance by remote.
Distant howls resonated from inside the exhibit.
Artemis could see several trolls brawling85 on the steps of the replica86 temple. He and Holly would be torn apart.
The Brill brothers propelled them into the hemisphere.
‘Best of luck,“ said Opal, as the door slid shut. ”Remember, you’re not alone. We’ll be watching you on the cameras.“
The door clanged shut ominously87. Seconds later the electronic locking panel began to fizzle, as one of the Brill brothers melted it from the outside. Artemis and Holly were locked in with a bunch of amorous88 trolls and smelled irresistible89 to them.
The Temple of Artemis exhibit was a scale model that had been constructed with painstaking90 accuracy, complete with animatronic humans going about their daily business as they would have been in B.c. Most of the human models had been stripped to the wires by the trolls, but some moved jerkily along their tracks, bringing their gifts to the goddess. Any robot whose path brought them too close to a pack of trolls was pounced91 on and torn to shreds92. It was a grim preview of Artemis and Holly’s own fate.
There was only one food supply. The trolls themselves. Cubs93 and stragglers were picked off by the bulls and butchered with teeth, claws, and tusks.
The pack leader took the lion’s share, then tossed the carcass to the baying pack. If the trolls were confined here much longer, they would wipe themselves out.
Holly shouldered Artemis roughly to the ground. “Quickly,” she said. “Roll in the mud. Cover yourself, smother94 the scent.“
Artemis did as he was told, scooping96 mud over himself with his manacled hands. Any spots he missed were quickly slathered by Holly. He did the same for her. In moments the pair were almost unrecognizable.
Artemis was feeling something he could not remember having felt before: absolute fear. His hands shook, rattling98 the chains. There was no room in his brain for analytical99 thought. I can’t, he thought. I can’t do anything.
Holly took charge, dragging him to his feet and propelling him to a cluster of fake merchants’ tents beside a fast-flowing river. They crouched100 behind the ragged101 canvas, peering at the trolls through long claw rents in the material. Two animatronic merchants sat on mats before the tents, their baskets brimming with gold and ivory statuettes of the goddess Artemis. Neither model had a head. One of the heads lay in the dust several feet away, its artificial brain poking102 out through a bite hole.
‘We need to get the cuffs off,“ said Holly urgently.
Holly shook her manacles in his face. “We need to get these off now! The mud will protect us for a minute, then the trolls will be on our trail. We have to get in the water, and with cuffs on we’ll drown in the current.”
Artemis’s eyes had lost their focus. “The current?”
‘Snap out of it, Artemis,“ Holly hissed105 into his face. ”Remember your gold? You can’t collect it if you’re dead. The great Artemis Fowl, collapsing106 at the first sign of trouble.
We’ve been in worse scrapes than this before.“ Not exactly true, but the Mud Boy couldn’t remember, could he?
Artemis composed himself. There was no time for a calming meditation107; he would simply have to repress the emotions he was experiencing. Very unhealthy, psychologically speaking, but better than being reduced to chunks108 of meat between a troll’s teeth.
He studied the cuffs. Some form of ultralight plastic polymer. There was a digit109 pad in the center, positioned so the wearer could not reach the digits110.
‘How many numbers?“ he said.
‘What?“
‘In the code for the cuffs. You are a police officer. Surely you know how many numbers in the code for handcuffs.“
‘Three,“ replied Holly. ”But there are so many possibilities.“
‘Possibilities but not probabilities,“ said Artemis, irritating even when his life was in danger. ”Statistically, thirty-eight percent of humans don’t bother changing the factory code on digital locks. We can only hope that fairies are equally negligent111.“
Holly frowned. “Opal is anything but negligent.”
‘Perhaps. But her two little henchfairies might not be as attentive112 to detail.“
Artemis held out his cuffs to Holly. “Try three zeroes.”
Holly did so, using a thumb. The red light stayed red.
‘Nines. Three nines.“
Again the light stayed red.
Holly quickly tried all ten digits three times. None had any effect.
Artemis sighed. “Very well. Triple digits was a bit too obvious, I suppose.
Are there any other three-digit numbers that are burned into fairy consciousness? Something all fairies would know, and wouldn’t be likely to forget?“
Holly racked her brain. “Nine five one. The Haven113 area code.“
‘Try it.“
She did. No good.
‘Nine five eight. The Atlantis code.“
Again no good.
‘Those numbers are too regional,“ snapped Artemis. ”What is the one number that every male, female, and infant knows?“
Holly’s eyes widened. “Of course. Of course. Nine zero nine. The police emergency number. It’s on the corner of every billboard51 under the world.”
Artemis noticed something. The howling had stopped.
The trolls had ceased fighting and were sniffing114 the air.
The pheromones were in the breeze, drawing the beasts like puppets on strings115. In eerie116 unison117, their heads turned toward Holly and Artemis’s hiding place.
Artemis shook his manacles. “Try it quickly.”
Holly did. The light winked118 green, and the cuffs popped open.
‘Good. Excellent. Now let me do yours.“
Artemis’s fingers paused over the keyboard.
‘I don’t read the fairy language or numerals.“
‘You do. In fact, you are the only human who does,“ said Holly. ”You just don’t remember.
The pad is standard layout. Zero to nine. Left to right.“
‘Nine zero nine,“ muttered Artemis, pressing the appropriate keys. Holly’s cuffs popped on the first try, which was fortunate because there would be no time for a second.
The trolls were coming, loping from the temple’s steps with frightening speed and coordination119. They used the weight of their shaggy arms to swing forward, while simultaneously120 straightening muscular legs. This launch method could take them up to twenty feet in a single bound. The animals landed on their knuckles122, swinging their legs underneath for the next jump.
It was an almost petrifying123 sight. A score of crazed carnivores, jostling their way down a shallow sandy incline. The larger males took the easy way down, charging right through the ravine.
Adolescents and older males stuck to the slopes, wary124 of casual bites and scything125 tusks. The trolls crashed through mannequins and scenery, heading straight for the tent. Dreadlocks swung with every step, and eyes glowed red in the half light. They held their heads back so their highest point was their nose.
Noses that were leading them directly to Holly and Artemis. And what was worse, Holly and Artemis could smell the trolls, too.
Holly stuck both pairs of cuffs into her belt. They had charge packs and could be adapted for heat or even weapons, if Holly lived long enough to use them.
‘Okay, Mud Boy. Into the water.“
Artemis did not argue or question; there was no time for that. He could only assume that, like many animals, trolls were not water lovers. He ran toward the river, feeling the ground below his feet vibrate with a hundred feet and fists. The howling had started again too, but it had a more reckless tone, mindless and brutal126, as if whatever self-control the trolls had was now gone.
Artemis hustled127 to catch up to Holly. She was ahead of him, lithe128 and limber, bending low to scoop95 up one of the fake plastic logs from a campfire. Artemis did the same, tucking it under his arm. They could be in the water for a long time.
Holly dived in, gracefully129 arcing through the air before entering the water with barely a splash. Artemis stumbled after her. All this running for one’s life was not what he was built for. His brain was big, but his limbs were slight, which was exactly the opposite of what you needed when trolls were at your heels.
The water was lukewarm, yet the mouthful Artemis inadvertently swallowed tasted remarkably130 sweet.
No pollutants131, he supposed, with that small portion of his brain that was still thinking rationally. Something tagged his ankle, slicing through sock and flesh. Then he kicked into the river, and he was clear. A trail of hot blood lingered for a moment, before being whipped away by the current.
Holly was treading water in the center of the river.
Her auburn hair stood up in slick spikes132, and her suit crackled to match the background where the mud had been washed off.
‘Are you hurt?“ she asked.
Artemis shook his head. No breath for words.
Holly noticed his ankle, which was trailing behind him.
‘Blood, and I don’t have a drop of magic left to heal you. That blood is almost as bad as pheromones. We have to get out of here.“
On the bank the trolls were literally133 hopping134 mad. They head-butted the earth repeatedly, drumming their fists in complex rhythms.
‘Mating ritual,“ explained Holly. ”I think they like us.“
The current was strong out in the center of the river, and drew the pair quickly downstream. The trolls followed along, some hurling small missiles into the water. One clipped Holly’s plastic log, almost dislodging her.
She spat135 out a mouthful of water. “We need a plan, Artemis. That’s your department. I got us this far.”
‘Oh yes, well done, you,“ said Artemis, having apparently136 recovered his sense of sarcasm137.
He raked wet strands138 of hair from his eyes and cast around, beyond the melee139 on the waterline. The temple was huge, throwing an elongated140 multipronged shadow across the desert area. The interior was wide open, with no obvious shelter from the trolls. The only deserted spot was the temple roof.
‘Can trolls climb?“ he spluttered.
Holly followed his gaze. “Yes, if they have to, like big monkeys. But only if they have to.”
Artemis frowned. “If only I could remember,” he said. “If only I knew what I know.”
Holly kicked over to him, grasping his collar.
They swirled142 in the white water, bubbles and froth squeezing between their logs.
‘If only is no good, Mud Boy. We need a plan before the filter.“
‘The filter?“
‘This is an artificial river. It’s filtered through a central tank.“
A bulb went on in Artemis’s brain. “A central tank. That’s our way out.”
‘We’ll be killed! I have no idea how long we’ll be underwater.“
Artemis took one last look around, measuring, calculating. “Given the present circumstances, there is no other option.”
Up ahead, the currents began to circle, pulling in any rubbish picked up from the banks. A small whirlpool formed in the middle of the river. The sight of it seemed to calm the trolls. They gave up on the butting143 and banging, and settled down to watch. Some moved along the bank; these would later prove to be the clever ones.
‘We follow the current,“ shouted Artemis over the hiss104. ”We follow it and hope.“
‘That’s it? That’s your brilliant plan?“
Holly’s suit crackled as the water wormed its way into the circuits.
‘It’s not so much a plan as a lifesaving strategy,“ retorted Artemis. He would have said more but the river interrupted him, snatching him away from his elfin companion into the whirlpool.
He felt about as significant as a twig144 in the face of such power. If he tried to resist the water, it would slap the air from his lungs like a bully145 slapping his victim. Artemis’s chest was compressed; even when his gasping146 mouth was above water, he could not force adequate amounts of air into his lungs. His brain was starved of oxygen. He couldn’t think straight. Everything was curved. The swirl141 of his body, the sweep of the water. White circles on blue ones on green ones. His feet dancing little Mobius strip patterns below his body.
Riverdance. Ha-ha.
Holly was before him, pinioning148 the two logs between them. A makeshift raft. She shouted something, but it was lost. There was only water now.
Water and confusion.
She held up three fingers. Three seconds.
Then they were going under. Artemis breathed as deeply as his constricted149 chest would allow. Two fingers now.
Then one.
Artemis and Holly let go of their logs and the current sucked them under like spiders down a drain.
Artemis fought to hold on to his air, but the buffeting150 water squeezed it from between his lips.
Bubbles spiraled behind them, racing151 for the surface.
The water was not so deep or dark. But it was fast and would not allow many images to stand still long enough to be identified. Holly’s face flashed past Artemis, but all he could make out were big hazel eyes.
The whirlpool’s funnel153 grew narrower, forcing Holly and Artemis together. They were swept diagonally down in a flurry of bumping torsos and flapping limbs. They pressed their foreheads together, finding some comfort in each other’s eyes. But it was short lived. Their progress was brutally154 cut short by a metal grille covering the drainage pipe. They slammed into it, feeling the sharp wire leave indents155 on their skin.
Holly slapped at the grille, then wormed her fingers through the holes. The grille was shiny and new.
Fresh weld marks dotted its rim74. This was new and everything else was old. Koboi!
Something nudged Holly’s arm. An aqua-pod.
It was anchored to the grille by a plastic tie.
Opal’s face filled the small screen sealed inside, and her grin filled most of her face. She was saying something again and again on a short loop. The words were inaudible over the din5 of sluice156 and bubble, but the meaning was clear: still beat you again.
Holly grabbed the aqua-pod, ripping it from its tether. The effort threw her from the slipstream into the relatively157 calm surrounding waters. Her strength was gone, and she had no option but to go where the river led her. Artemis dragged himself from the flat face of the grille, using the last of his oxygen to kick his legs, just twice.
He was free of the whirlpool, floating along after Holly toward a dark mound158 farther down the river.
Air, he thought with keen desperation, I need to breathe. Not soon. Now. If not now, never.
Artemis broke the surface mouth first. His throat was sucking down air before the water cleared. The first breath came back up, laced with fluid, but the second was clear, and the third. Artemis felt the strength flow back into his limbs like mercury in his veins159.
Holly was safe. Lying on a dark island in the river. Her chest heaved like a bellows161 and the aqua-pod lay beneath her splayed fingers.
‘Uh-uh,“ said Opal Koboi on-screen.
‘So-o-o predictable.“ She said it over and over, until Artemis struggled from the shallow water, climbed on the mound, and found the MUTE button.
‘I am really starting to dislike her,“ he panted.
‘She may come to regret little touches like the underwater television, because it’s things like this that give me the motivation to get out of here.“
Holly sat up, looking around. They were sitting on a mound of rubbish. Artemis guessed that since Opal had welded the grille across the filter pipe, the current had swept everything that the trolls discarded to this shallow spot. A small island of junk in the river bend. There were disembodied robot heads on the heap, along with battered162 statues and troll remains. Troll skulls163 with the thick wedge of forehead bone and rotting pelts164.
At least those particular trolls could not eat them.
The dangerous trolls that had followed them were working themselves up into a lather97 again along the banks on both sides. But there was at least twenty feet of six-inch-deep water separating them from the land. They were safe, for the moment.
Artemis felt memories attempting to break through to the surface. He was on the verge165 of remembering everything, he was certain of it. He sat completely still, willing it to happen. Unconnected images flashed behind his eyes: a mountain of gold, green scaly166 creatures snorting fireballs, Butler packed in ice. But the images slid from his consciousness like drops of water off a windshield.
Holly sat up. “Anything?”
‘Maybe,“ said Artemis. ”Something. I’m not sure. Everything is happening so fast. I need time to meditate167.“
‘We’re out of time,“ said Holly, climbing to the top of the junk pile. Skulls cracked beneath her feet. ”Look.“
Artemis turned toward the left bank.
One of the trolls had picked up a large rock and raised it over his head. Artemis tried to make himself small. If that rock hit, they would both be gravely injured, at the very least.
The troll grunted168 like a tennis pro1 serving, spinning the rock into the river. It barely missed the pile, landing with a huge splash in the shallow waters.
‘A poor shot,“ said Holly.
Artemis frowned. “I doubt it.”
A second troll grabbed a missile, and a third. Soon all the brutes170 were hurling rocks, robot parts, sticks, or whatever they could get their hands on toward the rubbish heap. Not one hit the shivering pair huddled171 on the pile. “They keep missing,” said Holly. “Every one of them.” Artemis’s bones ached from cold, fear, and sustained tension.
‘They’re not trying to hit us,“ he said. ”They’re building a bridge.“
Tara, Ireland ; Dawn
The fairy shuttleport in Tara was the biggest in Europe. More than eight thousand tourists a year passed through its X-ray arches. Thirty thousand cubic feet of terminal concealed172 beneath an overgrown hillock in the middle of the McGraney farm. It was a marvel173 of subterranean174 architecture.
Mulch Diggums, fugitive175 kleptomaniac176 dwarf177, was pretty marvelous himself, in the subterranean area. Butler drove the Fowl Bentley north from the manor178, and on Mulch’s instructions, slowed the luxury car down five hundred yards from the shuttleport’s camouflaged179 entrance. This allowed Mulch to dive from the rear door straight into the earth. He quickly submerged below a layer of rich Irish soil. The best in the world.
Mulch knew the shuttleport layout well.
He had once broken his cousin Nord out of police custody180 here, when the LEP had arrested him on industrial pollution charges. A vein160 of clay ran right up to the shuttleport wall, and if you knew where to look, there was a sheet of metal casing that had been worn thin by years of Irish damp. But on this particular occasion, Mulch was not interested in evading181 the LEP; quite the opposite.
Mulch surfaced inside the holographic bush that hid the shuttleport’s service entrance. He climbed from his tunnel, shook the clay from his behind, got all the tunnel wind out of his system a bit more noisily than was absolutely necessary, and waited.
Five seconds later, the entrance hatch slid across, and four grabbing hands reached out, yanking Mulch into the shuttleport’s interior. Mulch did not resist, allowing himself to be bundled along a dark corridor and into an interview room. He was plonked onto an uncomfortable chair, handcuffed, and left on his own to stew30.
Mulch did not have time to stew. Every second he spent sitting here picking the insects from his beard hair was another second that Artemis and Holly had to spend running from trolls.
The dwarf rose from the chair and slapped his palms against the two-way mirror inset in the interview room wall.
‘ChixVerbil“ he shouted. “I know you’re watching me. We need to talk. It’s about Holly Short.”
Mulch kept right on banging on the glass, until the cell door swung open and ChixVerbil entered the room. Chix was the LEP’S fairy on the surface. Chix had been the first LEP casualty in the B’wa Kell goblin revolution a year previously182, and had it not been for Holly Short, he would have been its first fatality183. As it turned out, he got a medal from the Committee, a series of high-profile interviews on network television, and a cushy surface job in El.
Chix entered suspiciously, his sprite wings folded behind him. The strap184 was off his Neutrino holster.
‘Mulch Diggums, isn’t it? Are you surrendering?“
Mulch snorted. “What do you think? I go to all the trouble of breaking out, just to surrender to a sprite.
I think not, lamebrain.“
Chix bristled185, his wings fanning out behind him.
‘Hey, listen, dwarf. You’re in no position to be making cracks. You’re in my custody, in case you hadn’t noticed, there are six security fairies surrounding this room.“
‘Security fairies. Don’t make me laugh. They couldn’t secure an apple in an orchard186. I escaped from a sub- shuttle under a couple of miles of water. I can see at least six ways out of here without breaking a sweat.“
Chix hovered187 nervously188. “I’d like to see you try. I’d have two charges in your behind before you could unhinge that jaw of yours.”
Mulch winced189. Dwarfs190 don’t like behind jokes.
‘Okay, easy there, Mister Gung Ho.
Let’s talk about your wing. How’s it healing up?“
‘How do you know about that?“
‘It was big news. You were all over the TV for a while, even on pirate satellite. I was watching your ugly face in Chicago not so long ago.“
‘That’s right. You were saying, if I remember properly, how Holly Short saved your life, and how sprites never forget a debt, and whenever she needed you, you were there, whatever it took.“
Chix coughed nervously. “A lot of that was scripted. And anyway, that was before…”
‘Before one of the most decorated officers in the LEP decided to suddenly go crazy and shoot her own commander?“
‘Yes. Before that.“
Mulch looked Verbil straight in his green face. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
Chix hovered even higher for a long moment, his wings whipping the air into currents. Then he settled back down to earth and sat in the room’s second chair. “No. I don’t believe it. Not for a second. Julius Root was like a father to Holly.
To all of us.“ He covered his face with his hands, afraid to hear the answer to his next question. ”So, Diggums. Why are you here?“
Mulch leaned in close. “Is this being recorded?”
‘Of course. Standard operating procedure.“
‘Can you switch off the mike?“
‘I suppose. Why should I?“
‘Because I’m going to tell you something important for the People’s survival. But I’ll only tell you if the mikes are off.“
Chix’s wings began to flap once more. “This better be really good. I better really like this, dwarf.”
Mulch shrugged192. “Oh, you’re not going to like it. But it is really good.”
Chix’s green fingers tapped a code into a keyboard on the table. “Okay, Diggums. We can talk freely.”
Mulch leaned forward across the desk. “The thing is, Opal Koboi is back.”
Chix did not respond verbally, but the color drained from his face. Instead of its usual robust193 emerald, the sprite’s complexion194 was now pasty lime green.
‘Opal has escaped, somehow, and she has set this big revenge thing in motion. First General Scalene, then Commander Root, and now Holly and Artemis Fowl.“
‘O… Opal?“ stammered195 Chix, his wounded wing suddenly throbbing197.
‘She’s taking out anyone who had a hand in her imprisonment198. Which, if memory serves, includes you.“
‘I didn’t do anything,“ squeaked199 Verbil, as though protesting his innocence200 to Mulch could help him.
Mulch sat back. “Hey, there’s no point telling me. I’m not out to get you. If I remember correctly, you were on all the chat shows spouting how you personally were the first member of the LEP to come into contact with the goblin smugglers.”
‘Maybe she didn’t see that,“ said Chix hopefully. ”She was in a coma.“
‘I’m sure someone taped it for her.“
Verbil thought about it, absently grooming201 his wings.
‘So what do you want from me?“
‘I need you to get a message to Foaly.
Tell him what I said about Opal.“ Mulch covered his mouth with a hand to fox any lip-readers who might review the tape. ”And I want the LEP shuttle. I know where it’s parked. I just need the starter chip and the ignition code.“
‘What? Ridiculous. I’d go to jail.“
Mulch shook his head. “No, no. Without sound, all Police Plaza202 are going to see is another ingenious Mulch Diggums’s escape. I knock you out, steal your chip, and tunnel out through the pipe behind that water dispenser.”
Chix frowned. “Go back to the ”knock me out“ part again.”
Mulch slammed one palm down on the table.
‘Listen, Verbil, Holly is in mortal danger right now. She may already be dead.“
‘That’s what I heard,“ interjected Chix.
‘Well, she will definitely be dead if I don’t get down there right now.“
‘Why don’t I just call this in?“
Mulch sighed dramatically. “Because, moron203, by the time Police Plaza Retrieval team gets here, it will be too late. You know the rules: no LEP officer can act on the information of a convicted felon204 unless the information has been verified by another source.”
‘No one pays any attention to that rule, and calling me moron isn’t helping205.“
Mulch rose to his feet. “You are a sprite, for heaven’s sake. You are supposed to have this ancient code of chivalry206. A female saved your life and now hers is in danger. You are honor bound, as a sprite, to do whatever it takes.”
Chix held Mulch’s gaze. “Is all of this true? Tell me, Mulch, because this will have repercussions207. This isn’t some little jewelry208 heist.”
‘It’s true,“ said Mulch. ”You have my word.“
Chix almost laughed. “Oh, whoopee. Mulch Diggums’s word. I can take that to the bank.” He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes.
‘The chip is in my pocket. The code is written on the tab. Try not to break anything.“
‘Don’t worry, I’m an excellent driver.“
Chix winced in anticipation209. “I don’t mean the shuttle, stupid. I mean my face. The ladies like me the way I am.”
Mulch drew back one gnarled fist. “Well, I’d hate to disappoint the ladies,” he said, and knocked Chix Verbil from his chair.
Mulch expertly rifled through Chix’s pockets.
The sprite was not actually unconscious, but he was pretending.
A wise move. In seconds, Mulch had removed the starter chip and stuffed it into his beard.
A clump210 of beard hair wrapped itself tightly around the chip, forming a waterproof211 cocoon212. He also relieved Verbil of his Neutrino, though that was not part of the deal. Mulch crossed the room in two strides and jammed a chair under the door handle. That should buy me a couple of seconds, he thought. He wrapped an arm around the water dispenser while simultaneously unbuttoning his bum-flap.
Speed was vital now because whoever had been watching the interview through the two-way mirror was already hammering on the door. Mulch saw a black burn dot appear on the door; they were burning their way in.
He ripped the dispenser from the wall, allowing several gallons of cooled water to flood the interview room.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,“ moaned Chix from the floor. ”It takes forever to dry these wings.“
‘Shut up. You’re supposed to be unconscious.“
As soon as the water had drained from the supply pipe, Mulch dived into the pipe. He followed it to the first joint213, then kicked it loose. Clumps214 of clay fell through, blocking the pipe. Mulch unhinged his jaw. He was back in the earth. No one could catch him now.
The shuttlebay was on the lower level, closest to the chute itself. Mulch angled himself downward, guided by his infallible dwarf internal compass.
He had been in this terminal before, and the layout was burned into his memory, as was the layout of every building that he’d ever been in. Sixty seconds of chewing earth, stripping it of minerals, and ejecting waste at the other end brought Mulch face-to-face with an air duct. This particular duct led straight to the shuttlebay; the dwarf could even feel the vibration215 of the engines through his beard hair.
Generally he would burn through the duct’s metal paneling with a few drops of dwarf rock polish, but prison guards tended to confiscate216 items like that, so instead Mulch blasted a panel with a concentrated burst from the stolen handgun. The panel melted like a sheet of ice in front of a bar heater.
He gave the molten metal a minute to solidify217 and cool, then slithered into the duct itself. Two left turns later, his face was pressed to the grille overlooking the shuttlebay itself. Red alarm lights were revolving over every door, and a harsh Klaxon made sure that everyone knew that there was some sort of emergency. The shuttlebay workers were gathered in front of the intranet screen, waiting for news.
Mulch dropped to the ground with more grace than his frame suggested was possible and creeped across to the LEP shuttle. The shuttle was suspended nose-up over a vertical218 supply tunnel.
Mulch crept aboard, opening the passenger door with ChixVerbil’s chip. The controls were hugely complicated, but Mulch had a theory about vehicle controls:
Ignore everything except the wheel and the pedals, and you’ll be fine.
So far in his career, he had stolen more than fifty types of transportation, and his theory hadn’t let him down yet.
The dwarf thrust the starter chip into its socket78, ignoring the computer’s advice that he run a systems’ check, and hit the release button.
Eight tons of LEP shuttle dropped like a stone into the chute, spinning like an ice skater. The earth’s gravity grabbed hold of it, reeling it in toward the earth’s core.
Mulch’s foot jabbed the thruster pedal just enough to halt the drop.
The radio on the dash started talking to him. “You in the shuttle. You’d better come back here right now. I’m not kidding! In twenty seconds I personally am going to press the self-destruct button.“
Mulch spat a wad of dwarf spittle onto the speaker, muffling219 the irate36 voice. He gargled up another wad in his throat and deposited it on a circuit box below the radio. The circuits sparked and fizzled. So much for the self-destruct.
The controls were a bit heavier than Mulch was used to. Nevertheless, he managed to tame the machine after a few scrapes along the chute wall. If the LEP ever recovered the craft, it would need a fresh coat of paint, and perhaps a new starboard fender.
A bolt of sizzling laser energy flashed past the porthole.
That was his warning shot. One across the bows before they let the computer do the aiming. Time to be gone. Mulch kicked off his boots, wrapped his double-jointed toes around the pedals, and sped down the chute toward the rendezvous220 point.
Butler parked the Bentley fifteen miles northeast of Tara, near a cluster of rocks shaped like a clenched221 fist. The index finger rock was hollow, just as Mulch had told him it would be. However, the dwarf had neglected to mention that the opening would be cluttered222 with potato crisp bags and chewing-gum patties left over from a thousand teenagers’ picnics. Butler picked his way through the rubbish to discover two boys huddled at the rear, smoking secret cigarettes. A Labrador pup was asleep at their feet. Obviously these two had volunteered to walk the dog so they could sneak223 some cigarettes. Butler did not like smoking.
The boys looked up at the enormous figure looming224 above them, their jaded225 teenage expressions freezing on their faces.
Butler pointed at the cigarettes. “Those things will seriously damage your health,” he growled226. “And if they don’t, I might.”
The teenagers stubbed out their cigarettes and scurried227 from the cave, which was exactly what Butler wanted them to do. He pushed aside a wizened228 scrub cluster at the rear of the cave to discover a mud wall.
‘Punch right through the mud,“ Mulch had told him. ‘Generally I eat through and patch it up afterward229, but you might not want to do that.“
Butler jabbed four rigid230 fingers at the center of the mud wall, where cracks were beginning to spread, and sure enough the wall was only inches thick and crumbled231 easily under the pressure. The bodyguard232 pulled away chunks until there was sufficient space to squeeze through to the tunnel beyond.
To say there was sufficient space is perhaps a slight exaggeration; barely enough is probably more accurate. Butler ‘s bulky frame was compressed on all sides by uneven233 walls of black clay. Occasionally a jagged rock poked234 through, tearing a gash235 in his designer suit. That was two suits ruined in as many days. One in Munich, and now the second belowground in Ireland.
Still, suits were the least of his worries. If Mulch was right, then Artemis was running around the Lower Elements right now with a group of bloodthirsty trolls on his trail. Butler had fought a troll once, and the battle had very nearly killed him. He couldn’t even imagine fighting an entire group.
Butler dug his fingers into the earth, pulling himself forward through the tunnel. This particular tunnel, Mulch had informed him, was one of many illicit236 back doors into the Lower Elements chute system chewed out by fugitive dwarfs over the centuries. Mulch himself had excavated237 this one almost three hundred years ago, when he had needed to sneak back to Haven for his cousin’s birthday bash. Butler tried not to think about the dwarf’s recycling process as he went.
After several feet the tunnel widened into a bulb- shaped chamber238. The walls glowed a gentle green. Mulch had explained that too. The walls were coated with dwarf spittle, which hardened on prolonged contact with air, and also glowed. Amazing. Drinking pores, living hairs, and now luminous239 saliva240.
What next? Explosive phlegm? He wouldn’t be a bit surprised. Who knew what secrets the dwarfs were hiding up their sleeves?
Or in other places?
Butler kicked aside a pile of rabbit bones, the remains of previous dwarf snacks, and sat down to wait.
He checked the luminous face of his Omega wristwatch. He had dropped Mulch at Tara almost thirty minutes ago; the little man should be here by now. The bodyguard would have paced the chamber, but there was barely enough space for him to stand up, never mind pace. The bodyguard crossed his legs, settling down for a power nap. He hadn’t slept since the missile attack in Germany, and he wasn’t as young as he used to be. His heart rate and breathing slowed until eventually his chest barely moved at all.
Eight minutes later, the small chamber began to shake violently. Chunks of brittle241 spittle cracked from the wall, shattering on the floor. The ground beneath his feet glowed red, and a stream of insects and worms flowed away from the hot spot. Butler stood to one side, calmly brushing himself down. Moments later a cylindrical242 section of earth dropped cleanly out of the floor, leaving a steaming hole.
Mulch’s voice drifted through the hole, borne on the waves of the stolen shuttle’s amplification243 system.
‘Let’s go, Mud Man. Move yourself. We have people to save, and the LEP are on my tail.“
On Mulch Diggums’s tail, thought Butler, shuddering244. Not a nice place to be.
Nevertheless, the bodyguard lowered himself into the hole and through the open roof hatch of the hovering245 LEP shuttle. Police shuttles were cramped246, even for fairies, but Butler could not even sit up straight in a chair, even if there had been a chair wide enough for him. He had to content himself with kneeling behind the command seat.
‘All set?“ he inquired.
Mulch picked a beetle247 from Butler ‘s shoulder.
He shoved it into his beard, where the unfortunate insect was immediately cocooned248 by hair.
‘For later,“ he explained. ”Unless you want it?“
Butler smiled, but it was an effort. “Thanks.
I already ate.“
‘Oh, really? Well whatever you ate, hold on to it, because we are in a hurry, so I may have to break a few speed limits.“
The dwarf cracked every joint in his fingers and toes, then sent the craft into a steep spiraling dive. Butler slid to the rear of the craft, and had to hook three seat belts together to prevent further jostling.
‘Is this really necessary?“ he grunted through rippling249 cheeks.
‘Look behind you,“ replied Mulch.
Butler struggled to his knees, directing his gaze through the rear window. They were being pursued by a trio of what looked like fireflies, but what were actually smaller shuttles. The crafts matched their every spiral and jink exactly. One fired a small sparking torpedo250 that sent a shock wave sparking through the hull251. Butler felt the pores in his shaven head tingle252.
‘LEP uni-pods,“ explained Mulch. ”They just took out our communications mast, in case we have accomplices253 in the chutes somewhere. Those pods have got a lock on our navigation’s system. Their own computers will follow us forever, unless.“
‘Unless what?“
‘Unless we can outrun them. Get out of their range.“
Butler tightened254 the belts across his torso. “And can we?”
Mulch flexed255 his fingers and toes. “Let’s find out,” he said, flicking256 the throttle257 wide.
The Eleven Wonders, Temple of Artemis Exhibit, The Lower Elements
Holly and Artemis huddled together on the small island of rotting carcasses, waiting for the trolls to finish their bridge. The creatures were frantic258 now, hurling rock after rock into the shallow water.
Some even braved placing a toe in the currents, but quickly drew them out again with horrified259 howls.
Holly wiped water from her eyes. “Okay,” she said. “I have a plan. I stay here and fight them. You go back in the river.”
Artemis shook his head curtly260. “I appreciate it. But no. It would be suicide for both of us. The trolls would devour261 you in a second, then simply wait for the current to sweep me right back here. There must be another way.”
Holly threw a troll skull at the nearest creature. The brute169 caught it deftly262 in his talons263, crushing it to shards265.- “I’m listening, Artemis.”
Artemis rubbed a knuckle121 against his forehead, willing the memory block to dissolve.
‘If I could remember. Then maybe…“
‘Don’t you remember anything?“
‘Images. Something. Nothing coherent. Just nightmare pictures. This could all be a hallucination. That is the most likely explanation.
Perhaps I should just relax and wait to wake up.“
‘Think of it as a challenge. If this were a role-playing game, how would the character escape?“
‘If this were a war game, I would need to know the other side’s weaknesses. Water is one…“
‘And light,“ blurted266 Holly. ”Trolls hate light. It burns their retinas.“
The creatures were venturing onto their makeshift bridge now, testing each step carefully. The stink267 of their unwashed fur and fetid breath drifted across to the little island.
‘Light,“ repeated Artemis. ”That’s why they like it here. Hardly any light.“
‘Yes. The Glo-Strips are on emergency power, and the fake sun is on minimum.“
Artemis glanced upward. Holographic clouds scudded268 across an imitation sky, and right in the center, poised269 dramatically above the temple’s roof, was a crystal sun, with barely a flicker270 of power in its belly271.
An idea blossomed in his mind. “There is scaffolding on the near corner of the temple. If we could climb up and get to the sun, could you use the power cells from our cuffs to light up the sun?”
Holly frowned. “Yes, I suppose. But how do we get past the trolls?”
Artemis picked up the waterproof pod that had been playing Opal’s video message.
‘We distract them with a little television.“
Holly fiddled272 with the pod’s on-screen controls until she found brightness. She flicked273 the setting to maximum. Opal’s image was whited out by a block of glaring light.
‘Hurry,“ advised Artemis, tugging274 Holly’s sleeve. The first troll was halfway275 across the bridge, followed by the rest of the precariously276 balanced bunch. The world’s shaggiest conga line.
Holly wrapped her arms around the tele-pod.
‘This is probably not going to work,“ she said.
Artemis moved behind her. “I know, but there is no other option.”
‘Okay. But if we don’t make it, I’m sorry you don’t remember. It’s good to be with a friend at a time like this.“
Artemis squeezed her shoulder. “If we make it through this, we will be friends. Bonded278 by trauma279.”
Their little island was shaking now. Skulls were dislodged from their perches280, rolling into the water. The trolls were almost upon them, picking their way across the precarious277 walkway, squealing281 at every drop of water that landed on their fur. Any trolls still on the shoreline were hammering the earth with their knuckles, long ropes of drool swinging from their jaws282.
Holly waited until the last moment for maximum effect. The tele-pod’s screen was pressed into the rubbish heap, so the approaching animals would not have a clue as to what was coming.
‘Holly?“ said Artemis urgently.
‘Wait,“ whispered Holly. ”Just a few seconds more.“ The first troll in the line reached their island. This was obviously the pack leader. He reared up to a height of almost ten feet, shaking his shaggy head and howling at the artificial sky. Then he appeared to notice that Artemis and Holly were not in fact female trolls, and a savage283 rage took hold of his tiny brain. Dribbles284 of venom285 dropped from his tusks, and he inverted286 his talons for an upward slash287. Trolls’ preferred kill strike was under the ribs288. This popped the heart quickly and did not give the meat time to toughen.
More trolls crowded onto the tiny island, eager for a share in the kill or a shot at a new mate.
Holly chose that moment to act. She swung the tele-pod upward, pointing the buzzing screen directly at the nearest troll. The creature reared back, clawing at the hated light as though it were a solid enemy. The light blasted the troll’s retinas, sending him staggering backward into his companions. A group of the animals tumbled into the river. Panic spread back along the line like a virus. The creatures reacted to water as though it were acid dappling their fur and backpedaled furiously toward the shore. This was no orderly retreat. Anything in the way got scythed289 or bitten. Gouts of venom and blood flew through the air, and the water bubbled as though it were boiling. The troll’s howls of bloodlust changed to keening screams of pain and terror.
This can’t be real, thought a stunned290 Artemis Fowl. I must be hallucinating. Perhaps I am in a coma, following the fall from the hotel window. And because his brain provided this possible explanation, his memories stayed under lock and key.
‘Grab my belt,“ ordered Holly, advancing across the makeshift bridge. Artemis obeyed instantly. This was not the time to argue about leadership.
In any case, if there were the slightest possibility that this was actually happening, then Captain Short was better qualified291 to handle these creatures.
Holly wielded292 the tele-pod like a portable laser cannon293, advancing step-by-step across the makeshift bridge. Artemis tried to concentrate on keeping his balance on the treacherous294 ground. They stepped from rock to rock, wobbling like novice295 tightrope296 walkers. Holly swung the tele-pod in smooth arcs, blasting trolls from every angle.
Too many, thought Artemis. There are too many.
We can never make it.
But there was no future in giving up. So they kept going, taking two steps forward and one step back.
A crafty297 bull ducked low, avoiding Holly’s first sweep. He reached out one talon264, cracking the pod’s waterproof casing. Holly stumbled backward, knocking over Artemis. The pair keeled over into the river, landing with a solid thump298 in the shallow water.
Artemis felt the air shoot from his lungs, and took an instinctive299 breath. Unfortunately he took in water rather than air. Holly kept her elbows locked, so the ruptured300 casing stayed out of the river.
Some splash drops crept into the crack, and sparks began to play across the screen.
Holly struggled to her feet, simultaneously aiming the screen at the bull troll. Artemis came up behind her, coughing water from his lungs.
‘The screen’s damaged,“ panted Holly. ”I don’t know how much time we have.“
Artemis wiped strands of hair from his eyes.
‘Go,“ he spluttered. ”Go.“
They trudged301 through the water, stepping around thrashing trolls. Holly chose a clear spot on the bank to climb ashore302. It was a relief to be on dry land again, but at bar least the water had been on their side, as it were; now they were truly in troll territory.
The remaining animals encircled them at a safe distance. Whenever one came too close, Holly swung the tele-pod in its direction, and the creature skipped back as though stung.
Artemis fought the cold and the fatigue303 and the shock in his system. His ankle was scalded where the troll had snagged him.
‘We need to go straight for the temple,“ he said through chattering304 teeth. ”Up the scaffolding.“
‘Okay. Hold on.“
Holly took several deep breaths, building up her strength. Her arms were sore from holding the tele-pod, but she would not let the fatigue show in her face, or the fear. She looked those trolls straight in their red eyes and let them know they were dealing305 with a formidable enemy.
‘Ready?“
‘Ready,“ replied Artemis, although he was no such thing.
Holly took one final breath, then charged. The trolls were not expecting this tactic306. After all, what kind of creature would attack a troll? They broke ranks in the face of the arc of white light, and their disconcertion lasted just long enough for Artemis and Holly to charge through the hole in the line.
They hurried up the incline toward the temple.
Holly made no attempt to avoid the trolls, running straight at them. When they lashed152 out in temporary blindness, they only caused more confusion among themselves. A dozen vicious squabbles erupted in Holly and Artemis’s wake, as the animals accidentally sliced each other with razor-sharp talons. Some of the cannier307 trolls used the opportunity to settle old scores. The squabbles chain-reacted across the plain until the entire area was a mass of writhing308 animals and dust.
Artemis grunted and puffed309 his way up the ravine, his fingers wrapped around Holly’s belt.
Captain Short’s breathing had settled into a steady rhythm of quick bursts.
I am not physically310 fit, thought Artemis. And it may cost me dearly. I need to exercise more than my brain in the future. If I have a future.
The temple loomed311 above them, a scale model, but still over fifty feet high. Dozens of identical columns rose into the holographic clouds, supporting a triangular312 roof decorated with intricate plaster moldings. The columns’ lower regions were scarred by a thousand claw marks where younger trolls had scampered313 out of harm’s way. Artemis and Holly clambered up the twenty or so steps to the columns themselves.
Fortunately there were no trolls on the scaffolding. All of the animals were busy trying to kill each other, or avoid being killed, but it was only a matter of seconds before they remembered that there were intruders in their midst. Fresh meat. Not many of the trolls had tasted elf meat, but those who had were eager to try it again. Only one of the present gathering314 had tasted human meat, and the memory of its sweetness still haunted his dull brain at night.
It was this particular troll who hauled himself from the river, carrying twenty extra pound’s of moisture weight. He casually315 cuffed a cub18 who had come too close, and sniffed316 the air. There was a new scent here. A scent he could remember from his short time under the moon. The scent of man. The mere196 recognition of the smell brought saliva flowing from the glands317 in his throat. He set off at a pitched run toward the temple. Soon there was a rough group of flesh-hungry beasts hurtling toward the scaffolding.
‘We’re back on the menu,“ noted318 Holly when she reached the scaffolding.
Artemis unhooked his fingers from the LEP captain’s belt. He would have answered, but his lungs demanded oxygen. He whooped319 in gulps320 of air, resting his knuckles on his knees.
Holly took his elbow. “No time for that, Artemis. You have to climb.”
‘After you,“ Artemis managed to gasp147. He knew his father would never allow a lady to remain in distress321 while he himself fled.
‘No time for discussion,“ said Holly, steering322 Artemis by the elbow. ”Climb for the sun. I’ll buy us a few seconds with the tele-pod. Go.“
Artemis looked into Holly’s eyes to say thank you. They were round and hazel and… familiar? Memories fought to be free of their bonds, pounding against cell walls.
‘Holly?“ he said.
Holly spun323 him around to the bars, and the moment was gone. “Up. You’re wa
收听单词发音 |
1
pro
|
|
| n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
exorbitant
|
|
| adj.过分的；过度的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
scant
|
|
| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
proceeding
|
|
| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
din
|
|
| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
smoothly
|
|
| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
resounding
|
|
| adj. 响亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
specifications
|
|
| n.规格；载明；详述；（产品等的）说明书；说明书( specification的名词复数 )；详细的计划书；载明；详述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
punctured
|
|
| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
distraction
|
|
| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
mused
|
|
| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
contented
|
|
| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
holly
|
|
| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
jolts
|
|
| （使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
baton
|
|
| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
cub
|
|
| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
fowl
|
|
| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
buffet
|
|
| n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
subconscious
|
|
| n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
centaur
|
|
| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
hurling
|
|
| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
hampered
|
|
| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
dinosaur
|
|
| n.恐龙 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
impudence
|
|
| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
stewed
|
|
| adj.焦虑不安的，烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 )；煨；思考；担忧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
stew
|
|
| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
coma
|
|
| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
gland
|
|
| n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
hormones
|
|
| n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
secreted
|
|
| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
irate
|
|
| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
compartment
|
|
| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
smuggle
|
|
| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
infrared
|
|
| adj./n.红外线(的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
projectors
|
|
| 电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
craved
|
|
| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
cuffed
|
|
| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
retractable
|
|
| adj.可收回的；可撤消的；可缩回的；可缩进的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
illuminated
|
|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
lighting
|
|
| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
metropolis
|
|
| n.首府；大城市 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
demolition
|
|
| n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
drooping
|
|
| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
billboard
|
|
| n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
billboards
|
|
| n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
prodded
|
|
| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
buckled
|
|
| a. 有带扣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
toads
|
|
| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
spouting
|
|
| n.水落管系统v.（指液体）喷出( spout的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
concession
|
|
| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
squatted
|
|
| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
opaque
|
|
| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
transparent
|
|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
tattered
|
|
| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
theatrically
|
|
| adv.戏剧化地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
cuffs
|
|
| n.袖口( cuff的名词复数 )v.掌打，拳打( cuff的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
testily
|
|
| adv. 易怒地, 暴躁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
offense
|
|
| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
scrambling
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
territorial
|
|
| adj.领土的，领地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
preying
|
|
| v.掠食( prey的现在分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
rim
|
|
| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
tusks
|
|
| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
jutted
|
|
| v.（使）突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
jaw
|
|
| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
socket
|
|
| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
sockets
|
|
| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
doused
|
|
| v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
foul
|
|
| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
glumly
|
|
| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
brawling
|
|
| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
replica
|
|
| n.复制品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
ominously
|
|
| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
amorous
|
|
| adj.多情的；有关爱情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
irresistible
|
|
| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
painstaking
|
|
| adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
pounced
|
|
| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
shreds
|
|
| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
cubs
|
|
| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
smother
|
|
| vt./vi.使窒息；抑制；闷死；n.浓烟；窒息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
scoop
|
|
| n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
scooping
|
|
| n.捞球v.抢先报道( scoop的现在分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
lather
|
|
| n.(肥皂水的)泡沫，激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
rattling
|
|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
analytical
|
|
| adj.分析的；用分析法的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
ragged
|
|
| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
poking
|
|
| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
hiss
|
|
| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
hissed
|
|
| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
collapsing
|
|
| 压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
meditation
|
|
| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
chunks
|
|
| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
digit
|
|
| n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
digits
|
|
| n.数字( digit的名词复数 )；手指，足趾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
negligent
|
|
| adj.疏忽的；玩忽的；粗心大意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
attentive
|
|
| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
haven
|
|
| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
sniffing
|
|
| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
strings
|
|
| n.弦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
eerie
|
|
| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
unison
|
|
| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
winked
|
|
| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
coordination
|
|
| n.协调，协作 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
simultaneously
|
|
| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
knuckle
|
|
| n.指节；vi.开始努力工作；屈服，认输 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
knuckles
|
|
| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
petrifying
|
|
| v.吓呆，使麻木( petrify的现在分词 )；使吓呆，使惊呆；僵化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
scything
|
|
| v.（长柄）大镰刀( scythe的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
brutal
|
|
| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
hustled
|
|
| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
lithe
|
|
| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
gracefully
|
|
| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
remarkably
|
|
| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
pollutants
|
|
| 污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
spikes
|
|
| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
hopping
|
|
| n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
sarcasm
|
|
| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
strands
|
|
| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
melee
|
|
| n.混战；混战的人群 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
elongated
|
|
| v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
swirl
|
|
| v.(使)打漩，(使)涡卷；n.漩涡，螺旋形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
swirled
|
|
| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
butting
|
|
| 用头撞人（犯规动作） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
twig
|
|
| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
bully
|
|
| n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
gasping
|
|
| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
gasp
|
|
| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
pinioning
|
|
| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
149
constricted
|
|
| adj.抑制的，约束的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
buffeting
|
|
| 振动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
racing
|
|
| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
lashed
|
|
| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
funnel
|
|
| n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
brutally
|
|
| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
indents
|
|
| v.切割…使呈锯齿状( indent的第三人称单数 )；缩进排版 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
sluice
|
|
| n.水闸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
relatively
|
|
| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
mound
|
|
| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
veins
|
|
| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
vein
|
|
| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
bellows
|
|
| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
battered
|
|
| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
skulls
|
|
| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
pelts
|
|
| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
verge
|
|
| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
scaly
|
|
| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
meditate
|
|
| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
grunted
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
brute
|
|
| n.野兽，兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
brutes
|
|
| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
huddled
|
|
| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
marvel
|
|
| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
subterranean
|
|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
fugitive
|
|
| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
kleptomaniac
|
|
| n.有偷窃狂的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
dwarf
|
|
| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
manor
|
|
| n.庄园，领地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
camouflaged
|
|
| v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
custody
|
|
| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
evading
|
|
| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
previously
|
|
| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
fatality
|
|
| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
strap
|
|
| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
bristled
|
|
| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
orchard
|
|
| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
hovered
|
|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
nervously
|
|
| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
winced
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
dwarfs
|
|
| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
preened
|
|
| v.（鸟）用嘴整理（羽毛）( preen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
robust
|
|
| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
throbbing
|
|
| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
imprisonment
|
|
| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
squeaked
|
|
| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
innocence
|
|
| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
grooming
|
|
| n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
plaza
|
|
| n.广场，市场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
moron
|
|
| n.极蠢之人，低能儿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
felon
|
|
| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
chivalry
|
|
| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
repercussions
|
|
| n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
jewelry
|
|
| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
anticipation
|
|
| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
clump
|
|
| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
waterproof
|
|
| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
cocoon
|
|
| n.茧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
joint
|
|
| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
clumps
|
|
| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
vibration
|
|
| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
confiscate
|
|
| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
solidify
|
|
| v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
vertical
|
|
| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
muffling
|
|
| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
rendezvous
|
|
| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
cluttered
|
|
| v.杂物，零乱的东西零乱vt.( clutter的过去式和过去分词 )；乱糟糟地堆满，把…弄得很乱；（以…） 塞满… | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
sneak
|
|
| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
looming
|
|
| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
jaded
|
|
| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
scurried
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
wizened
|
|
| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
rigid
|
|
| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
crumbled
|
|
| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
232
bodyguard
|
|
| n.护卫，保镖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
233
uneven
|
|
| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
234
poked
|
|
| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
235
gash
|
|
| v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
236
illicit
|
|
| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
237
excavated
|
|
| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
238
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
239
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
240
saliva
|
|
| n.唾液，口水 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
241
brittle
|
|
| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
242
cylindrical
|
|
| adj.圆筒形的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
243
amplification
|
|
| n.扩大，发挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
244
shuddering
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
245
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
246
cramped
|
|
| a.狭窄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
247
beetle
|
|
| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
248
cocooned
|
|
| v.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
249
rippling
|
|
| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
250
torpedo
|
|
| n.水雷，地雷；v.用鱼雷破坏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
251
hull
|
|
| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
252
tingle
|
|
| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
253
accomplices
|
|
| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
254
tightened
|
|
| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
255
flexed
|
|
| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
256
flicking
|
|
| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的现在分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
257
throttle
|
|
| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
258
frantic
|
|
| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
259
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
260
curtly
|
|
| adv.简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
261
devour
|
|
| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
262
deftly
|
|
| adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
263
talons
|
|
| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
264
talon
|
|
| n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
265
shards
|
|
| n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
266
blurted
|
|
| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
267
stink
|
|
| vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
268
scudded
|
|
| v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
269
poised
|
|
| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
270
flicker
|
|
| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
271
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
272
fiddled
|
|
| v.伪造( fiddle的过去式和过去分词 )；篡改；骗取；修理或稍作改动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
273
flicked
|
|
| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
274
tugging
|
|
| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
275
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
276
precariously
|
|
| adv.不安全地；危险地；碰机会地；不稳定地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
277
precarious
|
|
| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
278
bonded
|
|
| n.有担保的，保税的，粘合的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
279
trauma
|
|
| n.外伤，精神创伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
280
perches
|
|
| 栖息处( perch的名词复数 )； 栖枝； 高处； 鲈鱼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
281
squealing
|
|
| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
282
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
283
savage
|
|
| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
284
dribbles
|
|
| n.涓滴( dribble的名词复数 )；细滴；少量（液体）v.流口水( dribble的第三人称单数 )；（使液体）滴下或作细流；运球，带球 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
285
venom
|
|
| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
286
inverted
|
|
| adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
287
slash
|
|
| vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
288
ribs
|
|
| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
289
scythed
|
|
| v.（长柄）大镰刀( scythe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
290
stunned
|
|
| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
291
qualified
|
|
| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
292
wielded
|
|
| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
293
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
294
treacherous
|
|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
295
novice
|
|
| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
296
tightrope
|
|
| n.绷紧的绳索或钢丝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
297
crafty
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
298
thump
|
|
| v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
299
instinctive
|
|
| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
300
ruptured
|
|
| v.（使）破裂( rupture的过去式和过去分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
301
trudged
|
|
| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
302
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
303
fatigue
|
|
| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
304
chattering
|
|
| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
305
dealing
|
|
| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
306
tactic
|
|
| n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
307
cannier
|
|
| 精明的，狡猾的( canny的比较级 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
308
writhing
|
|
| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
309
puffed
|
|
| adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
310
physically
|
|
| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
311
loomed
|
|
| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
312
triangular
|
|
| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
313
scampered
|
|
| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
314
gathering
|
|
| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
315
casually
|
|
| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
316
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
317
glands
|
|
| n.腺( gland的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
318
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
319
whooped
|
|
| 叫喊( whoop的过去式和过去分词 )； 高声说； 唤起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
320
gulps
|
|
| n.一大口（尤指液体）( gulp的名词复数 )v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的第三人称单数 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
321
distress
|
|
| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
322
steering
|
|
| n.操舵装置 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
323
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |