SFAX, TUNISIA, NORTH AFRICA
FOR her eighteenth birthday, Juliet Butler asked for, and received, a ribbed Judo1 crash vest, two weighted throwing knives and a World Wrestling Grudge2 Match video -items that did not generally feature on the average teenage girl’s wish list. Then again, Juliet Butler was not the average teenage girl.
Juliet was extraordinary in many ways. For one thing, she could hit a moving target with any weapon you cared to name and, for another, she could throw most people a lot further than she trusted them.
Of course, she didn’t learn all of this watching wrestling videos. Juliet’s training began at age four. After kindergarten each day, Domovoi Butler would escort his little sister to the Fowl5 Estate dojo, where he instructed her in the various forms of martial6 arts. By the time she was eight, Juliet was a third dan black belt in seven disciplines. By eleven years of age, she was beyond belts.
Traditionally, all Butler males enrolled7 in Madame Ko’s Personal Protection Academy on their tenth birthday, spending six months of every year learning the bodyguard9’s craft, and the other six guarding a low-risk principal. The female Butlers generally went into the service of various wealthy families around the world. However, Juliet decided10 she would combine both roles, spending half the year with Angeline Fowl, and the other half honing her martial arts skills in Madame Ko’s camp. She was the first Butler female to enrol8 in the Academy, and only the fifth female ever to make it past the physical exam. The camp was never located in the same country for more than five years. Butler had done his training in Switzerland and Israel, but his younger sister received her instruction in the Utsukushigahara Highlands in Japan.
Madame Ko’s dormitory was a far cry from the luxurious11 accommodation in Fowl Manor12. In Japan, Juliet slept on a straw mat, owned nothing apart from two rough cotton robes, and consumed only rice, fish and protein shakes.
The day began at five thirty when Juliet and the other acolytes14 ran four miles to the nearest stream, catching15 fish with their bare hands. Having cooked and presented the fish to their sensei, the acolytes strapped16 empty twenty-gallon barrels to their backs and climbed to the snowline. When their barrel was filled with snow the acolyte13 would roll it back to base camp, and then pound the snow with bare feet until it melted and could be used by the sensei to bathe. Then the day’s training could begin.
Lessons included Cos Ta’pa, a martial art developed by Madame Ko herself, specially17 tailored for bodyguards18, whose primary aim was not self-defence, but defence of the principal. Acolytes also studied advanced weaponry, information technology, vehicular maintenance and hostage-negotiation techniques.
By her eighteenth birthday, Juliet could break down and reassemble ninety per cent of the world’s production weapons blindfolded19, operate any vehicle, do her makeup20 in under four minutes and, in spite of her stunning21 Asian and European gene3 mix, blend into any crowd like a native. Her big brother was very proud.
The final step in her training was a field simulation in a foreign environment. If she passed this test, Madame Ko would have Juliet’s shoulder marked with a blue diamond tattoo22. The tattoo, identical to the one on Butler’s shoulder, symbolized23 not only the graduate’s toughness, but also the multifaceted nature of his or her training. In personal protection circles, a bodyguard bearing the blue diamond needed no further reference.
Madame Ko had chosen the city of Sfax in Tunisia for Juliet’s final assessment24. Her mission was to guide the principal through the city’s tumultuous market or medina. Generally, a bodyguard would advise his principal against venturing into such a densely25 populated area, but Madame Ko pointed26 out that principals rarely listened to advice, and it was best to be prepared for every eventuality. And, as if Juliet wasn’t under enough pressure, Madame Ko herself decided to act as surrogate principal.
It was exceptionally hot in North Africa. Juliet squinted27 through her wraparound sunglasses, concentrating on following the diminutive28 figure bobbing through the crowd before her.
‘Hurry,’ snapped Madame Ko. ‘You will lose me.’
‘In your dreams, Madame,’ replied Juliet, unperturbed. Madame Ko was simply trying to distract her with conversation. And there were already enough distractions29 in the local environment. Gold hung in shimmering30 ropes from a dozen stalls; Tunisian rugs flapped from wooden frames, the perfect cover for an assassin. Locals pressed uncomfortably close, eager for a look at this attractive female, and the terrain31 was treacherous32 — one false step could lead to a twisted ankle and failure.
Juliet processed all this information automatically, factoring it into every move. She placed a firm hand on the chest of a teenager grinning at her, skipped over an oily puddle33 reflecting rainbow patterns and followed Madame Ko down yet another alley34 in the medina’s endless maze35.
Suddenly there was a man in her face. One of the market traders.
‘I have good carpets,’ he said in broken French. ‘You come with me. I show you!’
Madame Ko kept going. Juliet attempted to follow her, but the man blocked her path.
‘No, thank you. I am so not interested. I live outdoors.’
‘Very funny, mademoiselle. You make good joke. Now come and see Ahmed’s carpets.’
The crowd began to take notice, swirling36 to face her, like the tendrils of a giant organism. Madame Ko was moving further away. She was losing the principal.
‘I said no. Now back off, Mister Carpet Man. Don’t make me break a nail.’
The Tunisian was unaccustomed to taking orders from a female, and now his friends were watching.
‘I give good bargain,’ he persisted, pointing at his stall. ‘Best rugs in Sfax.’
Juliet dodged37 to one side, but the crowd moved to cut her off.
It was at this point that Ahmed lost any sympathy that Juliet might have had for him. Up to now, he had simply been an innocent local in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now . . .
‘Let’s go,’ said the Tunisian, wrapping an arm around the blonde girl’s waist. Not an idea that would make it on to his top ten of good ideas.
‘Oh, bad move, Carpet Man!’
Faster than the eye could blink, Ahmed was wrapped in the folds of a nearby carpet and Juliet was gone. Nobody had a clue what had happened until they replayed the incident on the screen of Kamal the chicken man’s camcorder. In slo-mo, the traders saw the Eurasian girl hoist38 Ahmed by the throat and belt, and lob him bodily into a carpet stall. It was a move that one of the gold merchants recognized as a Slingshot, a manoeuvre39 made popular by the American wrestler40 Papa Hog41. The traders laughed so much that several of them became dehydrated. It was the funniest thing to happen all year. The clip even won a prize on Tunisia’s version of the World’s Funniest Videos. Three weeks later, Ahmed moved to Egypt.
Back to Juliet. The bodyguard-in-training ran like a sprinter42 out of the blocks, dodging43 around stunned44 merchants and hanging a hard right down an alley. Madame Ko couldn’t have gone far. She could still complete her assignment.
Juliet was furious with herself. This was exactly the kind of stunt45 her brother had warned her about.
‘Watch out for Madame Ko,’ Butler had advised. ‘You never know what she’ll cook up for a field assignment. I heard that she once stampeded a herd46 of elephants in Calcutta, just to distract an acolyte.’
The trouble was that you couldn’t be sure. That carpet merchant might have been in Madame Ko’s employ, or he might have been an innocent civilian47, who happened to stick his nose in where it didn’t belong.
The alley narrowed so that the human traffic ran single file. Makeshift clothes lines zigzagged48 at head height; gutras and abayas hung limp and steaming in the heat. Juliet ducked below the laundry, dodging around dawdling49 shoppers. Startled turkeys hopped50 as far out of the way as their string leads would allow.
And suddenly she was in a clearing. A dim square surrounded by three-storey houses. Men lounged on the upper balconies, puffing51 on fruit-flavoured water pipes. Underfoot was a priceless chipped mosaic52, depicting53 a Roman bath scene.
In the centre of the square, lying with her knees hugged to her chest, was Madame Ko. She was being assaulted by three men. These were no local traders. All three wore special-forces black, and attacked with the assurance and accuracy of trained professionals. This was no test. These men were actually trying to kill her sensei.
Juliet was unarmed; this was one of the rules. To smuggle54 arms into the African country would automatically mean life imprisonment55. Luckily, it seemed as though her adversaries56 were also without weapons, though hands and feet would certainly be sufficient for the job they had in mind.
Improvization was the key to survival here. There was no point in attempting a straight assault. If these three had subdued57 Madame Ko, then they would be more than a match for her in regular combat. Time to try something a bit unorthodox.
Juliet leaped on the run, snagging a clothes line on her way past. The ring resisted for a second, then popped out of the dried plaster. The cable played out behind her, sagging58 with its load of rugs and headscarves. Juliet veered59 left as far as the line’s other anchor would allow, and then swung round towards the men.
‘Hey, boys!’ she yelled, not from bravado60, but because this would work better head on.
The men looked up just in time to get a faceful of sopping61 camel hair. The heavy rugs and garments wrapped themselves around their flailing62 limbs, and the nylon cable caught them below the chins. In under a second the three were down. And Juliet made certain they stayed down with pinches to the nerve clusters at the base of their necks.
‘Madame Ko!’ she cried, searching the laundry for her sensei. The old woman lay shuddering63 in an olive dress, a plain headscarf covering her face.
Juliet helped the woman to her feet.
‘Did you see that move, Madame? I totally decked those morons64. I bet they never saw anything like that before. Improvization. Butler always says it’s the key. You know, I think my eyeshadow distracted them. Glitter green. Never fails . . .’
Juliet stopped talking because there was a knife at her throat. The knife was wielded65 by Madame Ko herself, who was in fact not Madame Ko, but some other tiny Oriental lady in an olive dress. A decoy.
‘You are dead,’ said the lady.
‘Yes,’ agreed Madame Ko, stepping from the shadows. ‘And if you are dead, then the principal is dead. And you have failed.’
Juliet bowed low, joining her hands.
‘That was a sly trick, Madame,’ she said, trying to sound respectful.
Her sensei laughed. ‘Of course. That is the way of life. What did you expect?’
‘But those assassins; I completely kicked their b— ; I defeated them comprehensively.’
Madame Ko dismissed the claim with a wave. ‘Luck. Fortunately for you, these were not assassins, but three graduates of the Academy. What was that nonsense with the wire?’
‘It’s a wrestling trick,’ said Juliet. ‘It’s called the Clothes Line.’
‘Unreliable,’ said the Japanese lady. ‘You succeeded because fortune was with you. Fortune is not enough in our business.’
‘It wasn’t my fault,’ protested Juliet. ‘There was this guy in the market. Totally in my face. I had to put him asleep for a while.’
Madame Ko tapped Juliet between the eyes. ‘Quiet, girl. Think for once. What should you have done?’
Juliet bowed an inch lower. ‘I should have incapacitated the merchant immediately.’
‘Exactly. His life means nothing. Insignificant66 compared to the principal’s safety.’
‘I can’t just kill innocent people,’ protested Juliet.
Madame Ko sighed. ‘I know, child. And that is why you are not ready. You have all the skill, but you lack focus and resolve. Perhaps next year.’
Juliet’s heart plummeted67. Her brother had earned the blue diamond at eighteen years of age. The youngest graduate in the Academy’s history. She had been hoping to equal that feat4. Now she would have to try again in twelve months. It was pointless to object any further. Madame Ko never reversed a decision.
A young woman in acolyte’s robes emerged from the alley, holding a small briefcase68.
‘Madame,’ she said, bowing. ‘There is a call for you on the satellite phone.’
Madame Ko took the offered handset and listened intently for several moments.
‘A message from Artemis Fowl,’ she said eventually.
Juliet itched69 to straighten from her bow, but it would be an unforgivable breach70 of protocol71.
‘Yes, Madame?’
‘The message is: Domovoi needs you.’
Juliet frowned. ‘You mean Butler needs me.’
‘No,’ said Madame Ko, without a trace of emotion. ‘I mean Domovoi needs you. I am just repeating what was told to me.’
And suddenly Juliet could feel the sun pounding on her neck, and she could hear the mosquitoes whining72 in her ears like dentist drills, and all she wanted to do was straighten up and run all the way to the airport. Butler would never have revealed his name to Artemis. Not unless . . . No, she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t even allow herself to think it.
Madame Ko tapped her chin thoughtfully. ‘You are not ready. I should not let you leave. You are too emotionally involved to be an effective bodyguard.’
‘Please, Madame,’ said Juliet.
Her sensei considered it for two long minutes.
‘Very well,’she said. ‘Go.’
Juliet was gone before the word finished echoing around the square, and heaven help any carpet merchant who blocked her path.
收听单词发音 |
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judo
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| n.柔道 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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gene
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| n.遗传因子，基因 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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enrol
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| v.（使）注册入学，（使）入学，（使）入会 | |
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bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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acolyte
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| n.助手，侍僧 | |
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acolytes
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| n.助手( acolyte的名词复数 )；随从；新手；（天主教）侍祭 | |
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catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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bodyguards
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| n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 ) | |
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blindfolded
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| v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗 | |
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makeup
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| n.组织；性格；化装品 | |
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stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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tattoo
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| n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于 | |
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symbolized
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| v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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assessment
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| n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额 | |
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densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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distractions
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| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
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shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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puddle
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| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
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alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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hoist
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| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
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manoeuvre
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| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
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wrestler
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| n.摔角选手，扭 | |
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41
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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sprinter
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| n.短跑运动员，短距离全速奔跑者 | |
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dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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44
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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stunt
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| n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长 | |
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46
herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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47
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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48
zigzagged
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| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
dawdling
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| adj.闲逛的，懒散的v.混（时间）( dawdle的现在分词 ) | |
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50
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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51
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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52
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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depicting
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| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
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54
smuggle
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| vt.私运；vi.走私 | |
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55
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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56
adversaries
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| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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57
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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sagging
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| 下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度 | |
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59
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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sopping
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| adj. 浑身湿透的 动词sop的现在分词形式 | |
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flailing
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| v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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morons
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| 傻子( moron的名词复数 )； 痴愚者（指心理年龄在8至12岁的成年人） | |
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wielded
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| 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） | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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plummeted
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| v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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protocol
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| n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节 | |
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72
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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