Artemis Fowl: the Lost Colony

Artemis Fowl 5 The Lost Colony Eoin Colfer chapter1: BLAST TO THE PAST barcelona, spain HAPPYwas not a word often used to describe Artemis Fowl's bodyguard. Jolly and contented were also words that were rarely applied to him or to people in his immedi-ate vicinity. Butler did not get to be one of the most danger-ous men in the world by chatting with anyone who happened to stroll past, unless the chat concerned exit routes and concealed weapons. On this particular afternoon Butler and Artemis were in Spain, and the bodyguard's Eurasian features were even more taciturn than normal. His young charge was, as usual, making Butler's job more complicated than it needed to be. Artemis had insisted that they stand on the sidewalk of Barcelona's Passeig de Gratia for over an hourin the afternoon sun with only a few slender trees to provide them with cover from the heat or possible enemies. This was the fourth unexplained trip to foreign loca-tions in as many months. First Edinburgh, then Death Valley in the American West, followed by an extremely arduous trek to doubly landlocked Uzbekistan. And now Barcelona. All to wait for a mysterious visitor, who had not as yet made an appearance. They made an odd couple on the busy pathway. A huge, muscular man: forties, Hugo Boss suit, shaven head. And a slight teenager: pale, raven-haired with large piercing blue-black eyes. 'Why must you circle so, Butler?' asked Artemis, irri-tated. He knew the answer to his own question, but accord-ing to his calculations, the expected visitor to Barcelona was a minute late, and he allowed his annoyance to trans-fer to the bodyguard. 'You know perfectly well why, Artemis,' replied Butler. 'In case there is a sniper or an audio-tech on one of the rooftops. I am circling to provide the maximum cover.' Artemis was in the mood to demonstrate his genius. This was a mood in which he frequently found himself. And as satisfying as these demonstrations were for the fourteen-year-old Irish boy, they could... [continues]

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