Anni Moon & The Elemental Artifact: An Elemental Fantasy Adventure Series: Book For Kids Ages 9-12 (Anni Moon Series)

by Abed, Melanie

  “I don’t doubt that,” said Daphne. “I don’t have a Queen’s Mirror or an Opus Stone. Unless you secretly have access to either one.”

  “What’s an Opus Stone?” asked Anni.

  “Oh, man,” said Squirt, his eyes lit up. “Elementals get their Opus Stone when they come of age, usually at thirteen. Then you find out what kind of Elemental you are. I think I’m Earth. Once you know, you get to travel, study abroad, figure out your Elemental purpose, meet humans, and eat human food! That’s what I’m going to do!”

  “Humans don’t have Opus Stones, and he doesn’t, either,” said Daphne.

  “Low blow, Daph,” said Squirt, frowning. “Why are you being so mean?”

  “I’m not trying to be; I’m making a point. Even if Anni went through the Orb into LimBough, she couldn’t use Tree Transport because she doesn’t know where Lexi is. What’s your plan, Squirt? I’d love to hear it.”

  Daphne was certainly clear, and it sounded to Anni like she had thought this through. Anni said, “What you’re saying is that I should give up.”

  “Anni, I am truly sorry about your friend, but leaving the Zephyr is impossible. Believe me. Traveling between our worlds is something Elementals can only do with a guardian or until we come of age and get our Opus Stone. You can’t travel in LimBough without one. It’s like an I.D.—I guess like a human’s driver’s license. All LimBough travelers are registered with the Opus Stone Network. You could travel with someone else’s Opus Stone, but that’s about as easy to get as a Queen’s Mirror, so…”

  “Lexi wouldn’t give up on me,” said Anni. “I can’t give up on her.”

  “Geez, Daph. How about some thunder with those rain clouds. Sure, I don’t have an exact perfect plan.” Squirt squared his shoulders, turned to Anni, and said, “but I’m going to help you, I promise. I don’t know how yet, but I will.”

  “I hope for Lexi’s sake you can help her, but for now, I need to get you to your lodgings,” said Daphne. “Diana said Spadu Hills. Is that right, Anni?”

  “Yeah,” said Anni.

  “That’s not even in the village,” said Squirt. “Why there?”

  “Hold on, I should double-check,” said Daphne and looked at her wristwatch.

  “Hey, Egbert and Zelda had that watch. What is it?”

  “This? It’s an Omninav, not a watch. It’s way more powerful than a human smartphone, but it fits on your wrist. It can access your optical nerves, so the wearer sees everything in 3-D. It has GPS too. Actually, it does more than I could possibly explain.”

  “Show off,” said Squirt. Anni noticed that he didn’t have one.

  “Can it get news reports like the one I read in Krizia’s office? Could you tell me if they mention anything about Lexi?”

  “Of course,” said Daphne before she shot Squirt a look and returned to her Omninav. “I don’t understand. Diana advises that we cut through the village and try to not be seen by any Elofficium. Krizia’s paperwork probably hasn’t been processed, which means we better be extra careful. Seriously, if an Elofficial sees you, they might take you in.”

  “Fantastic,” said Anni.

  Only Squirt didn’t seem to understand her sarcasm because he smiled at her and said, “Like an adventure. This is going to be so much fun.”

  Together, they set off from Moon Manor down a long cobblestone drive canopied by giant trees.

  “Did Krizia tell you who you’d be meeting at Spadu Hill?”

  “No,” said Anni. “A man, Sponge-in-a-cork, took care of it.”

  “Spongincork!” said Squirt. “You mean Leach. What’d he do for you?”

  “He’s my voucher, or something.” She pulled out the card from her shirt pocket and showed them.

  “No!” said Daphne and Squirt simultaneously.

  THE BASEMENT

  Lexi stood frozen. She wanted to yell and scream Anni’s name, but she couldn’t. The stranger’s hand gripped her shoulder tighter. Lexi couldn’t see her captor’s face, and whoever it was waited until the coast was clear before he pushed her out into the upturned common room. Lexi’s legs moved against her will and obeyed her captor’s steering grip.

  Lexi was going to run, but she couldn’t. He directed her into the hallway toward the low-lit, creepy service stairs that none of the students used if they could help it. Down they went, five flights of stairs with her captor wheezing behind her.

  The damp chill and smell of the stored foods told her that they were in the school’s cellar. They shuffled down a long, narrow hall until they were directly below the kitchen. They stopped in front of a massive tarp that covered something set against the wall.

  Finally, her captor moved in front of her. Lexi studied him, not sure if the heavy, dark hooded robe concealed a short, round body. She couldn’t even make out a face under the hood. He swept aside old paint cans that cluttered the floor and pulled the spattered old tarp from the wall. Behind it was a dirty mirror, framed with rotting wood that oozed a tar-like substance.

  “You first,” said her captor in a gravelly voice.

  She didn’t move. She knew what it was even though she had never traveled by Queen’s Mirror before, but he didn’t wait for her. He used something that felt like a cane and pushed Lexi through the murky glass.

  Waterstone was behind her, and she couldn’t turn back.

  ZELDA SCURRYFUNGE

  “I can’t believe Leach is your voucher. He hates kids, and humans even worse.”

  “Thanks, Squirt,” said Daphne. “What he means is that some Elementals think they are better than humans, more evolved. I disagree. I think we can each learn something from one another.”

  Anni started to wonder how many of the people at Waterstone Academy were Elementals. Only Lexi would understand how she was feeling now; they were the only two who didn’t fit in.

  “Yeah, he put me in box,” said Anni.

  Squirt’s eyes widened. “He boxed you? Jerk.”

  “Oh,” said Daphne. “I wondered about the chute.”

  “So,” said Anni. “Putting people in boxes is not normal for you people?”

  “No,” said Squirt. “But Leach has tossed Elementals into the Egghouse. Anni, stay clear of him. Whatever you do, don’t let him know what you’re up to.”

  That was one more thing to be concerned with. She didn’t know how she’d keep track of it all. “What’s the Egghouse?”

  Squirt laughed. “You know, the Nut-house, where you put the nutters. Take your pick; we’ve got loads of words…the Metal house for Metalheads.”

  “Squirt! Really, you shouldn’t use that kind of language. It sets a bad tone,” said Daphne. “What he meant was that it’s a place for those who can’t get along on their own without help. You know, a little unstable, and they can’t think straight.”

  “Yeah, we have those, too—you know, in the land of humans.”

  “Right, but here it’s a bit different. For Elementals, a part of them is actually missing. Our Opus Stone is our spirit, our life force; it’s part of our soul. If it becomes damaged or lost, that part of us gets lost into the ethers like a blade of grass in the wind, never to return. It’s the saddest fate we Elementals could ever face. There’s a facility on this Zephyr called the Essence House, it’s a part of the Murdrock Serene Center.” She eyed Squirt. “Some call it the Egghouse. Ours was funded by the Murdrock Institute—”

  “Murdrock? They bought my school, Waterstone Academy.”

  “Really,” said Daphne. “The Moons and Waterstones are the oldest Elemental families. They were the first ones who fought to keep up relations with the humans until…Anyway, the Murdrocks are another old Elemental family. They’ve loads of influence in both the human and Elemental realms.”

  “That’s because they’re all a bunch of crazy nutters. All they want to do is make the E2 happen,” said Squirt.

  “That’s total speculation,” said Daphne dismissively.

  “What’s the E2?” asked Anni.

  “Some
Elementals want to make a new Earth without humans,” said Squirt. “But, all the heads of Elemental families from each Element have to agree first. Only half said yes. It’s the dumbest idea in the whole universe. If they all agreed, all the Elements would be ripped away, no earth, no wood, no fire, no metal, and no water. All that would be left behind would be a calcified crater of Funk, and Earth would look like Swiss cheese.” Squirt paused. “I hear that tastes good, Swiss cheese. I haven’t tried it, but I want to try some when I go on my KewS.T.” Anni frowned at the word, which prompted him to say, “Oh, sorry, a KewS.T. is a short trial visit to a human realm, like a quest. Anyway, when I do mine the first thing I’m going to do is eat Swiss cheese,” said Squirt dreamily. “Humans are too cool to lay them all to waste. E2’s a dumb idea. It’ll never happen.”

  Next to Lexi’s disappearance, that was possibly the worst thing Anni had ever heard. The images in her brain left her speechless.

  “Thanks for putting it so delicately, Squirt,” said Daphne. “Really, this debate has been going on longer than we’ve been around. Anni, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  Anni’s mind started to drift as they made their way to the end of the road. Dazzling flickers of light dappled a curved sidewalk that led to the town’s center. She was nervous thinking about how she might plan her escape. Who would help her? As they rounded the corner, the view blinded her.

  Squirt looked at Anni. “Why’re your eyes closed?”

  Daphne pulled a pair of sunglasses out of her impossibly small hip pack. “Here, put these on. It’ll remove the glare.” She helped Anni. “Oops, I forgot to tell you, your retinas will need to adjust; it’s a Wood element thing. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

  In truth, Anni didn’t want to get used to anything, but when the sunglasses were secured, she opened her eyes. It was breathtaking and nauseating all at once. Color and lights refracted from unbelievable surfaces. The largest culprit was an enormous body of water in the center of the village; a floating orb hovered in its middle.

  “That Orb takes you to LimBough—Elemental TreeTransports will take you anywhere in the world,” said Squirt with a wistful gaze.

  Anni stared at the Orb. “How can anyone reach it?”

  “There’s a bridge that opens up to it,” said Squirt nonchalantly.

  “It’s not that easy,” said Daphne. “You need an E-pass and an Opus Stone.”

  Intrigued, Anni kept her eye on it until she was distracted by the structures and surfaces of the shops and galleries that circled the town. Like the cobblestone path, they were not made of normal materials. Not one store looked alike in shape or size, and each shop seemed determined to outmaneuver its neighbor in some kind of visual competition. All the buildings were decorated in an array of unique formations, harnessing varying materials to create special façades for the store’s intended purpose, like unique mascots or billboards that advertised their specific wares.

  Anni spotted Oliver up the road watching them when Squirt’s hand shot up for a high-five as he said, “Mac!”

  Mackenzie, the guy from the plane and Oliver’s accomplice, approached them and ushered them to the side of a building. He spoke in a hushed tone. “I know where you’re headed, but you should know there are two Elofficials at the end of this block. I’d take a different route or wait until they leave. I’ll keep an eye out.” He left and walked in the direction of the Elofficials.

  “What’s the plan, Daph? I don’t know of a different route.”

  Stunned, Anni couldn’t believe her eyes. Each storefront manipulated the elements: various colors of fire; water that bubbled, trickled or froze like ice; air in shapes of clouds or mist; all kinds of stones and precious gems; earthy materials like flowers, leaves, vines, and bark; and giant fruits and vegetables decorated the exteriors.

  “Um, I don’t know. We could take the alleyways, but if they are back there, too, we’ll be trapped, unless…” Daphne trailed off, mumbling.

  As they stood there trying to figure out a different route, several Elemental townsfolk walked past them and pinched their noses, which began to draw too much attention. Daphne blushed more every time they scowled.

  “Hey Anni, look.” Squirt pointed across the cobblestone walk to a building covered in different kinds of fabric. “Daph works there. Let’s wait inside.”

  HARRIS TWEED HABERDASHERS CLOTHING EMPORIUM’s exterior walls consisted of hundreds of alternating fabrics. The shop looked too crowded to hide inside, but The V.O.I.C.E. news article projected in the store’s window caught Anni’s eye. It flashed the same picture of Lexi, and an image Anni hadn’t seen—a huge photo of the missing Elemental Artifact, a golden bee-shaped piece of jewelry. It looked near identical to the image of the gold-stitched bee on velvet cloth she had sewn into her tank top. This was what Lexi was going to tell her about. What did the bee mean? Was it why Lexi was kidnapped?

  The article with the bee image was posted in every shop’s window as far as she could see. It said, Missing! If Seen, Contact The Elofficium! Anni clutched her coveralls where her bee patch was safely hidden. When she looked down, she noticed a golden thread creeping through the zipper. She would need to re-stitch it again, and soon.

  “Uh-oh,” said Squirt. “Elofficium straight ahead.”

  “Follow me,” said Daphne, taking Anni’s arm and pulling her into an alley between two buildings. “We need to hide.”

  They raced behind several buildings until they came across one that had a square, leaden door that Daphne opened. “Get in.”

  They bent down and hid in the back of a stock room where hundreds upon hundreds of bolts of fabrics hung from the ceiling, walls, and endless stacks of cubbies. Murmurs of voices filtered into the storeroom from the visibly bustling front part of the store. Anni realized they were inside Haberdashers, where Daphne worked.

  “Stay low,” whispered Daphne.

  In the far corner of the stockroom sat an old woman sorting through different spools of thread. Another two workers sat gossiping, rather than working.

  “Ms. Thimble, what have you been eating again? It smells awful in here,” said an insect-thin woman with googly eyes.

  “Eeehh? Sorry dear, what’d you say?” replied the old woman.

  “Never mind her; she’s deaf,” said a fashionable-looking younger man with a nose that was so pointy, you could put a hanger on it. “Did you read the news in The V.O.I.C.E. article? All that talk about the missing artifact, just like three years ago. I vote we rename the Zephyr. Moon is so passé.”

  “Well,” said the googly-eyed woman. “I’ll bet anything a Moon family member did it. They’re a troubled lot. Cursed, if you ask me.”

  “Really? You think so?” asked the young man.

  “Don’t look so surprised. The same thing happened when Mabel Moon disappeared. Another artifact went missing—then poof. She was dead.”

  Anni didn’t like this conversation.

  “How do you know this?” asked the young man.

  “Everyone knows that the Moons are powerful, but I’ve heard they had a secret society that got busted up after the Great Catastrophe. Then Mabel Moon was banished to the human realm, because she didn’t protect the Prince. And let’s not forget that the Moons have had more than their fair share of Metalheads in the family.”

  “Really,” the young man gasped.

  “Eeehh? Sorry dears,” said Ms. Thimble, wrapping ribbon around a spool and humming to herself, oblivious to their conversation.

  The googly-eyed woman ignored her and went on. “And you know that bee artifact that’s all over the news? Well…” She lowered her voice. “I’ve seen one sewn on a cloak that came in for a special order last week.”

  “No,” the young man gasped for the third time. “What does it mean?”

  “Don’t know, but if the Elofficium found out there would be trouble.”

  “Look,” said Ms. Thimble so loudly that she shocked the two whisperers. “Elofficium’s come to pay a visit to
the shop. Wonder what they want?”

  “Let’s leave,” whispered Squirt, nudging Daphne and Anni.

  Daphne’s brow furrowed, like she was irritated. She led them out the back door onto the crowded cobblestone walk. With no Elofficials in sight, they tried to blend in.

  “Just keep your head down.” Daphne grumbled.

  A familiar—but faint—sound of tiny bells caused Anni to stop and look around. For some inexplicable reason, Zelda Scurryfunge was scurrying across the cobblestone walkway toward a short queue of Elementals at the water’s edge, where a bridge expanded and retracted across the lake to a huge silver Orb in the middle.

  Anni took off after her. “Zelda? Zelda! ” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

  There was only one person in front of Zelda when she looked back at Anni. With one hand on her hip, she said, “My goodness, Anni. Is that you? What’s wrong with your hair now? It’s blue.”

  “Did you bring Lexi? Egbert said you found her. Was that true? Where is she? The news is wrong, right? Please say it is.”

  “Afraid not. No idea.” Zelda lowered her eyes and shook her head while digging through a small satin pouch and pulled out a small piece of paper. “Last time I saw her, she was with you. Wish I knew more, but fear not. If I know Egbert like I know Egbert, he’ll get to the bottom of this. He’ll find her. You can be sure of that. Bother, I’m late.” Apparently the metal bridge that led to the Orb had retracted while Zelda was talking to Anni, but when Zelda laid her E-pass ticket on a glassy pillared gate, the metal bridge expanded across the water. Zelda didn’t waste a moment; she got on and started walking fast.

  “But—” Without thinking, Anni followed Zelda onto the bridge that moved like a conveyor belt. “Wait! Tell me more. I saw Egbert in Krizia’s office. You must have talked.”

  For some reason, Zelda was moving two times faster than she was.

  “I wish I knew more, dear,” Zelda called back over her shoulder, but the distance between them not only doubled, it quadrupled.