“I’m Kat,” said the brown-haired girl to Lexi and a sandy-haired boy in front of her, but the boy looked too proud to respond. Lexi noted that this girl didn’t look nervous at all.
“Whatever you do,” whispered Kat, “Say you’re a human.”
“I will not,” said the sandy-haired boy.
“Fine,” said Kat as she turned to Lexi and added, “It’s your funeral.”
“Greetings. I’m Mortimer Spence,” said a slug the size of a water buffalo. He wore spectacles and a bright purple vest. In one hand he held a list and in the other a glowing sphere, which he found far more deserving of his attention than the group in front of him. Although articulate, he sounded as if he had said the same thing a thousand times before. “The Fectus welcomes you. May you never leave….State your name and age.”
By the time it was Lexi’s turn, she opened her mouth but no words came out. Terrified she said, “Lexi…Wwwaterstone… twelve.”
“Human or Elemental?” asked Mortimer, tapping at his sphere.
She paused and said, “Huuuman.”
Mortimer looked deep into her eyes. “We’ll see about that.” He looked back at his sphere and tapped something into it. “Go to the left. Collect your uniform.”
Lexi walked to the left, where eleven teens were handed dirty, rag-like bundles. On the right stood the proud-looking boy, all alone with no bundle. Kat nudged Lexi when the guard forced a drink down the boy’s throat.
“Why did they do that to him?” asked Lexi.
“It’s not safe to be an Elemental in here,” said Kat.
Two more guards, even more monstrous than the first four, clapped both of the boy’s arms in chains and took him away through a steel door just as another person entered.
“What do we have today, Mortimer?” asked a young man dressed in a red leather and steel-spiked suit, taking pleasure in the fear reflected in the teens’ eyes.
“Huuumans, meet Spike,” said Mortimer with a laugh that Lexi thought was directed at her. “At least, they claim to be human. Where do you want them?”
“Ha ha, better hope that’s all they are,” said the boy named Spike. “Take seven for service. Put the rest in the Brouwen.”
Lexi was more annoyed than afraid. Whatever the reason, she was reminded of Anni—who’d be tough if faced with a boy like this. What she wouldn’t give to be with her best friend right now, but she only had Anni’s spirit to console her.
“You,” said Spike, sneering at Lexi. “You got something you want to say?”
Lexi didn’t realize she was scowling when she said, “No.”
“I don’t like her. Put her in the Brouwen,” said Spike.
“As you wish,” said Mortimer. Spike and the guards took the first seven kids, leaving behind Lexi and the remaining three. Mortimer slithered away in the opposite direction, leaving a trail of slime in his wake. “Follow me.”
SPADU HILLS
A fire burned inside Anni’s gut that no amount of Yugi’s ApiumPassiflora could fix. In two days’ time, her life had been altered in ways she could never imagine. But to have Egbert, whom she didn’t even like that much, be accused of such terrible things bothered and confused her. She knew Egbert had great respect for Teddy and Mabel. After all, Teddy helped him through something sad from his past—“tragic” was the word Mabel used when she defended Egbert’s terse nature. Mabel once said, “Egbert is a fine man, but deeply wounded. Try to look past his ways and see him as if he were a small child.”
Anni didn’t know what to think of that then, or now. “Show me the news article.”
Daphne quickly scrolled through her Omninav. Anni could tell by her furrowed brow that it wasn’t good, and she would have wagered that Diana must have seen the same article when they were together.
They huddled under the awning of a closed flower shop and read The V.O.I.C.E. article in silence.
Elofficial Suspect Moon in Waterstone’s Case
OpEd By: PENELOPE W. POTBOILER
Elemental Egbert Frode Moon, a longtime associate of Teddy and Alexa Waterstone, partner at Waterstone Academy and Mabel Moon’s heir, is the prime suspect named in the Waterstone case.
As of yet, Elofficials have not been able to contact Mr. Moon for questioning. Elofficials brought Mr. Moon’s assistant, Rufous Finnegan, in for questioning, but determined his cognitive functioning had been significantly altered and is currently undergoing tests and treatment at the Murdrock Serene Center. Elofficials gained access to Mabel Moon’s residence, where Mr. Moon is thought to reside. Within said residence, Elofficials found soil samples that matched the grounds of the Brazilian Museum where the Elemental Golden Bee Artifact was stolen. Since Egbert Frode Moon has turned off his Omninavigational device and cannot be contacted, Elofficials have issued a warrant for his arrest and request that all individuals who know his whereabouts report it immediately. He is wanted for theft of the Golden Bee Artifact, the kidnapping of Alexa Waterstone, and the murder of Teddy Waterstone.
In related news, Mr. Orge Murdrock, who recently acquired Waterstone Academy for Girls, made an announcement. “Although saddened by the loss of Theodore Waterstone, I vow that no other innocent life will be placed in jeopardy. As such, Waterstone Academy will remain closed until the culprit is caught.” His statement was issued just hours before the North American polls closed naming Mr. Orge Murdrock the Chief Elofficialis of the United States of America, the highest Elofficial office an Elemental can obtain within each country.
“You don’t think he did it, do you, Anni?” asked Squirt with a worried look.
Egbert irritated her to no end, but in her heart, Anni didn’t think he could be guilty of these things. Then again, nothing was as it seemed. “I don’t know,” she said. “But I know he was very close to both Teddy and Mabel.”
“You can’t seriously consider this piffling-pseudo-news-narrative-bunk,” said Brat. “I’ve delivered messages to Egbert, and for him. He’s not the warmest of Elkin, and sure, perhaps he’s a bit detached from his emotional receptors, but if anything, he is an honest man. I think he was set up.”
“Up until two days ago, I didn’t know about Elementals,” Anni said. “What if he hid other things? He was in charge of Mabel’s half of Waterstone, which, by the way, he just handed over to the Murdrocks as if it was a piece of paper. What if he got rid of her and Teddy, too?” She didn’t really believe that, but said it out of anger.
“You can’t mean that,” said Brat. “Waterstone was struggling, if you must know. Teddy had plans to close the school, but I didn’t tell you that. I could lose my badge for revealing confidential information.”
“If it means saving Lexi’s life, don’t you think you should?” asked Anni.
Daphne and Squirt didn’t say a word.
“Moppins,” said Brat, exhausted. “Don’t we need to go?”
They started walking again. They cut down a dirt road and the rain stopped.
“Tell her, Daph,” said Squirt. “Tell her what you told me.”
“I’m really sorry about what happened to you in the village, at the lake,” said Daphne. “Not all Elementals are like that. It was terrible how some cheered….I changed my mind; I’m going to help you and Brat get off the Zephyr and find Lexi.”
“See, Anni. I told you she’d come around,” said Squirt, bouncing.
Anni turned to face her. “Even if it means breaking the rules?”
“Actually, I think you know I can.” Daphne pulled Anni aside, away from Squirt and Brat. “You know I saw your golden bee patch. Diana didn’t, and that was because of me. You’d get into a realm of trouble if the Elofficials saw it—interrogated, for a start. It’s your secret, and I’ll keep it that way, but it’s the other reason why I want to help you.”
It was more proof that the old velvet cloth that she and Lexi had found was important and linked to the stolen Golden Bee Artifact. “Okay,” Anni agreed.
They walked back to join the others.
“Ar
e we cool now?” asked Squirt, beaming. “Told you Daph would help.”
“For Elemental’s sake, why are we on this road?” asked Brat with a mix of concern and panic. “This must be a mistake.”
“No mistake,” said Daphne. “She’s staying with Fortensia at Spadu Hills.”
“What? Why?” Brat halted midair. “I can’t stay, I mean, she can’t stay there—”
“Why not?” asked Squirt.
Brat’s eyes bulged in horror. “Why not? Moppins! Don’t you know? Unscrupulous Elkins, Scandaroons, and that sort hang out there.”
“Actually, Brat,” said Daphne. “Anni doesn’t have a choice. She has to stay here. This is the only part of the Zephyr that can support her levels of Funk for more than six hours. Diana would never let Leach send her here if it wasn’t safe.”
“Leach? I should have known.” Brat harrumphed.
They reached the end of the dirt road. Spadu Mountains would have been a better title for the place, as two massive slabs of jagged rock braced each other, forming a huge, haunting chasm beneath.
A weather-beaten sign hung over a spindly, two-story dilapidated shack barely attached to the hillside except for a few metal bolts keeping the building in place. Further down, there was a dark cave nestled within a fissure of the hillside, ornamented by rust-covered lamps, remnants of old tracks, and abandoned mining carts lying in ruined heaps.
A lopsided, weathered post stuck out from the ground between the cave and building with a sign that read:
WELCOME TO SPADU HILLS
HOME OF THE FINEST BLACK GOLD
Dust-caked windows revealed little more than the smudges of their fingertips and noses. It was too difficult to see inside, but the door’s rusty sign said OFFICE.
Squirt tried the door. It was unlocked. He stepped inside first, and the girls followed. The floors creaked and moaned under their weight. No surprise, but the interior was no tidier than the exterior. A desk, pinned against the wall, lay scattered with papers, hand-sized shovels, and odd-shaped lumps of dirt.
Mounds of dirt stood everywhere—on the counters, shelves, and windowsills, even inside test tubes. Squirt was most interested in the dirt in the tubes, while Daphne and Anni stared at an enormous, two-foot platter that hung against the wall. A yellowed index card taped to the wall said Ring gong for service!
“I don’t know about that,” said Daphne as she peered past another doorway into an empty sitting room furnished with chairs and a fire. “Hello?”
Anni decided that the instructions were simple enough, but where was the instrument used to ring the gong? She looked under papers, under the desk, behind the cabinet, and inside drawers.
Squirt squished the dirt samples between his fingers, smelled it, and continued inspecting the other piles.
“Why are you touching that?” Brat asked Squirt. “Don’t you know what that is?”
Anni spotted a soft drumstick lying under a small piece of fallen plaster. Deciding it must go with the gong, she positioned herself in front of it and pulled her arm back.
At the same moment, Brat, Daphne, and Squirt looked up. “No!” escaped their lips a second too late.
Anni drove the drumstick into the metal plate. The impact returned with an unexpected force.
The room and everything in it shook like a massive earthquake. All of them raced outside, but even there, the hillside shook. Deep within the bowels of the mountain, a fierce and terrifying noise echoed forth, roaring like a black bear waking up after a long hibernation.
A screeching cloud of gray, black, and brown flying objects swarmed the air, surrounding them in a dense, impenetrable fog. Instantly, Brat dove straight into Anni’s shirt pocket, curled into a ball, and shivered.
Anni covered her eyes and ears. Nothing could be heard over the din. Her whole body tensed as she waited for the maelstrom to pass, Daphne and Squirt at her side.
Just when the screeching died down, a booming sound broke free. It bellowed off the cave’s walls.
“WHO…RANG…THE…BELL?”
FORTENSIA SPADU
A symphony of shrieks filled the air as a massive shroud of winged creatures encircled the woods. Hemmed in on all sides, Anni, Daphne, and Squirt couldn’t run, and Brat burrowed into the smallest recess of Anni’s pocket. The only clear path was the one in front of them, but that was the direction of the creepy voice.
A large, formidable shape emerged from the mouth of the cave. It trudged over a set of deteriorated railway tracks that led from the cave’s entrance and moved in their direction. The trio froze as something moved toward them. It wasn’t a man or a beast, but a woman, who pulled a bandana from her neck and dabbed her dirty face. Covered in muck from head to toe, the original color of her overalls, boots, gloves, and hat was impossible to distinguish. Muddied cracks lined her face as she squinted to examine the three standing before her.
The woman leaned against her spade and asked, “Which of you three rang the bell?”
The minute she spoke, the winged creatures vanished into the woods and the remaining dust in the air settled. Anni cleared her throat, glanced at Daphne and Squirt, and walked toward her. “I did.”
The woman thrust her hand forward, and Anni trembled in response. The woman’s body shook with laughter as she jumped off a wooden platform she was standing on, decreasing her size by half.
“Gets ’em every time!” she said, still laughing. “Didn’t mean to frighten you, even though I did. I’m Fortensia Spadu.” Fortensia grabbed Anni’s hand in a vice-like grip before shaking it. “Knew you were coming. I like to have a bit of fun when I can. Scared your friends. Look at them—still shaking.”
Anni smiled. She pretended to act calm, ignoring the tremors in her hand when she waved Squirt and Daphne over. The color was gone from their faces. Daphne offered a quiet hello as Fortensia clapped her and Squirt on the back, still chuckling.
“So you need a place to bunk. Gotta tell you the truth, I’m not one much for the lah-dee-dah rules, but I’ve got a small room, only nobody’s been up there in…well, don’t know the last time anyone’s been up there. I’ll need help loading guano tomorrow. After that, it’s just bagging the stuff, but that’s only if you can handle it. Most Elementals can’t do the work—too dense for them—but you’re human, so you should be just fine. Mind you, it’s not the same thing as guano from the Noos—meaning, this stuff won’t kill you if you breathe it in.”
She paused and wiped her brow. “Anyhow, I’m managing five different Zephyrs, so I’m not here all the time. That Spongincork fellow signed you up for the work already. He didn’t bat an eye when I said guano.”
“Guano?” asked Anni.
“Don’t know what guano is?” asked Fortensia with a chuckle. “Right, you must be a city slicker. Guano’s black gold, that’s what it is. A farmer or gardener wouldn’t be caught dead without some. Family tradition in these hills, harvesting guano for Elementals and humans alike, for centuries.”
“So, it’s like dirt?” asked Anni.
“Hah! You’re a regular comedian. Naw, it’s better than dirt, girlie. It’s the finest fertilizer this side of all the Zephyrs. I have over a thousand species producing the stuff. It’s so pure, you can’t even use it straight. Nope, too powerful that way. Nah, you gotta mix a cup to every ten bags of dirt. Course, then I suppose you can’t call it dirt anymore, ’cause my guano changes the molecular structure, makin’ it super dirt.”
“Hmm, scooping dirt, that’s not too bad,” said Anni.
“It’s not dirt,” said Squirt, smiling. “Guano is bat poop.”
One look at Squirt and Anni knew he was serious. She turned to Daphne, but her cheeks flushed pink and she didn’t make eye contact. “Wait,” Anni said. “For as long as I’m here, my job is to scoop up bat poo?”
“Yep, but only in the morning.” Fortensia clapped Anni’s shoulder and almost made her knees buckle. “Gotta play to stay. Them’s the rules here: everyone works. And seems that Spongincork fella ha
s some other jobs lined up for you.”
“Fantastic,” said Anni with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“Aww, I envy you. Wish I could get in there and do it myself. Salt of the earth kinda work. You’ll see. It’s dark now; we’ll have to wait until morning to start. All right then, I’ll build a fire inside and show you to your room when you finish up out here. Nice to meet you two,” said Fortensia, waving Daphne and Squirt goodbye.
The sky over Spadu Hills was clear and had turned to dusk in a blink. Stars peeked out behind white fluffy clouds. A chill filled the air, but there was no rain here. Daphne and Squirt said goodnight and reminded her that they would get her the next afternoon. Anni watched them leave, thinking that things could only get worse.
Forgetting to shut the door, Anni stood in the hallway of the cluttered office. She watched Fortensia stroke the glowing embers in the sitting room’s fire pit. Without her new friends, sadness filled Anni. Even from the inside, Fortensia’s ramshackle house didn’t look safe. Anni silently prayed that it wouldn’t collapse during her stay. She looked down and found her arms shaking. How did it get so cold all of a sudden?
“Come in or you’ll catch your death,” said Fortensia. “Weather here’s not like where you’re from. In these parts, nights reach freezing. You should remember that.”
Once Anni passed the threshold of the sitting room, a blast of heat bathed her face and body. The orange glow of the fire cast a warm and cozy mood. Fortensia set a huge cast-iron kettle over the flames to boil water. The small sitting room had only a few wooden chairs and the threadbare rug in the center.
“Grab a seat; you’re not a guest,” said Fortensia as she pulled a large metal basin to the foot of the nearest rocking chair and poured the steaming water into it. She walked over to a wooden bureau precariously leaning against the wall and pulled handfuls of dried odds and ends from glass jars lined atop it. Then she tossed them into the steaming liquid.
Anni Moon & The Elemental Artifact: An Elemental Fantasy Adventure Series: Book For Kids Ages 9-12 (Anni Moon Series) Page 14