“Yes. Actually, I thought it was strange, too. Whatever you do, don’t let anyone know about the Moonstones, especially him or Miranda. We’d be in huge trouble.”
Anni laughed with sarcasm. “Yeah, I think I’ll skip that conversation.”
“If I was you, I’d be extra careful they don’t know what you’re up to, and when they’re around just act normal and try to ignore them.”
“Ignore who?” said Squirt, louder than the girls would have preferred.
Daphne jumped. “Where did you come from?”
“Come on, we’ve got to go.” He winked three times. “News is waiting for us.”
THE PEARL PENDANT
Lexi was escorted out of the Brouwen before she even had been assigned a job. Another slug, like Mortimer, but smaller, led her through a maze of underground tunnels. He also had creepy red eyes, but what grossed her out was the way he gripped her pearl necklace in his slimy hand.
They walked for some time. On the way, they passed gruesome creatures that stared and grunted at her as a sort of intimidation; she was thankful that none of them touched her.
Her guide stopped before a long purple carpet. Guards like the ones she had seen earlier stood sentry in the hall. The slug handed the necklace to the nearest one. The guard wiped off the goo and nudged Lexi onto the carpet. She followed her new minder toward a lavish set of double iron doors. The guard holding her necklace gestured for her to stay and went inside.
Lexi couldn’t stop the tremors in her arms or legs. She waited next to two other sentries, both of whom looked like a mix between a human and a boar. They had long tusks that poked up from their lower jaws and snouts like pigs.
Once the doors opened, the guard nudged her inside a palatial room, which frightened her in a different way than the guards had. It was designed for human comforts, decorated in rich reds and browns, with leathered furniture, huge polished tables, and a few massive Queen’s Mirrors that didn’t ooze with Funk-goo like the one she passed through.
Lexi walked toward a table at the end of the room, quickening her stride when she saw the hideous gaze of the wall-mounted animal heads staring back at her.
A man sat with his back to her in an egg-shaped chair. He was talking to someone, but Lexi didn’t see a phone. Behind his chair was a huge glass window that overlooked a colossal underground cavern. It gave him a prime view inside a massive stadium that was filled with rows and rows of grotesque monsters of all shapes and sizes.
She noticed her pearl necklace resting on the table close to the man in the chair.
A servant entered the room and placed a tray with a steaming cast-iron pot and different-sized cups on the table. She watched the servant’s hands as he mixed and poured different things into each cup, his hands moving fast but not dropping a single bit. When it struck her that she had seen those hands before, she looked up at the servant’s face. The shock alone might have knocked her down on the spot, but her eyes did not deceive her. The servant looked exactly like her Uncle Teddy, except for his nose, which was purple and extremely bulbous.
THE S.E.C.
Anni, Daphne, and Squirt raced through the rain-drenched village, splashing water on protesting Elementals in their wake. The girls dashed inside Fortensia’s house to make sure the coast was clear while Squirt went and collected Brat from the cave.
When it was safe, Brat flew out of Squirt’s shirt pocket. His clean uniform was replaced with a dirty, ragged blue-and-white-striped vest; he wore a tiny bandana, a patch over his left eye, a fake mustache and tattoo. He removed his eye patch. “Moppins, that’s better. Don’t think I don’t see your smiles. One-eyed Nimmy insisted I dress the part. This isn’t fun for me, you know, and while we’re on the subject, before I tell you what—”
Anni interrupted him. “Diana said she’d help you. She’s working on it right now.”
“Fine. Good. Fine. Fine. Now that I’ve been reduced to a common scandaroon, which I’ll add has been very hard on my sleep schedule, not to mention my digestion, which is completely on the fritz; you simply wouldn’t believe what constitutes as food for that lot, and then they go and hang upside down. Heathens.”
Done complaining, Brat sang a rhyming tune.
The secret twelve are to delve under a sacred lune
A circle binds gathering minds opened by a rune
Don’t forget never fret or it’ll be to Sune
The time Esright to understand
To follow the absent moon
A circle binds gathering minds
Betwixt and between noon
“Whoa,” said Squirt. “That’s unexpected. Daph, is it—”
“An S.E.C. meeting.” Daphne nodded and paced. “That has to be why things have been so strange lately.”
“Huh?” said Anni.
“Yes, that’s good news,” said Brat. “But only if you can find out where the meeting’s being held. I have no idea!”
“Right,” said Daphne, tapping her chin. “We know it starts at twelve noon, but we need to figure out the place, and which day—”
“That’s the easy part,” said Squirt with a giggle. “Yugi makes me keep track of the moon cycles for new seedlings in the greenhouse. An absent moon is another word for a new moon. The next one’s in nine days.”
“Hello. Hi.” Anni waved at them. “I don’t speak Elemental, remember? What’s S.E.C.? Why is this good?”
“Secret Elemental Council. They’re having a meeting,” said Brat.
“So?” asked Anni. “Why is that important?”
“Because,” said Daphne, “the S.E.C. will know exactly where Lexi is.”
“Exactly,” said Brat. “It’s no coincidence that they are meeting now.”
“If these members know where Lexi is, then why haven’t they rescued her yet?”
“Actually, I’ve been wondering what’s taken them so long, especially since that Golden Bee Artifact was stolen. I mean, even if they have a general location, it’s not easy to infiltrate the Fectus lair, and Lexi could be anywhere; the Fectus has an underground network system that crosses countries and even a few continents. I bet they’re setting up a meeting to go in and find her.” Daphne looked directly at Anni in a knowing way. “The bee symbol—you know, the one in all the village shop windows—is the S.E.C.’s logo.”
“Eggs! I didn’t know that,” said Anni.
“Yes,” said Brat. “More precisely, the bee represents our Body Elemental.”
“Even humans have one,” said Squirt, nudging Anni’s arm. “But ours live in our Opus Stones. I don’t know where humans have theirs.”
“The bee is our essence,” said Brat. “Our being. It’s the very first part of us to be formed. It starts out like a wisp, or a tiny vapor of essence.”
“Right,” said Squirt, touching his stomach. “It grows and grows inside of us, and then, when we come of age, it reveals itself. I’ve heard it even tells us our Death Date.”
“The Elofficium put an end to all S.E.C. gatherings,” said Daphne. “They ruled the S.E.C. as dangerous to the Elemental communities because they believe it’s unhealthy propagating myths, legends, and anything that sounds like fortunetelling. All bee symbols and artifacts, or anything associated with it, like Auguriums and Moonstones, were promptly removed from Elemental society, and those who use them or break these rules face consequences.”
“But that bee image is all over town, in your news. I see it every day when I walk through the village,” said Anni, noting Daphne’s face had flushed.
“Freedom of speech. The Elofficium can’t control the news,” said Brat.
“Not yet, anyway,” said Daphne.
“And what are Auguriums?” asked Anni.
“Hm,” said Brat. “Auguriums are special Elementals; they have two jobs in our world. A select few were chosen to nurture and assist in the Elemental birthing process because all Elementals are born on special Mineralstone Zephyrs, where all of us start out as infinitely small wisps of light. As I told yo
u before, we are not like you humans, who are born by a mother and a father alone; we are all created by intention. The other Auguriums are seers, who used Moonstones to read different Elemental prophecies, but most of time, they can just look at an Elemental’s Opus Stone to figure out what they’ll become or do. But they were bound by their own codes and laws of recording, and used the Moonstones as confirmation for their work,” said Brat.
“Why did you say were?” Anni noticed Daphne and Squirt didn’t meet her eyes, and an uncomfortable restlessness permeated the room.
Brat cleared his throat. “Do you remember the prophecy I mentioned about that Elemental boy who was supposed to cure all malcontent between humans and Elementals?” Anni vaguely nodded and he went on. “After the Great Catastrophe, everything in our world went from bad to worse. Not only did thousands die that day, but after that summer solstice, Elemental children stopped being born. The Auguriums warned us that this was tied to the prophecy about the boy, but after so much loss, the Elofficials put their foot down and declared that they had had enough with this prophecy. The Elofficials managed, supported, and changed Elemental society at a time when our kind was grieving the most.”
“But what does that have to do with Lexi?” asked Anni.
“We don’t know, Anni,” said Daphne. “But that’s what we need to figure out. Actually, I don’t think that any of this is a coincidence. As far as I know, the S.E.C.’s main purpose was to support the belief in the prophecy and help it come to fruition. The Golden Bee Artifact didn’t appear and disappear by accident. I think it’s tied to Lexi somehow, and I know you don’t think she’s an Elemental, but did you consider if someone else thinks she is? What if they’re after the artifact because they think she has it? Teddy Waterstone was her guardian. He is a part of the Moon family, and even though it might be speculation, I’ve heard that they’re the original founding members of the S.E.C.”
There was no denying it now. Anni had to accept it; Teddy and Mabel were Elementals. Lexi said the velvet cloth was part of a tapestry Mabel owned. Daphne might be right; if someone thought Lexi had the Golden Bee Artifact, it could be the reason why she was kidnapped.
“The day before Lexi disappeared, she got a doll in the mail. She thought it was from Teddy. It had a clue with it. We followed it, and we found this.” Anni showed them the golden-threaded bee on the velvet patch.
Brat and Squirt gasped.
“After Anni fell in the lake, I saw it,” said Daphne. “So now we all know. We need to make a plan, and like Squirt said, we have nine days before the new moon.”
“Why does it have to be on a new moon? If they know where Lexi is, they should just go,” Anni huffed. “I just don’t understand these Elemental rules.”
“New Moons are auspicious,” said Brat. “Great things can be achieved when started correctly. Farmers plant seeds on new moons because they grow best at that time. Great wisdom and intentions can also be attained on a new moon.”
“We just need to figure out where the meeting’s being held,” said Daphne.
“What place do Elementals refer to as the circle of fellowship?” asked Brat.
“Moon Manor,” said Squirt.
“Right. But which room? There’s like a hundred,” said Daphne.
“That’s the right question,” said Anni.
Brat flitted back and forth between several of Fortensia’s office windows. “Moppins, we have company.”
“What? Who is it?” asked Squirt beside him.
Anni and Daphne ran to the window, too. Knox and Miranda were walking down the road and heading straight for Fortensia’s house.
“Moppins! Moppins!”
“Brat, hide in Squirt’s pocket,” said Daphne. “Squirt, here, take this shovel.”
Once Brat was hidden, the three friends walked outside.
“Stay calm,” whispered Daphne.
Anni walked straight at Miranda and Knox before they could reach Fortensia’s door. “Why are you two here?”
“Mind your manners, girl. Seein’ as Fortensia ain’t here tonight, I’m on guard ’til morning to watch you, little Eggwit. Her office will suit me just fine,” said Knox, who then turned to Daphne and Squirt. “You two are expected back at the Manor.” He smiled. “And Miranda here has offered to escort you back, and be sure you don’t stop along the way.”
“Early curfew,” said Miranda, grinning at Anni and the other two. “I’m just here following Spongincork’s orders.”
“What? We’ve never had that,” said Squirt, looking at Daphne for confirmation.
Anni couldn’t believe it. “Well, you can’t stop me from walking my friends out.” The three of them pushed past Knox and Miranda and headed for the cave.
“Where does he think he’s going?” asked Knox.
“Squirt’s putting back the shovel he borrowed,” said Daphne, who whispered to Squirt, “Go ahead. I’ll stay with Anni.”
“Say hi to the Braterons,” said Miranda, sneering at Anni and Daphne.
“Wot?” said Knox.
“My mistake,” said Miranda smugly, even though Anni knew it wasn’t a mistake. “I meant to say Raterons.”
When Squirt didn’t react, Anni guessed he hadn’t heard her. She glared at Miranda for him—and for herself and Brat. How Miranda found out about their smallest friend, she didn’t know. She assumed either Miranda guessed about Brat or discovered something while working for Diana. Anni would put her money on the latter.
The tips of Daphne’s ears were burning red, and Anni knew her well enough to know she was furious with Miranda, even though Daphne didn’t say a word. When Squirt made his way back out of the cave, Daphne casually said, “See you later, Anni. Have a good night.”
“Bye,” said Squirt with a cheery smile, as if the Braterons comment went over his head.
Miranda followed behind them, but turned to wave at Anni with a big glowing smile. She was on to them, and that worried Anni even more.
“Inside, green hair,” said Knox, thumbing Anni at the door.
Green hair? Clearly, it was the best he could come up with; proof that not all Elementals were quick-witted. She didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response, walked inside, and ran up to the attic.
The next morning when she woke, she went downstairs to eat before heading to the caves where she could speak to Brat, hopefully in private. Knox had been replaced by Fort sometime in the early morning. He followed her into the cave and watched her work in silence. Brat was nowhere to be seen. The only good thing that came out of it was several Raterons seemed to have expert precision and dropped what amounted to the shape of a crown of guano on top of Fort’s head. This put him in a bad mood, enough to say, “Your other chores are canceled today. There’s a Funk leak on the Zephyr, and you’re staying put. You’re not to leave Spadu Hills, and no visitors allowed.”
Anni was fuming by the time she made it back outside the cave. When Fort was cleaning off his head, she heard, “Psst!” She turned around and spied something hiding in a crevice of the cave’s outside wall. “Brat? Is that you?”
“Not so loud, missy!” It was a creature like Brat, but with matted fur that probably hadn’t seen soap in ten years, half a dozen scars, and an eye patch. Anni wondered if this was One-eye Nimmy. “Listen, girlie, I can’t talk long and your friend can’t talk to you in the caves with the others watchin’ him, still being tested. He’s gotta look the part, and that means no fraternizin’, get me drift?”
Anni nodded. “Is he okay? How’s his stomach? Are you Nimmy?”
“Yep, that’s me. He’s fine, and so is his dainty constitution. Just tellin’ you the deal cause he’s been frettin’ about everything. Real stand-up guy. Okay, I gotta go.”
It wasn’t a comforting chat, but at least she knew Brat was okay.
It turned out that Fort was as good as his word. Anni couldn’t leave Spadu Hills, no one came to visit, not even Jay for guano pickup. When Anni counted the number of days she had been on the Zephy
r she realized Lexi’s birthday, June tenth, and her own birthday, June eleventh, had come and gone. She tried to read the book Squirt gave her, Mind Your Funk and Get Funktastic! Human Edition, a dozen times, but aside from the book’s advice to spin every day, she had no access to tonics. Only Ms. OggleBoggle’s advice helped pass the time: imagine Lexi being strong.
In the early hours on the fifth morning of her isolation, the tenth day on the Zephyr, Anni lay wide awake, plotting a way to escape her guards and find Daphne and Squirt. She rolled over in her sleeping bag, contemplating climbing out the attic’s small porthole window. The sun was streaming in through it in an odd way, like something was blocking it. She got up and pulled back the flimsy curtain, only to find a pair of wild, crazy-looking eyes staring back at her.
She screamed.
EAVES-DROPUS
“Eggs!” Anni screamed.
She raced down the rickety stairs. Knox was half-asleep when she bolted past him, saying, “Someone. Outside.”
He followed, and they just caught sight of someone running down the road.
Knox flipped on his Omninav and shouted, “Village Circle—Spadu Hill Road, Assist,” and took off after the perpetrator.
There was no way Anni was going to stick around in case whoever that was peering in the attic window decided to come back. Quickly, she raced upstairs, grabbed Lexi’s backpack, and ran down the road after Knox.
Those wild, ghostly blue eyes flashed through her mind over and over until she reached the end of the road. The village was relatively empty. After all, it was still drizzling, but not as much as it had been four days ago. The lake wasn’t full yet, but it was getting close. It was early still and several shops were still closed, but on the bright side, there was no sign of Knox. She pressed on until she made it to the other side of the lake, past Haberdashers, and outside Basil Boggle Tea Shoppe.
It was a relief to see that the Tea Shoppe was open, and her relief grew when she spotted Jay through the shop’s window, sitting at the bar and talking to Mackenzie. She also noticed her own reflection; her hair, a deep cast of orange, was wet from the rain and she wrung it out before entering.
Anni Moon & The Elemental Artifact: An Elemental Fantasy Adventure Series: Book For Kids Ages 9-12 (Anni Moon Series) Page 18