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

by Abed, Melanie

  They overheard Jay talking to someone. Anni smiled at Brat. They were finally on their way off the Zephyr, right under everyone’s noses. It was so simple; she couldn’t believe it. Everything went just as planned…until the top of their bag split open.

  Jay’s wild red hair blew in the wind and he was smiling. “Nice try, and major props, kid, but I don’t miss a trick. If you must know, it was your Funk.”

  “Then pretend you didn’t see me,” said Anni. “Please, just let me go.”

  “Can’t. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.” He fluffed his hair back and said, “If I let you cross that bridge, you’d be at the bottom of that near-empty lake. Come on, sweetheart. Out.” He reached out a hand.

  Anni sighed loudly, covering up Brat’s harrumph, and took Jay’s hand. A few Elementals in the vicinity watched her and scowled. It was still raining over the Lake, and it wasn’t even half full. Mad, sad, and completely resigned, she brushed herself off, jumped off the hover-flat, and walked back to the dirt road. “Don’t say it, Brat.”

  Jay strolled over to her. “Look, kid, I might be able to help you out.”

  Wet guano dripped down her face, but she didn’t wipe it away.

  “Tell me where you need to go,” said Jay. “And I’ll see what I can do. You do know where you’re going, right?”

  That was the question, wasn’t it? She didn’t know where Lexi was. That was another problem entirely, but if he could help her get there, her problem was solved.

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Well, you gotta figure that out. Capisce?”

  “Yeah, I get it,” said Anni, wondering why up until now, no one else had been willing to help her. Here he was, giving her a chance. “Why do you want to help?” She wanted to kick herself for asking, but he was Miranda’s brother. She couldn’t be too careful.

  Jay laughed. “Straight to the point. I like it. I also like to do favors. You never know when you’re going to need one. And that’s all you need to know for now.”

  “So if I gave you a location how long would it take you to help me get there?”

  Jay scratched his chin. “A day, two on the long side. Not to worry, kid.” He winked. “Oh, and try not to attract too much attention.” Jay headed back to the loading bridge.

  Elementals had stopped to stare at her, but she didn’t care. This was her first big break. “See,” she said to Brat, who flew out from his hiding place in Anni’s pocket and landed on her shoulder. “Wasn’t such a bad idea, was it? That’s our best offer yet.”

  “Hmm, we’ll see.” Brat pointed up at the sky. “Why are those Fleet messengers zooming around over the—”

  “Anni?” Squirt ran toward her, flanked by Daphne. “Whoa, your hair’s green. Why are you covered in…is that guano? Tell me you didn’t hide—”

  “That’s right,” said Brat, scowling at Anni. “We got caught hiding in the guano.”

  Squirt started to giggle and had to hold his side to stop from laughing harder.

  “Stop it, Squirt,” said Daphne. “Anni, I wouldn’t make any deals with Jay, you can’t trust him….Come on, let’s go back to Fortensia’s. Brat…keep a low profile.”

  Anni didn’t want this one piece of hope taken away, so she didn’t tell them.

  “Diana had to cancel today,” said Daphne. “But we also came to warn you. Spongincork ordered an escort to take you to all your work duties starting tomorrow.”

  “What? Why? I don’t need an escort.”

  “It’s because of the Lake,” said Squirt, still grinning. “If they found out that you tried to escape this morning, you’d get a twenty-four-hour guard. That’s not all. Brat—”

  “Not out loud,” said Daphne and whispered to Brat, “Keep your head down.”

  “Why do I need to keep my head down?” asked Brat.

  “Fleet are patrolling the sky,” said Squirt. “Elofficials hired them.”

  “Impossible,” said Brat. “The Fleet works with them, not for them. It’s in our by-laws. I’ve been gone a couple days and our whole world’s upside down.”

  “All Fleet on this Zephyr have been ordered off message duty and are on patrol duty. Sorry, Brat,” said Daphne. “There’s a warrant out for your arrest.”

  “What? Me?” asked Brat. “I told you.” He poked Anni’s chest. “I told you I would get into trouble. Here it is. Moppins, where can I go?”

  “Shush. You don’t want them to hear you,” said Squirt, pointing up above at two Fleets flying overhead. “Get back in Anni’s pocket.”

  “We can’t talk out here,” said Anni, seeing Fortensia’s house in view. “Let’s get inside, and we can figure it out there.”

  “That’s not all,” said Daphne as they made their way inside. “Strange stuff is going on at the Manor and the village. Shops are shutting down regular service for the next couple days. I’ve only got a half-day today at Haberdashers. They said they were doing inventory, but we already did that a month ago.”

  “Yeah,” said Squirt. “Since when does Moon Manor have guards around the clock?”

  They made their way inside Fortensia’s, and once Anni was sure they were alone, Brat flew out of her pocket.

  “Moppins, I’m done for. First chance, you’re going to leave without me,” said Brat, who flopped down on Fortensia’s bench and covered his head with a droopy wing. “Go on, turn me in. Throw me into the Egghouse.”

  “Calm down, Brat. I won’t leave without you,” Anni said, even though she had no idea how she was both going to find Lexi and clear Brat’s name at the same time. “I promise I’ll get you out of trouble. I don’t know how yet, but I will help you.”

  “I have an idea,” said Squirt. “You won’t like this, Brat, but this might help you both. Fleet service is restricted in only one place on this Zephyr. Spadu Hills! I know this because I tried to send a message here but couldn’t. Something to do with the Raterons having issues with Elofficials. Anyway, Brat, you can hide safely there and you’ll be able to get underground news. You know, rub some elbows.”

  “I didn’t think of that. Good idea,” said Daphne.

  “No. No. No. Not a good idea,” said Brat, wringing his tiny fists. “I swore an oath. If I even so much as ‘rub elbows,’ as you so eloquently put it, with Pirats, my Fleet status will be revoked.” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that, and I’ll get the bunk.”

  “Haven’t they already done that?” said Squirt. “But they’d never suspect that you’d hide out with the Pirats—”

  “Really? You think it’s that easy?” Brat crossed his arms. “Okay, I’ll just stroll into the largest congregation of villainous and corrupt denizens north of the Mediterranean and say, ‘What’s up, Pirats? I’m gonna hang out with you for a few days. If that’s cool.’ Mopple-toppined nonsense! What makes you think they’ll even trust me or let me stick around?”

  “But you told me, back when Anni arrived, that you had a cousin on this Zephyr,” said Squirt. “Didn’t you say he could get you underground information?”

  “One-eyed-Nimmy is thirteen crackers short of a dozen. Information, yes, he can do that, but keep me safe? I’m not so sure. Pirats aren’t friendly. If they so much as find out I’m Fleet…Nope, the Egghouse sounds better already.”

  “Diana might be able to help,” said Daphne. “She consults Fleet on behalf of Moon Manor and deals with their advisory board.”

  “Brat, I know this is a lot to ask,” said Anni, trying not sound too desperate. “Think of Lexi. If you hang out with One-eyed Nimmy, you might help her.”

  “Oh, I see how it is.” Brat snorted. “And, what exactly are you going to do for me?”

  “I’ll ask Diana to get you cleared with Fleet,” Anni said. “I’ll beg if I have to.”

  Brat paced. “Fine. I’ll do it for Lexi, but I want Squirt to take me to the cave.”

  Anni knew they still had a long way to go, but she felt better knowing she had help.

  “Good. They’re gone,” said Daphne
as she pulled a small velvet pouch out of her hip pack. The exact emblem of the bee from Anni’s patch matched the one on this bag. “I could get into enormous trouble for this, and the less people who know, the better. I told you I would keep your secret, and now you know one of mine. By the way, if you want me to sew that velvet Bee patch back on your tank, I will.”

  Anni nodded, but didn’t interrupt.

  “Moonstones are not commonly used anymore. It’s a long story, but in short the Elofficium has banned anything that has to do with prophesying. All right, now think about finding Lexi and carefully pull out five stones, one by one, and set them down in a circle. These won’t say where she is, but they’ll help us understand what’s involved.”

  Anni focused on finding Lexi and pulled out exactly five stones. They were long, flat, and oval and had an opalescent shimmer. Daphne noted each one as they were pulled. Each one glowed a different color with a single word on its surface: DRAGON, WOOD, PORCUPINE, JAGUAR, and BEE.

  As the words appeared, Daphne gasped. “Oh my Els, wow, I…uh, I’ve never seen Dragon come up before, or Bee at the end. Hmm, Dragons are considered an unfavorable dangerous sign, I’m being polite when I say that…Actually, this is way more advanced than I can read right now. I need to do some research. Memorize those words.”

  “But Dragons don’t exist. How can that be bad?” Anni wondered what the big deal was. “It’s just a bunch of animal names. It’s not like it’s telling us the future.”

  Daphne swiftly collected the stones and carefully placed them back in the pouch with a certain amount of reverence. “Anni, you don’t understand. That’s exactly what these stones do. Auguriums, sort of like Elemental fortunetellers, were masters at reading the Moonstones; they used them to record prophecies for every single Elemental child that has ever been born. The Moonstone readings have been documented for centuries, all of them have been true, all except one….And you’re wrong: dragons exist, or they did. They have a reputation for being vile, dangerous creatures, and you can never trust them. One dragon shared sacred Elemental secrets with a dangerous human, who used that information to bring about Funk and destruction and other horrors that started a whole chain of events pitting Elementals against humans.”

  A knock at Fortensia’s door surprised them both, but when Anni turned around, she couldn’t believe who was standing in the doorway.

  BASIL BOGGLE TEA SHOPPE

  Anni rose, blinking several times just to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. Vivian Sugar stood in Fortensia’s doorway.

  Daphne stood and said “Hello” first.

  “Sorry,” said Anni, still stunned. “Miss Sugar, this is Daphne. Come in.”

  “I’m not interrupting, am I?” asked Vivian. “I can come back if you like.”

  “No,” said Daphne. “Actually, I need to be going anyway. Anni, I’ll see you later. Nice to meet you, Miss Sugar.” And she left them.

  “I expect you are surprised to see me here,” said Vivian. “Here, on the Zephyr.”

  Anni nodded, speechless.

  “Oh, dear,” said Vivian, looking nervous. “Where to start? With the truth, I suppose…Anni…I’m an Elemental. Moon Manor is my family home. Mabel was my aunt, and Teddy my uncle. I came to Waterstone Academy after Mabel―well, you know, to help Teddy out. Teddy and Egbert made it plain to me that I could not share my family associations without discussing or explaining the Elemental world to you. I’m very sorry about that, especially if I have lost your trust and your friendship; that would grieve me greatly. Honestly, I have been beside myself once I was told about Lexi’s disappearance, and you gone as well. I’ve tried in vain to find Lexi. Egbert would not allow me to help him—to put it mildly, he and I do not get along. You might like to know Headmistress Turnkey is on the mend. Al-though I didn’t know it at the time, she and Egbert used the expulsion as an excuse to get you and Lexi away from school and somewhere safe. Anni, I would have come sooner, had I known you were here. But on the off chance that you arrived here, I asked—begged—my sister Krizia to allow you to stay.”

  “She’s your sister?” Anni wondered when people would stop keeping so much from her, but she directed her irritation at Egbert and could barely contain her frustration with him. “I told Egbert that Finnegan was responsible. Finnegan was working with someone, I don’t know who; they planned to kidnap Lexi and me. Egbert tricked me into coming here. I have to leave and find her. I don’t know where she is. I’m so worried. Can you help me leave? I could come with you. We could look for her together.”

  “Oh, Anni,” said Vivian with a pitiful gaze. “I’m afraid my influence here is not strong enough to get you off the Zephyr. If someone was after you as well as Lexi, I can understand now why Egbert sent you here.” Vivian paused. “I can see that I have let you down. Will you allow me to do something to make it up to you? I am just as much your relation as Egbert is, and with your permission, of course, I can petition the Elofficium to become one of your vouchers while you stay here. Would you like that?”

  “Yes, yes.” Anni nodded, starting to feel calmer. She loved this idea. If only it applied to the human world as well! Vivian would speak frankly to her, not treat her like a child like Egbert had, and she wouldn’t keep any secrets. Anni knew Vivian would help her in any way that she could, just as she had at Waterstone Academy.

  “Excellent; I am so pleased. I’ll go straight to the Elofficium office. It could take up to two weeks to approve the paperwork.”

  “Two weeks? Lexi can’t wait two weeks. It has been four days already!”

  “I know, Anni. I know. I…I don’t know what else I can do.” Vivian’s brows furrowed as she placed her hand on Anni’s shoulder. “But I promise I will search for her in the meantime. I will do all I can to find out where Lexi is. Okay?”

  Even though she didn’t like the idea of waiting, Anni cleared her throat. “Yes, okay.” It was the best offer she had yet, and with Vivian on her side, hope buoyed. She felt better.

  Once Vivian left, Anni felt the pressing weight of her loneliness. It was unbearable. She decided to shovel a few bags of guano, and visit with Brat, but he was nowhere to be seen. After she filled two dozen guano bags, she left the caves to wash up and eat some cold porridge. She went up to her room early for bed and wrote in her journal.

  Next morning, Anni got up early. Too anxious to sit around, she did her chores in the caves with the hope of seeing Brat, but there was still no sight of him. By midday, Squirt arrived minutes before her guarded escort to Moon Manor. Grateful for Squirt’s company, she told him she was concerned about Brat. Squirt promised he would check the caves later and told her Daphne was filling in at Haberdashers. Anni wondered if Daphne decoded the Moonstones, and if the stones could really tell her future.

  Fort ushered Anni to the compost heap where, days ago, she had been unceremoniously jettisoned into the largest mound of rotten scraps. He handed her a rake and a shovel. “Have fun,” he said and laughed as he walked inside the Manor.

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  Squirt had left to get his orders from the Manor, so he wasn’t there to help, either. A note on one of the shovels said, “Flip the compost and rake it over. Repeat until you’ve done the whole pile. Guards will be watching. If you don’t, we can arrange something with the Elofficium instead. –M. Spongincork.”

  She looked up and saw Fort grinning at her from the Manor’s second-floor balcony. The compost heap was half the size of a tennis court. Unbelievable. She gritted her teeth and slowly made her way over the low brick wall and into the shallowest pile.

  The sun was on her the whole time as she dug, flipped, and raked. Blisters were starting to form on her thumbs, and just when she thought she was making headway, a massive pile of freshly chopped vegetables and other slimy things flew through the overhead chute, landing partly on her and her newly shoveled rows.

  That was it. She threw her shovel, which landed hard on a huge brown crate in the far corner. She grumbled as she wade
d back to the brick wall.

  Across the lawn, Squirt was running toward her. He waved his hands and yelled, “Get out! ” She had no idea what he was screaming about. She turned around and saw what can only be described as an oversized worm with an enormous mouth and rotating razor-sharp teeth burrowing through the composted layers. It was moving as fast as a lawnmower over tall grass and it was heading right at her. She screamed. Squirt was too far away and her left foot was stuck in a melon rind.

  An arm yanked her over the wall. It was Oliver. “You’re making my job hard to keep you alive.” He grinned. “Oh, and try not to pet the worms while they’re eating.” He sauntered back inside the Manor. Anni had the strong desire to chuck the melon rind at his big, smug head, but she couldn’t. He had saved her life twice now.

  Squirt jogged over. “Phew…” He panted. “Who let the Royal Worms out? They only come out at night. They’ll need some tea leaves or they’ll get sick.”

  Stunned, Anni watched the creature zip back and forth, fast as lightning, eating up the mounds of compost until there was nothing left but dust. Altogether, it took less than three minutes before the worm inched passively back into its crate.

  She must have looked like she was still in shock because Squirt led her to the large glass greenhouse, sat her down, put some goopy ointment on her blisters, and gave her a glass of water. In no time, her hands were as good as new and she watched him flit around, filling empty vials with colorful waters. He took a single flower, whispered something to it and placed it into what looked like a test tube, which he attached to a glass wall panel. Within a millisecond, the entire side of the greenhouse was filled with thousands of the same flower. She went to touch one, thinking it might be an illusion or a hologram of a flower, but she was surprised to find that they were all real.

  “Cool, huh?” said Squirt. “I’ve got something even better.” He leaned his left ear up to her face. “Do you see it? Bet you don’t. It’s in my ear.”