Alabaster Dangermond and Astrid's Jewel

By Jason VanHorn

Fourteen-year-old Alabaster Dangermond, U.S.A. agent, has uncovered the nefarious agenda of Dr. Zerick Moonshae, who seeks to collect ancient artifacts sent around the world by a long dead Viking king.

After discovering new information about one of the lost ancient artifacts, Astrid’s Jewel, Alabaster and his partner, Turnkey Ke

• Language: English
• Publisher: Goldenwood Press LLC
• Release date: Apr 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780999603444

Jason VanHorn

Dr. Jason VanHorn is a professor of geography. Fascinated by the interwoven fabric of people and places around the world, he loves to think about geographical interactions. Interested in security, secret intelligence, and spies, he loves to write both fiction and non-fiction. When he is not writing, you can find him throwing a baseball, camping, playing video games with his kids, or hanging out on social media. He started writing at an early age and had dreams in high school of one day completing a novel. Alabaster Dangermond and Astrid's Jewel is his second novel.

Book preview

Mansions

Newport, Rhode Island

41.477979 N, 71.308237 W

Al stood in the open doorway of the largest house he had ever seen—and it was all his.

Turnkey whistled as he stepped across the double-door threshold into the huge foyer. Is this really yours?

White stone stairs hugged both sides of the room and led up to the floors above. Marble was everywhere.

Yeah, I guess? I mean, the Chief gave us the address, and security let us in. Al peeked out at the doorframe for the house number again of the Newport, Rhode Island mansion. As a little boy, he lived in the coastal town before he moved to New York, but this house was foreign. Something held him back from entering.

Turnkey waved his hand. Man, come on. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ll rescue your parents from Moonshae.

Al felt like there was nothing they couldn’t accomplish together, but this was different. In the last month, they had uncovered so much. Even though he and Turnkey failed to recover the stolen ancient Viking king sword, the Serpent’s Blade, he had found the one thing his heart longed for most. Sent a video of his parents’ death by Dr. Zerick Moonshae, Al had discovered his parents were still alive when he confronted the thief, Katya Volkoff, during their mission to the Louvre. Armed with that knowledge, everything had new meaning. Including this house.

Al nodded. Yeah, I know. It’s just… My parents lived here, but I never did. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about them. Why didn’t I know about all of this?

Turnkey shrugged. Didn’t you live at the house down the street from here?

"Yeah. But still, why didn’t I know about this place? Why did the Chief keep it from me all these years?"

Turnkey took a couple of steps up the stairs to the right. I don’t know, yo, but I am dying to roam this place. I bet it has all kinds of secret passageways and hidden stuff. Anybody who puts all this marble in a house this size has to have crazy passageways. Did that thief, Katya, or Moonshae say anything about the details of the stone your parents possessed? He peeked behind one of the large paintings in the foyer of the mansion.

Al shook his head. No, and the Chief didn’t have a clue either. I don’t know what it looks like.

Well homie, if it’s really worth all that, then it has to be something special—so it will be crazy hidden.

Al stepped forward and crossed the threshold. A chill ran up his spine. He’d been tricked by Moonshae into thinking his parents were dead and it had been nearly nine years since he’d seen them. Now, in the house they somehow owned, he wondered what else he didn’t know about them. He had a sinking feeling in his chest.

Turnkey stepped down from the stair landing toward Al. Yo, man, I’m hungry. Think there’s a kitchen in this place?

You’re always thinking with your stomach, Turnkey. Here. Al handed him a granola bar from his backpack.

He took a granola bar for himself and bit into it. The Chief said we can only spend two days looking around before we have to catch our flight to test out Mary-Anne’s work up north. I wish I would have known about this place sooner, so we wouldn’t have to waste our time just looking around. I think we might need longer than the Chief will allow.

Turnkey finished his bar and wiped his hands on his pants. Well, at least we get to do some rock climbing up north as part of work.

Both of them laughed and began their journey through the house. The house was empty of housekeeping staff, but of possessions, there was no end. The two agents walked from room to room and remarked at the elegance of the mansion. If his parents ever had lived here when he was little, it would’ve been a weird place to raise a child—there were too many things to break.

He ran his fingers across an expensive wooden table that held a vase in the hallway. The Chief told me that a butler and housekeeping staff keep this place up. After we’re done here, we should check out my brown house down the street.

Turnkey laughed. What, like in two years? This place is huge. How are we ever gonna search this whole pad?

The agents continued walking through the main hall and made their way toward the south part of the house. Some doors were open and others closed. As they peeked in each room, they examined the details and tried to commit the layout to memory. They spent about an hour before they stopped in an indoor conservatory, not even a quarter of the way through the whole house.

Turnkey flopped down on a wicker seat next to some fake plants. Man. This place is too big. I can see why your parents lived down the street. It’s hard to imagine this as a real home.

Al walked over to a small old wooden table. On a shelf beneath the table sat two decks of old playing cards, a pegboard, and a slate with chalk. Yeah, there are so many rooms. I bet there must be a hundred doors in this house. TK, we have to come up with a plan if we’re ever going to find this stone.

He picked up a deck of cards and fanned through them. They had Japanese-style writing on them and were of Asian origin. It reminded him that he and Turnkey still needed to find the Serpent’s Blade and return it to its rightful owner, Mr. Fudosan, in Tokyo. Then he picked up the slate and chalk. Numbers from a past game were still visible. Then it struck him.

Hey, how about we use this chalk to mark each door we go through? We can start at the beginning downstairs and count each door with a chalk number. If we keep counting up, then we will know which rooms we’ve been to and how many doors we’ve checked.

Turnkey laughed. All right, man. I’m game. But if I have to look at another old hanging tapestry from a forgotten century, I think I might puke. Somebody must have loved those ridiculous hanging carpets on the walls, cause they’re everywhere in this house.

Al smiled. It was true. There were fabric tapestries everywhere from the 16th and 17th centuries depicting historical events as wall decorations. He had seen some in visits to museums, but never in a place people lived. They were odd to him, too. So many millions of threads woven together to make all these wall hangings. His search for the precious stone that Moonshae wanted was like one of the threads—a lost item mixed among millions of other things in the huge house.

The stone was the only bargaining chip he could think of to rescue his parents. How big or small it was, it didn’t matter. He was determined to find it and to rescue them no matter what it took. He and Turnkey were going to find the stone. It had to be in this enormous house.

2

Moonshadow Dawn

Location: Undisclosed

Zerick Moonshae stepped through the door in a finely-tailored white suit, walking slowly with his cane. Ten criminals stood behind their chairs, waiting for him to arrive. He loved that they had grown accustomed to protocol and remained silently patient at the boardroom table. The last time they had gathered, the criminal boss from Australia named Darcy was jettisoned into the blackness of space for trying to shoot him. It was necessary to prove who was in charge.

He surveyed the table and the glowing crescent moon symbol in the center. He gazed at the seat where Darcy once held a position of prominence and felt pleased the newest member, Hudson, had conformed so quickly to his protocol.

Dr. Z took his seat.

Moonshadow syndicate associates. As some of you know, our associate Mr. Heeto has been arrested on charges of corruption. The authorities were able to access his cell phone and discovered several tidbits of less-than-honorable activities. I have no doubt he will be found not guilty once the judge is paid off by his local associates, so I will allow his seat to remain vacant for now. My intel shows no mention of the Moonshadow Syndicate in his digital files. Moonshae surveyed the room. You control key centers of the criminal underground and black-market trade around the globe. Let me again remind you, if you mention even the name of our organization to anyone in any way, and I find out, one of your family members will meet their end. After all, I’ve delivered on my promises and increased your treasures ten-fold. Don’t cross me, and you all can become richer and more powerful.

He rubbed the pommel of his cane and smiled. Remember, every one of you has sworn allegiance to me, and I required you to incorporate your criminal network icon into my beautiful crescent moon symbol. He pushed a button on the table. In front of each of the criminals, a hologram spun above the table, showing each criminal network’s logo encased inside Moonshae’s crescent moon seal. But that does not give you liberty to fail me. And fail me you have.

He took a drink of water and cleared his throat. "Someone has stolen one of my stones. Yesterday, I received intel that Temporis Turbati Societas infiltrated a location I have been casing in Rio de Janeiro. They stole a golden cross from the national museum. That cross contained one of my hidden stones. I know all about their organization, but they don’t know me."

Zerick scowled at Rafel Santos. Mr. Santos, you are in charge of the entire underground network in Brazil. How did these goons gain access to the museum when I had you staking out the area?

Santos wiped his sweaty brow. His throat bobbed, and he said, Sir, they went through the tunnel system, the subway tunnels, to get into the museum. We were watching on the street, not—

Moonshae stood. I WANT IT BACK! He slammed his hand down on the table, staring at his syndicate minions. No one dared look his way.

He took a deep breath and had another drink of water. Then he stood a little taller and adjusted his suit, regaining his composure. "Listen to me, Santos. Listen to me, everyone. You will make the discovery of the Temp Turbs Society hideout your top priority. Do I make myself clear?"

Most around the table nodded but kept their eyes downcast.

DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?

The criminals said yes in unison.

Kwame, the crime boss from South Africa, lifted his hand toward Moonshae. "What can you tell us about Temp Turbs? How do they know about the stones in the artifacts you’ve talked about?"

Dr. Z stood and paced around the large boardroom table. "Yes, Kwame. Temporis Turbati Societas has emerged as one of my chief enemies, and so, they are yours. The Viking king diaries tell of a group created by Olaf a thousand years ago. Although their name changed, Temp Turbs is that group. They were tasked with one mission, to protect the treasures, but now I don’t know what their goals are, except they want my stones for themselves. I have a feeling that group lost track of the treasures, because I own Olaf’s original map showing the secret locations of the stones. As you remember, you brought me an artifact from Pretoria, which did indeed contain one of my stones."

You’ve never told us why the stones are so valuable—what is their significance? Kwame asked again.

Moonshae paused from his pacing. "That is a good question, but one I am not ready to reveal to you. However, if you bring me intel on the location of Temp Turbs, it will be in my power to pay you even more handsomely than I already have."

Will you release a family member? asked a woman at the table.

No, Ms. Keyston. I will only add money to your account. Fifty million dollars into the personal account for the one who finds their operations hideout.

Zerick pressed a few buttons on the table and two panels lowered, giving everyone a spectacular view of outer space and the rounded edge of the earth.

Let’s not forget our recently departed friend and his failure. Never forget that I reward those who remain loyal to me, but if you push me, I will destroy you. Now go and report back on my enemy’s location. I will soon require you to watch other locations of Olaf treasures as my thief acquires them. He pursed his lips and tented his fingers together into a triangle. That is all.

3

Bookworm

Al and Turnkey worked their way from room to room throughout the main level of the mansion, marking every door as they went. To Al, walking through the unique rooms felt like going through a museum. Every room was filled with heavy, ornate furniture color-coordinated to match the room’s theme. Green, red, yellow, and blue tall-ceilinged rooms held artifacts from different lands around the world. Intricate wooden carvings, crown molding, and wrought iron fireplaces could be found in every room along with more tapestries. Turnkey shook his head every time he saw one of the hanging carpets on the wall.

The mansion’s front door faced due east, and the agents made their way from the southern part of the house toward the other end. Near the end of the grand hallway, Al pushed open another door, which opened to a large library. Sheets covered all of the furniture in the room, unlike the rest of the house.

Turnkey ran his fingers across one of the sheets. I guess the Chief didn’t have the U.S.A. cleaning staff come through this room before we arrived.

Dark wood paneling covered the walls of the library, and old books occupied the shelves. Small black and white photos adorned the gaps between shelves. Al stepped closer to the pictures to investigate. The speckled prints from years long gone showed scenes of African hunts. The same hunter was featured over the dead game—lions, elephants, rhinos, and even giraffes met their death at the end of his barrel. Al wondered who the hunter was. Why did his parents have pictures of him in the library?

The fireplace at the far end of the room was so huge Al and Turnkey both could walk into it. A large painting hung above the mantel, but it, too, was covered with a white sheet. Al lifted the sheet to look behind it and then pulled it down. The painting was a portrait of the hunter from the photos, dressed in distinguished clothes.

Turnkey examined the golden-etched lettering on the base of the painting. R.W. Dangermond. Yo, do you know him?

No, but I know the name. The Chief said he was my grandfather, but I never knew him. He was the one who gave all of this to my dad.

And now it’s yours, homie.

Yeah. The Chief said he made his millions in geology. Maybe he was the one linked to this precious stone, even though I haven’t seen any stones in any of the rooms.

Turnkey peeked behind the painting, lifting the corner away from the wall. Well, maybe there’s a secret passage to a gem or mineral room or something like that in this place.

Al laughed. Why don’t you check out the fireplace then?

The tall agent ducked his head and stepped into the large hearth but came back out shaking his head. Well, maybe this doesn’t have a secret passage, but there have to be some in this huge house. Did the Chief give you any clues or secrets about this place?

Al shook his head. No, he said he never had reason to come here or send anyone here. He told me he checked with the house staff, who keep up the place, but they didn’t know anything about the stone. He walked over to the other side of the room opposite the fireplace and pulled on the books. Hey, bro, what if a secret door opens by pulling on one of the books? I thought I read that once from a Hardy Boys book.

Huh?

They were in some library and pulled on a set of books that were fake, and it released a lock on a hidden passage door. Maybe my parents did something like that?

Al, there must be a few thousand books in this room. Seriously, you want to pull them all?

I don’t know. I’m just trying to think of something. He continued pulling on the books, tipping them toward him, a few at a time. After he finished with the shelf, he glanced at his partner.

Uh, okay, but this is going to take forever. Turnkey walked to the left side of the fireplace and started going through the books like Al.

After about forty minutes, Al was ready to give up and walked over to a sofa. He removed the draped white cloth and sat down. Maybe we can go check out the rest of the rooms, Turnkey?

No way, I’m on a roll. Actually, this is kinda fun. I’m trying to see if the books are really alphabetical by author. So far, nothing has been out of place.

Al looked around at the library shelves. Yeah, I was doing that too, but there was nothing out of order. He studied the painting of his grandfather. Did the man really have the stone Moonshae wanted?

"Wait! Ha, found one! The name Lewis goes after Lewandowski, not before." Turnkey pulled the book by the author Lewis off the shelf and checked it out by flipping the pages.

Hey, look at this! He held up the book to reveal a small map among the pages. He walked over to Al and unfolded the map. It’s a map of the house. It had the building footprints for the entire grounds, complete with little labels. There’s a star at the stables.

And one on this room…the library, Al said. But what is that? There was a mark of some kind on the star at the library. He lifted the map up toward a light to see through it, but it didn’t help. You have a magnifying glass on you, TK?

Nah, man. Let’s take a picture of it with our watch and use the digital magnifier to see it better. When they magnified the image using the software on the watch, they could see the mark was actually tiny letters.

"Locus Ignis?" Al said under his breath.

Turnkey shrugged. "Yo, it’s Latin. Local burn?"

"Maybe place of igniting, but what does that mean?"

Turnkey put the Lewis book down on a side table and