Read Online The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie - Free Book Online

floor of one of the corridors. A child from the real world must have dropped him.” He cradled the bear in his arms like a baby, proud and delighted that he owned something from the world beyond the Emporium.
    “Caleb likes to collect things that the customers leave behind,” said Anja. “He has built up a small collection of curiosities over the years.”
    Caleb rummaged in his pockets. He thrust his hand towards Daniel, and opened it. In his palm lay a half-sucked lemon sherbet, coated in grey fuzz. “I picked it up a month or two back. Would you like it? It might remind you of home.”
    “I’m fine,” said Daniel, trying not to sound too disgusted. “But thanks.”
    “We know all about you, you know,” said Anja. “Lucien Silver has an apprentice! It’s the talk of the place. If you ask me, it’s about time he got himself some help. How are you settling in?”
    “Fine, I think,” said Daniel. He craned his neck around them to stare down the passage. “Has Ellie passed this way?”
    Anja’s brow wrinkled. “We haven’t seen her. Is something the matter?”
    Daniel explained how Ellie had stormed off.
    Caleb jutted out his bottom lip and nodded. “Ah. That would explain it.”
    “What? Explain what?”
    “My guess,” began Anja, patting her tightly curled black hair into place, “is that Ellie became angry because you were talking about how you are free to discover the world outside the Emporium’s walls.”
    Daniel’s mouth pursed. “But why would that make her mad?”
    Caleb placed a heavy hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Because she’s in the same boat as the staff,” he said. “She can’t leave the Emporium.”
    “What? How come?”
    “We don’t know the ins and outs of it,” said Anja. “It’s private business, after all. Ellie doesn’t like to talk about it. But she’s a lonely girl. You know, Daniel, you must be the first person from outside the Emporium to talk to Ellie in … well, goodness knows how long.”
    “Really? What about the customers? She must talk to them, surely?”
    Caleb shook his big head. “No. They can’t see her or hear her. Something in the magic of this place has made Ellie invisible to anyone who isn’t a part of the Nowhere Emporium. To most of the world, Daniel, Ellie Silver is nothing more than a ghost.”

CHAPTER 11
BLADE OF FIRE
    Next morning, the view from the shop window was very different to what Daniel had grown used to. There were no canals, no colourful shutters. Instead, there was a narrow cobbled lane, lined with unbroken rows of skinny houses and shops, and scattered with stalls selling a great number of different things. Mr Silver explained that they were now in Paris. He invited Daniel to walk the streets with him. Daniel, who had not left the shop since his arrival, jumped at the chance.
    As they walked through the crowded backstreets, Daniel raised the subject of Ellie.
    “I told her to keep away from you until you’ve had time to settle in!” said Silver with a resigned sigh. “Was she rude to you? She has a habit of being rude.”
    “She wasn’t rude. I like her. She showed me around, and let me see her favourite Wonder.”
    Silver gave Daniel a sideward glance. “She has a favourite?”
    “Yup. The Leap of Faith.”
    As they walked, Daniel became aware that Mr Silver was, undoubtedly, disguising a limp. His right leg seemed stiff, and he gritted his teeth when his weight shifted to that side.
    “Do you mind me asking … is it true Ellie can’t leave the shop?” said Daniel.
    Silver seemed caught off guard by the question. “She has a condition that prevents her from going outside,” he said. He did not elaborate.
    “What sort of condition?” asked Daniel. “A disease? What’ll happen if she does go out?”
    Silver grimaced. He rubbed his leg. “Look, Ellie is safe in the Emporium. That is all you need to know.”
    “And is it true that the customers can’t see her?”
    Silver gave him an irritated look.