The Crystal Key (Paperback or Softback)

Saylor and Sprout live in an orphanage in Chromia, one of two continents at war. They are forced to mine toxic metals, which are the main ingredients of the weapons used to attack the enemy continent of Sapphira. But when a mining accident results in Saylor and Sprout getting stuck in an underground cavern, they find an unexpected opportunity to escape the orphanage with the help of a blue fluffy creature that can eat through anything. The children and the "wufu" embark on a quest to find Saylor's mother, Suli. But their adventure turns into something much bigger when they discover Suli was working on a compound that could erase all the pollution from the war-torn atmosphere and maybe bring an end to the war itself. The children soon learn that other people are desperate for the compound and will stop at nothing to prevent the kids from exposing the real reason for the war.