Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13 Somehow, on a bumpy morning car ride after an egg breakfast, Dan did not like thinking of the name Pukhansan. But that's where they were headed at the crack of dawn. As they neared the city of Seoul, a three-peaked mountain loomed before them. "The three horns— I should have realized it from the beginning," Alistair said. "It is Samgaksan, the three peaks. The confusion is that it is now known by the name Pukhansan." "Glurp…" Dan said, closing his eyes and sinking back into the seat and the oversize hooded Harvard sweatshirt Alistair had lent him. Amy stared through the car window. The day was gray and gloomy, and the mountain looked nearly vertical. They had packed lunches in her

backpack, but this was obviously going to be more than a day hike. "We have to climb that?" Nellie asked. "I'm wearing Vans." "Mountains have strong profiles," Natalie said, flicking a piece of dust off her pink jeweled Prada sneakers, which she had given to Harold to clean. "And so should we." "It's only about a half mile high, but I do not think we will be climbing," Alistair replied, referring to the overlay of ancient parchment and sheet. "The old drawing has a solid meandering line through it, which I take to be the famous fortress wall. It cuts through several valleys and low-lying areas." "What's this?" Dan said, pointing to a funny squiggly formation. "Uh, an M," said Nellie. "Or if you look at it the other way, a W. Or sideways, kind of S-ish…" "Maybe it's palm trees," Dan said. "Like in the movie It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. You know? No? These guys need to find hidden money, and the only clue they have is it's under a

big W? And no one sees what it means— but then, near the end of the movie, there's this grove of four palm trees rising up in the shape of… you- know-what! Classic!" Amy, Alistair, Natalie, Ian, and Nellie all looked at him blankly. "There is no W in the Korean language," Alistair replied. "Or palm trees in Korea. It might be maple trees…" "Mrrp," said Saladin, rubbing his face against Dan's knee. "I'll tell you the rest of the plot later," Dan whispered to the Mau. Alistair's driver let them off in the parking lot of Pukhansan National Park. A crowd of tourists had gathered around a giant trail map, which Alistair carefully compared to his parchment-sheet overlay. He traced the dark snaky line with his finger, stopping at various black marks. "These, I presume, are ancient temples. Let's assume the big X is our hidden treasure—" "It's between two of the temples," Natalie said. "But which two?"

Alistair shrugged heavily. "There are many of them. And much space between them. This may take several days." "Then let's go!" Dan said. "Someone has to stay here with Saladin and Mr. Chung," Nellie piped up, giving the mountain a dubious glance. "Okay, you talked me into it; I will." The rest of them took off down a well-beaten pathway. "Hideyoshi conquered most of what is now South Korea," said Alistair, "including Seoul, which was then called Hanseong. But the soldiers put up a fight, building this fortress wall to ward off the invasion." "Why would Hideyoshi bury his treasures here?" Amy asked. Alistair shrugged. "To use the wall's protection, perhaps. He assumed this would remain his territory." "Overconfidence is a curse," Ian remarked. "You would know," Dan said. As the path climbed, there were fewer and fewer hikers. Each time they passed a temple,

Alistair checked the overlay, each time shaking his head. His back was coated with sweat now, and he was panting as he finally sat on a rock ledge. "Lunchtime," he announced, handing the overlay to Amy. "My dear, would you kindly keep this in your backpack?" "Lunch? We're just getting started!" Ian said, scampering up the wall, his loose Harold pants ballooning in the breeze. Natalie sat eagerly next to Alistair. "You didn't happen to bring prosciutto with buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes on whole-grain focaccia with pesto sauce?" "Peanut butter and banana on white?" Dan offered. Alistair was intent on the surroundings. "I fear we may have missed the spot. The wall may have been repositioned over the centuries. It may not look like this anymore." As Amy zipped her pack shut, she felt something hit the top of her head— a clump of moss, which bounced off and landed at her feet.

"Hey!" Ian was laughing as he wiped the dirt off his hands. Laughing. Not to mention staring at her. His eyes were mocking, pinning her in place. As if planning some snarky Kabra comment. In front of everybody. She fought back tears, fighting the urge to run back or curl into a shell. "Throw it back," Dan hissed. "Hard!" Ian cupped his hand to his mouth. "Amy, will you accept a challenge? A race to the top of the next big rock? I'll give you a head start— or are you too slow?" "She's not slow!" Dan shouted back. "Well, actually, she is." Amy stood up. It was one thing to be humiliated by a Kabra, but not by a snot-nosed little brother. She eyed the big rock. This was insane. He was baiting her, setting her up for more embarrassment. Unless… There it was. Another path through the brush. More direct.