Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Amy had come within an inch of being flattened by a subway train. She had escaped collapsing buildings and been trapped in airless tombs. But waiting for Dan outside a bookstore was a shock she never anticipated. "Maybe we should find a doctor," Nellie murmured. She handed Amy a recycled cell phone she had bought at an airport shop. "Thanks—well, at least he's interested in something," Amy said, pocketing the phone. Dan was grinning as he left the airport bookshop with a biography of Shaka Zulu. "Thanks, guys, this is awesome. They didn't have anything by the Gekks, but this one looked cool." "The Gekks?" Amy asked. "The people who wrote the text on the Shaka

card." Dan flashed his postcard. "I can't pronounce their first names, but I like their style. Hey, how's Saladin?" Hearing his name, Saladin scratched the side of his pet carrier. It was amazing how much anger could be contained in a mrrp. As Dan knelt in front of the pet carrier, Nellie grabbed his arm. "Who-o-o-oa! The last time you did this, I ended up chasing that cat all over a library. Best behavior, guys. The rental-car clerk is eyeing me. It was hard enough convincing her to rent to me. I'm scared she's going to change her mind. Oh, and here's your phone, Dan. Don't say I never gave you anything." Nellie grabbed the carrier and headed down the corridor. Dan followed her, leafing through the Shaka biography. "Nothing Cahill-ish in the index. He's got to be descended from Thomas, right?" Amy shook her head. "Thomas Cahill settled in Japan. Shaka's parents were members of African tribes— and none of them had seen Europeans. Ever. Shaka didn't meet any Europeans until, like, the 1800s. Right?"

"Right…" He leafed through his Shaka book. "Some guy from a British delegation— Fynn— saves Shaka's life. Heals a sword wound, gives him meds. Hair dye, too. When Shaka sees his gray hair disappear, he's, like, whoa, they made me younger. It's magic! Up till then, Shaka hasn't liked the Europeans. Now he realizes, hey, they have something I need." "The hair dye?" Nellie said. "The weapons," Dan answered. "So now he's, like, okay, I trust them. Which ends up being a bad call." Nellie led them to an elevator. "The point is, if he wasn't descended from a Cahill, he couldn't be one," Amy said. "So how did he get a shield with a Tomas crest?" "A certified pre-owned shield store?" Dan replied. "I don't know. Let's do some more research on him." "I can't believe you suggested that." "Shaka's fun, not boring," Dan said. "The Zulus did this killing head-twist? Snnnap— dead. They impaled enemies on stakes, then planted them like

trees! Shaka was a genius. He's, like, what's up with spear-throwing, dudes? It's like throwing fly balls. The bad guys just step out of the way—plus, you lose the spear! So he teaches everyone to shish-kebob enemies with recyclable swords— green combat! His archrival, a dude named Zwide? Shaka fed his mother to the jackals. Who wouldn't want to research someone like that?" "Sounds like a real laugh riot," Amy said flatly. The elevator door opened, and Nellie stepped into the car-rental lot. "The chariot waits, kids. We're looking for slot thirty-seven K." Dan followed her into the lot and scanned the area. "Whoa… you ordered a Hummer? WOOHOO!" Yipping with glee, he sprinted toward an enormous black Hummer near a post labeled 37K. Nellie examined her receipt. "I said the cheapest car. Even one with holes in the floor, like the Flintstones." Amy counted to seven before she heard what she expected— a devastated "AAGHHHH!" from Dan. They found him slumped against a yellow

two-door Yugo, looking forlornly to his right, where the Hummer sat in the slot marked 38K. "I was off by one." Nellie looked inside. "Sweet. A stick shift!" "I think you should demand an upgrade," Dan said. "Look at this hunk of junk. The steering wheel in on the wrong side!" "They're all like that," Nellie said. "They drive on the wrong side of the road here." "The rental clerk insulted your honor!" Dan pressed. "Shaka Zulu would not have settled for a Yugo." "Dude, this was hard enough to get," Nellie said. Amy backed away from her brother and au pair, leaving them to their argument. She crept around to the other side of the Hummer. There was something strange about it. The windows were dark, a dusky black. But they were also fogged. She leaned in to the driver's side, peering through the window. She couldn't see much, but the front seat seemed to be shaped funny—lumpy, not straight across.

Then the lump moved. Dan reluctantly settled into the front seat of the Yugo, putting Saladin's carrier on his lap. The seats were hard. "Smells like fish in here," Dan said. "At least Saladin will like it," Nellie replied. "Now can I let him out?" Dan said, beginning to unlatch the pet carrier straps. But Amy was flinging open the passenger door, diving into the backseat. "Go! Go!" Next to them, the Hummer began to bounce. From inside came the sound of shouting voices. "Someone's in there?" Dan said. "They were waiting for us!" Amy shouted. "I thought they were all in Illinois!" Nellie slammed on the gas and threw the stick shift into reverse. The car jumped off the ground and jolted backward. EEEEEEEEEE… "You're right, this is a piece of junk," Nellie said.