Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20 The screen at the video arcade showed a tilted landscape of pure white. A howling blizzard was in progress, roaring in the parka-clad CNN reporter's microphone so that he had to shout to be understood. "The fall climbing season here on Mount Everest is almost over, and it looks like winter is well underway. In the ongoing battle of man versus mountain, score this round for mountain. Not a single climber has reached the summit, and the teams are heading home in defeat— all but a few diehards, who are hunkered down, sheltering from the storm…." As the man spoke, a huge burly form powered by, bent into the wind, carrying full gear— ice ax and heavy pack, spiked crampons on his feet. Despite the cumbersome load and terrible conditions, the climber moved with athletic ease.

Just before he pulled his goggles over his eyes, his full face came into view. Dan emitted a wheeze that matched the worst asthma attack of his life. Hamilton Holt. The Holts— the family of Cahills who had gotten a jump on the next Clue— those Tomas muscleheads were climbing Mount Everest! The frustration nearly dropped him where he stood in the video arcade. Now he knew where the next Clue was. And so what? He couldn't get in touch with Amy! The sensation began at the base of his spine and expanded outward until it flooded his entire body. It was the feeling he'd had after Grace's funeral, when William McIntyre had told them all about the 39 Clues— urgent purpose, infinite possibility. A chance to become the most powerful person on earth, to shape human history! An opportunity so incredible that a pair of Boston orphans had turned down two million dollars for a place on the hunt. Back then, it had been mostly Amy's call to

chuck everything and join the contest. It was only a few weeks ago, but Dan had been through a lot since then. He'd traveled the world, experiencing thrills most people could only dream about. He'd nearly gotten killed at least a dozen times. That changed a guy. Life felt different after you'd looked death in the face. He was not the same Dan Cahill— the one who'd wanted to take the money and buy baseball cards. He was now a full partner in the destiny Grace had set for them. How could he have been fool enough to let go of it? He could never quit the Clue hunt. He'd been born into it! Amy, too. And although there was no telling how many miles lay between them right now, as long as they were both on the trail of the 39 Clues, they were not truly separated. The likes of Cora Wizard or Isabel Kabra could not be offered a chance at world domination. I have to get to Mount Everest! The arcade had a bank of computer workstations. Dan raced to an unoccupied one and opened the Internet browser. The manager rushed

over and began yelling at him in Mandarin. Dan tossed a ball of crumpled Chinese bills onto the counter, hoping it would be enough to buy him some computer time. Mount Everest… Mount Everest… there it was, on the border between Nepal and Tibet. And— okay, Tibet was in the southwest corner of China. Not close exactly, but at least he was in the same part of the world. He Googled further. It was good to be back online. Amy felt comfortable surrounded by a stack of dusty books, but Dan was most at home surfing the web. A railroad timetable came up on the screen. There it was— a train from Beijing, China, all the way to Lhasa, Tibet. One of the stops, about halfway along, was Xian. He grimaced at the schedule. Thirty hours?! I'll go nuts! Travel by air would be a lot faster, he reflected. But he had no passport and very little money. And you can't stow away on a plane.

"…I'm in— well, I guess that doesn't matter, because I have to find you guys now. Uh… see you later— I hope." Nellie stepped back from the pay phone at the Beijing airport, exhaling in sheer relief. The message was ten hours old, but Dan was alive! A little shaken up but okay. She couldn't wait to tell Amy. The marathon that had brought them to this spot had been dizzying. A seven-mile sprint along the Great Wall to the bus staging area; an hour bus trip, which took three hours thanks to Beijing traffic; and a taxi ride out to the airport. All this carrying one very ticked-off cat. Amy stepped out of the ladies' room and began to make her way through the crowded concourse. "Did you get the tickets?" Nellie nodded grimly. "Brace yourself, kiddo. We can't get there till tomorrow." "Huh? Why not?" "You need a special travel permit for Tibet," the au pair explained. "They're letting us fly as far as Chengdu tonight. We can pick up the permits

there tomorrow morning and grab the next plane to Lhasa. But there's bigger news. We got a message from Dan." Amy's whoop echoed throughout the soaring curves of the terminal building. Heads turned their way. A security officer craned his neck to investigate the source of the disturbance. Quickly, Nellie put an arm around Amy's shoulder and marched her to the pay phone so she could listen to the recording herself. She replayed the message four times before finally hanging up, trembling with emotion. "He sounds scared." "Hey," Nellie's voice was kind but firm, "this is good news, remember? Of course he's scared. It looks like he's split with the Wizards. That's not so bad, either. Did you trust those sideshow freaks?" "But he's all alone," Amy lamented. "Why didn't he tell us where to come and get him?" "He had no way to be sure we'd get the message. For all he knew, he'd be waiting around for people who weren't going to show. We have to take him at his word that he's trying to find us."