39 Clues - 05 - The Black Circle (12 page)

panel at the far end of the hall opened again.Dan turned the knob and the two of them

darted inside the room, slamming the door behind them.133* * *They were in what

appeared to be a rather run-of-the mill office. There was a big oak desk, a rug over a

wooden floor, and a freestanding globe of the world. A long white coat hung on an

equally white coatrack, and the Lucian crest filled one entire wall. The only thing at all

remarkable about the room was the person sitting behind the desk.She wore a suit of

white, which was all the more striking against her black hair. And she was, in a word,

ageless. Dan couldn't have said whether she was forty or sixty, for there was something

very old about her eyes, and yet her face was unlined. She was beautiful in a classic

Russian way. Amy stared at her as if the woman were a queen."You do make things

interesting. I like that about you. Please, come, sit down," the woman said.There were

two chairs before her desk, and Dan and Amy promptly did what they were told."You

may dispense with the disguises. They do you no good here."Dan had set the backpack

on the floor. He was happy to tear the mustache and goatee off his face and drop them

in the backpack, glancing at his watch as he did. We made it! he thought. Only minutes

to spare, but Amy and I did it!Amy's hair tumbled down as she took off the black wig

and dropped it in the backpack.134"You're very pretty, young lady," said the woman in

white. "I hope Grace was kind enough to tell you that when she was alive.""You knew

Grace?"The woman nodded, her eyes brimming with secrets."You might say our

families go way back. I never met Grace Cahill personally. My mother did. They were

both remarkable women -- my mother and your grandmother. Remarkable women have

a way of finding one another."I hope this remarkable woman doesn't kill us, thought

Dan.Amy seemed to have no reservations. Her cheeks turned pink and she asked, "Are

you the grand duchess Anastasia?"The moment Amy said the words, NRR burst out

laughing.A light flashed on her desk and she resumed her air of dignity."If you'll excuse

me a moment," she said. "Very bad timing, but I'm afraid it can't be helped."She turned

in her chair, away from Dan and Amy, and drew open the doors on a wooden credenza

to reveal a bank of monitors. One of them was receiving a feed from the painted room

Dan and Amy had just left."If you would be so kind, could you hide behind the desk? A

call is coming in from someone who would find it very curious to see the two of you

here."135It was getting stranger by the minute, but Dan and Amy felt they had no

choice, so down on the floor they went. A few seconds later, a familiar voice filled the

room."Hello, Nataliya Ruslanovna Radova. You're looking picture-perfect as

usual.""You're too kind, Irina Nikolaievna Spaskaya. What do you need?"Dan couldn't

believe his ears. Irina Spasky was calling in. Every muscle in his body tensed as it now

seemed positive they were trapped."I need you to send a team to the room. There's a

lot of activity going on and I want to make sure it's well guarded.""Funny you should

call. Ian Kabra made the same request only an hour ago. We're already building a black

circle.""Excellent. Did he tell you he was in Siberia, chasing the Holts down the Road of

Bones? He's got himself into quite a mess.""His father was not pleased, as you might

imagine.""Maybe Vikram will finally come to his senses and put them both back in

school, where they belong.""Would you like me to send the Shark to pick you up?"

asked Nataliya."That's an excellent idea. I've had some complications of my own, but I

think I can get to the room before nightfall. Bring the Shark to me, I'll bring it back.

We136can have that cup of tea you've been promising me.""Be careful.""I'm always

careful."There was a pause in the room and then Nataliya told Amy and Dan they could

come out."I've never heard Irina so ... I don't know ... talkative," said Amy."We have

been friends a long, long time," said the woman in white. She placed her elbows on the

desk. "I understand her, so she talks.""Let me get one thing straight," said Dan. "Are you NRR?"The woman in white smiled thinly without showing her teeth. "You were

expecting a man, I suppose.""Uh ... well... not exactly," said Dan. "Okay, you got me. I was expecting a dude."The woman in white chuckled and shook her head. "I am NRR.

Sorry to disappoint you."Dan tried to offer an apology, but NRR put her hand up so

authoritatively it clammed him right up."We've got enough time for a few more

questions, but the call from Irina changes things. Your access to the room grows

perilously small.""I don't understand," said Amy. She sounded frustrated and maybe

even a little bit angry. "Are you a Lucian or not? Why are you helping us? Who are

you?"The woman in white sighed deeply, folded her fingers together, and tried to

explain.137"I am not the grand duchess Anastasia, though I must thank you for the

compliment. You're not far off the mark. Anastasia Nikolaievna Romanova was my

mother.""Your mother?!" said Dan, dumbstruck by what Nataliya was saying. "You're

Anastasia's daughter? That's insane!""Her only child, yes.""And she knew Grace Cahill?"

asked Amy. "You expect us to believe our grandmother knew the grand duchess

Anastasia?""Oh, yes, they were quite close, actually. I'm sure you've heard the rumors

about my mother. They're true. She was not killed with the rest of her family. She

escaped. And as I said, remarkable women have a way of finding one another."Amy

was struck silent, but Dan was happy to fill the void."So everything we've imagined

actually happened! Rasputin had some serious death-defying ninja skills and he passed

them on to Anastasia!""Does he always talk this way?" NRR asked Amy, clearly

amused."He does. It's a problem.""He'll grow out of it."Dan's head swiveled back and

forth. They had formed some sort of girl alliance! "I'm sitting right here! Stop talking

about me," said Dan.NRR made a calming motion with her hands,138glanced at her

watch, and gave Dan and Amy a look that said time was running very short."You're a

grand duchess, like your mom," said Amy. "Grand Duchess Nataliya."Dan frowned. Amy

looked like she was about to bow or something."I'm afraid those days are long gone,

Amy. We're not like the British, with their kings and queens. The age of royalty has

passed in Russia. But what I do today honors my mother's memory.""How?" Dan asked.

"You want to help us find this secret because ... ?" He wasn't about to be taken in by

this woman just because she was pretty and had an awesome accent. Had James Bond

taught him nothing?"What I tell you now must never leave this room. My life and the

lives of others would be compromised. You understand?"Dan and Amy nodded."My

mother, my grandmother -- all of them were Lucians. I, too, am a Lucian. But like so

many who are born into one branch or another, most of my family was never actively

involved in ... what is Grace calling it? The clue hunt. In fact, for a very long time, my

mother was unaware of her Lucian heritage at all. Then came my father, who my

mother met much later in life. He was one of the most powerful Lucians of the past fifty

years. Before the Kabras, it was my father in charge. It's why I hold such a sensitive

position, why we got involved139to begin with. So you see, I am a Lucian, a very

powerful one at that. But I am first and foremost myself."Nataliya brushed a dark

strand of hair away from her face. She was so elegant and poised, but she had

inherited that mischievous Anastasia flair Amy had talked so much about."Why are you

helping us?" Dan persisted. He still didn't understand what Nataliya's story had to do

with them. Why would an heir to the Romanov throne care about two kids?Nataliya

looked at her gold watch again, then tapped her desk phone."Irina has requested

backup. Prepare the Shark for departure in fifteen minutes."Nataliya turned her gaze to

Amy. "I sent you on this chase for many reasons," said Nataliya. "The first was to

distract my Lucian counterparts, to confuse them. The Kabras are thousands of miles

away in Siberia, and Irina has been frustrated at every turn. Mission accomplished. The

second reason was to discover what you are made of. You've been tested all along, no?

You knew right away that it would take more than yourselves to find the room. I would

never have guessed that anyone could bring the Holts under control, but you did it. It is

imperative that you learn to work with others to achieve a greater good.""Okay, so we

passed this test and outsmarted the Lucians," said Amy. "I still don't see why you're

helping us."140"Or if you're helping us at all," Dan muttered. Nothing Nataliya had said

so far led him to believe their dangerous hunt all over Russia would even lead to a

Clue."I will guide you to what you are looking for," said Nataliya. "Both in this ridiculous contest and beyond." She gave them a meaningful look.Dan's throat tightened. "You're

talking about our parents, aren't you?"Nataliya tapped an index finger on the desk. She

was extremely quiet. It was as if ninety-nine percent of her body had turned to stone,

leaving just the finger. Tap, tap, tap.Finally, after Dan had popped every knuckle on

both hands, Nataliya spoke. "Certain information, when you find it, changes you

forever. You wish you could go back, but you can't. And still we go searching after

secrets. I never wanted any part of this madness about clues, and yet here we all are."

She paused. "The Amber Room is hidden in a vault of Lucian secrets. There you will

find the Lucian clue and also information about your parents."Nataliya shook her head.

"Grace was very fond of pulling strings, even from the grave. I counsel you to walk

away from all this. But if you will not, I will help you. I warn you, you might not thank

me for it later."Nataliya looked at Amy, then turned her mesmerizing eyes to Dan. "I

help you because it is what Anastasia Romanova would have wanted. I help

you141because it is right. But I cannot say if you will like what you find."Amy was

openly crying, and Dan could feel his own eyes fill with tears. It was too much, help

that was not help, an ally that fed them riddles and unsavory hints about their parents

and Grace. Dan could feel the earth shifting beneath his feet. Again. There was no safe

place for them, no one to trust. And no home to go back to.He looked at Amy and they

both nodded."We want to go to the Amber Room," said Amy.Nataliya tipped her head

to them and stood up, taking the long white coat in her hand."We must hurry, then,"

she said. "It won't be easy if Irina arrives before you."Nataliya slid open a desk drawer

and removed a small tin canister. Opening it, she took out two small keys and placed

them in a pocket of her white coat."Do you know where my ancestors were

massacred?""Yekaterinburg," Amy said. "In a house there.""Where the Church on the Blood now stands. A terrible name, but sadly appropriate. The church was built much

later, but underneath ... it was there, in the basement, where all of them were shot.

Only my mother survived.""And you're taking us there in this thing called the Shark?"

asked Dan, brightening for the first time.142Nataliya went to the door. She opened it

and peered down the long, dark hallway."The Shark is the quickest way. Now we

go."Dan and Amy followed Nataliya into the hallway. They arrived at an elevator and

boarded. Dan had imagined some sort of high-speed watercraft, so he was surprised

when the elevator went up instead of down. It opened on the roof of the State Kremlin

Palace."Here we are," said Nataliya."That's the Shark?" asked Amy, but Dan was

already running toward it."It is the fastest helicopter in Russia. She will do three

hundred."The Shark was twice the size of a normal copter, completely black, with a

rudder that looked like a shark fin."No way!" said Dan. "Three hundred miles per hour?

That's, like, a world record!""Many world records such as these have long been

broken." Nataliya smiled. "We Lucians keep the best toys for ourselves."Dan ran a circle

around the Shark and tried to pry open one of the doors."He's excitable, isn't he?"

asked Nataliya."You don't know the half of it," said Amy.Nataliya put her arm around

Amy and drew her close. "You show great promise. Grace would have been proud of

you."Amy gave her a watery smile.143"Now you must go," Nataliya said. "What? I don't

understand," said Amy. "Aren't you coming with us?""I can't.""But... why n-n-not? And how are we supposed to fly this thing? We're not pilots!""I will fly you by remote

control. I'll get you there safely. But I can't go with you.""No way!" yelled Dan,

bounding over next to them. "It's like the best video game ever!""I don't understand!"

Amy protested."If I could, I might hunt the clues myself. But you read about my uncle.

You know the struggles he faced."Amy nodded. Alexei Romanov had been a

hemophiliac. The slightest cut would leave him bleeding for weeks."I suffer the same

fate," said Nataliya. She put her hand in the white pocket and Dan imagined a red stain

of blood appearing on Nataliya's snowy jacket."A skinned knee or elbow, a bloody nose

or a simple cut -- if I start bleeding, it doesn't stop. Even with medicine, it's too

dangerous for me." Nataliya held out the keys and Amy took them, nodding sadly."I'll