Patrick Carman - The Black Circle - 39 Clues 05

"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. We can 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.

"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, glanced 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 involved to 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."

"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 you because 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. Nataliya 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.