The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues #1)(8)

"Embarking on this quest," Mr. McIntyre was saying, "will lead you to the treasure.

But only one of you will attain it. One individual" -- his eyes flickered across Amy's face -- "or one team will find the treasure. I can tell you no more. I do not, myself, know where the chase will lead. I can only start you on the path, monitor your progress, and provide some small measure of guidance. Now -- who will choose first?"

Aunt Beatrice stood. "This is ridiculous. Any of you who play this silly game are fools. I'll take the money!"

Mr. McIntyre nodded. "As you wish, madam. As soon as you leave this room, the numbers on your voucher will become active. You may withdraw your money from the Royal Bank of Scotland at your leisure. Who's next?"

Several more stood up and took the money. Uncle Jose. Cousin Ingrid. A dozen other people Amy didn't recognize. Each took the green voucher and became an instant millionaire.

Then Ian and Natalie Kabra rose.

"We accept the challenge," Ian announced. "We will work as a team of two. Give us the clue."

"Very well," Mr. McIntyre said. "Your vouchers, please."

Ian and Natalie approached the table. Mr. McIntyre took out a silver cigarette lighter and burned the million-dollar papers. In return, he handed Ian and Natalie a manila envelope sealed with red wax. "Your first clue. You may not read it until instructed to do so. You, Ian and Natalie Kabra, will be Team One."

"Hey!" Mr. Holt objected. "Our whole family's taking the challenge! We want to be Team One!"

"We're number one!" the Holt kids started chanting, and their pit bull, Arnold, leaped into the air and barked along with them.

Mr. McIntyre raised his hand for silence. "Very well, Mr. Holt. Your family's vouchers, please. You shall be Team ... uh, you shall also be a team."

They made the trade -- five million-dollar vouchers for one envelope with a clue, and the Holts didn't even bat an eye. As they marched back to their seats, Reagan bumped Amy in the shoulder. "No pain, no gain, wimp!"

Next, Alistair Oh struggled to his feet. "Oh, very well. I can't resist a good riddle. I suppose you may call me Team Three."

Then the Starling triplets rushed forward. They put their vouchers on the table and three million more dollars went up in flames.

"Da," Irina Spasky said. "I, also, shall play this game. I work alone."

"Hey, yo, wait up." Jonah Wizard sauntered forward like he was pretending to be a street punk, the way he did on

Who Wants to Be a Gangsta?

Which was kind of ridiculous since he was worth about a billion dollars and lived in Beverly Hills. "I'm all over this." He slapped his voucher on the table. "Hand me the clue, homes."

"We'd like to film the contest," his dad piped up.

"No," Mr. McIntyre said.

"Cause it would make great TV," the dad said. "I could talk to the studios about a percentage split -- "

"No,"

Mr. McIntyre insisted. "This is not for entertainment, sir. This is a matter of life and death."

Mr. McIntyre looked around the room and focused on Amy.

"Who else?" he called. "Now is the time to choose."

Amy realized she and Dan were the last ones undecided. Most of the forty guests had taken the money. Six teams had taken the challenge -- all of them older or richer or seemingly more likely to succeed than Amy and Dan. Aunt Beatrice glared at them, warning them that they were about to get disowned. Ian was smiling smugly.

Perhaps you weren't as important to the old woman as you thought, eh?

Amy remembered what his annoying sister, Natalie, had said:

Grace just knew they weren't up to the challenge.

Amy's face felt hot with shame. Maybe the Kabras were right. When the Holts turned her brother upside down, she hadn't fought back. When the Kabras insulted her, she'd just stood there tongue-tied. How could she handle a dangerous quest?

But then she heard another voice in her head:

You will make me proud, Amy.

And suddenly she knew:

This was what Grace had been talking about. This was the adventure Amy was supposed to take. If she didn't, she might as well crawl under a rock and hide for the rest of her life.

She looked at her brother. Despite how annoying he was, they had always been able to communicate just by looking at each other. It wasn't telepathy or anything, but she could tell what her brother was thinking.

It's a lot of money, Dan told her.

A lot of awesome baseball cards.

Mom and Dad would want us to try, Amy replied with her eyes.

This is what Grace wanted us to do.

Yeah, but a Babe Ruth and a Mickey Mantle...

Ian and Natalie will hate it, Amy coaxed.

And Aunt Beatrice will probably blow a gasket.

A smile crept across his face.

I guess Babe Ruth can wait.

Amy took his voucher. They walked to the desk together and she picked up Mr. McIntyre's lighter.

"We're in," she told him, and she sent two million dollars up in smoke.

CHAPTER 4

Dan felt a dizzy rush, like the time he ate twenty packs of Skittles. He couldn't believe how much money they'd just thrown away.

Ever since he was little, he'd dreamed about doing something that would make his parents proud. He knew they were dead, of course. He barely remembered them.