The 39 Clues Book 7: The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis
Authors: Peter Lerangis
Tags: Fiction, General, Historical, Children's Books, Action & Adventure, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Action & Adventure - General, YA), Children's Fiction, Ages 9-12 Fiction, Orphans, Brothers and sisters, Other, Children's stories, Children: Grades 4-6, Adventure stories (Children's, Code and Cipher Stories, Orphans & Foster Homes, Mysteries; Espionage; & Detective Stories, Family - Siblings, Juvenile Mysteries, Ciphers, Historical - Ancient Civilizations, Historical - Other, Family & home stories (Children's, Cahill; Dan (Fictitious character), Cahill; Amy (Fictitious character)
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There's writing down there, and I can get it by rubbing it."
"Now I know you're crazy," she said.
111
"Checkmate!" Amy's voice echoed from the hut, followed by a laugh from the old man and a playful moan from Kurt.
"We have a few more minutes," Dan said. "He's going to ask for a rematch."
"How do you know?"
" It's a guy thing!"
Nellie sighed. Rummaging around in Dan's pack, she pulled out a pencil and a notebook, ripping out a sheet. "Okay, but be quick."
Maneuvering the light, the pencil, and the paper wasn't going to be easy. "I'll need spares," he said. "In case I drop something."
With a look of exasperation, Nellie tore off more sheets and found two other pencils. Dan stuffed them into his pants pocket and held on to the originals.
Clasping the flashlight in his mouth, he said, "Chhochhay, chech go!"
Dan stretched out on his stomach at the hole's edge. He felt a shudder and heard the sound of pebbles slipping down the wall beneath him. He moved left, until he gripped what felt like solid rock.
"Chhere!" Dan said, inching over the edge.
"Just a minute, dude, you have something sticky in your pack," Nellie said. "I'm getting it off my--"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Dan fell in an explosion of black soil. He felt himself drop abruptly. And then he was hurtling down into the darkness, his mouth open in a silent scream.
112
* * *
"GOTCHA!"
"YAAAAGH!" Dan thought his left leg was going to be pulled out from its socket. He was hanging by it, with Nellie's hand clasped around his ankle.
His arms flailed. Pen and paper fell. The flashlight flung away, casting a wild, brief light show around him.
"I'm pulling you up!" Nellie called.
Dan instinctively pressed his hands against the wall, looking for a root, something to support him, just in case.
The wall was solid here, filled with tiny cracks.
No. Not cracks.
Carvings.
"I got it!" Dan said. "I got the message!"
"You're heavy!" Nellie complained.
"One minute, Nellie! Just one minute!"
Quickly, he pulled the spare paper and pen from his pocket. He placed the paper over it and began to trace.
When he was pretty sure he was finished, he folded the paper and tucked it back into his pocket. "Okay-- now!"
"Arrgghhhh... "Nellie pulled. Dan felt himself begin to rise. Slowly.
He felt a jolt. Soil poured down around him, catching in his hair, sliding into his upside-down pants. "Pull harder!" he yelled. "It's collapsing!"
"I'm pulling as hard as I can!"
113
Now Dan could hear a commotion. Other voices -- Amy's, Kurt's, the old man's.
He felt himself rising steadily. He tried to grab on to the wall but it was slipping out beneath his fingers wherever he touched it, sliding down in cascades of soil.
"Yeeee-ahhh!" came Kurt's voice --and Dan was rising over the top, coughing.
"Hhhhhhh ... hhhhhh ..." His breaths were contracted wheezes, papery-sounding in the night.
"Bring him inside!" the old man's voice said.
Asthma. Sometimes, in emergencies, adrenaline kicked in and prevented the symptoms. The way it had happened in Seoul. But asthma was unpredictable. And now he felt as if someone had put a cloth over his nose and mouth.
He felt himself being carried inside and set down on a sofa. "Chew on this," Kurt said, handing him a tubelike, cactus-ish object, broken to release a white liquid.
It tasted bland and oozy. Dan gagged at first but forced himself to swallow. Amy sat by his side until he was breathing easy again.
And then she freaked.
"How could you have done that?" she said, then glared at Nellie. "And you --you're supposed to take care of us, not encourage Dan's stupid ideas!"
"But--" Dan sputtered.
Amy wasn't letting him have a word. "Don't you get it? We're all we have, Dan! Just you and me!"
" I -- I found Churchill's message!" he said.
114
"You what?" Kurt said.
"You what?" Amy repeated.
Dan reached into his back pocket and took out the rubbing. "It was on the wall of the mine shaft!"
"Ex -mine shaft," Kurt said. "A big sinkhole of
"Now I know you're crazy," she said.
111
"Checkmate!" Amy's voice echoed from the hut, followed by a laugh from the old man and a playful moan from Kurt.
"We have a few more minutes," Dan said. "He's going to ask for a rematch."
"How do you know?"
" It's a guy thing!"
Nellie sighed. Rummaging around in Dan's pack, she pulled out a pencil and a notebook, ripping out a sheet. "Okay, but be quick."
Maneuvering the light, the pencil, and the paper wasn't going to be easy. "I'll need spares," he said. "In case I drop something."
With a look of exasperation, Nellie tore off more sheets and found two other pencils. Dan stuffed them into his pants pocket and held on to the originals.
Clasping the flashlight in his mouth, he said, "Chhochhay, chech go!"
Dan stretched out on his stomach at the hole's edge. He felt a shudder and heard the sound of pebbles slipping down the wall beneath him. He moved left, until he gripped what felt like solid rock.
"Chhere!" Dan said, inching over the edge.
"Just a minute, dude, you have something sticky in your pack," Nellie said. "I'm getting it off my--"
Suddenly, the ground beneath Dan fell in an explosion of black soil. He felt himself drop abruptly. And then he was hurtling down into the darkness, his mouth open in a silent scream.
112
* * *
"GOTCHA!"
"YAAAAGH!" Dan thought his left leg was going to be pulled out from its socket. He was hanging by it, with Nellie's hand clasped around his ankle.
His arms flailed. Pen and paper fell. The flashlight flung away, casting a wild, brief light show around him.
"I'm pulling you up!" Nellie called.
Dan instinctively pressed his hands against the wall, looking for a root, something to support him, just in case.
The wall was solid here, filled with tiny cracks.
No. Not cracks.
Carvings.
"I got it!" Dan said. "I got the message!"
"You're heavy!" Nellie complained.
"One minute, Nellie! Just one minute!"
Quickly, he pulled the spare paper and pen from his pocket. He placed the paper over it and began to trace.
When he was pretty sure he was finished, he folded the paper and tucked it back into his pocket. "Okay-- now!"
"Arrgghhhh... "Nellie pulled. Dan felt himself begin to rise. Slowly.
He felt a jolt. Soil poured down around him, catching in his hair, sliding into his upside-down pants. "Pull harder!" he yelled. "It's collapsing!"
"I'm pulling as hard as I can!"
113
Now Dan could hear a commotion. Other voices -- Amy's, Kurt's, the old man's.
He felt himself rising steadily. He tried to grab on to the wall but it was slipping out beneath his fingers wherever he touched it, sliding down in cascades of soil.
"Yeeee-ahhh!" came Kurt's voice --and Dan was rising over the top, coughing.
"Hhhhhhh ... hhhhhh ..." His breaths were contracted wheezes, papery-sounding in the night.
"Bring him inside!" the old man's voice said.
Asthma. Sometimes, in emergencies, adrenaline kicked in and prevented the symptoms. The way it had happened in Seoul. But asthma was unpredictable. And now he felt as if someone had put a cloth over his nose and mouth.
He felt himself being carried inside and set down on a sofa. "Chew on this," Kurt said, handing him a tubelike, cactus-ish object, broken to release a white liquid.
It tasted bland and oozy. Dan gagged at first but forced himself to swallow. Amy sat by his side until he was breathing easy again.
And then she freaked.
"How could you have done that?" she said, then glared at Nellie. "And you --you're supposed to take care of us, not encourage Dan's stupid ideas!"
"But--" Dan sputtered.
Amy wasn't letting him have a word. "Don't you get it? We're all we have, Dan! Just you and me!"
" I -- I found Churchill's message!" he said.
114
"You what?" Kurt said.
"You what?" Amy repeated.
Dan reached into his back pocket and took out the rubbing. "It was on the wall of the mine shaft!"
"Ex -mine shaft," Kurt said. "A big sinkhole of
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