"Cahills vs Vespers" Book 2: "A King's Ransom" Quiz

Answer: The crime of the century!

With seven members of the Cahill family being held by the Vespers, Dan and Amy were forced to follow Vesper One's instructions, under the threat that he would have his hostages killed one by one if they did not comply. The siblings managed to deliver the "Medusa" to the Vespers, but at the same time they were able to determine what it was that Vesper One wanted the "Medusa" for; it was a map leading to the original manuscript of Marco Polo's journeys, "Il Milione".

Answer: Lucerne

The Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge, is a covered footbridge that diagonally crosses the Reuss River in Lucerne. Nearby is St. Peter's Chapel, from which the bridge draws its name.

While on the train to Lucerne, Amy and Dan received instructions to acquire the "de Virga mappa mundi" for Vesper One. The difficulty for the Cahill kids was that the map that they were tasked to find had disappeared in 1932, just as it was about to be auctioned off (in Lucerne). Dan and Amy were given four days to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

Answer: Cheyenne Wyoming

Cheyenne Wyoming is the twin sister of Casper, who Dan and Amy had already encountered. They also learned through a message from Ian and Sinead back at their HQ in the United States that Cheyenne was part of the Vesper inner circle, specifically 'Vesper Six'. Along with this little tidbit of information, Dan and Amy learned that Casper, whom they they thought had died, was still alive!

Answer: Otto Hummel

Otto Hummel had stolen the 'de Virga' and taken it with him to Germany. Jane Sperling, actually an agent for the Office of Strategic Services (an American spy), hunted down Hummel and killed him for his crimes. She was known as the Sparrow (sperling is German for sparrow).

Answer: Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle, located in Schwangau (Bavaria), Germany, is the castle from which Disney was inspired for his Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Otto Hummel had taken the 'de Virga' there during the Second World War, along with a lot of other valuable items looted by the Germans, and it was there that the Sparrow tracked him down.

When Amy and Dan arrived, the 'de Virga' map was not to be found. Instead, they were able to find a notebook left by Sperling with a clue as to where it had been moved.

Answer: Jonah Wizard and Hamilton Holt

Jonah and Hamilton had been assigned the task of going to Neuschwanstein Castle to help Amy and Dan, but along the way they stopped to help a woman with car trouble. She turned out to be Cheyenne Wyoming in disguise! They managed to ditch her (once they recognized her), and avoid sabotaged brakes on their car (what a crazy adventure) before finally getting to the castle.

In the end, it was Jonah's fame as a rap star that saved Dan and Amy as they were able to gather a frenzied crowd, preventing Casper from doing anything.

Answer: Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler lived from 1571 to 1630, and was a major contributor to the science and study of the cosmos at the time. "Mysterium Cosmographicum" was his first major work in the field, published in 1600.

Dan and Amy tried to get access to the book, but were denied by the director of the library, Katja Mavel. The siblings tried to drop the name of Dr. Mark Rosenbloom (the father of Dan's friend Atticus) to gain access, claiming they were his students (with fake names), but they could not without confirmation from Dr. Rosenbloom himself. Dejected they left to follow another lead given to them by Evan and Sinead back home.

Answer: True

When Dan and Amy attempted to use Dr. Rosenbloom's name to get access to the library, Katja Mavel phoned and left a message asking if their claim was legitimate. Atticus and Jake heard the message, put two and two together, and realized that it was Dan and Amy in Prague. They sent back confirmation, then made their way there to confront the Cahill siblings.

In their conversation, they discovered the link between the Sparrow (Jane Sperling) and the Rosenblooms - Sperling was their great-grandmother! Atticus revealed that their mother had passed on a charge to him - to be the Guardian of the Madrigal ring.

Answer: Set fire to the library.

Cheyenne and Casper were not even sure that Amy and Dan had found the 'de Virga' map, but they were willing to torch thousands of priceless books on the off chance. With the special archives being protected by a sealed, halogen fire-retardant system, they figured that after Dan and Amy (Jake had left the room with the librarian and Amy and Dan had sent Atticus out as well) had died of asphyxiation, they would just be able to walk over their dead bodies and take the map.

Dan managed, however, to override the computer lock and Amy was able to open the sealed door just in time (only 6% oxygen left). And the Wyomings hobbled away without their prize as fire crews arrived.

Answer: Atticus Rosenbloom

Amy, Dan, Atticus and Jake had discussed much the previous evening, determining that the 'de Virga' map was only partially what Vesper One wanted, and that the map was pointing to the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. They also talked more about the Guardians, and the Rosenbloom family history.

Having found the 'de Virga' map, Dan and Amy were instructed to leave it at the base of the Astronomical Clock at the feet of Jan Hus at 6 a.m. the next morning. As they were in the process of making the drop, Atticus came running across the square calling their names. That's when the Caspers struck, nabbing Atticus on the run from the van they were in.