Sera snapped. She screamed and jumped on the man, wrapping one arm around his neck. He threw her off and into a pack of people. They broke her fall, put her back on her feet. She looked just in time to see Riq, still on his back, kick out with a foot, slamming the man in the shin. A roar escaped his lips.
A second later, Dak charged in, ramming once again into the Warden’s side with the knob of his shoulder. The man tumbled to the ground as Dak helped Riq back to his feet.
“Make way!” Sera yelled, pushing a path through the crowd. The three of them sliced their way through, leaving their stunned enemy to regain his wits. They broke free from the throng and picked up speed once they were in the open. Angry shouts from the Time Warden rose up behind them as Dak took the lead again.
After a minute of hard running, he rounded a large cart and horse then ducked to the right, in between two high walls that separated a tannery and a cooper’s shop. Riq and Sera followed — Sera was terrified they were letting themselves get trapped, but there wasn’t any time — or breath — to argue. They reached the end of the long, narrow alley and entered a backstreet, bordered by a filthy stream. Dak found a stack of abandoned wooden boxes, then slipped behind them. Sera squeezed in next to him, and Riq did the same.
No one said a word — all of them trying desperately to quiet their heavy breathing. The Time Warden couldn’t have been too far behind, so if he’d noticed where they’d gone, he’d be on them within a minute.
Two passed. Three. Four or five. As the time stretched on, a calmness settled over Sera. Maybe they were safe. Maybe they’d lost him.
“We did it,” she whispered.
Dak gave her a worried smile. “Yeah, but now we know he’ll be looking for us. It really stinks that we can’t walk around the village and enjoy the sights a little.”
She blinked at him. “Are you serious? That’s your biggest concern right now?”
“Hey, we might see my parents, too! You said they’d be drawn to the Breaks. What if they’re here?”
Riq cut in. “Our biggest worry is solving that riddle and finding a Hystorian. If we can’t do that, what does it matter?”
“Well,” Dak said. “Who’s got an idea?”
“I think we should go to the local beekeeper,” Riq offered. “Seems pretty obvious to me.”
“The beekeeper?” Dak scoffed. Then he was off. “Okay, okay. Sometimes it pains me to have to explain such obvious stuff to people, but at least you were smart enough to know that beekeeping was a big deal in those — in these — days. Without the development of sugarcane, they needed the honey — plus the beeswax was vital for the candle-making industry.”
“Right,” Riq said, his voice full of annoyance. “I figured as much. So why are you talking to me like I’m an idiot?”
Dak looked flabbergasted. “Because. Hello? Towns and cities didn’t have beekeepers! That was all done in the abbeys and monasteries, nowhere near a place like this. Good grief.”
“Well, aren’t I just the dumbest person who ever lived?” Riq asked.
“Do you really want me to answer?” Dak said.
“You guys, seriously,” said Sera. “For the love of mince —”
Just then something clicked. Like a lock falling into place inside Sera’s mind. The words of the poem clarified in her thoughts. “Don’t worry,” she said, trying to hide the rush of excitement. “I got it. I know the answer.”
“What?” Dak asked. “You do? How? Who is it? Where?”
Sera grinned. “Our Hystorian is a butcher.”
The poem had no real meaning — it had just been trying to spell out a word. “Bee” in the first line. “You” in the second. Then “tee” and “sea.” BUTC. And finally it said that it ended with “her.” BUTCHER.
It took a while to explain, but in the end Sera just hushed their questions. If she was wrong, they’d keep looking. For now their problem was making it to the butcher without being spotted by the Time Warden.
“I’ll take the lead this time,” she said. She realized she was clutching the satchel at her side in a tight fist, as if someone might snatch it away if she didn’t. “You two keep a lookout while I decide which way we should go.”
“Okay,” Dak whispered back. “But if you get us killed, I’m gonna kill you.”
“Deal.”
She poked her head out and peered around. Down the little lane there were a few kids throwing garbage into the stream, but no one else was in sight. She remembered that the butcher’s shop was right next to the tavern and inn they’d seen, and if her sense of direction was right, they could make it most of the way there without returning to the main thoroughfare. She slipped out of their hiding spot and started running, crouching down as she did so. She could hear the soft footsteps of her friends behind her.
She came to another alley that led back to the main street. Coming to a stop with her shoulder pressed against the rough wood, she slowly leaned forward and took a peek. Other than people going this way and that on the far side, she saw nothing but a couple of stray chickens pecking at old bread.
“All clear,” she whispered before taking off again.
They repeated that process three more times before coming to the end of the lane. They had no choice now but to walk through the alley to their right and enter the main thoroughfare of the village again. Sera’s heart picked up just at the thought of it. The Time Warden was probably roaming the street, bouncing his menacing iron rod on his open palm.
She took a step into the alley when Dak grabbed her by the arm.
“What do we do if he sees us?” he asked. “We can’t run to the butcher and give the Hystorian away.”
“In that case, we’ll have to split up,” Riq suggested. “He can’t follow all of us.”
Sera shook her head. “I’d rather blow the Hystorian’s cover than get separated. We don’t split up for anything, and we don’t leave anyone behind. Now let’s go.”
She jogged lightly down the alleyway and slowed when she approached the end, glancing quickly over her shoulder to make sure Dak and Riq followed close behind. The noises of the main road rose to a pitch — laughter and horse’s hooves clopping on the cobblestone and sellers yelling for potential customers. She was just about to peek around the corner when the huge body of the Time Warden suddenly filled her vision — his chest at her eyes and his face towering above.
“Well,” he bellowed. “I knew the rats would come out soon —”
There was a loud thumping sound as his head jerked forward — his eyes rolled upward, and then he collapsed into a heap on the ground. A woman with long brown hair stood directly behind him, a large wooden club gripped in both of her hands. She wore a white apron with bloodstains all over it. Her chest lurched with heavy breaths.
“I knew something was up when I saw this lug chasing people,” she said.
“You’re the butcher?” Dak asked, the surprise evident in his voice.
The woman held the club out in front of her as if inspecting it. “Never leave home without one of these — it can knock out people just as well as cows.” She returned her gaze to Sera and the others. “Yes, I’m the butcher. But more importantly for the likes of you, I’m the local Hystorian. My name is Gloria.”
22. A Sharp Pair of Scissors
DAK WANTED to ask a million questions as the woman — who wielded her club like a knight wields his sword — led them to her shop. But she shushed him, told him to wait. People along the street gave them odd looks as they walked by, but none that lingered enough for him to worry too much. They reached the place they’d seen earlier, by the inn, and went through the front part — filled with hanging carcasses and wooden tables and lots and lots of knives — into a back room that held a few chairs.
Gloria motioned for them to have a seat, and then she took one herself after hanging her bloody apron on a hook. Dak couldn’t help but notice how everything seemed more intense in the past — by the ocean, everything had seemed sharper and fresher, but in this cramped room, dirt was dirtier, smells were smellier.
“So,” she said. “There’s no need to beat around the bush too much. I’ve been trained for this day, but I have to admit I never thought it would come. I’m just going to ask you a simple question, and I want a simple answer. You ready for it?”
Dak nodded, as did the others.
Gloria leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. “Are you from the future?”
“Yes,” Dak said immediately. “We’re from the future.” He had to keep himself from smiling at the very idea.
“Good,” the woman responded. “You look out of sorts, quite honestly, and the man who was chasing you comes from a long line of SQ thugs. I won’t bother with the usual ‘I can’t believe it’ and the ‘you can’t be serious’ mess. I swore my life to this cause, and I’ll accept it now that I’m seeing it.” A broad smile spread across her face.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Dak said, letting his own smile come through now. He could see the kidlike excitement in the woman’s eyes, and he knew she was a true ally.
“What’s it like?” Gloria asked. “The future where you come from?”
Sera and Riq seemed more than happy to let Dak answer. “In some ways it’s amazing. We have airplanes — they’re like ships that fly — and ways to talk to people on the other side of the planet as if they were sitting right next to you. There are huge buildings that are hundreds of spans high. We’ve even sent people to walk on the moon.”
Gloria laughed, obviously thinking that last one a joke. Dak decided not to press it — he thought back to the warning from his parents. Not to step on any bugs in the past.
“But things are getting bad,” he continued. “Lots of earthquakes and hurricanes and other scary stuff. Plus, the SQ is stronger than ever, pretty much ruling the whole world and running it into the ground. Aristotle was right — we need to fix the Breaks.”
Gloria’s look of wonder dropped into a gloomy stare. “Which is why you’re here. And I’m in this city for a reason, so I can guess why you’ve come.”
Dak was curious. “What would your guess be?”
“A little young to be interrogating your elders, no?” She smiled. “I’m sorry, this is just such a . . . momentous occasion, I don’t feel quite like myself.”
Dak shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ve never really had a chitchat with someone from 1492, so it’s all good with me.”
“There’s a major voyage planned for this week,” she said. “Commissioned by Queen Isabella herself, and led by Christopher Columbus. Does it have something to do with that?”
“Yes!” Dak shouted as he stood up. He quickly recovered and sheepishly sat back down. “Oh, sorry. I get a little excited about this stuff. But yeah, that’s my guess, too. There should be three ships — the Santa María, the Niña, and the Pinta. Their voyage ends up being really important. If history is about to go off course, our best bet is that it’ll have something to do with those ships.”