Soldiers attacked them. Dak and Riq survived moment to moment, deflecting weapons, dodging, running. On they went.

  They broke into a rare clearing, and what Dak saw before him made the entire world freeze into a bubble of silence and wonder, every sound a buzz in his ears, barely heard over the hammering of his heart.

  Ten feet away, his parents lay on the ground, clasped in each other’s arms.

  Sera rode on the back of a horse, her arms holding on to Aristotle’s waist. She gripped him so hard that her muscles ached, but she was terrified of falling off the charging beast. Alexander rode beside them on Bucephalus, the new king standing in the stirrups, his right arm brandishing a sword forward as if it had the power to cut through the sea of battling soldiers before them, which seemed to stretch to every horizon. Other soldiers, also on horses, flanked them on both sides as they surged ahead, moving like an icebreaker ship hacking its way through the Arctic.

  Sera just squeezed her grip and rested her head on Aristotle’s back, wanting to close her eyes — as if that would make it all go away. The scenes of battle — the horror of it — made her wince. It was all just so awful. She hoped — desperately — that they could achieve what Alexander had promised once her explanations had been given in the tent: to find Dak and Riq, to find Dak’s parents, and to take them away from the raging war. To take them to safety.

  Sera had saved Alexander’s life, though not until she’d seen the hegemon die from the poison. But perhaps that’s what was fated to happen all along. For Alexander to lead the armies of Greece, here and now. For Alexander the Third to become Alexander the . . . Great.

  “There!” Aristotle roared, shockingly loud considering the noise around them. “I see them!” He was pointing madly to their right. And then came the words that eased the cinch around her heart for the first time in hours. “They’re still alive!”

  Alexander altered course.

  Dak hadn’t lived that many years when it really got down to it. But in his decade or so of life — especially since being recruited to the Hystorians — he’d experienced a lot of different emotions. Happy and sad. Victorious and disappointed. Despair. Anger. Love. Hate. Lots of stuff.

  But never, not once, had he ever felt the thing that swelled within him at the sight of his parents, alive, huddling in each other’s arms as armies fought around them. It was a thing that he’d never be able to explain and would probably never feel again. Tears stung his eyes and a wonderful pain filled his chest. There they were.

  His parents.

  “Mom!” he yelled. “Dad!” He was already sprinting toward them, almost oblivious to the danger that swarmed in from all directions. From what he could see, it looked as if his mom had tripped and fallen over a wounded soldier, and then his dad had joined her, practically on top of her, like a shield.

  Dak slid to the ground on his knees, coming to a stop just a few inches short of his parents. Finally, they both turned their heads to see their son. Even as they did so, two men clashed swords right above them, the crack of metal against metal vibrating through the air. Luckily, the soldiers, swords locked, moved to the side. The sounds of war everywhere else raged on.

  “Dak,” his dad said. The poor man’s face was pale with worry, his skin tight, fear burning in his eyes. The word came out almost as a whisper, more disbelief than anything else.

  “You’re safe now,” Dak replied, having no clue what else to say.

  His mom saw him, but her whole face was pinched up and tears streamed from her eyes. Finally, Dak just lunged forward, and they all hugged, gripping one another and crying and trying to say words but none that came out intelligible. Death and mayhem surrounded them, but for that moment, they were all alive, and they were together. After months of chasing through time after time.

  They were together.

  It took a universe of effort for Riq to stand still and allow Dak to have his moment with his parents. He couldn’t think of a much worse place to have a family reunion, but the Smyths hadn’t had much choice in the matter. Finally, when the hug and joy had gone on for a good twenty seconds, Riq had to speak up.

  “Dak!” he called out. “None of this will do much good if we get ourselves killed. We need to protect ourselves!” He did a quick turn, his weapon held out, ready to fight off anyone close. They’d been lucky enough to find themselves in a random clearing of the fight, but that wouldn’t last much longer.

  Dak scrambled to his feet, slyly wiping a tear on his shoulder. He helped his parents stand up, then they all moved closer to Riq, forming a circle with their backs to one another. A man with a veil over his face, spear held high, charged at them, screaming words too laced with bloodlust to comprehend. Fear thumped inside Riq, but he kept it at bay, waiting, forcing himself to remain still until the very last second.

  With a yell, he lifted his sword with both hands, striking the spear just before it slammed into his own chest. The man was taken off guard, losing his balance as he tried to rebound from his spear being swatted upward, and he fell flat on his back. Riq raised his sword and screamed, glowering with all the anger he could muster at an enemy he didn’t know. It was just enough that the guy rolled away, got up, and ran back into the thicker melee of battling soldiers.

  “Not bad,” Mr. Smyth said. “Looks like you guys have picked up a few tricks while chasing us through time.”

  “Lovely spot for a family vacation,” his wife added.

  Riq didn’t have time to respond. The man he thought he’d just defeated reappeared, and this time he had seven or eight of his companions with him. After pushing his way through a wall of clashing soldiers, the guy raised his spear and pointed its sharp tip right at Riq.

  And then they all charged in.

  28

  Upon the Horses

  SERA’S ELATION at hearing that her friends were still alive only lasted a moment. When she finally got a good look at them — when Alexander changed their course and the other horses followed — she saw that Dak and the others were backed together in a group and a crowd of robed soldiers was coming at them with weapons raised.

  “Dak!” she screamed, as if that could help him at all. “Riq! Run!” She felt so hopeless, and the words sounded stupid. Trying to will the horses to gallop faster, she stared, her heart rattling with terror.

  The leading man — holding a spear out in front of him as if he wanted to pole vault — reached Dak’s group first, but Riq took a step forward, swinging an old, dented sword in an arc that snapped the spear into two pieces. Sera cheered loudly before she could help herself, and despite knowing that it’d been a lucky shot and that plenty of death was coming in right behind the first guy. Swords were raised. Battle yells were roared. For a split second, Sera caught a glimpse of Dak’s face, and it was painted white with fear. She felt such a rush of concern and love for her friend that it felt like she might explode.

  And then Alexander was on them.

  His mighty horse, Bucephalus, charged into the crowd of onrushing soldiers, tossing them to the sides like stalks of corn. They scrambled and dove, and a couple of them weren’t lucky enough to avoid the hammering hooves of the beast. Riq turned away from it, and shoved Dak and the Smyths to safety, even as Alexander stood up in his stirrups and started swinging away with his sword, cutting down the enemy at a speed that seemed impossible. His companions joined in, just as more of the robed fighters appeared to help their friends. In a matter of seconds, it had turned into an all-out battle of clanging swords and shouts of pain.

  “Go get them!” Sera yelled into Aristotle’s ear. “Get them!” She knew he understood, and their horse leapt toward Dak and the others even before the words had finished coming out of her mouth.

  Dak had a million thoughts go through his mind in an instant. Mostly he was fixated on how ridiculously brave Riq had become, fighting off dudes with that old sword of his. For a long moment, it felt as if Riq was all that stood between them and certain death.

  But then there were horses. Alexander. Chaos. Swords swinging and men screaming.

  Then he heard his name.

  “Dak!”

  He looked up and saw a horse coming right at him, leaping over fallen soldiers. Aristotle had the reins, a fierceness gripping his features. Sera was behind him, holding on to him with one arm and pointing at Dak with the other.

  “Mom, Dad, quick!” he yelled at his parents. He grabbed them by the arms and pulled them close, then waited for Aristotle’s horse to pull up right beside them. “Quick, get on!”

  They tried to complain, tried to insist he get on first, but he ignored them, finding strength he never knew he had, practically lifting them onto the horse himself. Sera had slipped off, helping out.

  “What are you doing?” he yelled at her, even as his mom was able to finally get her legs situated correctly on both sides of the horse.

  “You can’t fit that many people!” she answered, with a quick jerk of her head behind them. Another couple of horses were waiting for them, their riders keeping all enemy soldiers at bay with their swords. Dak made sure his parents were secure behind Aristotle, then swatted the horse’s rear end to get it going. With a loud whinny it galloped off, dodging soldiers as it went. Dak followed Sera toward another horse and rider that had come with the philosopher.

  Dak noticed that Riq had not backed down from the fight. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Alexander and his companions.

  “Riq!” he yelled at him. “We need to go! Come on!”

  His friend swatted away a sword, then turned to look back. “No! Just go! I’ll make sure you can escape!” But he’d hardly said the last word before he vaulted into the air, lifted by a man on a white horse that had come out of nowhere, breaking through the line of defense set up by Alexander and his partners.

  “Riq!” Dak shouted, this time with horror. An enemy soldier had just single-handedly picked Riq up like a bag of leaves and thrown him across the saddle of the horse. The man kicked the sides of the animal and it burst into a gallop, charging away.

  Dak knew they had to follow, but he had barely looked up at the horse he’d hoped to ride with Sera when a thrown spear hurtled through the air and landed with a sickening thunk in the friendly rider’s chest. He groaned, his eyes rolling up into his head, then he toppled off the horse and onto the ground. It was like the entire world had just shifted on its plates. Dak held off the panic that tried to paralyze him. He had to act — Alexander and everyone else were too busy fighting.

  “Come on, Sera!” he yelled, motioning for her to jump onto the now riderless animal.

  She didn’t argue or hesitate — throwing a foot into the stirrup, she was up there in three seconds. Dak followed, almost knocking her off when he swung his leg around to the other side. He’d planned on being in front, but somehow she’d ended up in the driver’s seat.

  “Ride!” he yelled.

  Sera turned to him and shouted back, “What about your parents?”

  “They’ll be safe with Aristotle!”

  “And Alexander?”

  Dak shook with impatience. “Look at the dude — he’s in his element. Now ride!”

  “You got it.” Sera shook the reins and made a nickering sound that somehow rose above the din of battle around them, and the horse leapt into motion, jumping over wounded soldiers as it fell into pursuit, chasing after Riq.

  Dak held on tight.

  29

  A Sea of War

  AS MUCH as Alexander was in his element, Sera was far out of hers, and she knew it. Holding on to the reins so fiercely that her fingers hurt, she kept her eyes riveted to what lay before her, directing as best she could: swinging around one-on-one clashes, hearing the ring of sword against sword, jumping over fallen soldiers, dashing through every break that opened up. All the while, following the man who’d taken Riq.

  Luckily, the horse they rode seemed battle tested and intelligent, knowing what to do and acting even before Sera tried to “drive” the reins. Most people in the army were too busy attacking or defending to pay them notice, and on they rode. Dak was hurting her middle, he squeezed so tight from behind, but it was comforting to know he was there and safe. For now, at least.

  A soldier was running toward the path right ahead of them, coming in at an angle so he could intercept them. Dak yelled for her to look out.

  “I see him!” she called back. “Put your foot to good use!”

  She felt Dak shift behind her, leaning toward the right a bit. She leaned the other direction to maintain their balance. She didn’t know why this one particular soldier had singled them out. Maybe he just wanted some easy prey. But he came up to their side just as she rode the horse through a narrow clearing between major clashes of fighting soldiers. With a scowl that chilled her blood, he pulled out a dagger and made as if to throw it, aiming.

  “Now!” Sera yelled.

  Dak kicked out and knocked the knife away, then shifted his foot the other direction to smack the guy in the face so he couldn’t attempt to pull them off. Screaming obscenities, the man fell into a patch of mud just in time for two soldiers to trip and fall on top of him. Sera caught only a brief glance, but no one in the trio seemed too happy about the situation.

  Dak had almost slipped completely off, but he righted himself behind her. She could feel the heavy breaths in his chest as he leaned into her and got his grip again.

  They’d gained ground on Riq despite the little altercation. Sera willed the horse to go even faster.

  Surprisingly, Riq felt no fear. Maybe, after overcoming so much, he’d finally grown cold to terror. Hardened up, grown thicker skin. Whatever the reason, he felt a calming wave slow his pulse as he was jostled along, thrown across the back of the enemy’s horse like a big bag of grain. The man who’d heaved him off the ground was shockingly strong, having quashed every tiny effort Riq had made to squirm out of the position. When it proved impossible, he’d decided to wait it out — wait until the perfect opportunity presented itself.

  He didn’t understand why he’d been taken. Maybe this guy had seen a chance to have a prisoner — maybe he thought Riq was a close friend to Alexander since they’d been fighting side by side. Maybe the dude just wanted an excuse to get away from the battle and save his own skin.

  It didn’t matter. Riq had no intention of reaching whatever the soldier’s destination happened to be. Risking the man’s wrath, he turned his head to look back in the direction from which they’d come. The horse jumped over something just as he did it, and his chin banged against the leather of the saddle. He bit his lip and cried out in pain. The rider punched him, right in the kidneys. The pain was intense — a flash of agony.

  But then Riq saw Sera. And Dak behind her. Sitting on a horse. Coming at him. Coming for him.

  My friends, he thought.

  “Almost there!” Dak yelled, every muscle in his body tense. There was something amazing about riding on a horse like this — especially through a sea of fighting armies. The adrenaline pumping through him seemed like it had been amped up a million times over.

  “What do we do?” Sera shouted without turning back to him. Dak knew keeping the horse under control had to take a ridiculous amount of concentration.

  Dak had no idea how to answer. “Just get close! Something brilliant will pop into my head!”

  She muttered something that he couldn’t hear. He imagined it was something to the effect of “We’d be better off using my head.” But this was Dak’s moment. He felt as if the others had saved him so often and had, whether meaning to or not, always treated him like the annoying little brother. But today he planned on becoming the big brother.

  The sounds of war — screams and clanks and yells and grunts — filled the air as they rushed past countless soldiers battling one another. Sometimes the sight of it was gruesome, and Dak had no idea who was winning. But they kept their course, dodging and weaving and jumping whenever they needed to. Riq was only a few feet ahead of them now, the dirt kicked up by that horse’s hooves dusting the nose of their own horse. The thunderous roar of their galloping thumped in Dak’s ears.

  Then, just like that, he knew what he was going to do. And he was glad he didn’t have time to think it over.

  “Pull to the left!” he yelled at Sera. “Get as close as you can!”

  Thankfully, she didn’t ask for any more details and guided the horse accordingly. Seeing her trusting him like this, following his command, made the whole ordeal worth it. Unless he died. He really didn’t want to die.

  The horse kicked into high gear and lunged ahead, pulling even with Riq and his captor, who looked over at them like he’d just seen an alien spaceship zoom in. He yelled something unintelligible, then reached for the sword that hung from his waist, holding Riq down with his other hand. But Dak wasn’t going to let him get his weapon or do anything else.

  Holding on to Sera’s shoulders for leverage, he brought both of his legs up until he could get his feet under him, then crouched on the saddle. The soldier had grabbed the hilt of the sword, had started to pull the weapon from its sheath. Dak straightened his legs with full force and jumped, leaping across the narrow gap between the horses and slamming headfirst into the shoulder of Riq’s captor. The man slipped several inches but then grabbed the pommel of his saddle, fighting for balance. Dak wrapped his arms around him and fought like crazy, tugging at the big guy with what little strength he had, trying to get him off the horse.