The iron empire, p.14
The Iron Empire,
p.14
The Smyths and the Frostes had actually joined forces, forming a company to seek out, discover, and invent practical scientific solutions to everything from illness to environmental issues. Their company was called Solving Quantum Physics.
Yep, Dak thought. The SQP. He thought that was just about the best thing ever.
“Dak.”
It was Sera, pulling him back to the real world. They were sitting on a big branch of their favorite tree, enjoying the cool air and the cleanness of it, drinking juice. She had a tablet out, scrolling through some article with taps of her fingers. It had caught her interest big-time, judging by the look of her eyes.
“So?” he asked. “What did you find?”
“Oh, you know. Just checking out the history of Alexander the Great. That’s right, the Great. And his best friend, Hephaestion.”
Dak’s jaw dropped. “What? Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious! Look for yourself. It’s in the Encyclopedia Britannica.”
Dak took the tablet from her and read through the article she’d found. He couldn’t believe it. He absolutely couldn’t believe it. Alexander and his armies had crossed the world, fighting when they had to, but also bringing food and knowledge and resources to countless people. Riq — renamed Hephaestion by Alexander himself — had become a dear friend and confidant to the hegemon. He was thought by many to be the true force behind the king maintaining respect for other cultures at the same time as advancing the world in the greatest leap yet in human history. They called it the Iron Empire.
Riq.
Hephaestion.
Bestie to Alexander the Great.
Dak realized he’d been holding his breath, and he let out a long and loud exhale. “That’s the single coolest thing I’ve ever read in my entire life. Our boy did pretty well, huh? That’s our boy!”
Sera laughed, and Dak loved the sound of it. They’d come so close, so many times, to everything being ruined. To death. To the end of the world. It was good to be home again. It was really, really good.
“So, what do we do with this thing?” Sera asked. She held up the satchel, the shape of the Infinity Ring obvious through the cloth.
Dak stared at it for a long time, as if the answer might appear in the stitches. “I don’t know. I think once my head doesn’t feel like it got beaten by a hammer from warping so much, I might be tempted to go hang out in ancient Rome for a few days.”
Sera shook her head. “I know you’re kidding, but we really can’t do that. It seems like the world is in pretty good shape, and we better not mess it up.”
“So, what are you saying? That we should destroy it? Like Riq did with Tilda’s Eternity Ring?”
“No, no, no. No way. Who knows what might happen in the future. Or . . . the past?”
“Yeah,” Dak agreed. “We’re safe for now, but you never know. So let’s decide where to put the Ring.”
Sera shrugged. “I guess we can wrap it in plastic, put it in a box, bury it. I say we give normal life a chance for a while. Sound good?”
“Sounds good times infinity.”
They were silent for a while, listening to birds and wind and rustling leaves. The branch swayed a little, making Dak sleepy. It’d be nice to take a nap and not worry if the world might end the next day.
“It was fun, huh?” Sera finally said.
Dak looked at her. His best friend. “Yeah, it was. Not that I’d want to do it again.”
“Me, neither. But I’ll never forget what we did.”
“Save the world?” Dak asked.
“Yep, save the world. And I’m glad it was with you.”
She smiled then, and Dak decided not to say anything back. Sometimes words just weren’t enough.
Epilogue
Golden
TILDA SAT, crouched, withered, dying, in the filthy corner of the alley. All of majestic Athens rose up around her, but no one cared about the sad little woman with the hair that once shone like flames. Now it was dull and lifeless and limp, like the last dying embers of a once mighty fire.
She huddled, cold despite the heat. Hungry despite the rat she’d just eaten. Shivering, she leaned against the wall and wept. Every day she’d cried, hopeless and hating the world. Hating the Hystorians. Hating that boy. That girl. That other boy.
They’d done this to her. They’d ruined her. They’d ruined her future.
Oh, how she hated them.
But it didn’t matter. It was over. Though not gracious in defeat, she at least knew she’d been beaten. The SQ was no more.
And so, she’d wait.
She’d wait for death.
The next day, it still hadn’t come.
That evening, a light flashed nearby, accompanied by the crackling sounds of thunder and sparks. Wind rushed through the alley, picking up leaves and trash, pelting her body. Then a sudden darkness blossomed, making her feel as if she’d been cast into a dungeon. Scared, she shifted, trying to shrink farther into the corner.
The shadow of a man stood before her. It took a while, but her eyes adjusted, and she could finally see him, standing there, silent and watchful. He was bald, and hideous scars marked his face. He wore a robe, its hood pulled down around his shoulders. And there was something terribly wrong with one of his eyes, though she couldn’t quite see well enough to know for sure.
“Who are you?” she asked in a rasp, her throat dry as decayed bones.
The man sank toward the ground and knelt before her. That eye. She could see it now. Bloodshot and puffy, like it was riddled with disease.
“My name doesn’t matter,” he answered, his voice deep. “I’m a descendant of Ilsa, the only name we speak.”
“Ilsa?” Tilda repeated.
“Yes. I have something to show you.”
The man pulled out a metallic object, shining golden even in the scant light. Tilda recognized the shape — the sign for infinity. Her heart leapt back to life, consumed with so much joy she worried of dying, right there in the alley, the victim of too much emotion at once.
“What . . . how?” she sputtered, confusion threatening to destroy her elation at seeing the device.
The man spoke with soothing tones. “Ilsa commanded her posterity to study the sciences, find a way to travel through time. And we’ve done it. And you, Tilda, you are our first mission. I was sent here to get you.” He reached out and gently helped her stand up, his touch bringing a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Thank you,” she said, too dazed to find any other words.
“Come,” he said, holding out the golden device for her to grasp. “We need you to show us the way.”
Turn the page for your Hystorian’s Guide to saving the world!
SQ leader Tilda — aka the Lady in Red — has created her own time travel device: the Eternity Ring. She’s going back through time, trying to break what you’ve already fixed! She’ll destroy all of history — unless you can stop her first.
Unlock the full game at:
scholastic.com/infinityring
Tilda’s determined to ruin it ALL.
She’s a high-ranking member of the SQ. Due to her fire-bright hair and eccentric outfit choices, we know her as the Lady in Red. And the thing that makes her so absolutely, terribly dangerous is that she has stolen the technology that you perfected and used it to create her own time-travel device: the Eternity Ring. She can be anywhere, at any time. And she’ll be aiming for the Breaks — aiming for YOU!
You’ll need to jump around through time, revisiting moments where history was broken, making sure she doesn’t have the chance to cause any trouble! Breaks you thought you had already fixed? Moments that you know you set right? These are her targets. She’s determined to destroy all the work you’ve done — unless you can get there and stop her.
— Arin
SQ mastermind Tilda (known as the Lady in Red) has created her own time travel device: the Eternity Ring. She can be anywhere, at any time. And she’ll be aiming for the Breaks — aiming for YOU! She’s determined to destroy all the work you’ve done — unless you can stop her.
Log on now to begin the adventure.
Fix the past. Save the future.
scholastic.com/infinityring
Sneak Peek
What do Galileo, an ancient Chinese alchemist, and a Russian dog named Laika have in common? They’re all part of Dak and Sera’s biggest adventure yet! But without Riq to help them, will the time travelers do more harm than good? (Hint: yes.)
Includes an all-new, top secret Hystorian’s Guide — which unlocks more Infinity Ring gameplay!
scholastic.com/infinityring
About the Author
James Dashner is the New York Times bestselling author of many books for kids and young adults, including the Maze Runner and Thirteenth Reality series. Born and raised in Georgia, he now lives with his family in Utah. In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Learn more at his website, www.jamesdashner.com.
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, INFINITY RING, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
e-ISBN 978-0-545-48465-7
Cover illustration by Michael Heath
Cover design by Keirsten Geise
Back cover photography of characters by Michael Frost © Scholastic Inc.
Detail from Perseus Killing Medusa by Wilhelm Janson and Antonio Tempesta, 1606,
courtesy The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, lacma.org
Detail from Hercules and the Boar of Erymanthus by Antonio Tempesta and
Nicolo Van Aelst, 1608, courtesy The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, lacma.org
Puzzle rendition of images: Jeremy West for Scholastic
First edition, February 2014
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James Dashner, The Iron Empire
