low crowned with a wide bill — and kept straightening it, breaking into a smile every time. She knew that he was living a fantasy he would’ve never thought possible just a few days ago. Literally living history. She wished she could be just as excited — but all that occupied her mind was stress and worry.
“Time to check the SQuare for a hint, don’t you think?” Dak said after they’d spent a minute or two spying on the people walking through the streets ahead of them. “If we don’t find a Hystorian for help, we’re sunk.”
“That’s punny,” Riq whispered.
“Huh?” Dak responded.
“Never mind.”
Sera turned and sat down on the ground, then pulled out the SQuare. She flicked it on and the strange diagram — the Art of Memory puzzle — had been replaced by a short menu:
Access Granted
The First Break - Menu
Daily Journal of Activity
Hystorian’s Guide
Identify Break
Locate a Hystorian
Proceed to Second Break
“Seems simple enough,” Sera said. “Dak, you’re the history nerd in this group, so you’ll be in charge of keeping the journal. Just think, if we make all of this happen, you’ll be one of the most famous Hystorians ever.”
Instead of coming back with a smart aleck remark, he smiled pridefully. “That sounds like a job I can handle. But it makes me a little sad to think we’re changing the thing I love so much.”
“We’ll just be making it better. Right?”
Dak nodded, though he didn’t appear so sure.
Sera tapped the screen and frowned. “Wait. Something’s wrong.”
“What is it?” Riq asked. Dak seemed to be daydreaming about his potential role in history.
“I clicked on the ‘Identify Break’ option, and look what happened.”
Data Corrupted
Return to previous menu?
“That’s not good,” said Riq.
“When the SQ attacked,” Sera said, “everything went crazy, and Mari had to yank this thing right off of the main computer. What if she was uploading data? And what if the upload was incomplete?”
“Then we might be in trouble,” said Riq.
“Relax,” said Dak. “We know it’s got to have something to do with the Amancios. We can work it out.”
“Try something else,” suggested Riq.
Sera went back to the menu and tapped on “Locate a Hystorian” as Dak and Riq leaned in to see over her shoulder. A short message appeared, and Sera let out a sigh of relief.
If you’ve solved the puzzle to arrive here, in both time and place, the following riddle will help you find the person you need. If you’ve made a mistake and have gone somewhere else, then you are royally bunked. Good luck.
Sera had just finished reading it when the words faded away and were replaced with a poem:
A wee little bee flies through the sky
It stings your nose and makes you cry
And run on a road till it comes to a tee
Looks out at the bright and brilliant sea
It’s her, you scream, the way it ends
That’s how you must find your friend
“Hmm,” Sera said. The other two made similar sounds as they all stared at the six lines of the poem. Dak even went so far as to scratch his chin, purse his lips, and widen his eyes — he looked like a mad scientist.
“Any ideas?” Riq asked.
“I’ve got a few,” Dak replied, still not losing the comical expression. “Studying the Renaissance era was a hobby of mine for a few months back when I was six. I’m sure that’ll come into play here.”
Sera had to repress a groan — of course, she had no room to talk. She’d first discovered her love of quantum physics when she was four.
She’d also been raised speaking Spanish at home, but she was worried about Dak’s ability to interact with the local Hystorian when the time came. “What do we do about these translation devices in our mouths and ears?”
Riq gave a slight shrug. “Well, it would’ve been nice to train you on them for a while, but they’re not that hard. They’re linked together by radio frequency, and the earpiece can judge almost
“Time to check the SQuare for a hint, don’t you think?” Dak said after they’d spent a minute or two spying on the people walking through the streets ahead of them. “If we don’t find a Hystorian for help, we’re sunk.”
“That’s punny,” Riq whispered.
“Huh?” Dak responded.
“Never mind.”
Sera turned and sat down on the ground, then pulled out the SQuare. She flicked it on and the strange diagram — the Art of Memory puzzle — had been replaced by a short menu:
Access Granted
The First Break - Menu
Daily Journal of Activity
Hystorian’s Guide
Identify Break
Locate a Hystorian
Proceed to Second Break
“Seems simple enough,” Sera said. “Dak, you’re the history nerd in this group, so you’ll be in charge of keeping the journal. Just think, if we make all of this happen, you’ll be one of the most famous Hystorians ever.”
Instead of coming back with a smart aleck remark, he smiled pridefully. “That sounds like a job I can handle. But it makes me a little sad to think we’re changing the thing I love so much.”
“We’ll just be making it better. Right?”
Dak nodded, though he didn’t appear so sure.
Sera tapped the screen and frowned. “Wait. Something’s wrong.”
“What is it?” Riq asked. Dak seemed to be daydreaming about his potential role in history.
“I clicked on the ‘Identify Break’ option, and look what happened.”
Data Corrupted
Return to previous menu?
“That’s not good,” said Riq.
“When the SQ attacked,” Sera said, “everything went crazy, and Mari had to yank this thing right off of the main computer. What if she was uploading data? And what if the upload was incomplete?”
“Then we might be in trouble,” said Riq.
“Relax,” said Dak. “We know it’s got to have something to do with the Amancios. We can work it out.”
“Try something else,” suggested Riq.
Sera went back to the menu and tapped on “Locate a Hystorian” as Dak and Riq leaned in to see over her shoulder. A short message appeared, and Sera let out a sigh of relief.
If you’ve solved the puzzle to arrive here, in both time and place, the following riddle will help you find the person you need. If you’ve made a mistake and have gone somewhere else, then you are royally bunked. Good luck.
Sera had just finished reading it when the words faded away and were replaced with a poem:
A wee little bee flies through the sky
It stings your nose and makes you cry
And run on a road till it comes to a tee
Looks out at the bright and brilliant sea
It’s her, you scream, the way it ends
That’s how you must find your friend
“Hmm,” Sera said. The other two made similar sounds as they all stared at the six lines of the poem. Dak even went so far as to scratch his chin, purse his lips, and widen his eyes — he looked like a mad scientist.
“Any ideas?” Riq asked.
“I’ve got a few,” Dak replied, still not losing the comical expression. “Studying the Renaissance era was a hobby of mine for a few months back when I was six. I’m sure that’ll come into play here.”
Sera had to repress a groan — of course, she had no room to talk. She’d first discovered her love of quantum physics when she was four.
She’d also been raised speaking Spanish at home, but she was worried about Dak’s ability to interact with the local Hystorian when the time came. “What do we do about these translation devices in our mouths and ears?”
Riq gave a slight shrug. “Well, it would’ve been nice to train you on them for a while, but they’re not that hard. They’re linked together by radio frequency, and the earpiece can judge almost
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