faces with my toy!”
“Okay, okay,” Dak said. He felt a funny flutter in his mouth when he spoke and something like a double-echo in his ears. His translation tool would need some practice if the goal was to fit in — assuming they survived the next five minutes. “We can tell you everything you need to know.”
“You sound funny, boy.”
“Dak, what’re you doing?” Sera whispered fiercely to him.
He just winked at her in response. Then he stepped forward so that he was directly beneath the angry glare of their visitor. He held his hands up. “I’m using a translation device, so if I sound funny, it’s his fault.” He jabbed a thumb back at Riq. “You’re right — we did come from the future, and we came in a very complicated travel machine. It’s hidden under the sand out on the beach. We’ll take you there if you promise not to hurt us.”
“And we have laser guns,” Riq blurted out. “Touch us and we’ll zap you. Zap you to death!”
Dak spun to give him a hard glare. “Um . . . yeah, those. Very dangerous.” He turned back to the Time Warden. “So the time machine’s that way.”
The man’s face hadn’t so much as twitched during the exchange. “Time machine? Laser guns? What is this nonsense?”
“We’re from the future,” Dak responded. “What do you think we did, snapped our fingers and
poof
? Time is a river; we came in a boat. It’s that way.”
When the man finally let down his guard and turned to look in the direction Dak had indicated, Dak went for it. He lurched forward and slammed his shoulder into the Time Warden’s side, knocking him off balance as the iron bar rattled to the ground. Then Dak pushed him again, and the man toppled over.
As the Warden roared in rage and scrambled to get up, Dak grabbed Sera and Riq by the hands and yanked them in the opposite direction. Without looking back, the three of them sprinted away and around the nearest corner, into the busy streets of Palos de la Frontera.
S ERA COULD hear the shouts of the Time Warden behind them like the rumble of thunder as they ran, causing all the people bustling about to stop and stare at the commotion. Sera and the others pushed and dodged and zigzagged their way through the crowd. There were men and women, many of them carrying baskets or sacks. Carts and animals, children chasing one another, sellers hawking their wares. She kept one eye on Dak, hoping he had some kind of plan — besides “run!” — in that precious brain of his.
They passed a shop with cuts of meats displayed in the windows and approached a tavern, where a large group of people had just exited, filling the street. They’d just started shoving their way into the mass of people when Riq was suddenly lifted off his feet and backward. He shrieked in surprise, and Sera spun to see what had happened. The huge bearded man had caught up to them, had grabbed Riq by the back collar. He slammed the teenager to the ground and lifted a fist to punch him.
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
“Okay, okay,” Dak said. He felt a funny flutter in his mouth when he spoke and something like a double-echo in his ears. His translation tool would need some practice if the goal was to fit in — assuming they survived the next five minutes. “We can tell you everything you need to know.”
“You sound funny, boy.”
“Dak, what’re you doing?” Sera whispered fiercely to him.
He just winked at her in response. Then he stepped forward so that he was directly beneath the angry glare of their visitor. He held his hands up. “I’m using a translation device, so if I sound funny, it’s his fault.” He jabbed a thumb back at Riq. “You’re right — we did come from the future, and we came in a very complicated travel machine. It’s hidden under the sand out on the beach. We’ll take you there if you promise not to hurt us.”
“And we have laser guns,” Riq blurted out. “Touch us and we’ll zap you. Zap you to death!”
Dak spun to give him a hard glare. “Um . . . yeah, those. Very dangerous.” He turned back to the Time Warden. “So the time machine’s that way.”
The man’s face hadn’t so much as twitched during the exchange. “Time machine? Laser guns? What is this nonsense?”
“We’re from the future,” Dak responded. “What do you think we did, snapped our fingers and
poof
? Time is a river; we came in a boat. It’s that way.”
When the man finally let down his guard and turned to look in the direction Dak had indicated, Dak went for it. He lurched forward and slammed his shoulder into the Time Warden’s side, knocking him off balance as the iron bar rattled to the ground. Then Dak pushed him again, and the man toppled over.
As the Warden roared in rage and scrambled to get up, Dak grabbed Sera and Riq by the hands and yanked them in the opposite direction. Without looking back, the three of them sprinted away and around the nearest corner, into the busy streets of Palos de la Frontera.
S ERA COULD hear the shouts of the Time Warden behind them like the rumble of thunder as they ran, causing all the people bustling about to stop and stare at the commotion. Sera and the others pushed and dodged and zigzagged their way through the crowd. There were men and women, many of them carrying baskets or sacks. Carts and animals, children chasing one another, sellers hawking their wares. She kept one eye on Dak, hoping he had some kind of plan — besides “run!” — in that precious brain of his.
They passed a shop with cuts of meats displayed in the windows and approached a tavern, where a large group of people had just exited, filling the street. They’d just started shoving their way into the mass of people when Riq was suddenly lifted off his feet and backward. He shrieked in surprise, and Sera spun to see what had happened. The huge bearded man had caught up to them, had grabbed Riq by the back collar. He slammed the teenager to the ground and lifted a fist to punch him.
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
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