ripped some thin pieces of metal from the SQuare. But Riq looked like he felt actual physical pain at seeing the device gutted. Sera pressed the two halves back together and slipped them back into her coat. She held out the metal strips.
“Who wants to try?”
Dak laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Sera handed him the knife and the metal pieces. He walked to the door. Abi stood across the way, nodding.
“All right,” the Hystorian said, “there are pins inside you must lift with those picks, and then turn the lock with the knife.”
Dak knelt down. “Okay.” He took the metal pick in one hand, and the knife in the other. “You sure you don’t want to take a crack at yours first?”
“Your fingers are far more nimble than mine. Start by exploring with those picks. Listen to the sounds inside the lock. Feel what’s going on inside it.”
Dak reached his arm around through the bars and slipped the pick inside the keyhole. He poked around, exploring, forming an image in his mind of what the inside of the lock looked like. He thought he could tell where the pins were. He experimented with pushing on them, figuring out how they moved, and when he thought he was ready, he stuck the tip of the knife in the lock and tried to lift the pins and turn the lock at the same time.
It was not easy.
In fact, it was hard.
Really
hard.
His impatience and frustration got the better of him. The pieces were just so tiny, and he couldn’t get them to work right. He jumped to his feet with a growl. “Someone else take a turn.”
“You’re doing well,” Sera said. “You were figuring it out. Keep trying.”
Dak frowned. Maybe they should try chipping away at the window like Sera had suggested, after all. Dak walked over to it and looked outside. He noticed that during his lock-picking attempts, the sun had started to rise. The pink dawn light and the blue shadows it cast fell on the clay walls and buildings around them. Within moments, Dak heard what sounded like thunder. But he recognized the noise for what it was.
“The Mongols have started up their siege again,” he said. “Day two. Five more to go.”
“Then what happens?” Riq asked.
“Well . . .” Dak resisted the urge to point out how useful historical facts could be. He’d been resisting saying a lot of things like that the past few days. He was trying hard to be nice, even though it was really starting to bother him that he didn’t know what was going on with Sera and Riq. “After that, Hulagu moved into the city. He set up his own temporary palace. Five days after that, the caliph surrendered, and the Mongols went through the city, destroying everything.”
“So we better get this door open,” Sera said.
Dak sighed. Some of the frustration he’d been feeling had faded a bit. “Okay, I’ll keep trying.”
He went back to the lock, and was about to kneel down, when the sounds of footsteps approached again from down the hallway.
“They’re coming back!” Dak backed away from the door, and shoved the knife and pick inside his coat.
Two guards came into view holding some clay bowls. They unlocked the door to Dak, Sera, and Riq’s cell and opened it just wide enough to push the bowls inside, along with a pitcher of water. They did the same with Abi’s cell.
“Food,” one of the guards said, even though that was obvious. They relocked the doors and left.
One bowl had some kind of beans in it. They were mushy and tasteless. The other bowl had some kind of oatmeal or something. There weren’t any utensils, so they just took turns eating with their dirty fingers. It was pretty gross, but Dak was hungry enough that he didn’t care.
After he’d finished eating, he went back to the lock, but still couldn’t get it. He passed the knife and pick off to Riq. “You try. I can’t.”
But Riq couldn’t either. And neither could Sera. After a full day of trying, Dak realized that even if Abi said it was
“Who wants to try?”
Dak laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Sera handed him the knife and the metal pieces. He walked to the door. Abi stood across the way, nodding.
“All right,” the Hystorian said, “there are pins inside you must lift with those picks, and then turn the lock with the knife.”
Dak knelt down. “Okay.” He took the metal pick in one hand, and the knife in the other. “You sure you don’t want to take a crack at yours first?”
“Your fingers are far more nimble than mine. Start by exploring with those picks. Listen to the sounds inside the lock. Feel what’s going on inside it.”
Dak reached his arm around through the bars and slipped the pick inside the keyhole. He poked around, exploring, forming an image in his mind of what the inside of the lock looked like. He thought he could tell where the pins were. He experimented with pushing on them, figuring out how they moved, and when he thought he was ready, he stuck the tip of the knife in the lock and tried to lift the pins and turn the lock at the same time.
It was not easy.
In fact, it was hard.
Really
hard.
His impatience and frustration got the better of him. The pieces were just so tiny, and he couldn’t get them to work right. He jumped to his feet with a growl. “Someone else take a turn.”
“You’re doing well,” Sera said. “You were figuring it out. Keep trying.”
Dak frowned. Maybe they should try chipping away at the window like Sera had suggested, after all. Dak walked over to it and looked outside. He noticed that during his lock-picking attempts, the sun had started to rise. The pink dawn light and the blue shadows it cast fell on the clay walls and buildings around them. Within moments, Dak heard what sounded like thunder. But he recognized the noise for what it was.
“The Mongols have started up their siege again,” he said. “Day two. Five more to go.”
“Then what happens?” Riq asked.
“Well . . .” Dak resisted the urge to point out how useful historical facts could be. He’d been resisting saying a lot of things like that the past few days. He was trying hard to be nice, even though it was really starting to bother him that he didn’t know what was going on with Sera and Riq. “After that, Hulagu moved into the city. He set up his own temporary palace. Five days after that, the caliph surrendered, and the Mongols went through the city, destroying everything.”
“So we better get this door open,” Sera said.
Dak sighed. Some of the frustration he’d been feeling had faded a bit. “Okay, I’ll keep trying.”
He went back to the lock, and was about to kneel down, when the sounds of footsteps approached again from down the hallway.
“They’re coming back!” Dak backed away from the door, and shoved the knife and pick inside his coat.
Two guards came into view holding some clay bowls. They unlocked the door to Dak, Sera, and Riq’s cell and opened it just wide enough to push the bowls inside, along with a pitcher of water. They did the same with Abi’s cell.
“Food,” one of the guards said, even though that was obvious. They relocked the doors and left.
One bowl had some kind of beans in it. They were mushy and tasteless. The other bowl had some kind of oatmeal or something. There weren’t any utensils, so they just took turns eating with their dirty fingers. It was pretty gross, but Dak was hungry enough that he didn’t care.
After he’d finished eating, he went back to the lock, but still couldn’t get it. He passed the knife and pick off to Riq. “You try. I can’t.”
But Riq couldn’t either. And neither could Sera. After a full day of trying, Dak realized that even if Abi said it was
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