Read Infinity Ring 05 - Cave of Wonders for Free Online Page B

Sera thought these two might be starting to get along, they turned back into bickering second graders, and for the thirty-seventh time she wondered if immaturity was a side effect of time travel. “Both of you, grow up!”
    They stopped.
    Dak folded his arms, glowering.
    Riq clenched his jaw for a few seconds, and then said, “I was just thinking that persuasion might be an option.”
    “Dumb!” Dak said.
    “Actually,” Abi said, “you might be close to something.”
    “You think Hulagu might actually see reason?” Sera asked.
    “I have someone else in mind,” Abi said. “When Hulagu conquered the Alamut fortress, he took an imprisoned scholar from there as his advisor. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.”
    Sera knew that name. Tusi was a famous astronomer and mathematician, and Sera had studied him. She admired him. The Tusi Couple was really important in Copernicus’s model of the solar system and the motions of the planets. And Tusi was with Hulagu Khan?
    “The caliph has already refused to surrender,” Abi said, “but I have heard that Hulagu will send Tusi to the caliph to attempt to convince him. If we can persuade Tusi, then
he
might have enough influence with Hulagu to get him to spare the library.”
    “It’s worth a shot,” Riq said. “Do you know when he’ll be here?”
    Abi shook his head. “I think very soon. Let me reach out to my contacts in the palace. They will know more.”

    A short while later, Abi brought them food. Really good food. There were dates, olives, cheese, and flatbread, with a couple of spicy dishes that reminded Sera of curry. They drank water flavored with the juice of melons. While eating around the low tables, they mostly used their fingers and the flatbread to scoop food into their mouths. Dak seemed to really enjoy eating with his hands. And of course, he especially enjoyed the cheese.
    “Mm,” he said. “It’s a goat cheese like feta or chevret, but saltier.”
    Abi didn’t eat, but instead asked them questions about the future world they had come from. Sera was surprised at some of his reactions. He readily accepted some things she thought he might not believe them about, like cars.
    “Automata are well known to us,” he said. “The Banū Mūsā brothers created many ingenious devices here in the House of Wisdom centuries ago.”
    But when they talked about the other Great Breaks, Abi grew surprised, and even doubtful. He was especially amazed at their adventure with the Maya.
    “Do you mean there is another
land
across the sea that we know nothing about?” he asked.
    “Yes.” Sera sat up straight when she talked about her ancestors now. “The people there have a powerful empire with an amazing culture.”
    “And you saved
their
writings, too?” Abi asked.
    “Yeah,” Riq said. “This is actually the second book we’ve had to save.”
    “Not just a book.” Abi looked around. “A library.”
    Dak cleared his throat. “And now you guys see why history is important, right? Not just the facts of what happened, but how we
remember
what happened, too.”
    Sera had to admit Dak had a point there. The SQ had proven there were a lot of ways they could mess with history. Sometimes, they didn’t even need to change a particular event. All they had to do was get rid of certain books or change what was written about those events. So, yes, history was important, but that didn’t mean she had to obsess over it the way he did.
    “Sure, Dak,” she said.
    After that, Abi led them to another room he had prepared with more cushions and pillows and blankets.
    “You’ll sleep here,” he said. “You must be tired.”
    Between their adventure in China, a whole day walking and running through the city, the big meal in her stomach, and the comfortable-looking bed in front of her, Sera was suddenly very tired.
    “Get some rest,” Abi said. “Hopefully, we will have news of Tusi in the morning.”
    They said good night, and he left.
    Dak threw himself backward onto a pile