Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

WATCHED the first bombardment of stones in wonder. So many projectiles filled the air that it was almost impossible to see the sky. It wasn’t until Bill shoved her away from the tower’s window and crouched over her that she truly understood what was about to happen.
    Or rather, what had just begun. The tower shuddered under the onslaught. Stones splintered walls. Arrows zinged through the open window, embedding in the wooden floor by her feet.
    “We have to find someplace safe!” Riq shouted, and they crawled toward the stairs. A sea of Franks pushed against them, racing toward the top of the tower to take up defensive positions. The men wore battle dress: thickly padded tunics and metal helmets. Some carried swords and shields, and others had bows and arrows. Just looking at them made Sera feel more vulnerable in her simple woolen tunic.
    “This way,” Bill urged, taking her elbow and pulling her into a narrow, dark corridor. She’d only taken a few steps when she heard Riq grunt behind her. She turned to find him being pulled in the opposite direction by a large Frankish soldier.
    “Only two hundred men on this side of the river to defend the tower,” the soldier said, shoving a wicked-looking sword into Riq’s hands. His wrist bent awkwardly under the weight of it. “We need all the manpower we can get.” He began dragging Riq up the stairs.
    “Wait!” Sera called out. She swallowed and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “I’ll help, too,” she offered. She’d already been separated from Dak; she couldn’t lose Riq as well. Behind her, Bill hissed for her to be quiet.
    The soldier squinted at her as if seriously considering her offer and then scoffed. “You should be back across the river with the other children. What you’re still doing here I don’t know, but you’re well and trapped now.” He nudged Riq toward the staircase where he was swallowed up by the rush of men. “You want to help?” the man asked. “Stay out of our way.” And then he, too, was gone.
    Sera tried to run after them but Bill kept his hand tight around her arm. “He’s right, Sera,” he said, but she didn’t want to hear it. She felt like she was losing complete control of everything. Dak’s role was to use his historical knowledge to figure out the Breaks and how to fix them. Riq’s job was to make sure they could always communicate with those around them. That left Sera, whose only contribution was to make sure the Infinity Ring warped them to the right place and time. And even that wasn’t so complicated that Dak or Riq couldn’t figure it out if they needed to.
    Which meant that Sera’s real responsibility was keeping the three of them together. They’d been in 885 for less than twenty-four hours and she’d already failed. Miserably.
    As if sensing how upset Sera was, Bill gently squeezed her arm. “He’ll be okay,” he said. “They both will.”
    Sera shook her head. “How can you know? Everything about history has already changed, thanks to us, and we don’t know if it’s for the better or worse.”
    He took her hand in his, which felt a little awkward at first until they sorted their fingers out. “From my point of view, I can definitely say it’s changed for the better,” he said softly, causing Sera to blush.
    She really wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Ever since they’d left home, she’d been so focused on fixing the Breaks that it never occurred to her to think about how their meddling with history affected those they met along the way. She thought about the first Hystorian they’d met, Gloria the butcher, and how her eyes had grown wide when they told her about airplanes and men on the moon. Did she then spend the rest of her life dreaming about such things, or did she go about her ordinary duties as if she’d never met three kids from the future?
    Just then, there was a tremendous crashing sound. A few stones fell from the ceiling and shattered at her feet. A long crack