The Iron Empire

“Dak!” he called out. “None of this will do much good if we get ourselves killed. We need to protect ourselves!” He did a quick turn, his weapon held out, ready to fight off anyone close. They’d been lucky enough to find themselves in a random clearing of the fight, but that wouldn’t last much longer.

Dak scrambled to his feet, slyly wiping a tear on his shoulder. He helped his parents stand up, then they all moved closer to Riq, forming a circle with their backs to one another. A man with a veil over his face, spear held high, charged at them, screaming words too laced with bloodlust to comprehend. Fear thumped inside Riq, but he kept it at bay, waiting, forcing himself to remain still until the very last second.

With a yell, he lifted his sword with both hands, striking the spear just before it slammed into his own chest. The man was taken off guard, losing his balance as he tried to rebound from his spear being swatted upward, and he fell flat on his back. Riq raised his sword and screamed, glowering with all the anger he could muster at an enemy he didn’t know. It was just enough that the guy rolled away, got up, and ran back into the thicker melee of battling soldiers.

“Not bad,” Mr. Smyth said. “Looks like you guys have picked up a few tricks while chasing us through time.”

“Lovely spot for a family vacation,” his wife added.

Riq didn’t have time to respond. The man he thought he’d just defeated reappeared, and this time he had seven or eight of his companions with him. After pushing his way through a wall of clashing soldiers, the guy raised his spear and pointed its sharp tip right at Riq.

And then they all charged in.

SERA’S ELATION at hearing that her friends were still alive only lasted a moment. When she finally got a good look at them — when Alexander changed their course and the other horses followed — she saw that Dak and the others were backed together in a group and a crowd of robed soldiers was coming at them with weapons raised.

“Dak!” she screamed, as if that could help him at all. “Riq! Run!” She felt so hopeless, and the words sounded stupid. Trying to will the horses to gallop faster, she stared, her heart rattling with terror.

The leading man — holding a spear out in front of him as if he wanted to pole vault — reached Dak’s group first, but Riq took a step forward, swinging an old, dented sword in an arc that snapped the spear into two pieces. Sera cheered loudly before she could help herself, and despite knowing that it’d been a lucky shot and that plenty of death was coming in right behind the first guy. Swords were raised. Battle yells were roared. For a split second, Sera caught a glimpse of Dak’s face, and it was painted white with fear. She felt such a rush of concern and love for her friend that it felt like she might explode.

And then Alexander was on them.

His mighty horse, Bucephalus, charged into the crowd of onrushing soldiers, tossing them to the sides like stalks of corn. They scrambled and dove, and a couple of them weren’t lucky enough to avoid the hammering hooves of the beast. Riq turned away from it, and shoved Dak and the Smyths to safety, even as Alexander stood up in his stirrups and started swinging away with his sword, cutting down the enemy at a speed that seemed impossible. His companions joined in, just as more of the robed fighters appeared to help their friends. In a matter of seconds, it had turned into an all-out battle of clanging swords and shouts of pain.

“Go get them!” Sera yelled into Aristotle’s ear. “Get them!” She knew he understood, and their horse leapt toward Dak and the others even before the words had finished coming out of her mouth.

Dak had a million thoughts go through his mind in an instant. Mostly he was fixated on how ridiculously brave Riq had become, fighting off dudes with that old sword of his. For a long moment, it felt as if Riq was all that stood between them and certain death.

But then there were horses. Alexander. Chaos. Swords swinging and men screaming.

Then he heard his name.

“Dak!”

He looked up and saw a horse coming right at him, leaping over fallen soldiers. Aristotle had the reins, a fierceness gripping his features. Sera was behind him, holding on to him with one arm and pointing at Dak with the other.

“Mom, Dad, quick!” he yelled at his parents. He grabbed them by the arms and pulled them close, then waited for Aristotle’s horse to pull up right beside them. “Quick, get on!”

They tried to complain, tried to insist he get on first, but he ignored them, finding strength he never knew he had, practically lifting them onto the horse himself. Sera had slipped off, helping out.

“What are you doing?” he yelled at her, even as his mom was able to finally get her legs situated correctly on both sides of the horse.

“You can’t fit that many people!” she answered, with a quick jerk of her head behind them. Another couple of horses were waiting for them, their riders keeping all enemy soldiers at bay with their swords. Dak made sure his parents were secure behind Aristotle, then swatted the horse’s rear end to get it going. With a loud whinny it galloped off, dodging soldiers as it went. Dak followed Sera toward another horse and rider that had come with the philosopher.

Dak noticed that Riq had not backed down from the fight. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Alexander and his companions.

“Riq!” he yelled at him. “We need to go! Come on!”

His friend swatted away a sword, then turned to look back. “No! Just go! I’ll make sure you can escape!” But he’d hardly said the last word before he vaulted into the air, lifted by a man on a white horse that had come out of nowhere, breaking through the line of defense set up by Alexander and his partners.

“Riq!” Dak shouted, this time with horror. An enemy soldier had just single-handedly picked Riq up like a bag of leaves and thrown him across the saddle of the horse. The man kicked the sides of the animal and it burst into a gallop, charging away.

Dak knew they had to follow, but he had barely looked up at the horse he’d hoped to ride with Sera when a thrown spear hurtled through the air and landed with a sickening thunk in the friendly rider’s chest. He groaned, his eyes rolling up into his head, then he toppled off the horse and onto the ground. It was like the entire world had just shifted on its plates. Dak held off the panic that tried to paralyze him. He had to act — Alexander and everyone else were too busy fighting.

“Come on, Sera!” he yelled, motioning for her to jump onto the now riderless animal.

She didn’t argue or hesitate — throwing a foot into the stirrup, she was up there in three seconds. Dak followed, almost knocking her off when he swung his leg around to the other side. He’d planned on being in front, but somehow she’d ended up in the driver’s seat.