Divide and Conquer Read Free Page B

from her shoulders to the back of her knees, and what was left of her hair was tucked up into a misshapen wool cap.
    “You do a pretty good job passing as a boy.” Dak tweaked the cap, making it fall farther over her eyes.
    Riq stepped forward and righted it, tucking stray bits of her hair back up under it. “One of these days we’ll find a time in history when you can get dressed up nicely,” he said.
    Dak wanted to groan, but Sera’s face lit up at the prospect.
    “
Any
way,” he interjected. “Sera’s right — it’s really all about power. That’s pretty much what history is: people grabbing power and then losing it to someone else.” Which is exactly why Dak loved it so much. Science always seemed like a boring recitation of facts, but history . . . it was all one big adventure story.
    “That still doesn’t help us fix the Break,” Riq said. “And we haven’t unraveled the code to figure out what we’re supposed to be doing here, or figured out how to find the Hystorian.”
    “Code, schmode — we’ve got this.” Dak grinned. “Watch and learn, my friend,” he said and started strolling toward the church.

    The front face of the church loomed over them, towers dotted with arched windows rising on either side of the entrance. Once they were inside, everything was darker, the row of windows close to the ceiling letting in little of the morning’s watery light. Already the nave was full of Parisians, many of them spilling into the transepts on either side of the altar.
    Thankfully Dak, Sera, and Riq were dressed like everyone else so they didn’t stand out so much. Dak used his small size to his advantage, slipping through the crowd toward the front of the church. At times like this it was useful to be young — no one seemed to pay him any attention.
    When the contingent of Vikings entered , the crowded church grew so quiet that Dak could hear the rattle of swords in scabbards as the large Danish men strode forward. He was mesmerized. He’d seen depictions of Vikings from tapestries and drawings in his books, but seeing them in person was different. They were huge, with long mustaches braided out to their ears, and beards that fell from their chins.
    He’d expected them to look more barbaric — everything he’d ever read about them mentioned their cruelty and filthiness — but these men didn’t seem to match that description at all. In fact, they seemed cleaner and better dressed than most of the Parisians.
    Their leader, Siegfried, was older than the others. Judging from the lines on his face, he’d probably never once smiled in his life. His cloak was pinned to his right shoulder, which kept his arm free — and even in the cathedral he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword.
    Dak was pretty sure that the guy could lop off a head or a leg with one swing, his arms were so thick with muscles. Of course, that didn’t stop Dak from edging closer to get a better look. Sera kept hissing at him to stop, but her unease didn’t keep her from following as he made his way forward.
    Just as they reached the edge of the crowd ringing the altar at the front of the cathedral, an old priest shuffled out of a side roomand approached the band of Vikings. He was pretty weighed down with ornate robes that hung from his bony shoulders, and for a moment Dak wasn’t sure he’d actually make it across the altar before keeling over. Flanking him were several other clergymen who seemed prepared to catch him if it came to that.
    Siegfried stepped forward and spoke first. Dak’s earpiece translated every word. “Bishop Gauzelin, have compassion on yourself and on your flock. Allow us the freedom of the city. We will do no harm, and we will see to it that whatever belongs to you shall be strictly protected.”
    Bishop Gauzelin turned to the priests around him and started to whisper as they debated Siegfried’s request.
    Dak felt his heart begin to race. “This is it,” he whispered to Sera and Riq. “This is