Cave of Wonders

by Matthew J. Kirby

The vizier tipped his head sideways. “Is that so? What business do you have with Tusi?”

  “It relates to the work of the House of Wisdom,” Abi said. “Something the caliph fully supports.”

  “It is true the caliph has reverence and admiration for what you do. But as for whether you can speak with Tusi, you will have to ask the caliph yourself. You may approach him.”

  Abi bowed. “Thank you, Vizier.”

  Head bowed, he walked toward the man under the canopy. Dak imitated the gesture, and so did Sera and Riq. When Abi stopped at the edge of the tent, so did they. They waited a few moments as the vizier approached the man on the sofa, whom Dak assumed was the caliph, and whispered in his ear.

  The caliph nodded and said, “You may approach, Abi.”

  Abi motioned with his hand for Dak, Sera, and Riq to stay where they were. He inched toward the caliph slowly, and when he was a few feet away, he said, “Peace, Commander of the Faithful, and may God’s mercy be upon you.” Then Abi lowered himself to his knees and kissed the ground.

  As he did so, several servants came up and sprinkled Dak, Sera, and Riq with water, and then retreated. A moment later, Dak caught the smell, and realized the water was some kind of rose-scented perfume. He wrinkled his nose. Great. Now he smelled like flowers.

  “Rise, Ibn Abī al-Shukr,” the caliph said. “Tell me why you have come. My attendants say you’ve been asking about Tusi since yesterday.”

  “Yes, Caliph.” Abi rose to his feet, but kept his head bowed. “I wish to speak with him about the fate of the House of Wisdom.”

  “What fate?” the caliph said. “And why would it matter to Tusi, the adviser to Hulagu Khan, the aggressor who sits outside our very gate?”

  “Only this, Caliph. If we remind Tusi of the wealth of knowledge in the House of Wisdom, and in the whole city, perhaps he can persuade Hulagu Khan to spare the city the wanton destruction he has meted out against other cities before.”

  The caliph leaned forward. “Who are those children with you? And that young man?”

  Dak looked up. The caliph was asking about them.

  “Have them come forward,” the caliph said.

  Abi motioned them to approach. “They are students who have come from distant lands to learn at the House of Wisdom.”

  Dak swallowed. Did they need to kiss the ground like Abi had? He didn’t know, but Sera and Riq didn’t seem like they were going to, so he stayed on his feet, but still kept his head down.

  “Who are you?” the caliph asked. “And why are you here with Abi?”

  Riq spoke up first. “As Abi said, we are students from distant lands.”

  “What distant lands?” the caliph asked.

  “Pennsylvania,” Dak said.

  “Pennsylvania?” The caliph scratched under his turban with his pointer finger. “I have never heard of this country.”

  “It’s far away,” Dak said. “Beyond . . .” He tried to think of a place. “Beyond Istanbul.”

  “Where?”

  Oh, right, they haven’t changed the name yet. “I mean, beyond Constantinople.”

  “I see,” the caliph said.

  The vizier was looking at Dak, Sera, and Riq like they had just sprouted tails or something, his expression stern.

  “What do you study at the House of Wisdom?” the caliph asked.

  “History,” Dak said.

  “Mathematics,” Sera said.

  “Linguistics,” Riq said.

  “Varied disciplines,” the caliph said. “And what interest do you have in Tusi?”

  “None,” Riq said. “But as foreigners, we couldn’t pass up the chance to come with Abi so we could see your famous palace.”

  That was a good answer, Dak had to admit.

  “My palace?” the caliph said. “And what do you think of my palace?”

  “It’s amazing,” Dak said.

  “It’s beautiful,” Sera said.

  “It’s impressive,” Riq said.

  “It is all three of those things and more,” Abi said.

  “So it is,” the caliph said. “And now, your request. What do you think, Vizier?”

  The vizier frowned. “The caliph has nothing to fear from anyone. Tusi will try to persuade you to accept the terms of surrender you have already wisely rejected. Baghdad is completely safe, and therefore, so is the House of Wisdom. Our women, alone, could defend the walls.”

  The caliph nodded. “Abi, I do not care whether you speak with Tusi or not, because it is irrelevant. You heard my vizier. We are perfectly safe from conquest.”

  Actually, thought Dak, the exact opposite of that is true.

  “Go now,” the caliph said. “I will have my vizier bring Tusi to you once I have rejected Hulagu’s terms a second time.”

  “Actually,” Dak said, “you might want to give those terms another look. The Mongols have been mostly undefeated in the expansion of their empire. When kings surrender to them, it usually goes okay for their people. But when kings don’t surrender, bad things happen.”

  The caliph waved Dak off. “The Mongols shall suffer a rare defeat at Baghdad’s gates.”

  Dak shook his head. “But —”

  “Thank you, Caliph,” Abi said. He backed away, and Dak did the same. So did Sera and Riq. Once they reached the edge of the tent, they turned and walked back toward the garden’s entrance. The vizier came up behind them and waddled ahead.

  “I will show you to a waiting room,” he said.

  They ended up in an open-air room surrounded by ornate arches and white marble columns. There were pillows and cushions on the ground, so they sat down and waited.

  “He could just surrender,” Dak said. “What I tried telling him was true. Hulagu spared lots of cities that surrendered. Cities that didn’t surrender got pulverized. All you have to do is look at history so you don’t repeat it.”

  “Let me guess,” Riq said. “Now you’re gonna tell us why history is so important and why you love it so much.”

  Dak felt his anger rising. “It’s why you should love history instead of boring words, words, words.”

  “Stop it,” Sera said. “Not in the palace.”

  Dak rolled his eyes. Riq was wrong, anyway. History was important, but that wasn’t really why Dak loved it. He was still trying to figure that one out.

  They waited quite a while. Dak was even starting to think he could close his eyes and take a nap. But then the vizier returned with a man who Dak assumed was Tusi. He wore a simple robe, with a white turban that wrapped around his head and dropped a tail of fabric down over his right shoulder. His beard was clean, smooth, and came to a point.

  The vizier raised his voice a bit. “I present to you Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, emissary from Hulagu Khan.” He took one last look at Dak and the others, scowling, and then he left.

  Tusi waited, face blank, saying nothing.

  Abi stepped forward. “I am Ibn Abī al-Shukr, and I am honored to meet you. Your reputation has spread far.”

  “And you have no reputation at all,” Tusi said. “Why did you wish to speak with me?”

  Wow, Dak thought. That was rude.

  Abi blinked, seeming a bit taken aback. “I . . . certainly hope to one day have even a fraction of your learning and wisdom.”

  “Yes, yes,” Tusi said. “Speak your mind so that I might be on my way.”

  Dak couldn’t believe this guy.

  “The caliph does not believe the city will fall,” Abi said.

  “No, he does not,” Tusi said. “He is a fool.”

  “If the city does fall,” Abi said, “I am worried that our libraries, and the House of Wisdom, will meet the same fate as those at Alamut fortress, where Hulagu captured you and destroyed the books there.”

  “He did not capture me,” Tusi said. “He freed me from the Ismā ‘īlī and allowed me to continue my work. Eventually, I became adviser to him.”

  “And that is why we hope you might persuade Hulagu to spare the libraries. Spare the House
of Wisdom.”

  “No.” Tusi didn’t even act like he had given it half a thought.

  “N-no?” Abi asked.

  “No,” Tusi said.

  “Why not?” Riq asked.

  Tusi turned to him. “Because my position with Hulagu is tenuous. It would take very little provocation for him to execute me, as he has done with countless others. I have therefore chosen not to provoke him. That is the best way to stay alive and continue my studies.”

  “So you won’t speak for the libraries?” Sera asked.

  “No,” Tusi said. “I won’t speak for anyone or anything but myself. If the libraries are destroyed, with all the books in them, I will grieve, secure in the knowledge that nothing could have been done.”

  “I don’t understand,” Abi said. “You are a scholar. You know what the House of Wisdom represents.”

  Tusi’s eyes became sharp and narrow. “I know very well what it represents.”

  No one said anything. Dak couldn’t believe this man, who had the power to maybe do something, but had refused to help. Where did that leave them?

  “Is there anything more?” Tusi asked.

  “No,” Abi said.

  Tusi nodded. “Then I bid you farewell.” He turned and left.

  After he had gone, Abi hung his head and shook it. “I don’t understand,” he repeated.

  “What do we do now?” Dak asked.

  “I don’t know,” Abi said.

  “We come up with a new plan,” Riq said. “We still have time.”

  “But I am troubled by something else,” Abi said. “I think Tusi might be SQ. I think he wants the House of Wisdom destroyed.”

  RIQ THOUGHT about what Abi had just said. It made sense to him. If Tusi was really SQ, of course he wouldn’t help save the House of Wisdom. He would want it destroyed. Maybe that was why he was advising Hulagu Khan in the first place. He was making sure the job got done.

  “You think Tusi is SQ?” Dak asked.

  “I do,” Abi said. “I cannot think of another reason why a scholar such as he would refuse to help save the House of Wisdom.”

  “I think I agree with Abi,” Riq said.

  “Well, I don’t.” Sera folded her arms. “I can’t believe that a man like Tusi would be SQ.”

  “Why not?” Dak asked. “You saw how rude that guy was.”

  “He may be rude,” Sera said. “But he’s also a mathematician and a scientist. I’ve learned about him. He is not SQ.”

  “The SQ has plenty of scientists,” Riq said. “Tusi wouldn’t be the first.”

  Sera appeared unconvinced.

  “Either way, he’s not on our side,” Riq said. “Where does that leave us?”

  “Well, we have to assume Tusi is SQ,” Dak said. “And we know the caliph is an idiot. So I guess that means we have to go to Hulagu ourselves. Right?”

  Riq thought about their options. His experience during the Viking siege of Paris, trapped within the city once the attack had begun, left him convinced that Dak’s suggestion was the best idea left to them. “Right.”

  “This will be very dangerous,” Abi said. “You will be venturing into the Mongol war camp.”

  Riq looked down at the robe he was wearing. He didn’t want to walk into the Mongol camp while in Baghdad clothing. But then he remembered that Mongolia and China were next-door neighbors. “We might want to change back into our Chinese clothing so we don’t look too out of place.”

  “That’s true,” Abi said. “And the Mongols have drawn soldiers from every nation and race they’ve conquered. You may be able to blend in. Let’s hope that’s enough to keep you safe.”

  They waited until nightfall, and Abi led them through the city streets, back through the Perfume Market, the stores all closed up and shuttered, then under the grand archway that stood before the mosque they had passed the day before. On the other side of the arch, they turned to the right and followed a wide street.

  There were still a few people out, hurrying along. The windows and wooden screens above them to either side pulsed with the yellow flicker of candlelight and lamplight, and Riq heard the sounds of music, singing, and laughter coming from inside the houses and apartments. These people had no idea the Mongols were going to begin their siege the following day.

  “The caliph has made them all feel safe when they’re not,” Riq said.

  “That is true,” Abi said.

  The Hystorian kept them to the sides of the streets, in the shadows, and when he saw the city guards, patrolling with torches and lamps, he ducked the three time travelers into hiding places, down alleyways or behind street vendor stalls.

  They came to a large intersection and turned left onto a new market street. The buildings here were larger and richer, almost like miniature palaces. Some distance on, Riq saw the city wall with a gate like the one they had first entered through the day before. But the gate was closed.

  “How will we get out?” Riq asked Abi.

  “We bribe the guards,” Abi said. “Not the most elegant solution, but effective.”

  As they approached the gate, two guards stepped toward them and blocked their way.

  “Greetings,” Abi said.

  “What business brings you to the Halbah Gate at this time of night?” one of the guards asked.

  “Business with you,” Abi said. “If you are interested in a transaction.”

  “What kind of transaction?”

  “The simple kind,” Abi said. “Money for a service.”

  “How much money?”

  “A dinar between you,” Abi said.

  The guards paused. They looked at each other. “What’s the service?”

  Abi pointed ahead. “Open the gate and let my young friends pass.”

  The guards stared at them. Then one of them held out his open palm.

  Abi reached into his robes and pulled out a coin. He placed it in the hand of the guard, who snatched it away. Riq flinched, hoping they would make good on their part of the bargain.

  “The service?” Abi said.

  The guard with the coin laughed through his nose. Then they both turned back to the gate, motioning for them to follow. They each pulled out a key, and unlocked a smaller door next to the larger city gate. The guards ushered them through, into an enclosed courtyard within the thick wall, to a second door.

  “You’re in the safest place you could be, right now,” one of the guards said. “Why would you want to go out there? The Mongols are out there.”

  “We know,” Riq said.

  They shrugged and opened the door.

  Abi looked at each of them. “Hulagu’s war camp is due east. You won’t be able to miss it. Good luck to you.”

  They said good-bye to him and stepped outside the city walls. The door shut behind them, and Riq heard the sound of the lock turning. The stars and moon overhead lit the desert around them with a cold, pale light. Riq could almost imagine the landscape was made of snow instead of sand.

  “So, we just start walking?” Dak asked.

  “Guess so,” Sera said.

  Riq noticed the flicker of campfires on the horizon, like someone had stretched out a string of carnival lights. “I think that’s the war camp. Let’s get going.”

  They set off across the sand, the chill of night around them.

  “How far away do you think that is?” Dak asked.

  “It’s pretty close to the edge of our horizon,” Sera said. “Which, given our height, would make it two to three miles away.”

  Riq picked up their pace. They had to get there as fast as they could. The siege would begin tomorrow.

  Dak spouted facts about the Mongols on the way, and Riq just gritted his teeth and let the kid go. He explained that they were one of the most successful conquering empires in the history of the world, more or less undefeated in most of their battles. Often, they didn’t even have to fight. Their enemies heard the Mongols were coming, and they just gave up. Some even believed that when the Mongols came, they were a d
ivine punishment, so it was pointless to fight. Every single Mongol man was a warrior, and families traveled together on their military campaigns.

  “That’s why I don’t understand what the caliph is doing,” Dak said. “That vizier gave him the worst possible advice.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Riq said. “What’s done is done. We just have to stop Tusi.”

  “It’s not Tusi,” Sera said.

  Riq just shook his head.

  A few steps later, Dak piped up. “Did you know the Mongols tended to get hit by lightning a lot? There weren’t any trees where they came from. Thunder terrified them.”

  Riq rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest, both of you.”

  They walked in silence after that, except for the scuff of their feet through the sand and the hiss of the wind. The emptiness of the desert left Riq time and room to think. And he didn’t actually want to think right now. Any time he had a chance to think, his thoughts went to the future. Or his lack of future.

  There was really only one thing Riq had thought of to do when the time came to return to the future. He couldn’t risk traveling to an era where he’d be a complete anomaly. So he’d have to stay behind somewhere in the past, while Sera and Dak went back to the future to get their new SQuare. Then they could come back and pick him up to finish the remaining Great Breaks. He didn’t know when he should tell them his plan, or how to convince them, but he’d have to do it soon.

  “The desert is a little creepy,” Dak said. “Like there’s no one else in the world. It’s like what the world would be after the Cataclysm.”

  “Don’t talk about that.” Sera’s voice came out sounding sharp, almost angry.

  Dak kept going. “I’m just saying —”

  Sera stopped walking. “I said not to talk about it!”

  “Geez, dude,” Dak said, turning back to her. “Why don’t you just tell us what’s bothering you, already?”

  “Nothing is bothering me,” Sera said.

  “Right,” Dak said. “Just like nothing is bothering Riq.”

  Riq didn’t say anything. He just kept walking.

  “It’s something to do with the Cataclysm,” Dak said. “Obviously. So what is it?”

  Sera resumed walking again, and Dak trotted to catch up.