A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

“Seems simple enough,” Sera said. “Dak, you’re the history nerd in this group, so you’ll be in charge of keeping the journal. Just think, if we make all of this happen, you’ll be one of the most famous Hystorians ever.”

Instead of coming back with a smart aleck remark, he smiled pridefully. “That sounds like a job I can handle. But it makes me a little sad to think we’re changing the thing I love so much.”

“We’ll just be making it better. Right?”

Dak nodded, though he didn’t appear so sure.

Sera tapped the screen and frowned. “Wait. Something’s wrong.”

“What is it?” Riq asked. Dak seemed to be daydreaming about his potential role in history.

“I clicked on the ‘Identify Break’ option, and look what happened.”

Data Corrupted

Return to previous menu?


“That’s not good,” said Riq.

“When the SQ attacked,” Sera said, “everything went crazy, and Mari had to yank this thing right off of the main computer. What if she was uploading data? And what if the upload was incomplete?”

“Then we might be in trouble,” said Riq.

“Relax,” said Dak. “We know it’s got to have something to do with the Amancios. We can work it out.”

“Try something else,” suggested Riq.

Sera went back to the menu and tapped on “Locate a Hystorian” as Dak and Riq leaned in to see over her shoulder. A short message appeared, and Sera let out a sigh of relief.

If you’ve solved the puzzle to arrive here, in both time and place, the following riddle will help you find the person you need. If you’ve made a mistake and have gone somewhere else, then you are royally bunked. Good luck.


Sera had just finished reading it when the words faded away and were replaced with a poem:

A wee little bee flies through the sky

It stings your nose and makes you cry

And run on a road till it comes to a tee

Looks out at the bright and brilliant sea

It’s her, you scream, the way it ends

That’s how you must find your friend


“Hmm,” Sera said. The other two made similar sounds as they all stared at the six lines of the poem. Dak even went so far as to scratch his chin, purse his lips, and widen his eyes — he looked like a mad scientist.

“Any ideas?” Riq asked.

“I’ve got a few,” Dak replied, still not losing the comical expression. “Studying the Renaissance era was a hobby of mine for a few months back when I was six. I’m sure that’ll come into play here.”

Sera had to repress a groan — of course, she had no room to talk. She’d first discovered her love of quantum physics when she was four.

She’d also been raised speaking Spanish at home, but she was worried about Dak’s ability to interact with the local Hystorian when the time came. “What do we do about these translation devices in our mouths and ears?”

Riq gave a slight shrug. “Well, it would’ve been nice to train you on them for a while, but they’re not that hard. They’re linked together by radio frequency, and the earpiece can judge almost instantly what language it’s hearing. It’ll translate for you automatically, and trigger the tooth device to alter your words as they come out of your mouth — which means that in each new setting, you want to let someone else speak before you do. The speaking part’s a little tricky; it takes some practice to know how slowly to speak and when to pause, that sort of thing. But the translation of what others are saying — that works like a charm. Maybe let me do the talking as much as possible until you get the hang —”

“Well hello!” someone barked from behind them, cutting Riq off.

Sera turned her head to see an enormous man with a dark beard. He held a long iron bar in one fist, bouncing it in the palm of his other hand. Sera’s heart froze.

The giant took a few steps forward, then leaned down to sneer at them.

“I never thought I’d see it,” he said with creepy awe. “Visitors from the future.”





DAK JUMPED to his feet, dragging Sera to hers as well. Riq stood right beside them as the man took another step closer. He could now reach them if he decided to swing that big iron rod in his hands. And probably not for just a love tap, either.

“Who are you?” Riq asked.

“Who am I?” the man responded gruffly. His lips didn’t move in sync with the words Dak was hearing, which meant the translator device was actually working. Even in the face of certain death by a barbarian, that was pretty cool. “Three little urchins show up in the streets of my town, dressed in ill-fitting clothes, looking as out of place as an anvil in a cooper’s shop, and you ask who I am?”

There was a long moment of silence before Sera said, timidly, “Yes?”

The man let one end of his rod fall to the ground and he leaned on it like a cane. Then he laughed, a deep bellow of a noise that almost made Dak look up to see if it was going to rain.