A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

Dak was still confused by the Break business. “We’re here to change history, right? Maybe we could try to talk to the Amancios somehow before the voyage.”


“Not much chance of that,” Gloria answered as she cut free a big handful of Sera’s hair. “First of all, how would you get to them? Second, even if you did, why would they trust some goofy-looking kid? Mutiny is a very serious offense, and the last thing you want to do is scare them into changing their minds unless you’re positive of what needs to happen. You might be doing the SQ’s dirty work for them.”

Dak churned with indecision.

“Ow!” Sera suddenly shrieked.

“Oops,” Gloria responded. “Sorry — sometimes I forget how long these blades are.”

“So how are you going to get us on the ship?” Dak asked.

The Hystorian eyed him for a second, then went back to her cutting. “I know the man in charge of hiring urchins and thieves to do the dirty work — they always need people at the last minute. And a catch of three strong and able boys will make his day, I promise.”

“I’m hardly a boy,” said Riq.

“You’re more of a boy than I am,” said Sera.

“Strong and able?” asked Dak.

For the first time since they’d met her, Gloria looked worried.





THE SUN was sweltering when Gloria took Sera and the others out a back door and saddled a couple of horses she had tied up in a small stable. She’d prepared satchels with bread and grapes and dressed them in clothes she said belonged to her nephew. She also smudged dirt from a little garden all over their faces and clothes — Dak smiled the whole time, crowing about living history; Riq grumbled and complained about “going native.” Gloria tsked at his complaints. She insisted that they needed to look a lot less like nobles, and fast. It was customary that hired hands spent the night before launch on the ship itself, so they had no time to lose.

Sera was a nervous wreck, and it didn’t help that she hated what Gloria had done to her — dirt was one thing, but she felt completely naked without that comforting sense of hair on her neck. She still had enough to wear a ponytail, but just barely. Fortunately, men of the period didn’t wear their hair too short.

“Hey, you make a pretty convincing boy,” Riq said to her after she was all dirtied up. He smiled to soften the blow.

“You don’t,” she replied, but gave a smile back.

Dak finally joined Gloria on one horse — after three failed attempts to get up in the saddle and a whole lot of complaining that the bicycle hadn’t been invented yet — and Sera sat with Riq on the other. He tried to sit in front but she refused — it was already humiliating enough for her to pretend to be a boy. She’d at least have the satisfaction of taking lead on the stupid animal. Why was she in such a bad mood? Just because of a haircut? She tried to convince herself it wasn’t because Dak was raring to go for a sailing adventure with the famous Amancio brothers and didn’t seem scared one bit.

Once they were all mounted up, Gloria turned her horse to face Sera’s. “I know an out-of-the-way path that’ll get us to the port house where we should find my friend, Stonebull. I’m not expecting any trouble, but if we cross paths with that Time Warden or any of his friends, there’d be no point in fighting. These horses are swift, and we’ll have to rely on their legs to save us. If we can reach Stonebull, we’ll tell him that the Warden is just someone you stole food from and who wants revenge. He won’t care a bit about that — he’ll simply be happy to have a few extra hands to replace those who inevitably chicken out on the last day.”

“We’ll be lucky if Dak doesn’t chicken out,” Riq murmured from behind Sera.

Dak heard it. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t have the ugly police inspecting anyone who tries to come on the ship.”

“Why?” Riq responded. “Then you’d have an excuse not to go.”

Dak didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, I know — they only allow ugly people on these voyages. Duh.”

“Are you two finished?” Gloria asked. The woman seemed completely bewildered by their behavior.

Neither of them acknowledged her, but they also shut up.

Sera liked that the two of them had resumed picking at each other. For some reason it gave her a sense of comfort and familiarity. And she was starting to think Riq wasn’t so bad after all. Anyone who could keep up with Dak just might be a friend for life.

“Glad that’s settled. It’s this way.” Gloria started off down a path leading to the woods behind her butcher shop.

Sera gave her horse a light kick and followed.



As they rode through the trees, Sera kept hearing tidbits of conversation from Dak and Gloria about history — Gloria’s future. For the most part it amused Sera, but she was a bit appalled when Gloria turned to her and asked, “Is he telling the truth? The world travels around the sun?”