A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

How could anyone actually think the Earth was stationary? They obviously knew nothing about gravity and centrifugal force.

They eventually left the woods and went up a long, sandy hill, then crested a rise and stopped when a stunningly beautiful bay came into sight below them. Sera almost gasped at how breathtaking a view it was — greenish-blue water, bright buildings lining the hillsides surrounding it, majestic ships with sails furled, floating in the harbor. No one said anything, but a quick look around showed Sera that the boys were just as impressed.

“We’ll be at Stonebull’s in a matter of minutes,” Gloria announced as she got her horse walking again.



They’d gone out of their way to avoid the eyes of the Time Warden — who may very well have been freed by then — or anyone who might work for him, swinging away from the main road and coming back again where it met the sea. As they entered the cobbled streets, there was still no sign of trouble. But Sera was wary — if Gloria could guess why they might have come to this time and place, so could the SQ.

“Here it is,” the Hystorian announced. They had stopped in front of a plain-looking wooden building with steps and a small porch. Gloria swung off her horse. “Come inside with me so you won’t be sitting targets.” She tied the reins to a hitching post after Dak jumped down. “Like I said, it shouldn’t be too hard to get you three on that ship.”

Sera followed Gloria’s lead up the steps and through a rickety door. There were a few tables and chairs inside, but no people. The place smelled like sweat and beer.

“Just a minute!” a man yelled from a back room — the door stood slightly ajar. “Just takin’ care of me bidness, if you know what I mean!”

His accent was strange, almost a mixture of several that Sera had heard before. It made her wonder if Riq’s device was having a hard time deciding how to best translate his words.

A gruff-looking man walked out, hitching up his dirty trousers. His shirt was filthy, too. And his face and his hair and his hands. Everything about him. He also hadn’t shaved in a few days. But none of this was what stood out most about him.

He only had one eye. And it was a big one, as if it wanted to make up for the lack of its partner — where the other should have been, there was nothing but a big, mangled scar. He had a bandana tied around his head and, noticing everyone gawking, he quickly pulled it down to cover the injured spot.

“Sorry,” he grumbled. “Forgets that it ain’t the prettiest sight sometimes. Pardon me mishap, if you will. Now, what can we do for you on this fine-weathered day?”

“Where is Stonebull?” Gloria asked.

“Down at the bay, I ’spect. Keeping an eye on the ship’s loadin’. Asked me to fill in for him for a spell. So here I am, lookin’ at you fine folk, askin’ what you might be needin’.”

If Gloria was put out by the change in plan, she recovered quickly, motioning at Sera and her friends. “I rounded these troublemakers up for you — they’re desperate for money, and I know you’re probably looking for some last-minute additions to the help.”

“Right we are,” he said quietly as he looked the three potential workers up and down. “Right we are. Can’t say as we’re all that picky, neither. You three willin’ to work yourselves to the bone? Sleep little, sit little, eat little, sick up that what you do? Get yelled at and kicked in the tush now and then?”

Sera wanted to say something contrary, but she couldn’t risk her voice giving her away. She nodded, and saw the others do it, too.

“Well, that’s good enough for the likes of me,” the man said with a chuckle that revealed several missing teeth. “And blessed be your little bottoms — I’ll be joinin’ you on this fair journey to the far reaches of the hungry sea. Hope you’re up for it.”

Gloria narrowed her eyes. “You’re going on the voyage, too? What are you doing on the ship?” she asked.

“Why, I’m the taskmaster, that’s me. In charge of all the lowly workin’ folk. The name’s not important.” He took a step forward and pulled up his bandana to reveal the hideous scar again. “They just call me Eyeball.”





DAK COULDN’T imagine a more perfect companion on his first voyage across the ocean than Eyeball. Quirky, crude, a vicious scar on his face — probably from a battle with pirates — what more could he ask for? And the taskmaster might be just the right man to seek help from as well. He’d be respected. He’d know everyone on board, and the ins and outs of how things worked.

And if the very sight of the man made Riq visibly uncomfortable, well, that was just a bonus.