A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

“Anyway,” Ricardo said. “What were you getting at?”


Sera decided it was time to go for it. If they were going to do something about fixing this Break in history, they needed help and they needed to get started.

“You heard what the captain said,” she began. “That there’s rumor of a mutiny planned. Well, we actually already knew that and . . . we’re here to stop it.”

“How could you possibly know about it?” Ricardo asked. “Did someone send you?”

Sera hesitated. Telling the complete truth was not an option, but maybe she could avoid lying, too. “Exactly. We have friends in high places and they sent us here, secretly. I know it’d be impossible to prove everything to you, but we know exactly who is plotting against the captain.”

“Who?” Francisco asked, his eyes alit with interest.

“Would you rat brains shut up!” someone yelled from across the room.

“Sorry!” Sera answered.

Everyone in the group scooted closer together and leaned in. Sera couldn’t help noticing Ricardo smelled of fish as Dak started whispering even more quietly. “It’s the Amancio brothers. I know, I know — hard to believe since they’ve obviously earned the captain’s trust. But it makes sense if you think about it. Pulling off a mutiny isn’t easy, so you’d need someone high up to be in charge of it. Otherwise it’d be difficult to make the rest of the crew follow the new leaders once it’s done.”

“Do you know what they’re planning?” Ricardo asked.

“From what I’ve re —” Dak stopped, and Sera knew he’d been about to say something about what he’d learned in history books. Fortunately, he’d caught himself. “We were told that three days after we launch out to sea, the two brothers are going to take the captain in the middle of the night, gag him, bind him, and throw him overboard. The next morning, they’re going to blame the disappearance on two other officers, men who are fiercely loyal to Columbus, then throw them off the ship before anyone really knows what’s going on. Just like that, we have new leaders and the voyage keeps on truckin’.”

Sera winced at that last word. She might not be a history buff like her best friend, but she was pretty certain they didn’t have trucks in the fifteenth century.

“Wow,” Ricardo said. “Serious? That’s all supposed to go down three nights from now?”

“Yep.”

“And how do you know all this again?”

Sera answered. “We have very good sources and powerful bosses.” She hoped that it was enough.

“Who do you guys work for?” Francisco asked. “Come on, you can tell us.”

Sera looked at Dak, eyebrows raised.

“Let’s just say we’re looking out for the interests of Queen Isabella,” he said. “She believes in Columbus, and we believe in her.”

Ricardo grinned. “And you believe she’ll come through with a handsome reward for your loyalty, I bet.”

“Then you’ll help us?” Sera asked.

“Oh, we’ll help you. Won’t we, boys?”

Francisco nodded, shaking his mop of hair again, and Daniel laughed, which from him evidently meant yes.

“Good,” Sera said. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow we can scout around, learn some things, maybe even get some evidence. Then tomorrow night we’ll see if we can rally the rest of the people down here.”

“Sounds good,” Dak said, and the others all nodded.

Sera wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and lay down, squirming and twisting until she found the least uncomfortable position that she could manage. She still had the Infinity Ring tucked away in the satchel, which she kept strapped around her body and cradled to her stomach. She expected to have a hard time falling asleep, but all that scrubbing from earlier caught up to her and pulled her into dreamless oblivion.



The world was dark when she was jerked awake, a rough, callused hand gripped tightly over her mouth. Someone had her arms pinned to the hard floor below her. She struggled, tried to free herself, tried to scream, but it was all pointless. All she could hear was her own muted whine.

Then a voice whispered in her ear, the breath hot. “Shut your trap or I’ll slit your friend’s throat. Now.”

Sera stopped, went completely still. She couldn’t see a thing.

“That’s a good lad. Now you’re coming with me, nice and easy. If you scream when I let go, it won’t be pretty.”

The hand left her mouth, then she was pulled up and onto her feet. Someone stood behind her, keeping her hands clasped painfully in the small of her back. She heard the smack of stone against stone, saw a spark, and then a lantern lit up, its flame small but casting enough light for her to see a man standing just a couple of feet away, regarding her coldly.

With one eye.





"LOOKS LIKE we have some talkers in our midst,” Eyeball said. “Talkin’ about things that ain’t none of their bidness. And . . . spying.”