A Mutiny in Time (Infinity Ring #1)

Raul.

Dak could barely breathe. He kicked his legs below him, trying to hit the man in the knee. He pulled and swatted at his arm, but nothing worked. He was choking, and once again his lungs begged for air.

“Down we go,” Raul said.

Then he pulled Dak under the water, just as Sera yelled his name again.

Cold water. Blackness. Pain in his neck, his head. Pain all over. No air, his chest screaming for it. The sheer desperation of it all shot a burst of adrenaline surging through his body and he went ballistic, punching and squirming like a rabid animal until he somehow got free. His head broke the surface again and he sucked in a breath, but he knew the madman would be on him again in seconds.

“Sera!” he yelled hoarsely. “Use the Infinity Ring! Take us out of here! Now!”

They were close, but not close enough to help. Sera’s face was a mask of fear as she leaned over the edge of the boat, reaching helplessly for him.

Dak felt movement behind him, a hand sliding up his back, reaching for his neck.

“Sera!” Dak shouted.

Raul pulled him back below the water. Dak barely got in another breath before it happened. An arm slipped around his neck again, squeezing even tighter than before. Dak’s eyes bulged open, but he saw nothing. Only black water. His mouth opened up and the cold liquid rushed in; he spit it out. He gripped the man’s arm with both hands but knew it was pointless now. He kicked out with his legs because he had nothing else.

Lights began to dance before his eyes. Numbness filled his chest, replacing the pain. His throat was doing funny things as he fought the urge to suck in a breath of pure salt water, which would fill his lungs and kill him.

In that moment, death waiting to take hold, he thought of his parents. He closed his eyes, and in his mind he saw that goofy look on his dad’s face when he’d unveiled a new invention. He saw the sweetness in his mom’s eyes after she’d kissed him on the forehead before saying good night. He saw that last glimpse of them he’d had before they’d been sucked into the wormhole, vanishing into time itself.

He saw them, and almost felt their presence. He decided it was time to quit fighting. He was floating now. He sensed people grabbing at his shirt, pulling on it. But it was too late. Death began to drag him down.

The last thing he saw was a whirlpool of lights.





BRINT SAT brooding in the tiny office of the Hystorians’ fallback shelter, staring at an old class photo hanging on the wall. He was still depressed, but he felt he had good reason to be.

They’d lost their headquarters. There was no salvaging it once the SQ had descended upon them. They’d barely survived the attack, and not without some heavy losses. The men and women that had gotten away were now regrouping here, at their hideaway across town. Thank goodness they always planned for the worst.

At least Dak, Sera, and Riq had gotten away safely, and with the Infinity Ring. Not only did it mean they had hope of Aristotle’s grand plan finding success, but the time-travel device itself was far away from the reaches of their enemy. At least in the present day.

Mari came in, a raised bruise forming on her cheek.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Well enough.” Brint looked back at the photo, not sure why it had him so mesmerized — he’d glanced at that thing a million times before. “How about you?”

“I’m fine. Why are you staring at the wall like that?”

“Huh?” His gaze moved to her. “Oh. Sorry. Just . . .”

An odd feeling came over him — pleasant but unexpected. Indescribable. He stood up and walked over to where the photo hung and took it off the nail, held it up to inspect it. Columbus High School, top of his class. It had been twenty-five years. Hard to believe.

“Did you know my school was named after Christopher Columbus?” he asked Mari.

“Of course. Who else would it be named after?”

Brint shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just having good memories of my time there. Forget it.” He put the photo back in its place, straightened it. Then he turned to face his longtime partner. “What do you think? About today?”

“I think we had some lucky breaks. And we survived to fight another day.”

“Always finding the positive, aren’t you?” Brint asked. “Well, who knows. Maybe for once time’s on our side.”





SERA HAD saved her best friend from drowning. He so owed her.

She sat on the edge of an old wooden pallet, in the middle of a dark and dusty place that looked like a warehouse of some sort. It’s where she’d appeared after pulling Dak out of the ocean and warping herself, Dak, and Riq away from the storm. They lay next to her, all three of them sopping wet.