Read BEYOND THE LOOKING-GLASS: Book One in the BEYOND Series for Free Online Page A

a cathedral of towering trees and thick underbrush.
    Kellen suddenly glanced up at tree branches far above him. “Did you hear that?”
    “What?”
    “That rustling…way up there in the trees.”
    They both peered up at the shadowy limbs above.
    There was something…or someone…up there.
    And it was staring back at them.
    A moment later, a dark figure could be seen swinging from one tree to another. And it was followed by several other shadowy forms. The trees were teeming with fast-moving human life.
    “Look,” Aleeta cried out.
    “I see him,” Kellen called back. “It’s a man. Way above us.”
    “Don’t you recognize him, Kel?” She laughed, almost hysterically. “It’s Tarzan and his ape family. Sherwood Forest is filled with baboons.”
    “What in blazes is happening, Allie?”
    Aleeta was trembling. “It means my wonderful visualization machine is a bust. I can’t predict who we’ll meet. What might happen next. Or if we’ll ever see our kids alive again.” She began to sob.
    Before he could reach out to console Aleeta, an arrow whistled past Kellen’s ear and slammed into the trunk of an oak tree with a loud THWAKK.
    The open clearing was alive now with a band of grim-faced, bearded men in Lincoln green tights and caps. They weren’t strangers to Kellen. As a boy, his father had regaled him at bedtime with exciting tales of Robin Hood and his merry band of Saxon outlaws. And here they were…in the flesh… advancing toward him.
    The tall leader stood with his legs far apart. He leaned on a very large bow. The man carried a quiver of arrows under one arm.
    “What business are ye about in this forest, varlet? And who is this wench by thy side?”
    Aleeta stepped forward, hands on hips. Kellen could see she was getting up a head of steam and might blow at any second. He bit his lip. These men wouldn’t be as easy to conquer as old Bull’s-Eye. “I’ll have you know, milord,” she announced, “that I’m no wench to be trifled with. I’ve lost my two children. I’m filthy. And I’m very, very hungry.”
    Robin Hood threw his head back and laughed heartily. It was a gesture Kellen had seen dozens of time in storybook illustrations and old motion pictures. Banned media he’d confiscated, categorized, and burned over the years at the Government annex.
    But this time the fantasy didn’t seem quaint or charming. Not when these forest thugs were making fun of his ex-wife.
    “Okay,” Kellen said, “you fellows have had your fun. Now, please behave like gentlemen, and help us out. We’re looking for two small children. Not dressed like others in this region. A boy back in that Dickens town told us they could’ve entered these woods.”
    “It’s forbidden to enter Sherwood Forest without permission from the court of our gracious king. Surely you know that.”
    “What about Tarzan?” Aleeta interrupted. “Did your gracious king give him a free pass to this place?”
    Robin leaned forward, causing his long bow to bend under his weight.
    “Aaah, fair damsel,” Robin answered, “if we could ever catch him, we’d deal with him. Harshly. He is, as you observed, an elusive devil. His time will come.”
    “We mean no harm,” Kellen said. “We’re merely desperate to find our children.”
    “Little ones can find a forest a perilous place, sir.” Robin answered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
    Two riders clad in bright, shining armor came prancing out of the woods. They carried lances and their horses were clad in padded armor. One of the riders pushed up the visor on his helmet and glowered at Aleeta and Kellen.
    “And what have we here, Locksley?” the knight inquired.
    “It’s none of your affair, Lancelot,” Robin said sharply. “I’ve told you before you aren’t welcome here. Your steeds dump their spoils on the grass and they tear up the land with their hooves.”
    Robin’s men moved toward the mounted knights. They didn’t look like any sort of welcoming committee to