Read Collision: The Alliance Series Book Three for Free Online

have a major effect on the Balance. I think.
    What if one of those distant worlds had caused the ripple effect? It was far from impossible, even though if the doorways were kept closed, none of the raging magic could reach the Passages. Ada had said the Enzarian refugees reached the Passages via a transition point far from the actual war zone.
    Still…
    Raj, Iriel and I made for the doors. No flying cars greeted us outside, but the distant sounds of singing and shouting drifted from the direction of London Bridge. Tourists. I spotted a crowd gathering outside the front gates, but guards stopped them getting into the car park. As for the back gates, guards stood at both ends of the back street to stop over-curious people wandering over here. Central had had enough media attention already. West Office, in the heart of London, was more well-hidden, but Central was like a beacon. Add in the war that had almost erupted on our doorstep and it didn’t surprise me that the souvenir-toting stalls from the centre of London had migrated over here like they expected a West End show.
    Inside, the Passages were louder than usual. The noise grew as we followed the route to the main corridor, where chaos greeted us. Usually, the twin rows of doors to the various worlds were open, though guarded, and the space between filled with people travelling between the worlds. Now, however, the normal crowd became a panicked crush. People–humans and non-humans–jostled and shouted and trampled each other in an effort to cross from one door to another.
    “Hey!” I called to the nearest guard, who I recognised as one of the group who usually stood outside Valeria’s door. “What’s going on?”
    “You Earth people should get out,” said the Valerian guard. “Magic’s going crazy in here.”
    “It’s happening on Earth, too,” I said. “Level’s way higher than it should be, and fluctuating. We’ve been dealing with issues all day. How’s it on Valeria?”
    “Heightened. No accidents yet, but there’s a lot of contention in the offworlder communities.”
    At that moment, a bolt of red lightning shot over our heads, making every nerve in my body respond as though I’d handled an electric switch.
    People with an internal magic source will be in real trouble .
    “I can imagine,” I said, peering over the crowd. No way to tell where the bolt came from, but the panic level climbed. The crowd jostled one another and a green-skinned guy had started a fight with dude who had a coat of real feathers growing from his arms. Punches flew left and right and several people staggered back, away from the magic bolts sizzling from the green guy’s skin.
    “Stop that!” I shouted. “If you use magic in here, you’ll knock off the Balance even more.”
    “What’s it to you?”
    Ignoring caution, I edged my way between them. Behind me, Raj sighed with exasperation. The green-skinned guy glared at me, magic flaring from his hands. Klathican. They’d recently patented magic-based implants for super-speed and whatever other enhancements people wanted, and the black market had got hold of ones with questionable effects almost immediately. Idiots. I’d worked with Raj and Iriel to get them shut down, but some of the people who’d bought the temporary boosts illegally must have gone offworld.
    I had to deal with this fast.
    The feathered guy glared at me, too. “Move it. This is none of your business, Alliance guard.”
    “Ambassador, actually,” I said, “which makes it my business.”
    The noise around had quieted as people saw the action and realised they were about to get some free entertainment. Great.
    “You watch it.”
    The feathered guy threw a punch, which I blocked with my forearm, stunner already in hand. I fired a shot at the green-skinned guy as he crept up behind me. He collapsed, swearing, and two metal-armed Klathican Alliance guards dived on top of him. Blocking a second hit from the feathered guy, I zapped him with the