Read Shadow of the Otherverse (The Last Whisper of the Gods Saga Book 3) for Free Online Page A

subdued. Even in the dark, Sorial could sense her change in mood.
    “We’ll get through this,” he said, trying to be encouraging. “We’re both wizards after all.”
    She let out a long, loud sigh. “Every time we separate, you lose some part of your body. I’m wondering how much will be left when I get back.” Sorial couldn’t tell whether it was gallows humor or a serious concern. Maybe both.
    “I hate duty,” she said finally. She sounded close to tears. “I know we have it much better than so many in this camp, but… Damn Justin for starting this war. Damn Ferguson for getting people thinking about wizards’ bloodlines. And damn Azarak for dying.”
    Sorial didn’t think she was making much sense. Rambling, trying to find blame for their current situation in a universe where the gods could no longer be held culpable.
    He turned her face toward him, leaned close, and gently kissed her on the forehead then the lips. It was a long, lingering caress. The action seemed to calm or reassure her. When she next spoke, her voice was stronger. “There’s a way we can stay in touch, I think. I can ‘imprint’ some water in a way that will enable me to connect with it by concentrating. Spread out in a shallow basin, we can use it as a conduit for communication. Distance shouldn’t be an issue. I wish I’d thought of this before you went off to face the efreet.”
    “I could probably do something similar with earth.” Sorial considered how it might be possible. No immediate solution came to mind.
    “No doubt. When you killed the efreet, I felt your pain through the ground. It reverberated from rock into water, so I believe you could find a way to communicate over long distances. The same may be true of Justin. Any time there’s a fire, we have to assume he could be watching.”
    “That’s a disconcerting thought.” The kind of tactical advantage that could impart… Maybe it explained why the invading army had bypassed the complex trap Sorial and Alicia had devised. They had assumed betrayal by a spy or informant, but maybe Justin had been able to divine their intentions by gazing through a torch or lantern.
    “Using water is clumsy and if it’s spilled, we’d lose the connection, but at least it provides a way to keep in contact. And if I learn something, I can tell you immediately rather than waiting until I return.”
    They lapsed into silence after that, content simply to lie close to one another for the remainder of the night. When the first rays of dawn arrived to drive back the darkness, it was too soon for either of them. But they had no choice other than to face the new day. Hating duty didn’t dispel their responsibilities to it.
    By noon, Sorial was on his own. Before departing, Alicia attended a lengthy private meeting with the queen from which she emerged grim-faced. Then she and Sorial set up the “mirror” and tested its efficacy. Myselene granted them an empty tent in which to locate the shallow ceramic basin filled to the brim with ordinary well water. The connection Alicia established made it special. It would be watched over every minute of every day so Sorial could be notified when she initiated contact.
    No announcement was made about Alicia’s departure; only the council members and a few others knew she was going. Consequently, she was able to slip away without ceremony. Sorial accompanied her to a sheltered cove north of the city’s environs where they kissed and embraced before she divested herself of her clothing and entered the water. She vanished beneath the surface following directions provided by Ferguson. She felt it would be easy to locate the distant continent; finding the structure might be more challenging, although Ferguson had said it was near the coast. How long the trip would take was an open question. By ship, transportation required a half-season. Alicia didn’t know how that would translate to her mode of travel, but Sorial was prepared to be without her for