Read Tartarus: Kingdom Wars II for Free Online Page A

Today, she stopped a boy who was going the opposite direction.
    She blocked his path.
    “Excuse me,” she said, touching him on the arm, “I was wondering if you could help me.”
    The boy reacted to her touch as though it were electric.
    He appeared small to be in college, with a mop of brown hair that didn’t show evidence of having been in the same room as a brush for at least a couple of days. The backpack under which he labored was plastered with comic book stickers.
    Jana hadn’t chosen him at random. His stature. The figures of superheroes on his backpack. The boy fantasized about heroes. She was going to give him a chance to live out his fantasy by rescuing a damsel in distress.
    “I’m looking for Tiffany Sproul,” she said. “I was hoping you could tell me where I might find her.”
    The boy stared at Jana as though she were a goddess having descended from Mt. Olympus. His jaw worked, but all he made were guttural sounds. He looked as if he might swallow his tongue.
    “Um—Tiff—Tiff—Tiffany?”
    “Sproul. Do you know her?”
    A few feet away the coeds observed the exchange. If they knew Tiffany, they weren’t offering any information.
    Ostermann and the cameraman weren’t helping. They made no attempt to conceal their amusement at the kid’s expense.
    “I th—think,” the boy stammered, “Tiff—Tiffany has class now. I think. But I can’t say with 100 percent certainty. Not 100 percent.”
    “Do you know which class?”
    The boy’s shoulders slumped. Desperately he wanted to know, but he didn’t.
    With sudden inspiration, he said, “The office! They’ll know! I can take you to the office! They’ll know!”
    Had he a cape, he would have flown her there. But for Jana going to the office was out of the question.
    “Thank you, all the same,” she said.
    The boy’s enthusiasm collapsed. He couldn’t have been any more defeated if she’d exposed him to kryptonite.
    The hallway was emptying. It appeared Jana was going to have to ask the girls.
    Just then, the boy straightened up.
    “There!” he exclaimed in triumph.
    Jana turned to see two girls walking toward them. Neither of them was Tiffany Sproul.
    “The tall one!” the boy said. “That’s Tiffany’s roommate!”
    Jana rewarded her hero with a smile and squeeze of his arm. His face and neck blazed red against the blue collar of his shirt.
    Her heels clicking, Jana closed in on the tall girl, a model-thin brunette.
    “Can I have a moment? I’m looking for your roommate.”
    The brunette did a classic double-take, the kind Jana encountered frequently whenever people recognized her. An instant later an invisible alarm sounded in the girl’s head. Her expression became guarded.
    Jana repeated her request. “Can you tell me where I can find Tiffany?”
    “I don’t think Tiffany wants to talk to anyone right now.”
    Jana used her celebrity smile. “I want to interview her for the news.”
    The brunette glanced at Ostermann and the cameraman. “Yeah—but, that’s just it. I don’t think Tiffany wants to be interviewed.”
    “Don’t you think Tiffany should make that decision for herself?” Jana said.
    The brunette didn’t have a good answer for that question.
    Moments later Jana was hurrying down another hallway as the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Tiffany Sproul was at the far end of the corridor, just about to enter a classroom.
    Jana called out to her. When Tiffany saw who it was, her face clouded over.
    “Can we talk?” Jana labored for breath.
    “I have class,” Tiffany replied, half in and half out of the classroom.
    A male voice from inside said, “Miss Sproul, will you be joining us today?”
    “It will only take a few minutes,” Jana insisted. “I’m sure your professor will understand.”
    “Miss Sproul,” the voice boomed. “Either join us or close the door.”
    Tiffany glanced longingly into the classroom. With a sigh, she closed the door.
    “Is there some place we can go?” Jana