Read The Men of Otherworld: Collection One for Free Online Page B

into the palace cafeteria that served the agents and soldiers from the various departments of the government. The city-state might be a monarchy, but it had its layers of bureaucracy like all governments.
    “You’re serious? She was sent Earthside? What are you going to do?”
    Trillian pushed the stew around on his plate. He frowned. “I have one possible chance. I know someone who works in the OIA, in the communications branch. He said he’d help me.”
    “What are you going to do? Go through the portals to find her?” Darynal started to laugh, then stopped. “Oh man, you’re serious? You are actually thinking of traveling through the portals?”
    “It’s not like I haven’t been Earthside before. I’ve been there several times. I know enough to stay out of trouble while I’m there.” He knew it sounded crazy—to shift worlds in order to chase down a woman who was just as likely to slam the door in his face as welcome him in. But he had to find her. He had to know. “Come on. I’ve got an appointment with Leks. He’s waiting.”
    The two men entered the communications hive a few minutes later, and there was Leks, waiting. The room was filled with Whispering Mirrors, all pointing to locations around Y’Elestrial and far beyond. The silver rimmed magical devices were hard to tune, and it required an entire department to keep them up and running.
    Leks glanced around, then—with no one paying any attention—led them over to one bank of mirrors. “I’ll lose my job if anybody finds out about this. But here…the D’Artigo Sisters are in a city called Seattle, over Earthside. Their contact’s name is Chase Johnson. He’s a soldier… officer ? Someone involved with legal authority, that much I know. He’s the one through whom all communications pass from the OIA. The girls have a Whispering Mirror in their house but I haven’t figured out the combination for their location yet. This will have to do on such short notice.”
    As they came up on the mirror, he motioned for the man keeping an eye on the bank of mirrors to take a break. “Fayl, I want to check something out. Go get your tea early.”
    The apprentice didn’t have to be asked twice. Fayl saluted and headed off, looking decidedly more happy than he had when they’d approached him.
    Leks glanced around to make certain they weren’t being watched, then sat down and fiddled with the controls on the mirror. He whispered something that neither Trillian nor Darynal could hear—a password, no doubt. Within moments, the cloud obscuring the mirror began to fade, and a man staring back at them on the other side.
    “Yes? What can I do for you?” The man looked nervous, and kept tugging on his collar.
    He was clean cut, with hair shorter than just about anybody Trillian had ever seen. He looked decidedly human, but there was something…a faint glimmer that aroused a suspicion in the Svartan. He ignored it, though, because he only had a few minutes and he didn’t want to waste any time. As Leks began to talk to the man, Trillian thought about what he was going to say. If he pled for Camille to hear him out, it would be via this human, and second hand love letters were no better than the person relaying them. No, he had to make it something that would catch her attention, something she couldn’t ignore.  
    And then, he knew. What he’d read in the note—it would concern her, too.
    “I’ll be back in a moment, Chase. Just wait here, please.” Leks stood and quickly walked around behind the mirror. He nodded to Trillian.
    Trillian slid into the seat and leaned forward. “Chase Johnson? You know Camille D’Artigo?”
    Chase blinked, looking confused. “Yeah, who are you? What do you want?”
    “Never mind that. Camille will know who I am if you tell her what I look like. Meanwhile, I have a message for her, and I’ll twist your balls off if she doesn’t get it.”
    The man named Chase stiffened, his eyes narrowing. He cleared his throat.