Free Divided: The Alliance Series Book Four by Emma L. Adams Page B

chance to find her. I can do magic, but she was always a million times better at it than me.” His eyes glittered.
    Jeth sighed. “The Chameleons are charging at Central. There are two left, under lock and key at the moment.”
    “There were three,” I said.
    “Yeah, I gave one to someone who wanted to have a look at it. Ms Weston.”
    Great. What did my boss want with the Chameleon? She distrusted most offworld tech, and camouflage tech was tricky at best, blowing up even if you knew what you were doing. I’d surmised that was why no one in the Alliance had made them until Ada’s family had come along.
    “Okay. Aside from those, I can also amplify the tracker,” I said. “That means I can up the effect and follow the trace wherever it leads. I can use it to locate Ada, but I’ll need to be able to open a doorway. I tried it before and the trace had just vanished. I don’t think she’s in a world linked to the Passages.”
    Jeth’s eyes widened. “Is that even possible?”
    “God knows,” I said. “Maybe I can only track places directly behind the doorways. It’s not exactly practical to search every inch of the Passages, especially with Cethrax’s monsters using it as a stomping-ground—not to mention those kimaros. Magic-creatures,” I added in explanation. “They’re like living magical energy. Veyak, the living god on Vey-Xanetha, was like a supercharged version.”
    “That’s what took my daughter?” asked Nell.
    I shook my head. “No. Something worse. Whatever they are, they’re powerful enough to control a sentient magic force and Cethrax. But my supervisor told me the council won’t listen. Vey-Xanetha has caused enough trouble already.”
    “They won’t search for her,” said Nell, in a low, cold voice. “They abandoned her.”
    “They’re putting out a search warrant,” I said ineffectually. “I know it’s not enough. They don’t have the resources we do.”
    I hadn’t known how completely I’d been sliding away from the Alliance’s rules. Before, I couldn’t to afford to second-guess the system, not when it had been all I’d had. But now Ada had gone, I’d turn my back on the Alliance to save her.
    “I’m going after her,” said Alber, his jaw set. “No matter what.”
    “It’ll be dangerous,” I said. “Even if I get hold of a working world-key, we’d have to shortcut through Cethrax. You can fight?”
    “We can all fight,” said Jeth. “But if she has a communicator, I can send out a message across the Multiverse. I can write it in a code we made up when we were kids so only she’ll understand. She’d have to be within range, but I can keep doing it while you work on your plan—the thing is, the Alliance communication signals only go so far.” He looked directly at me. “We need a source.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    KAY
     
    If ever anything proved the break of my faith in Central, it was sneaking into the storerooms, invisible, to raid their supplies of dangerous offworld substances.
    It was early evening when I left the Fletcher family’s house. Alber wanted to come with me, and only his older brother’s warnings kept him at home. Jeth and I both had plausible alibis for being at Central, though mine was precarious at best.
    The problem, of course, was they’d reinforced the back windows after Ada had broken in to steal bloodrock, so long ago. But I didn’t have to worry about a time-limit on invisibility. Once I had a Chameleon, I was set. Except I needed to get hold of one in the first place. Two were in the tech department, locked up and charging after the batteries had been drained… and the third was in Office Fifteen. To be precise, in Ms Weston’s office.
    Thanks, universe. I walked casually towards Central. I’d left my Ambassador’s jacket at my apartment, switching to my regular guard coat. Less conspicuous if anyone saw me from a distance. There were few people around Central at