Pyros: DarkWorld: Skinwalker 0.5 (Novella) (DarkWorld: Origins Book 1) by T.G. Ayer Read Free Book Online

shakes and he shimmied down the rope. Jess descended beside him and again he wondered what she was doing with him.
    Jacinta Carnarvon was not your average paranormal agent, and everyone knew it even though Gunther had been keen to keep her identity under wraps. But that would mean Gunther took them all for fools. Which they certainly were not. One look at the her and you knew you were looking at a woman with innate power, not just your average mage.
    One thing he did know was she read his mind. He was trying to learn to control his thoughts, to place his own wards around his mind. If she could read his thoughts surely she'd have the power to direct his actions. But, i n the few weeks since she'd been assigned to their squad she hadn't once tried to use her powers to control him.
    "That is because I am not here to control you, Logan Westin," Jess yelled at him as their feet touched the ground. He stiffened and narrowed his gaze at her. He hated when she read his thoughts. "You are projecting your thoughts to me. I simply hear you."
    Logan gritted his jaw and checked that the other two agents were clear of the ropes. The Black Hawk's powerful blades sent dust and dirt flying, pushing against the surrounding brush, as if an invisible hand swiped them away. Logan peered up and raised his hand, drawing a circle above his head with his forefingers. The pilot got the message and the bird rose into the sky, circled the clearing once and flew off, the sound of its engine fading as it disappeared from sight.
    Saleem emerged from the bushes in front of Logan, and the team converged on Logan. He glanced at the buried building, noting the smoke rising from between darkened openings, noting that the temple had been buil t backing into a gigantic rock, counting the visible exits.
    "Let's get moving, go slow. Jess, can you sense anything?"
    Jess gave him a grim look. "The way is clear. But be careful. The energies are negative."
    Logan nodded. Jess was always stingy with words. He motioned for the team to move out and glanced over at Sandi as she hurried toward the mouth of the cave-like temple. Sandile Dube's mag yk gave her control over the movement of things. She'd come to them from a Zulu tribe in Southern Africa, the strength of her power something Omega could not ignore. Now she trained eyes darker than pitch at the temple, moving sure-footed and graceful until she hunched beside a fallen column which had once flanked the low-roofed entrance.
    The steady beat of a drum drifted toward them from the depths of the cave, and Logan pointed forward. He slipped into the temple as the team advanced behind him. They moved silently through a wide room, well lit by sunlight streaming through the pillared entrances along one end of the room. He ran forward lightly, avoiding the broken flagstones where roots and weeds pushed through and shattered the stone flooring. The room faded into shadows and the drumbeats grew louder.
    Five wide stone steps led down to the main area of worship and Logan squinted through the smoke at the far end of the room. A stone altar lay at the center of the cave, directly beneath an opening in the stone roof. Clear sky could be seen through the opening. Four men stood to one side, concentration and smoke twisting their features. They were mere boys, acolytes of this newly born warlock. Mik sank down beside Logan as they reached the point just before the end of the shadows.
    Two men stood guard at the foot of the altar, their backs to Logan and his team. These men too were unhealthily thin, their faded, tattered trousers hanging loosely on their hips.
    The altar was occupied – a young boy, the bones of his ribs protruding from his emaciated frame – lay supine and anesthetized with shock. He was likely one of the many missing youths from the nearby village. The child let out a moan of shock. He pushed himself up on his elbows, his arms shivering with the effort. He stared at his chest with wide horrified eyes. Bright