Dark Minds (Class 5 Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

probably been wild when the Tecran had taken him, but he was incredibly intelligent, and it had been at first amusing, and then comforting, to have his company.
    He could whistle a mean tune by the end.
    She had begged the Tecran to let him come with her when they'd taken her from her cage and put her on the runner, but Baq had laughed in her face at the idea.
    Now, she was glad. She didn't think he would have survived the Krik attack.
    Something caught her eye, and she turned to see the numbers and equations that had replaced the outside view of the ship some time ago had been replaced again by live feed. They were approaching a massive structure that looked like a World War Two naval mine, round and spiky.
    The tension that gripped Toloco and some of his team ratcheted up another few notches.
    She would have liked to simply enjoy their fear and discomfort, but she had a sinking feeling that whatever made these violent maniacs scared was something truly terrifying.
    And they were taking her to it.
    The screen went black as they got in close and then she saw a faint glow of pale blue wall. They headed straight for it at a slow, easy pace and then hit it head on.
    Imogen braced, clamping her jaw to stop from crying out.
    There was a slight hum and a minuscule shudder ran through the ship. The engines switched off, and there was a sudden silence.
    Toloco stood and looked across at her.
    “What was that?” she asked him, trying to keep her voice steady.
    “What was what?” He frowned.
    “That blue wall we went through.”
    “The gel wall?” He cocked his head, as if trying to work out if she was being serious.
    She had the feeling she'd done the equivalent of pointing to a car and asking what it was.
    Toloco looked at her more carefully. “I thought you were some funny kind of Grih, but you're not, are you?”
    Funny kind of Grih?
    She didn't know if agreeing would be better for her or worse, so she said nothing.
    The ramp had opened while they were talking, and Toloco took a breath. “Time to go.” He hesitated for a moment, as if he was going to ask her something, but then he took hold of her shoulder and propelled her toward the open door.
    They had landed inside a massive space that was at least partly a loading bay. To her left was the blue wall, the gel wall, Toloco called it, and a small ship, a tenth of the size of the Krik vessel she'd arrived on, came through it while she watched.
    She guessed it must be a barrier to keep the ship's air in and still let vessels in and out without having the bother of an air lock system.
    Toloco had been talking in low tones to another Krik who'd been waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp but she realized they were quiet now, and she turned from the gel wall to find them both staring at her.
    “You will go with Gau.” Toloco waved a hand at his companion.
    Gau shook his head and then said something sharp to Toloco. He pointed up at a lens attached to the wall, and then at Imogen's face.
    Toloco hunched his shoulders, then straightened up. Answered back, just as sharply.
    Gau shrugged, then looked at her. “Come.” He spoke Grih, not Tecran, and she wondered at the switch.
    He walked a few steps, turned and jerked his head impatiently.
    Imogen took a last look at Toloco, but he refused to meet her gaze.
    The Krik pirate thought he would be in trouble for hurting her, that was obvious, and now she had the sense he was setting something up to try and get out of it.
    As she followed Gau out of the launch bay, she hoped whatever Toloco had decided to do to save his ass wasn't going to hurt as much as it had the first time.

Chapter 5
    T he Vanad and his friends were trouble.
    Every instinct Cam had honed over years as an investigator hummed as he eyed the mercenary and his crew.
    Massive, like all of his kind, and dressed in what looked like high tech camouflage, the Vanad leaned against the wall of the holding area, almost invisible within the shadows, and watched the