The Frozen Moon: Book Two of The Living Curse series + BONUS Full Version of Book Three! Read Free Page B

happened.”
    “To put it bluntly, you just got knighted,” he said.  “They gave both of us a mark of the tah, which I don’t think has ever been done before – given to a human, I mean.  We can’t actually bear the mark, because you can’t bear any other mark along with the Shask, so she gave us…whatever she gave us.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the token. 
                  It was a pendant of sorts, crafted from the finest white-silver she had ever seen.  All at once, the symbol was delicate and powerful: made of sweeping lines and sharp corners blended together.  When she saw it, she couldn’t read it the way she could read the Warlock’s book; it was an ancient faerie language, she guessed. 
                  She pulled her own token from the pocket of her belt.  It was cool, as if it had been left in the snow and had only just been picked up again, though it had rested close to her skin for some time.  The similarities between the two symbols was clear; they were both made of the same sweeping lines and corners, but hers seemed familiar, as though she had created the symbol herself or seen it in a dream.  It seemed to call to her, as if it desperately wanted to tell her the message it cocooned within the metal, but she could not quite understand.  She strung her talisman around her neck, instantly feeling that it had become a part of her.  She watched Max do the same, fumbling with the intricate fastener.  He looked up to see her watching him with an amused smile.  He returned her smile embarrassedly, and for just a moment, she saw a glimmer of the Max she had seen earlier that night.
                  “So, what are you?” she asked as a sudden thought.
                  “What am I?  Well, that’s kind of broad.  Let’s see, 5”11’, blond hair, blue eyes, Protestant…shall I continue?”
              “Hmm, Protestant; didn’t see that coming.  I meant, what’s your talent?  You said I was a Listener, what are you?”
                  “See, that’s more specific.  I’m what they call a Senser, that basically means I can feel magic more exactly than other Markbearers.  I can sense exactly how many Children of the Spark are in Central Park right now, for instance, or how many humans will be waiting for us when we return to the Academy.  I can also sense how much magic is in the marks the Queen gave us: a hell of a lot if you were wondering.  It’s hidden magic, though, most people won’t be able to sense it.  Unfortunately, we can’t use it until we figure out what they mean; or, that’s how normal marks of the tah work.”
                  “Apparently, you’re not a very good Senser,” she said playfully.
                  “Why do you say that?” he asked almost defensively.
                  “Because, I tailed you for over a half an hour, and you couldn’t shake me, or determine who or what I was.”
                  “Sensing is not that exact.”  He looked at her with a convincing glance. 
    “Why didn’t I know immediately that I was a Listener?”
    “Most people take a while to figure out what they are; it usually presents itself in some situation of need.  For example, Talar and I found out we were Sensers when we were on a training run.  We were supposed to go out and find a nest of hobgoblins in some subway station.  We wandered for a while, not realizing that they take well to hiding, if we hadn’t been able to sense them behind us, we may have been ripped to pieces.” 
    “I wonder what Mira is, then.” she mused.  “I wonder if Wyd would be a Senser too, if he weren’t a warlock.”
    “You certainly do a lot of wondering, don’t you?”
    “I am a curious person, I suppose.”
    “She’ll find out on her own someday, Mira I mean.  Come on,” he said quickly, “let’s go.  Dawn’s coming and the