Read Online Black Moon Sing (The Turquoise Path Book 1) by L. M. Hawke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: L. M. Hawke
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made no move to take the necklace from her hand.
“Go on,” Ellery needled. “Show us how badass you are. We’re dying to behold your versatility.”
“I didn’t say I’d studied other kinds of magic,” Bran muttered.
“How convenient.”
Ellery returned the coyote token to her neck, clenching her fists to suppress a visible shudder of relief. Dusty had been her longest and most loyal animal spirit; she hated to remove the coyote-tooth token, even for a moment. But occasionally, she just couldn’t resist poking at Bran. It was too easy and satisfying to put him in his place.
Sylvia gave a long-suffering sigh, then said, “I don’t know whether Bran is right or not, but I don’t see any reason why he has to be wrong, either. It has always been common knowledge that Paras can’t learn foreign magic. But maybe no one was ever going about it in the right way. And if anything might provide a clear path to shifting—a way for a non-trader to learn a trader’s magic—it’s turquoise. Especially very old turquoise that has witnessed countless shifts.”
“See?” Bran drew himself up, coming out of his habitual slouch.
This time Ellery saw no point in hiding her contempt for Bran’s perpetually shitty attitude. “ Ugh ,” she said.
Bran shot back, “Whatever.”
With that brilliant retort, he stalked out of the kitchen. A moment later the front door opened and shut.
River offered a tiny smile. “The little black storm cloud has blown away.”
“Not a moment too soon,” Ellery said. “Sylvia, why are you still with that jerk? You could do so much better.”
“I can handle his moodiness,” Sylvia replied with a shrug. “Besides, you know the Para dating pool isn’t exactly overflowing with bachelors. And there’s no way I’d try my luck with a Typ. It would never work out.”
I’d rather be single for a thousand years than put up with Bran , Ellery thought. But she kept it to herself. They were all tense today, on edge with worry over Vivi’s disappearance. The last thing they needed was to bicker among themselves.
“So,” Ellery said, “we might be dealing with somebody who has figured out how to tap into traders’ magic. Somebody who now has animal tokens for shifting and a turquoise road map that shows them exactly how to do it.”
“If they’re smart enough to read the map,” Sylvia added.
Ellery stared at each of her friends in turn. After a long silence, she said, “Well… shit.”
“I know,” River said. “I know.”
He looked just as pale as Sylvia, and Ellery wasn’t feeling too sunny at that moment, either. The very idea of meddling with somebody else’s magic made her sick, as if the world was spinning around her and wracking her with vertigo.
“I still don’t know how anybody might hope to read a map to shifting,” Ellery said. “But it’s clear that this person is willing to kill to get what he wants.”
Sylvia nodded briskly. “Until we figure out who’s behind these murders, I think it’s safe to assume that Vivi and every other trader in the area is in serious danger.”
Ellery sighed. “I think you’re right.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
E llery parted ways with her friends outside Sylvia’s house. The afternoon was growing old; soon evening would arrive. But the most intense heat of the day still beat back at them, rebounding from the sidewalk, the street, even from the surfaces of cars parked along the road.
“We’ll meet back here in one hour,” Sylvia reminded them. “If you find Vivi before that time, or any hint about where she might be, send a text.”
“Got it,” River said.
Ellery walked south along Izabel Street, headed for the tiny, one-bedroom cottage Vivi rented. As she followed the route, her eyes scanned the sidewalk and the pink-brown rock gardens of every house she passed, searching for the smallest clue to her friend’s whereabouts. But the whole time, that eerie summoning sensation grew stronger and more
“Go on,” Ellery needled. “Show us how badass you are. We’re dying to behold your versatility.”
“I didn’t say I’d studied other kinds of magic,” Bran muttered.
“How convenient.”
Ellery returned the coyote token to her neck, clenching her fists to suppress a visible shudder of relief. Dusty had been her longest and most loyal animal spirit; she hated to remove the coyote-tooth token, even for a moment. But occasionally, she just couldn’t resist poking at Bran. It was too easy and satisfying to put him in his place.
Sylvia gave a long-suffering sigh, then said, “I don’t know whether Bran is right or not, but I don’t see any reason why he has to be wrong, either. It has always been common knowledge that Paras can’t learn foreign magic. But maybe no one was ever going about it in the right way. And if anything might provide a clear path to shifting—a way for a non-trader to learn a trader’s magic—it’s turquoise. Especially very old turquoise that has witnessed countless shifts.”
“See?” Bran drew himself up, coming out of his habitual slouch.
This time Ellery saw no point in hiding her contempt for Bran’s perpetually shitty attitude. “ Ugh ,” she said.
Bran shot back, “Whatever.”
With that brilliant retort, he stalked out of the kitchen. A moment later the front door opened and shut.
River offered a tiny smile. “The little black storm cloud has blown away.”
“Not a moment too soon,” Ellery said. “Sylvia, why are you still with that jerk? You could do so much better.”
“I can handle his moodiness,” Sylvia replied with a shrug. “Besides, you know the Para dating pool isn’t exactly overflowing with bachelors. And there’s no way I’d try my luck with a Typ. It would never work out.”
I’d rather be single for a thousand years than put up with Bran , Ellery thought. But she kept it to herself. They were all tense today, on edge with worry over Vivi’s disappearance. The last thing they needed was to bicker among themselves.
“So,” Ellery said, “we might be dealing with somebody who has figured out how to tap into traders’ magic. Somebody who now has animal tokens for shifting and a turquoise road map that shows them exactly how to do it.”
“If they’re smart enough to read the map,” Sylvia added.
Ellery stared at each of her friends in turn. After a long silence, she said, “Well… shit.”
“I know,” River said. “I know.”
He looked just as pale as Sylvia, and Ellery wasn’t feeling too sunny at that moment, either. The very idea of meddling with somebody else’s magic made her sick, as if the world was spinning around her and wracking her with vertigo.
“I still don’t know how anybody might hope to read a map to shifting,” Ellery said. “But it’s clear that this person is willing to kill to get what he wants.”
Sylvia nodded briskly. “Until we figure out who’s behind these murders, I think it’s safe to assume that Vivi and every other trader in the area is in serious danger.”
Ellery sighed. “I think you’re right.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
E llery parted ways with her friends outside Sylvia’s house. The afternoon was growing old; soon evening would arrive. But the most intense heat of the day still beat back at them, rebounding from the sidewalk, the street, even from the surfaces of cars parked along the road.
“We’ll meet back here in one hour,” Sylvia reminded them. “If you find Vivi before that time, or any hint about where she might be, send a text.”
“Got it,” River said.
Ellery walked south along Izabel Street, headed for the tiny, one-bedroom cottage Vivi rented. As she followed the route, her eyes scanned the sidewalk and the pink-brown rock gardens of every house she passed, searching for the smallest clue to her friend’s whereabouts. But the whole time, that eerie summoning sensation grew stronger and more
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