Anathema - The Song of Eloh Saga, Book 2 by Megg Jensen Read Free Book Online Page A

I asked. “Did their masters know about their
gifts?”
    “No. I don’t even think Tania and Jon knew
until they were rescued. That’s when they were told.”
    “They were rescued and then found out about
their gifts?”
    “According to Tania, no one knows what their
gift is until they’ve discovered it for themselves. Other gifted
can see the spark, but not the specific gift. That’s all up to the
individual.”
    Ivy paused after jumping over a fallen tree.
She turned to look at me.
    “Tania saw the spark in me once in the
market. It’s why she chose to rescue me. And she looked nothing
then like what she actually looks. I think she was probably afraid
that if I didn’t want to be rescued I might turn her in. Disguise
is a great gift to have.”
    “What’s your gift?” I asked. Part of me
thought I should already know having spent years with Ivy, but I
didn’t have a clue.
    “I’m a soother. I can help anyone who is
stressed or worried to feel better. I’ve known it for years. I just
never knew it was a magical gift or that I could manipulate it.”
Ivy smiled and I knew it was true. She had calmed me down more than
once, especially at night when everything, not just light, seemed
darkest.
    “Thanks for begging them to rescue me,” I
said. “Without your friendship I’d still be stuck there with a
fresh fox brand on my neck.”
    Ivy rubbed her neck. Still slightly swollen,
her month-old brand was a painful reminder of what she had done for
me.
    “That’s true. Had Tania not gone in to get
you, no one would know how powerful you are.” Ivy said.
    “Huh?”
    “Your spark. It shines so brightly that
anyone who can see it is blinded,” Ivy said, putting her hand on my
arm. “You have gifts far beyond me.”
    I stopped walking and stared at Ivy. Gifts?
I had no idea what she was talking about.
    “Me?” I laughed. “There’s nothing special
about me, much less having a gift.”
    “How did Tania act the first time she saw
you?” Ivy asked.
    “I was in the dungeon and she was suddenly
outside my cell door. I didn’t hear anyone approach. Somehow she
got the guard to sleep and then she whispered to me through the
door. She told me to run when I had the chance.”
    I shuddered, remembering those few miserable
hours.
    “Is that all?” Ivy prompted. “Think hard.
How did she react when she saw you?”
    I thought for a moment, remembering how
Tania had frozen in place before giving the orders. She had stopped
and stared at me, as if she had been startled by what she saw.
    “She did seem a bit taken aback,” I said. “I
just assumed it was the situation, not me.”
    “It definitely was you,” Ivy said. “Now that
I know how to see the spark, I can’t believe all of those years we
were together and I never noticed it before. I guess it’s all about
looking in the right way.”
    “Can you show me?” I asked. “If I’m special
too, I ought to know how to recognize others like us.”
    Ivy pulled me down on to a huge tree trunk.
The rain had let up a while ago and while the trunk was damp, it
had absorbed most of the fallen water. The green moss tickled my
fingers as I settled myself.
    “Stare into my eyes,” Ivy said cupping my
chin in her hand.
    I squinted, looking at her eyes, not seeing
anything different than the blue that was always there.
    “You see the pupil? The black part in the
middle?” Ivy asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Look directly into the center, do you see
anything there?”
    I focused on the center of Ivy’s eyes. They
were black and reflective. For a moment I saw myself, a girl I
barely recognized with a dark wig, but as my eyes unfocused, I
gasped. A light emanated from deep inside, twinkling lightly. So
lightly in fact that had I never been told where to look, I
wouldn’t have seen it.
    “I see it!” I squealed. “So I have that in
my eyes too?”
Ivy laughed. “Yes, you do. I’ve looked into Tania and Jon’s eyes
and I saw it in theirs. But yours, Reychel, the spark