Page 3 of Shadows of Perl

“Maybe.” He walks faster, reshouldering his bag, and I hustle to keep up. When he finally stops, he pulls a silver vial out of his coat pocket.

“You’re going to use your toushana to sun track the location of the Sphere.”

I blink. “What?”

“Sun tracking is the most demanding way to use your magic. Your binding to toushana gives you a unique relationship with the Sphere.”

“So I’m not destroying anything?”

Something shades his expression. “Yes and no. Let me demonstrate.”

He takes the vial and spills a tiny hill of glowing yellow dust into his hand.

“Sun Dust. Ground from ancient sun stones, the source of magic itself. Watch.” His mouth hardens and his complexion flushes, but before I can ask if he’s okay, shadows ribbon through the air and spool in his free hand. I don’t blink, watching as he draws toushana from outside his body to himself. He tosses up the fistful of Dust, and a hazy cloud forms in the air around us, obscuring everything. I blink to clear my vision, but it doesn’t help. Octos’s eyes roll in their sockets. When he opens them, his pupils are small as pinpoints. I gasp.

The toushana in his grip suddenly dissolves and the cloud of dust around us vanishes. He grunts, exasperated.

“The few times I’ve been successful at it took me many tries.”

“So you’ve sun tracked the Sphere before?”

His throat bobs. “There’s no greater test of your handle on dark magic. You will be able to do it much easier if your grasp of toushana is strong enough.”

“It’s strong enough.”

“Suspend. Count. Flare. Cloak. Say it.”

I do, and he checks the journal where he was taking notes earlier before handing me the vial. “Sunrise was four minutes ago. It’ll crest these trees shortly. When it does, start. Say it again.”

“Suspend. Count. Flare. Cloak.”

“You’ll have one chance. If you miss the flare, it could be weeks before we spot another.”

I tighten my fist on the vial.

“When the Sun Dust suspends in the air, pull on your toushana until it feels like cold needles are pushing behind your eyes. When you open them, your toushana will tear through the haze of Dust to allow you to look directly at the sun. Count every spot you see.” He glances at his journal again. “High number of sunspots these last several days indicate a flare is imminent. When you see a burst of light, it means the Sphere is on the move. Cloak immediately and command your magic to take you to wherever the light goes.” He clamps a hand on my shoulder and stands with his feet shoulder-width apart.

“Then what?”

“Then we will gaze on the majesty of the Sphere with our own eyes.”

My heart knocks into my ribs. “Then I’ve mastered my toushana?”

“Mastered is a strong word. I’d say you’ve mastered not hurting yourself.”

“Good enough. How many minutes?”

He points at a cluster of maple trees in warm oranges and bright yellows, tinged by the shifting season. An ember of sunlight glows behind their branches. “Any moment now.”

I pour a hill of Dust into my clammy palm and ready my magic. Threads of cold pulse through me. There isn’t even a whisper of the warmth of the magic my grandmother used to anoint me. Toushana is the only magic I have now.

Toushana is who I am now.

Sunlight winks between the trees against the soft blue sky. I roll the fine grains of Dust in my hand and toss them up. They hang in the air. Cold scrapes through me, wrapping around my heart. The sharp chill claws its way up my chest, rib by rib. Pressure builds in my throat, then releases in a ripple as an icy feeling wraps around my head. Icicles prick behind my eyes. I open them and the world is black

“That’s it.” Octos’s grip on me tightens.

A piercing dot of light appears, my toushana tearing through the darkness. One spot at first, then a rush of several.