Alison shook her head. “At the rate you and Dad are going, you’ll be shoving me out of an airplane and telling me to just sense when to pull the cord on my parachute.”
“Don’t give me any ideas.”
“Have you jumped out of a plane?”
“A few times. It’s a handy thing to get used to.”
Alison laughed.
Shay wandered over to a tire-running obstacle. “I’m wondering if you can cheat a little bit in the meantime. Before you get the artifact.”
“Cheat?” Alison tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“Echolocation.”
“Like a dolphin?” The teen’s face scrunched in confusion.
“Yeah. It’s something I’ve read about. Some blind humans do it, too. They can click their tongue and listen to the subtle sound differences. They use that to get a pretty good image in their heads of their environment. I saw a guy who could even differentiate different types of trees by the wood texture.” Shay pointed at Alison. “The problem is you’re just not blind enough.”
“Not blind enough?” Alison laughed. “What do you mean? You were just talking about getting an artifact to help me see, and now you’re saying I’m not blind enough? How blind do I need to be?”
Shay kicked one of the tires, enjoying the pushback against her boot. “I’m saying that because you’ve always had your soul sight and can see auras or soul energy or whatever you want to call it, you haven’t had to develop the kind of skills that you would have if you were completely blind. Stuff like that echolocation. You’re already able to fool most people as it is.”
“Okay, I guess I can understand that.” Alison shrugged. “So, what…you want me to start clicking my tongue or something? Become a human dolphin?”
The tomb raider shook her head. “No. I’ve got a better idea, but it was inspired by that idea. If you use a small amount of magic, it’ll leave a light residue for a while, right?”
Alison nodded. “Depends on the magic, but yeah. What about it?”
“There’s your echolocation or magolocation. Just send a small pulse of magic out, not all that directed. It doesn’t have to be powerful or last long, just long enough that you can make out things for at least a second. Sure, it’s gonna mean anyone else who can sense magic can track you, but if you’re wandering around a mall or in the middle of a fight to the death, that’s not gonna be a huge concern. This is just about giving you a new situational awareness tool.”
The girl grinned. “Oh, I get it. I’ve spent so many years without realizing I could do magic that I never even thought about something like that.” She shrugged. “No one suggested it at the school either, though I guess it wouldn’t matter. It took me a while before I could see magic and not just soul and life energy.”
Shay tapped her forehead. “Sometimes you just need a different perspective. I’m not a witch, so I don’t think like one. The technique isn’t a total substitute for being able to see your environment, but at least it would be a nice thing to develop. Another tool in your kit.”
She wandered away from the obstacle to a table containing wooden swords. “You can see living things easily enough, which means you can fight somewhat, but a big part of fighting in the real world is using the environment, so we need to work on that. Try something now—a magolocation pulse. I’d give you advice, but it’s not like I know shit about using magic other than artifacts.”
Alison nodded and took a deep breath, then held her hands to her sides palms-out and half-closed her eyes. A translucent lavender pulse blasted from her palms and passed through the room, fading as it moved.
Shay tensed but didn’t feel anything as the light passed over her.
Sometimes I let myself forget that she’s not just some teen, but she’s a Drow princess. Someday she might even be more powerful than James.
“I think…” Alison sighed. “Okay, let me try again.” She gritted her teeth and another pulse shot from her hands. “Okay. Not as easy as I’d hoped, but I can tell that you’re standing by a table with some sticks on it.”
“Wooden swords, but good job.” Shay furrowed her brow. “Is there any way you can do that without making the light?”
Alison shrugged. “Maybe. I’ll have to work on it.”
“Guess it’s not a big deal if you do it somewhere that’s brightly lit. Most people probably won’t even notice.”
“If you say so.”
“Can you still see the magic on the table?”
Alison frowned. “Yes, but it’s fading really quickly. If I hadn’t looked at the table before, I wouldn’t be able to make out what it is, and if I use more magic so the residue lasts longer, it’ll drain me pretty quick. Sending the big unfocused pulse is harder than I thought it’d be.”
Shay smiled. “Doesn’t matter. All in all, still a good start. Like I said, not a replacement for the artifact, but good in a pinch, and something to work on. I think it’s more reliable than you trying to develop echolocation.”
The girl raised her hands again and sent out another magical probe.
Shay picked up a sword and tossed it toward Alison, and the girl snatched it out of the air with ease. Not quite Lily, but damned impressive for someone who was blind.
“Good reflexes, kid.” Shay picked up a wooden sword from the table. “We’re not gonna go all-out in the fighting. Today I just wanted to see if you can use that trick to move around the room better. James’ fancy tactical room has at least helped teach you the importance of cover in a fight, so we’ll work on just being aware of where you are for now.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
The tomb raider held up the sword. “Can you see my sword?”
“No, but I can see your soul energy, and I can tell you’re
