THE SUN OR THE MOON
by
Cheryl Peugh
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Anala paused on the threshold and studied the room before her with a narrowed gaze. Shelves of folded fabric
lined the walls. The cloth merchant, Doban, had already shown her the moth damage on several skeins of wool.
She considered. The Right-Hand Path spells were those of revelation, of truth, of guidance. Since she wanted to
know how the moths managed to get into the room, Sun magic seemed appropriate.
Picturing the spell she wanted in her mind, and what she needed it to accomplish, Anala built the power between
the fingers of each hand as if she shaped an invisible sphere. The image of the sun on her forehead flared to
brilliant life. She tossed the sphere into the air, and the spell unraveled and covered the room like a net.
"What's she doing?" Doban asked, restless.
"You asked us to find what brings the moths into your goods. She searches," Enera said.
"I'm paying good money for results, Sunmaster."
"And you'll get them, Merchant Doban. Please be patient."
Anala blocked out the intrusive voices and concentrated on what the spell told her.
A deep sparkle in one corner of the room caught her eye. She let her spell unwind and reveal the secret of the
moths in the cloth goods.
Excerpt of "The Sun or the Moon" in Prism Quarterly
