Page 99 of Stubborn as a Shadow

“Show me the moment of my birth.”

The mist swirled around me. Sucking in a deep breath, I mentally prepared myself to see a woman pushing me out of her body and into the world. I would have preferred that the first image of my mother be something else, but this was the last connection I’d had with her. I’d chosen the moment carefully, knowing that the magic of creating a new life would be a powerful anchor for the crystal.

Slowly, the stone showed me a wooded area. I knew I’d been born around the first day of spring. Uncle Fraser always said that moment held great significance as the moment when night and day were equal, when the world celebrated being reborn into a new season of growth and warmth. And although the vision didn’t have a voice or something as mundane as a calendar, I knew this was the exact moment of the vernal equinox.

Snow coated the ground, just as Uncle Fraser had described. Light filtered through the bare branches of the trees. Where was my mother? I held my breath and tried not to blink. I didn’t want to miss a single second of what was to come.

A shimmering form appeared in the small clearing. They hadn’t come from any particular direction. From one moment to the next, they were just there. They glowed with magic. Ethereal. More light than substance.

The longer the being stood there, the clearer they became until they took on the shape of a woman. A halo of every color under the rainbow undulated around her, outlining her shape.

My pulse quickened.

I longed to rush over to her. To bask in her glow. But I didn’t. This wasn’t actually happening. It was just a memory.

That’s when I saw she wasn’t alone. She cradled a small bundle of light to her chest. Slowly the glowing bundle changed, and white light turned to flesh. Small arms and legs waved in protest. A cry ripped through the quiet of the forest.

It was a baby.

It was me.

I looked around frantically. If I was already there, where was my mother? The glowing being knelt on the ground.

“Hush, my child,” she whispered as she pressed a kiss to the baby’s—my—forehead. Then she set me on the ground amid the snow and the pine needles. “You will bring such joy to this world. You’ll see.”

I heard a noise. Someone was coming. The woman must have heard it too, because she faded, merging with the forest until none of her light remained. She just left the baby—left me…

A new figure entered the clearing. My breath caught.

“Uncle Fraser…” I choked back a sob. He looked so young. I missed him so much, and seeing him here, in front of me, hurt my heart. I wanted to talk to him. Warn him about what would happen. Beg him to be careful. But all I could do was watch.

I’d heard him tell this tale so many times. I knew what happened next. But I couldn’t look away.

He immediately saw the baby and rushed to it. He picked up the baby and wrapped it—me—in his jacket. He looked around frantically, knowing that someone had to have left me there. Knowing they couldn’t be far.

But the lady of light didn’t reveal herself.

Uncle Fraser’s magic flared to life in the quiet woods as he searched for my mother. But he couldn’t find any trace of the person who’d abandoned me. Now I knew why. It didn’t takehim long to give up trying to find my parents. It was cold, and his primary concern quickly became making sure I was safe.

As soon as he left, the glowing woman stepped into the clearing again. She turned and looked directly at me. The real me in the present day. She shouldn’t have known I was there. The crystal was supposed to be merely a tool to access the past. It wasn’t supposed to let you interact with the past too.

But the lady glided toward me, as if she knew exactly where I was standing. I stood, frozen, as she reached up and cradled my face in her hands.

“Morgan.” Her mouth didn’t move, but I could hear her words in my head. “My sweet child.”

“Who are you?” Because she wasn’t a unicorn.

She smiled and brushed a kiss to my forehead, much like she’d kissed the baby a moment ago. And with that bare touch, something unlocked inside me, and I knew. Because this felt so much like when the Eternal Magic had blessed my union with Nelson. No wonder Willow Lake felt like home. By all accounts, the Eternal Magic had a special relationship with this place and these people.

“The Eternal Magic…” I whispered.

She smiled indulgently. “You could call me Mother.”

“Mother.” My voice broke over the simple word. “My mother?”

“Yes, child. You are mine. My gift to myself, in a way. A renewal of magic in the world.”

“You aren’t a unicorn.”