“I did. But it was time to follow my call. To find you.”
“You were old enough to leave?” I realized I had no idea how old Gloam was.
“I was. We tend to be solitary unless we’re mating and raising our young.”
“Do you want babies?”
Gloam made a soft chuffing noise, which I’d learned he did when he was amused at my line of questioning.
“We don’t think like that. If we find a mate, and the time is right, we’ll have kits. But it’s not a … yearning. Not in the way that humans think of it.”
“Is your whole family magickal? Or is it just you?” It had never occurred to me that there could be a whole line of magickal foxes just wandering around helping wayward witches and healers in need. But once the idea had sunk its claws into my brain, I couldn’t help but think of some magickal academy for training familiars to meet with their witches.
“My father was as well. Not all of us. It’s a choice.”
“Ah, so thereisan academy. Do you go to school for this?”
At that, Gloam rolled over on his back, letting out high-pitched yipping noises, his little body shaking with it.
“You’re laughing at me.”
“That’s because you think funny.”Gloam rolled back over and slanted me a look, smiling slyly at me.“It’s magick,Faelan of the flowers. Like you are. You’re either connected or not connected.”
His words echoed a sentiment my mother had often discussed. She’d likened our power to source energy, a river of sorts, and one could just cup their hands and drink from it if they chose to do so. I’d never not known magick, and it wasn’t a conscious thought anymore when or how I used my power. It just was.
“My mum often said the same.”
“She’s crossed over?”
“Aye.”
“Where were you before this? Why did I have so much trouble finding you?”
“You were looking for me?” I straightened, surprised at the thought that Gloam had known about me before I’d even arrived. “Did you plan to get hurt? Was that your way into meeting me?”
Another soft chuffing, and Gloam shifted, leaning into my thigh.
“No, I’d never intentionally hurt myself. An unlucky coincidence. But, aye, lass. I’ve been seeking you out for a while now. I’d catch your scent, but then you’d be gone.”
“I moved a lot.” I took another swig from my water bottle, my eyes going to where the late afternoon light filtered through the branches of the trees. The breeze picked up, rustling the leaves, bringing with it the soft scent of dirt and moss. Earthy smells. I took a deep inhale, feeling myself connecting to the energy that flowed beneath the ground here, and tension eased from my neck and shoulders. “Turns out, people aren’t super friendly when they think you’re a witch.”
“You are a witch.”
“I am. As was my mother. And her mother. And all the women before us. Healers by heart, magickal by nature.”
“Not everyone accepts that.”
“No.” I chuckled, threading my hand through the soft fur at Gloam’s neck. “That’s the truth of it, isn’t it?”
“Was it bad for you?”Gloam angled his head, and I deepened my scratches behind his ear.
“Single mum, child in tow. Questionable activities. Unexplained situations.” I closed my eyes, remembering my childhood’s instability. Hard stares in the supermarket. Mothers tugging their children away from us. Our magick was both a gift and a curse, and though it had made me a resilient child, it had also made me a lonely one. “I made do. The best I could really. It’s all past now, anyway. Water under the bridge.”
Gloam jerked under my hand and, startled from my reverie, my eyes sprung open.
Holy hell … was I dreaming?
A unicorn ducked its head out from between the trunks of two massive trees, faintly glowing in the murky light of the forest, its eyes an incredible opalescence.
