The morning sun streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of our newly rebuilt suite, casting long, golden rectangles across the polished hardwood floors. The air smells of fresh timber, crushed pine, and the faint, sweet scent of blooming jasmine from the courtyard below. It is the smell of a new beginning.
I stand in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, staring at my reflection.
For three years, I have looked at this face and seen the Anchor. I saw the silver light in my eyes, the faint, golden aura clinging to my skin, the physical manifestation of the earth’s magic flowing through my veins. I saw a goddess of the ley-lines, a cosmic warrior, a being of pure, unadulterated power.
Today, I just see a woman.
There are dark circles beneath my eyes, the lingering sha
