Destiny

“If I told people that my mother was the Queen of Winter, they’d probably lock me up. And if I told them that I can do magic, they’d run away screaming. Or laugh, which is more likely. It’s not like I grew up in a palace or something. On the contrary, I grew up in a lacklustre semi-detached on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. Nowadays, most people have never even heard of Beira, the Winter Queen. I’m not quite sure if I should feel offended about that on my mother’s behalf. In the olden days, everyone knew her. She was known as the Mother of Gods and Goddesses, the Veiled One, the Cailleach, and, not very flatteringly, the old hag with one eye. You can probably guess which version my mother prefers.” Excerpt From Daggers & Destiny Skye MacKinnon This material may be protected by copyright.“Despite the legends, she certainly doesn’t look like an old hag. Sure, she is old – and I mean, really old, even I don’t know her age – but she is as beautiful as you can imagine. Unfortunately, I didn’t get those genes from her. I’m ordinary looking, nothing special. Dark hair, brown eyes and a few extra pounds around my hips that make me curse my jeans in the morning. I guess it makes it easier to blend in though. It’s hard enough to hide my magic, so it’s good that I don’t have to hide unnatural beauty as well. Thinking positive, that’s me. My mum and dad are the only ones who know about my origins. They’re not my real parents, of course, but they are a lot more paternal than my birth mother ever was. I’ve seen her exactly four times in my life. Five, if you count the moment I was born. I get two letters each year; one for my birthday, one for winter solstice. She doesn’t celebrate Christmas – Jesus and all that came long after she started her rule. I have 41 letters in my top drawer, every single one of them crumpled and stained[…]” Excerpt From Daggers & Destiny Skye MacKinnon This material may be protected by copyright.