A crystal hovered above the center of the lake. It was enormous. Long and narrow, tapering toward both ends, with irregular facets.
It didn't touch the water.
It simply floated there.
Light radiated from somewhere deep within it.
White at its center. More transparent toward its edges. The light soft enough that Mirabelle could look directly at it, yet powerful enough to illuminate the entire clearing.
Its glow touched the surrounding trunks.
Caught in droplets of water.
Turned the mist between the trees silver.
And beneath it, the lake reflected the crystal so perfectly that it looked as though there were two of them. One suspended above the water. One descending endlessly beneath it.
Like a moon hanging in a place where sunlight had never been meant to reach.
Mirabelle stood between the ferns, unable to move. Inside her, the black current seemed suddenly vast.
She didn't need Pebbles to tell her.
She didn't need a system notification.
She knew.
