Crow Brides (V)

Though she did not have the hard beak of a full-fledged crow bride the hatchling bride wore the same stifling mask as the others. It smelled of death and mildew; the stink only worsened by humid breath condensing on the inside like the beads of sweat dotting her brow. The masks themselves were ugly things:…

The Crow Brides (IV)

The girl was the crow king’s now. She should not have any memory of human things. And yet, she did. The sky flowers had sparked something. Fireworks meant something. As Sumi watched the fireworks rocket and bloom again and again a spindle of red light stretched from the ground like a thin rope reaching out…

The Crow Brides (III)

Crow brides did not dream. Their sleep was an empty void. Sumi woke each morning feeling the same as when she’d fallen asleep. She wondered if crow brides truly slept at all and if it made a difference. At least while she slept Sumi wasn’t weighed down by the lives that had sustained hers for…