The crows of Watched Over are born in Guided. Here they receive their powers of foresight. They gaze and drink from pools black as their eyes. Flocks rise over the city at dawn and dusk.
On occasion, a thief from another land will try to capture a Guided Crow to steal its luck. They sometimes pose as visitors and attempt to bag the crow before their arrival, but the crows usually evade them and always fly home.
They are devoted to Watched Over and loyal.
Rarely a guided crow chooses to accompany a denizen of another land.
Sometimes the crows issue commandments: They tell the denizens of Watched Over which crops to grow, when to build or abandon cities (due to imminent floods or earthquakes), how many children to have, and when to travel to other lands or welcome travelers to theirs.
All abide the rule of crows.
Why it springs to mind: You'll never look at an ice cube the same way again. Where read: In the 2014 Hugo award-winning Lightspeed Magazine , August. Length: 5,194 words Summary: A woman has an ice cube for a soul. Memorable: How the story invites us to think about the shape of our soul, how it (or our perception of it) influences us and how it changes. What ordinary every day object would your soul be? A silver spoon, a beech stick? A great party conversation starter, this. Quote: “All life is an experiment." Notable: The protagonist Rina is an avid reader (always a good choice). Pairs well with: T.S. Elliot, Edna St. Vincent Millay Origin: The story was written in 24 hours based on a writing prompt. (See Author Spotlight: Ken Liu ) About the author: Ken Liu’s debut novel, The Grace of Kings , the first in a fantasy series The Dandelion Dynasty, is due out from Saga Press ( a new Simon & Schuster imprint ) in 2015.
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