Short Fiction Wednesday

I'm choosing Samantha Henderson's "Deutoroi" this week as the one that grabbed me most. I've enjoyed some of her stories (and poetry) in the past, and this one didn't disappoint. It's the story of a magical connection between a line of women and the hunt, where the woman must lose her sanity to lead the hunt for the White Stag (the Deutoroi of the title), thereby granting kingship on whoever kills the Stag. Merea, the current Thessa or woman of that line, is a strong character, the details of the cultural/magical bond/antagonism rich, and the result of Merea finally accepting her role a satisfying one.

This story is from Abyss & Apex. I often forget to check A&A for new stories when it comes out (because of its quarterly schedule, as opposed to the monthly, biweekly and weekly schedules of the main ezines I read regularly), but it's always nice to stumble on the discovery of a new issue when I happen to take a look at their website.

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