Her community is broken, dying, and there's nothing Magret can do about it. And as if all that weren't enough, Magret then discovers that with her birthday drawing near, she alone must make a decision: she must choose between her mother's tribe and her father's--both of whom were exiled the same day she was born.
Accompanied by an elder from the community she grew up in, she travels miles north to meet with the leader of the Kalt tribe, and discovers that sometimes the simplest choice is not the right choice.
This short story is set parallel to The Polylocus Problem.
Ariele Sieling is a Pennsylvania-based writer who enjoys books, cats, and trees. Her first love, however, is science fiction and she has three series in the genre: post-apocalyptic monsters in Land of Szornyek; soft science fiction series, The Sagittan Chronicles; and scifi fairytale retellings in Rove City. She has also had numerous short stories published in a variety of anthologies and magazines and is the author of children's books series Rutherford the Unicorn Sheep.
She lives with her spouse, enormous Great Pyrenees dog, and two cats.
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Visit www.arielesieling.com for more information.