The Miraculous Account of Khaja Bairaq, Pennant-Saint of Zabel
ShortStory 5,419 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
"The narrators of histories and tellers of tales relate that, in the God-guarded town of Qalati Zabel, there was once a holy woman with a mind to rebel. Her name was Bibi Siti, and she had come to Zabel from her native country to the west. Some believe she was a descendant of the beloved Prophet; others, the daughter of a fallen Persian king."
Content warnings 2
deathviolence
Quasar links out; the story lives on Strange Horizons, where the author gets the click.