The Painted Skin and the Final Stroke
ShortStory 5,130 words Recommended by 3 award/anthology sources
"The sun sets again over Chang’an. The remaining light of dusk shines through thick clouds like melted gold, flowing down over the glazed tiles of the palace roofs. The first drumbeat of the evening rings out from the Cheng Tian Gate, followed by a series of drums from the bell towers along the north-south streets, echoing through the entire city."
Content warnings 1
death
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.