What the Mountain Takes, What the Journey Offers
Novelette 12,041 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"When my lover gets the Burning, I prepare to go to the Binding Place, where the mountain meets the sea. Even in her delirium, she smells the offering meal cooking and sees my half-full pack. She begs me not to go. It’s a journey lovers and pilgrims take—to exchange vows or to petition Mother."
Quasar links out; the story lives on BCS, where the author gets the click.