Rites of the Starling

About “Rites of the Starling”

Set in the five kingdoms of Calandra, which face destruction as a looming event called the crux migration approaches, the story follows a young woman separated from the man she loves in the aftermath of a devastating attack. Hunted by monsters, driven to exhaustion, and kidnapped by a powerful priest, she keeps going for the sake of a little girl she has vowed to protect as the next Guardian. Pressured by everyone to be a queen, a spy, or a sacrifice, she confronts her own fear and strength and weighs whether embracing her crown and the secrets she uncovers might save her realm and the man she loves.