Snow for Flowers

Becca has lived all her life underground, kept safe from the brutal war on the surface by the magic of the stone men and the mysterious woman who dreams in her crystal coffin. When the woman dreams that Becca must travel topside, she has no choice but to go. Her mission: pluck one special little boy from the jaws of death and bring him back with her. If she finds the boy in time ― if they survive the journey ― the fate that awaits him may be worse than death. Originally published in Chiaroscuro. Leslie Claire Walker's short fiction has appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Chiaroscuro, Electric Velocipede, GUD Magazine, and DAW Books anthologies.