A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping

by Sangu Mandanna

“After the resurrection spell,” she said, “when Albert exiled me, he gave me this big speech about how he was still the powerful descendant of an old and distinguished magical family, whereas I was nothing but a swan who had clipped her own wings.”

She extended the chain away from her neck, as far as it would go, so he could see the pendant properly. It was hard to tell unless you looked very closely, but there was a hairline fracture down one wing where someone had broken the swan and mended it again.

“It’s silly, but it was the thing I needed at exactly the moment I needed it. When I put it on, it felt like I was saying fuck you, I can still fly.”