In the sky behind, a group of children Calli's age swooped and dove in unison, followed by one of the tower's magisters. Calli heard scraps of song. A lesson about wind shifts. The students' wings cut patches of bright color in the deep blue air. Calli knew each span and spar, even from this distance. She'd tested them all.

Moogh decided, with regret, that he would have to temporarily abandon his trek due west and instead walk alongside this water for a bit until either he outlasted or outpaced whatever curse made it seem to go on forever. He declared its true name to be the Tricksy River, and decided if he ever found the trickster responsible for it he might justifiably commit some minor violence upon their person.

Fran Wilde discusses her new story in BCS #183, "Bent the Wing, Dark the Cloud," her previous BCS story “The Topaz Marquise," and her brand new novel Updraft, set in the same world as "Bent the Wing, Dark the Cloud"; writing epic fantasy at short fiction and novel lengths, the qualities of secondary-world settings, and more.