"An Acolyte of Black Spires" by Ryan Harvey

First appeared in WotF 27

In a world where society requires masks, not signs of pleasure, Sorrow is a mysterious and oppressive power that governs its inhabitants.  Quarl is given a new helper to help his research.  However, his researcher pushes the boundaries of what is permissible.  She eventually reveals herself to be not whom she pretended to be--at the worst possible moment.  A moving work inspiring people to look outside their culture for possibilities of life.

My minor qualm, which I tend to have of stories of this nature, is the mouthful of words.  While I recognize works like this are intended to invoke another world/culture, words should be a little easier to trip off the tongue in the language they are written.