Between a Cup of Time & Tea

Soji Lovell is autistic, methodical, and quietly certain she knows the right thing to do. She says she is crossing the continent of Aurelia's ancient, basalt-strewn ruins with her service dog, Sky, to scatter her father's ashes.She is lying to everyone, including herself.The fire that killed her father left her wife, Carmi, unable to walk, and Soji is certain the fault was hers. When a doctor in the capital city of Elaris writes with a possible treatment, the ashes become cover for the real errand: setting everything back the way it was.But Aurelia is full of things that refuse to stay buried. Floating towns celebrating their dead, ancient machines still humming beneath ruined cities, and travelers carrying griefs of their own. The farther Soji walks, and the more she comes to understand herself and the world around her, the harder it becomes to ignore what she's been running from.Will she find a way to put the past right, or has she become trapped in it?For readers who love quiet, character-driven fantasy, ancient ruins, queer and disabled protagonists, and stories about grief, healing, and the strange things we leave behind.