Cards of Heart

Amalia lives in a small fantasy town and has not been the same since her best friend died. The Shadows that followed the loss are persistent and literal — a real presence in her life, not a metaphor. A wisp named Ljos appears and gives her the ability to pull cards of light from ordinary daily experiences and use them as tools. The cards are what she has to work with when she confronts the Shadows. The grief is what she is working through at the same time. Both require attention, and neither waits for the other.