Benjamin Rosenbaum's "A Siege of Cranes": A witches tale, or a terrorists' one

I have only myself to blame for picking it up - knowing full well it was a World Fantasy Award 2007 nominee. That is generally not my genre.

It's a well told story. Literally about a bad witch, her exploits, & some good magical creatures who help Marish, the human hero. I have no idea what author had in mind when writing it, but I could also read it as a terrorist story. Neither of which is quite my kind.

Full text of this story can be downloaded here.

Fact sheet.
A Siege of Cranes, short story, review
First published: "Twenty Epics", edited by David Moles and Susan Marie Groppi. 2006.
Rating: C
World Fantasy Award 2007 nominee in Short Fiction category