Devil's Bridge

About
Devil's Bridge is a short story written by Frances Hardinge. It is published in Fearsome Magics, the second New Solaris Book of Fantasy, edited by Jonathan Strahan.

Synopsis
Petra is a special young girl because of a deal an ancestor made with the Devil. As a result, Petra can form bridges, literal portals to anywhere she wanted...for a price that has to be paid every trip.

When a mysterious man shows up and forces Petra to form a bridge for him, she isn't surprised--he obviously isn't the first one to do so. However, as events escalate, Petra will learn that because of her involvement, other innocent lives may be forced to pay and lose more than they deserve.

Would she be able to magically conjure up a solution to her predicament, just as she had done so many times for other 'customers'? Even then, having lost so much in her life, would she have anything left ready to sacrifice for the toll she must ultimately pay to form such a solution?

Characters

 * Petra/Pet
 * Lauren
 * Carlton
 * TV presenter
 * Petra's uncle
 * Petra's mother
 * Petra's father
 * Old woman
 * The Devil