The Blunt Reaper

The naked woman appeared unaware of their presence.

Golden hair trailed behind her as she glided through the lantern light. Her turquoise eyes remained fixed upon something in the fog. She passed close enough for Mara to see the faint movement of her ribs and the subtle parting of her lips.

Then the woman bent forward and dove.

Her shoulders vanished first, followed by the graceful curve of her back. Her hips lifted above the water as the rest of her body descended. Mara expected to see legs follow.

Instead, a long tail rose from beneath the surface.

Its shape was vaguely fishlike, though far too narrow and several times longer than the human body preceding it. Faded turquoise scales covered the upper portion before gradually darkening into the same old red as the sea. Near the end, several thin fins opened like strips of torn silk.

Recognition came before caution.

"A Mer..."

Rook's hand slammed across Mara's mouth.

His palm sealed her lips before she could finish the word. His fingers caught against her cheek, pulling her back against the side of his coat as his other hand tightened around the scythe.

The creature erupted from the water.

Its tail had not yet finished slipping beneath the surface when the upper body tore free again. Water rose around it in a violet sheet, hanging for an instant before collapsing back into the Tide.

For a fraction of a second, the beautiful woman remained.

Golden hair whipped around her shoulders. Pale skin glistened beneath the lantern, and wide turquoise eyes searched the darkness with an expression of startled innocence.

Then the illusion came apart.

The flawless skin split along her throat, shoulders and jaw. It peeled backward in long strips, revealing overlapping scales beneath it. Golden hair withdrew into the skull as though every strand had been hooked from within and pulled through the flesh.

Her delicate face widened.

Bones shifted with a succession of wet cracks. The jaw detached, opened and continued spreading until the soft mouth became an enormous circular opening surrounded by contracting flesh. Rings of thin teeth pushed outward from its throat. Each layer unfolded behind the last, their hooked points turning toward the center.

The turquoise eyes disappeared beneath the scales.

New eyes forced their way through the face at irregular points. Large, lidless fish eyes opened along the forehead, cheeks and jaw. Some stared forward. Others rolled toward either side. Two appeared near the base of the mouth, moving independently as they searched the fog.

Long thorns tore through the creature's spine. They extended from the rear of the skull to the portion of its body still hidden below the water. Each was curved like a fishing hook and wet with a dark fluid too thick to be seawater.

Its once-graceful arms lengthened until the fingers dragged across the surface. Webbing stretched between them, thin enough for the lantern light to reveal veins running through it. The nails split and grew into hooked claws.

The creature turned toward the sound Mara had made.

Rook did not move.

His hand remained clamped across her mouth. The strength behind it made her jaw ache, but she did not attempt to pull away. The scythe waited above the water, its blade positioned beneath the place where the creature's throat would pass if it lunged.

The ferryman held his pole completely still.

Even the boat seemed to stop creaking.

The creature's many eyes searched from left to right. Its circular mouth opened wider, revealing more teeth moving within its throat. The inner rings rotated slowly in opposite directions, scraping against one another with a faint sound like knives being sharpened beneath water.

The blue lantern illuminated every part of it.

Its gaze passed directly over the boat.

One of the eyes looked at Mara. It remained fixed upon her face for several seconds, clear enough that she could see her own reflection in its dark pupil.

There was no recognition within it.

The creature could hear them, but the boat, the lantern and everyone sitting beneath its light remained absent from its sight.

It leaned closer to the place where Mara had spoken.

Rook's grip tightened.

The creature inhaled.

Air and mist rushed into its mouth. The pull dragged loose strands of Mara's hair toward it and made the lantern flame bend inside its glass enclosure. The creature remained there, tasting the air with whatever senses the powder and blue light had failed to deceive.

Something far beneath the boat shifted.

The hull rose slightly.

The creature froze.

Every eye turned toward the water beneath it.

Whatever moved below passed on, leaving another slow swell behind.

The mermaid-like Abomination shuddered. Its scales rippled from throat to tail, and the monstrous features began folding back into its body. Thorns sank beneath pale skin. Fish eyes closed one after another, leaving faint wet seams that disappeared moments later. The circular mouth contracted, its rings of teeth retreating into the throat until soft human lips remained.

Golden hair spilled from the skull again.

Within moments, the beautiful woman floated upon the Red Tide as if the creature had never existed.

She lingered where Mara had spoken. Her turquoise eyes searched the fog with an expression that now seemed more wounded than curious, as though someone had called to her and cruelly refused to answer.

Then she turned and swam away.

Her golden hair spread across the purple water behind her. The pale body gradually sank, leaving only the upper curve of her back visible. Her tail broke the surface once in the distance before disappearing into the red depths.

Rook kept his hand over Mara's mouth.

The ferryman did not resume pushing.

All three waited as the ripples faded.

Far away, the woman rose again. Only her head appeared this time, a pale shape watching the place where she had heard Mara's voice.

Then the fog gathered around her.

When it cleared, she was gone.

The ferryman finally lowered his pole into the water.

Rook removed his hand from Mara's face, though the scythe remained ready across his lap.

Mara did not complain about how hard he had grabbed her. She stared at the empty stretch of purple sea, unable to forget the eye that had looked directly at her without seeing anything.

"What was that?" she whispered.

The ferryman turned slowly.

Mara realized her mistake and stopped breathing.

Nothing rose from the water.

After several seconds, the old man pushed the boat forward again.

Rook leaned closer, lowering his voice until it barely carried beyond her ear.

"Still want to call this a trip?"

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