Dindi
It wasn't the shark.
It was a Blue fae—a kelpie.
The glowing sea-horse creature, colored pale blue-green like aquamarine, didn't leave the river, but swam close to the shore. The blue-cloaked Tavaedi dancers waded into the water. One of them held out a thread of glowing Blue magic and tied it gently to the front of Dindi's canoe.
"Is… is the fae here?" one of the warriors asked. His voice shook, even though he was a big, scarred man with fierce tattoos.
He couldn't see the fae. Most people couldn't see the magic glow of Blue, or the fae that created it.
"The fae will take the boat to the Shark's home," said the leading Tavaedi. His voice was low and hollow, like someone speaking from inside a grave.
The dancers turned and silently walked back through the clanhold gates, vanishing behind the wooden wall.
The kelpie gave a tug on the magic cord.
The canoe lurched forward.
Suddenly, the warrior stepped up and grabbed Dindi's arm.
And slashed it with a knife.
"Aya!" she screamed.
Blood splashed into the water.
The warrior smiled cruelly. "That'll bring the shark, I bet."
The kelpie pulled harder now, dragging the canoe into the deeper part of the river. Dindi's blood dripped behind her in a thin red trail.
The water rushed beneath the boat. The kelpie didn't fight the current, but swam in a steady line, heading somewhere. It was clear the fae had a destination in mind. Cold mist lay over the river, thick as fog. Dindi couldn't see more than the length of the canoe in front of her.
It was barely past dawn. The air stung with cold.
Dindi tried to wriggle free of the rawhide ties that held her in place. Her wrists were stretched out painfully over the edge of the canoe. Her legs were trapped under a fishing net.
She could feel the familiar weight of her corncob doll at her throat.
It had powers.
If she could just touch it… call upon it…
But she couldn't get her hands loose.
And the more she fought the ropes, the more her gashed arm bled. Her head began to spin.
She stopped struggling. That wasn't going to work.
Think, Dindi. Try something else.
"Hey, Kelpie!" she shouted.
The glowing blue creature turned its long seahorse head toward her in surprise.
"Yes, I see you," Dindi said. "Please, take me back to shore! I'll… I'll give you fish!"
The kelpie snorted.
Then it turned away and swam onward.
"I'll dance for you!" she tried. Fae liked dancing—often, it worked!
But this one didn't care. The kelpie ignored her.
The fog thickened.
Suddenly, a shadow sliced through the mist ahead. Long. Sharp. Moving fast through the water.
Dindi's heart pounded. The shark…!
But as the shape drew closer, she saw it wasn't the shark.
It was another canoe.
There was someone in it—a young woman, paddling alone.
Had the clan sent two sacrifices?
No… this new girl wasn't tied up. She had a paddle and she was steering herself.
She came toward Dindi on purpose.