Chapter 8:08 Black Swan

Theo looks down at his reflection in the metallic current of the River of Tears. The water rips with heavy rapids. A grand, flowing sea. It looked so small on the map, he remembers. It's so much larger in real life.

Mr. Bear holds the black flame, illuminating the raft as they row toward the foggy silhouette of mountains in the distance.

They found the raft near the Chasm of Bones. Oliver didn't want to go this way but he said it was less dangerous than the alternative.

The giant, hungry octopus splashes nearby.

The river runs through a vast desert. Barren wastelands stretch in both directions. The area was once called the Plains of Beauty— where the King planted fields of the Kixi flower as far as the eyes could see. A dazzle of zebras gallop in the distance, kicking up dust.

In the middle of the river is a small forested island: Miserable Island. Populated by monstrous creatures, Oliver says. Psychopomps, pirates and night terrors.

As they pass the island, the water gets shallow and the rapids intensify. A black swan dips its head in the river and shakes the silver mercury from its back.

Nearby, the soft voice of a woman sings a haunting melody.

"Who's that?" Theo asks.

Just ahead, the octopus's tentacles rise from the water, spiraling in the air, lurching toward them. Theo stumbles with his paddle and rears back to fight it off.

An underwater wake rockets past them and charges straight at the creature. The octopus disappears underwater and races away.

The underwater wake circles back toward them and they hold on to each other but when it gets close, a woman's head pops out of the water: a mermaid with silver eyes and hair bleached from the toxic river.

She whips her hair back and it splashes mercury on the boat.

"Hey! Watch it!" Oliver says.

"Oops, I'm sorry." she laughs, combing her hair back with her fingers.

"Thanks for scaring it away." Theo says.

"My pleasure! He knows not to mess with me." she smiles.

"I'm Theo. This is Maise, Oliver and Mr. Bear."

"Oh, Mr. Bear, I like that name."

Mr. Bear blushes.

"Theo is cute too. I'm Varina."

Theo smiles.

"I'm surprised to see anyone out here. No one's come this way in a long time."

"We're just passing through." Oliver says.

"Theo you remind me of someone. Come closer. I want to see you."

Oliver interjects, "Sorry, Varina, but we really have to go. Thank you for your help."

"Are you sure you don't want to take a break? You can come to my island and rest."

"What's it like there?" Theo asks.

"No, thank you." Oliver says. "We really have to be somewhere."

"I know it's just— it's so lonely out here." Varina says.

"We can stay for a minute." Theo tells Oliver.

"Paddle, Theo." Oliver instructs.

"Please don't go! I'm scared!" she says.

"Scared of what?" Theo asks.

"Everything. I'll die if you leave me here."

"We have to help her." Theo says.

"That way, Theo." Oliver points.

"No fun!" Varina shouts as she splashes mercury on the boat.

"Don't!!" Oliver yells.

She swims back a bit, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it's just— I get excited when I meet new people. Please stay?" She twirls her hair in her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Varina." Theo says. "I think we really do have to go."

They drift away from her.

"I'm so alone." she says as they float to deeper water where the rapids calm, the river flat and still. Varina sinks underwater and bubbles rise to the surface.

"She was nice." Theo says.

"Yea." Oliver replies.

They draw closer to the Platooning Cave where the river meets the mountain and flows down inside it— deep underground to the old buried castle.

Eerily silent. In the distance they hear the somber melody of a lute.