The figure began rowing down the canals, the oar dipping into the water that looked black in the night. Ferris seemed quiet, keeping his head slightly bowed and not making eye contact with the figure. After a while, a humming seemed to emit from the figure, but it was cold and lilting, and made Fleur's bones shake. "Stop that," Ferris said flatly. "Stop it."
The figure might have laughed. The noises emanating from it were hard to decipher. "I mean it, Priya," he said sharply. "Stop." He turned to look at Fleur. "Cover your ears, okay?"
The sound was muffled, which seemed to diminish the effects considerably. The town disappeared behind them, the twinkling lights fading as the moved downstream. No other boats flowed here; the water underneath them was dark and foreboding.
As time wore on, they approached another town. This one was far different from the one they had come from, though. This one was on the edge of the ocean. The canal flowed through this town too, but there were no lights that greeted them, no rose petals or champagne. The town smelled of earth and rushing water. The town was dark. The town was silent. The boat thudded into a dock and Ferris stood up, offering a hand to Fleur to help her out.
Ferris got out of the boat as well, but the figure reached out a gloved hand and tugged on the corner of his shirt. "Name?" Ferris turned and sighed, speaking quickly and quietly. "Grover Wilde. Lives on Merchant Street." The figure bowed her head before pushing off, heading back the way they came, not struggling to move upstream as she glided back into the darkness.
He was frowning as well, his brow furrowed. "Don't worry about it. Come on. Let's go find a place for the night."
"Oh, well, sure there is," he replied. "Every town has an inn. But it costs money. Do you have the money to spend on an inn?"
