Chapter 17: The Drowned Bride

The bride came while Mei was pouring Liulang's cup. It was the first watch of the twelfth, and Mei saw the red first, moving down the north landing through the dark, bright inside the ferry lamp's circle, like a wedding lantern walking underwater. Liulang let go of the boat and sank. His cup stayed behind, rocking beside the hull. "Half fare," Mei called. Habit was quicker than good sense. "Unless you're not crossing." The bride stopped on the bottom step. Water streamed from her red silk jacket and gathered around her slippers. Her veil hung crooked from a headdress of dripping gold beads. She lifted it. She was about seventeen, and wedding paint ran down her round face, pulling the red dots on her cheeks into streaks, and beneath the small bow painted over her mouth, her own lips trembled. Then she saw Fish in the bow and backed up…