Chapter Three: The Name on the Silver Bell

At 5:33, a ship's horn sounded across the dry riverbed. Fog divided before an invisible prow. A row of illuminated portholes moved two meters above the ground, as if a vessel sailed through air. Behind them, passengers in evening dress faced the town. Not one blinked. Gold letters emerged on the hull: EURYDICE. The river ship they had left three hours earlier was grounded sixty kilometers away. “Back to the hotel,” Jonas said. “Don't look.” Lin blocked him. “You know what it is.” “The emergency manual mentions mirages.” “Do Rhine mirages alter passenger lists?” Jonas turned away. Amara seized his briefcase. Its clasp broke, spilling documents. Beneath the schedules lay nine Low-Water Alternative Transport Consents.