River witch
The Mirror Maw
The sea was glass.
Not metaphorically—literally.
A flat, flawless pane stretching into infinity, reflecting the sky with terrifying precision. The clouds above and below moved in perfect unison. No ripples. No wind. Just silence and symmetry.
Sefina whispered from the stern of the boat, “We’re here.”
The Mirror Maw.
The fifth tide.
Jonas leaned over the side, staring down into the reflection. “It’s not water.”
Maya joined him. Beneath their boat, their reflections stared up—not delayed, not distorted, but wrong. Maya’s mirrored self didn’t blink when she did. It smiled when she didn’t. Its eyes were darker.