The Teeth in the Tide by Rebecca F. Kenney

Author:Rebecca F. Kenney [Kenney, Rebecca F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Midnight Tide Publishing
Published: 2021-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

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Kestra

Kestra gritted her teeth every time she moved her hand nearer to the monster’s mouth. He took each bite greedily but savored it before swallowing, his eyelids drooping with pleasure. She watched his mouth moving as he chewed, and tried not to think of similarly pointed teeth chewing morsels of her father’s flesh, or ripping Jazadri’s brother apart. How could Jazadri have conversed so casually with the thing? He was well-spoken, yes—his crisp enunciation and low tones could be mesmerizing—but he was still a monster of the depths. She must not forget that savage reality.

“His tastebuds are very receptive to human fare,” she said, stepping away and placing the empty bowl on the table the men had brought out.

Mai nodded. “Though their tongues seem tougher than ours. Probably so they don’t cut themselves with their own teeth.” She stepped over to the creature and pried his lip aside with her thumb, exposing several sharp, serrated triangles.

Kestra gasped, and Flay darted forward. “Don’t!”

“It’s all right,” Mai said. “He didn’t bite Kestra, and he seems docile enough. Aren’t you? Your name’s Rake, isn’t it?”

The ache in the creature’s eyes, the resigned familiarity with being handled and prodded, made Kestra uneasy.

“Yes, my name is Rake,” he answered, and Kestra cringed as those pointed teeth clicked shut so near her cousin’s fingers.

“Open your mouth please, Rake,” said Mai, all business. “And stick out your tongue.”

He obeyed, and Mai inspected it. “His tongue is pinker than the other one’s, and softer. Hers was purple, with ridges. Still, I’d have to touch his tongue to see if—”

“Don’t,” said Flay again. “You might trigger his taste for human flesh.”

Mai narrowed her eyes, unhappy at being forbidden. To distract her, Kestra snatched up the strange belt from the table. “Mai, do you have any idea how this thing works?”

Her cousin rose, eagerly collecting the belt. “It seems to corroborate a theory I have. How animals, humans, insects, mermaids—all living things—develop their unique physical traits.”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe in something I call the ‘inner codex.’ A guide that tells each living thing how to build itself. It’s the invisible set of instructions that makes a human different from a hedge-weasel, or a chicken from a sea-hawk. Even if two entities are of the same type, variations of the inner codex mean variations in the result—aspects like hair color, height, gender—”

“We understand,” said Flay calmly. “Your point?”

“Imagine if you were able to rewrite a being’s inner codex. Make it build itself—or rearrange itself—into something new.”

Kestra’s mind raced with the possibility. She liked this sensation, the way new information opened up new pathways. Was this what Mai found so exciting about her work?

“But how could you control the result?” she said. “If you’re altering the inner codex, how could you prevent the original creature from breaking down, beyond repair?”

“I have no idea,” said Mai, clasping her hands. “But someone figured out how to do it. It’s insane, and brilliant.” She peered at Rake’s belt. “If I could take this apart, I might be able to discover how it works.

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