Ravena sat on the shore of the Glass River shelling a golden lobster, listening to the relaxing noises of river, breeze, and Maple munching grass behind her. The rest of her trappings stayed fresh and alive in her bag, which floated in the river, tethered to the tree she learned against. The strap creaked gently under the weight of the bag. Today, she’d caught eleven lobsters, her biggest catch yet. Most days she cooked the first one she caught, but on days like this, where she had more traps to empty and had yet to haul anything to the market, she wolfed one down raw between retrievals. She was just extracting the last of the succulent flesh out of the shell with her teeth when she heard a low melody float on the breeze from downriver. Just as the song reached her ears she saw a small boat, bow overlaid in gold, sailing up against the current towards her.
She froze. Why had she never stopped to consider what would happen if she were caught? No one at the market had said anything out loud, but the looks exchanged with her as people passed her little stand in the street were wide-eyed, and the rare transaction she’d made was silent and rushed. After her last sale, her purchaser had pressed a newspaper into her hands as he’d hurried away into the shadows. The headline filled her with guilt. It was all there in bold, black letters—the golden lobster population had reached an all-time low, and the Queen was certainly not known for her leniency with those who broke rules. Even the mercenaries that had ravaged the Glass City and the White Forest had known better than to come near the Queen’s lobsters.
How could she be so stupid? Here she was, eating a royally-cherished creature on the shores of the sacred Glass River. Of course selling golden lobsters was wrong. Of course she would be caught! She tossed the shell into the undergrowth and, hand-over-hand, began to pull up her bag of live lobsters. The boat drew nearer, the melody louder. She could see a dark head and strong arms on the oars. Did she have time to escape? Should she just cut the bag free and come back for it later? An idea struck her. She threw her shoes into the grass, untied Maple’s lead, and shooed the mare off into the dense forest. She loosed her bag from its strap, and, slipping into the river, let its weight lower her to the bottom. She rooted herself in the river grasses and waited.
Light streamed through the gently moving waters as Ravena waited out the approaching rowboat. The oars dipped towards her, silhouetting themselves against the sunbeams and disrupting the still waters around the boat. As the boat passed, she pressed herself closer to the river’s edge, accidentally releasing some air from her lungs. The bubbles raced upward and the oars immediately ceased moving as they broke the surface. Oh no, keep moving, don’t look… The shadow of the man slipped low across the water. The dark head leaned over the surface and, through the rippling water, two frowning, golden eyes met her wide green ones. The silhouette disappeared and before Ravena knew what to do, large hands jabbed an oar directly into her ribcage. A cough burst from her lungs in an explosion of pain. She couldn’t stay submerged any longer. She surfaced, sputtering and double-barrel kicked the boat with both legs, sending it crashing into the shore. The man flew out of the boat and hit the ground hard. She clambered out of the river, bag wrapped in her arms, and stood over him.
“Are you out of your mind?” She yelled, wiping water out of her eyes. “What is wrong with you?” A swift kick to his ribs punctuated her frustration.
Something flashed in his eyes—pain, but maybe a hint of amusement?
The man was unnervingly calm and calculated in his movements. He picked himself up, and glaring at her, sauntered over to the great white tree and kicked something out from under the brush. Golden lobster shells skittered across the grass. “Poaching the Queen’s lobsters,” he crossed his arms. “I should’ve known. I’ll bet that bag you’re gripping holds more of the same.”
The bag hung slightly open, contents glimmering dimly. Ravena’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything wrong.” She clutched her bag to her chest, heart rate rising.
The man dipped his head in a permissive nod, and began to walk a tight circle around her. “Let’s say that’s true. Maybe you’re the only person in the entire Kingdom of Glass that doesn’t know that these golden lobsters are property of the Queen. Maybe you really don’t know that poaching them means imprisonment. And yet,” he snatched the bag away from her, “you hid from me even though you think you didn’t do anything wrong at all.”
Ravena released a sound of frustration that unintentionally mimicked a trumpet exactly. “Like you’re in any position to judge me,” Ravena snapped, eyeing his bedraggled appearance. “Give it to me!” She grabbed for her bag.
The man with the golden eyes caught her wrist, and that’s when she noticed the golden chain hanging around his neck. It bore the symbol of the Glass Crown. Her feistiness flattened into dread.
“You work for the Queen…”
“Yep. Beastmaster to Her Royal Highness. Which means these belong to me.” He swung the lobsters over his shoulder. “And I’m keeping the bag, too.” He strode past her.
“You can’t do this to me! How under the moon do you expect me to survive now?” She wailed, close behind.
“Not my problem.” He tossed the bag into the boat and threw one leg over the side, then turned, face riddled with curiosity. “Where did you even find these?”
“Wouldn’t Her Royal Highness’s beastmaster know where to find her special golden lobsters?” She hissed.
“The name’s Thal. And I wouldn’t be so smug if I were you. I have every right to arrest you right now.” He took a step away from the boat towards her, and a surprising warmth rose within her at his closeness. “But,” he smiled broadly, “I’m willing to offer you a deal, because I’m just that kind and generous. You catch the lobsters, and I’ll give you a gold coin for each full trap.”
“A gold coin? A single gold coin. Do you know how much I was making selling those?”
He smiled. “You really want to tell me?” He produced a pair of slightly rusted handcuffs. He had her there.
“What are you going to do with them?”
“Return them to where they belong, of course. The Queen has a water garden at the palace where they can repopulate and not be caught and sold illegally by pretty poachers named…”
“Ravena. Windwalker.” She spat her own name through gritted teeth.
“…named Ravena Windwalker.” His eyes brimmed with boyish charm.
“Fine, Thal,” his name dripped from her saccharine smile, “I’ll catch your precious lobsters. Come back at the end of the day and I’ll have them all waiting for you.”
“Oh yeah, sure, I’ll just leave you here. I trust you entirely. What do you take me for?” He pointed to the river. “We start now.”
She stood, unmoving.
“Fine,” he said. “We can play it that way. Don’t say I didn’t try to help you.” The handcuffs snapped open as he grabbed her wrists.
“Okay, fine,” she snarled. “I’ll do it.” She shoved him off and headed for the water. She could almost feel his cocky smile bore through the back of her head as she jumped back in the water. She turned to face him before entering the lagoon, eyes narrowed. “I don’t like you.”
“Just get to work.”
And, without any other choice, she did.
River of Glass is a lighthearted fantasy novelette about lies, loyalty, and the price of redemption, with a slow-burn romance beneath the current. This is a tonal departure from my usual work, written just for fun, and it will be shared here in eleven installments.
Chapter Three coming on January 20th, 2026.
© Sophie Alexander, 2026. All rights reserved. Do not repost without permission.
