The Water Rituals

Chapter 1

MONTE DOBRA

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Today I went back to the pool, Father.

My godmother forbade me to look for you. It was the only rule I could break that would really hurt her. We both knew what Bluebeard would do if he knew someone was sniffing around.

I was horrified to read the headline in El Periódico Cántabro today. Horrified.

Twenty-Three-Year-Old Woman Found Dead on Monte Dobra Summit

The Mysterious Suicides of Young People Continue

The body of G. T., aged 23, from Santander, has been discovered on the summit of Monte Dobra. She is the third young person who has been found dead on a mountain along the Cantabrian coast. According to the police, all three died from hypothermia, after they removed their clothing and spent the night in the open. None of the bodies showed signs of violence. Could this be a trend, or a copycat phenomenon? No link has been found between the victims.

Yet again, investigators are at a loss. All three deaths have the same strange characteristics: the victims are young, barely out of their teens; they climb to the top of a mountain in Cantabria and take off their clothing; and they are found dead from exposure the next morning. Investigators have been unable to discover any clues or motives, despite close scrutiny of the victims lives.

No surprise there.

How could someone who doesn t want to see what s in front of their face notice anything?

After a tortuous search, I managed to find a photo of the young girl. She looks like me. You said she had died. You looked me in the eye, Bluebeard, and told me she was dead, damn you. But you kept her.

I swore to my godmother that I wouldn t go near you, that I wouldn t search for you, but today I m going to break those promises, because you have no idea the anger that s spewing out of me, choking the guts you putrefied.

And yet, I still miss you, Father. I miss how attentive you could be, how you convinced everyone that I mattered to you

Eva García Sáenz was born in Vitoria and has been living in Alicante since she was fifteen years old. She published her first novel, La saga de los longevos (The Immortal Collection), in 2012, which became a sales phenomenon in Spain, Latin America, the United States, and the United Kingdom. She is also the author of Los hijos de Adán (The Sons of Adam) and the historical novel Pasaje a Tahití (Passage to Tahiti). In 2016 she published the first installment of the White City Trilogy, titled El silencio de la ciudad blanca (The Silence of the White City), followed by Los ritos del agua (The Water Rituals) and Los señores del tiempo (The Lords of Time).

"[A] strong sequel to Silence of the White City. . . . Sáenz smoothly blends the police work with a close look at the psychologies of those involved. Readers who like crime fiction with a focus on matters of the heart will be well satisfied."
Publishers Weekly 

[A] large, boldly painted canvas. . . . Dark and juicy, the middle entry in Sáenz s epic trilogy immerses readers in a vibrant, dangerous city.
Kirkus Reviews