Then the sea changed shape again. At the very center of the swirling vortex, something dark rose sharply through the surface, thin and upright, before sinking just as quickly. It was there only a heartbeat, but long enough for the crowd of people gathered to recoil and gasp as one.
Eli swore under his breath and nearly lost control of the drone. Nora grabbed his elbow to steady him, though her own hands had gone cold. The thing had not moved like driftwood. It had appeared fixed, as though arising from below, waiting for the turning water to reveal it.