Thieves World 3 – Shadows of Sanctuary by Asprin, Robert

followed the Old Man and the open sea behind them. As the boats at either end of

the net began to pull for shore, the Old Man evened his stroke and began to move

steadily through the water … but he was tired now; Hort could see that even if

no one else could.

‘There!’ Hort called to the mercenaries, he pointed towards the shore-line.

‘That’s where they’ll beach it! Come on!’

He led their rush down the dock. He heard rather than saw the net scoop up its

prey; a cheer went up from the small boats. He was waiting waist-deep in the

water when the Old Man’s boat finally reached the shallows. Grabbing on to the

cleats, Hort dragged the boat to the beach as if it were a toy while his father

sagged wearily between the oars.

‘The trap,’ the Old Man wheezed through ragged gasps, ‘pull it in before those

fools get it tangled in their nets!’

The rope was cold and hard as cable, but Hort dragged the trap hand-over-hand

away from the sea’s grip. Not surprisingly, it was full of Nya that shimmered

and flopped in the morning sun. Without thinking, Hort reached behind his father

and dumped the fish into the boat’s live-well.

All the boats were ashore now, and there was splashing and thrashing around the

net in the shallows.

‘What is it like?’ the Old Man gasped; he could scarcely raise his head. ‘What’s

the monster like?’

‘It looks to be a large crab,’ Hort announced, craning his neck. ‘The

mercenaries have got to it.’

And they had; waving the crowd back they waded into the water to strike at the

spidery giant even before the net was on the shore.