The Verge Of An Empire

35

Excited exclamations of passengers were heard. I hurried to the side and leaned over the railing to see what the noise was. From the muddy waters of Estra appeared the bumpy, overgrown with silt, like wool, the shell of the Clastanos violinist. A giant crab with a primitive mind took up a vertical position, showing a huge right claw, and began to gurgle. Judging by the way its mouthparts trembled, the klastanos was about to release a long jet of stinking water at the passengers for fun.

“Be careful, master. Sebastina snatched a kitchen hatchet from under her hem and threw it at the violinist.

Hissing through the air, the weapon slammed into the carapace and knocked off the outermost of the six horn growths above the muzzle. Hissing viciously, the river dweller sank under the water.

- In vain you are.

“This lower being allowed himself the unacceptable. I intended to drive the ax between the eyes, but did not take into account the movement of water and ferry.

“The Clastanos are vindicti