The Waters of Andros by Pirie Madsen

Author:Pirie, Madsen [Pirie, Madsen]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Arctic Fox Books
Published: 2007-06-01T03:00:00+00:00

HARBOUR ATTACK

Chapter Seven:

Harbour attack

The next morning was competition day, the day Mikal had awaited for as long as he could remember. It started with the glorious razzmatazz of the opening ceremony. Although Mikal had seen it many times, it was imbued with additional excitement now that he was a competitor. Mikal was still jealous of Rigel, however. He had been chosen by lot to take part in the opening parade, and so Mikal, Dom and Tash were now sitting on the sidelines with the crowd, watching Rigel and Bindlestiff swirl through the waters.

The attack happened very suddenly, and at first no one could believe it. Sharks rarely came into the harbour’s waters, and certainly never when there were plesiosaurs. A gasp of horror went through the crowd when the first fins rose up amongst the riders.

The rider just beside Rigel was the first of the competitors to see the sharks. His sudden shout of surprise startled his plesiosaur, causing it to rear up in the sea, sending the boy crashing into the water amongst the predators.

Screams of horror from the watching crowd shook the judges out of shock, and they started shouting contradictory instructions from their boat. Mikal watched Rigel turn and spot his rival floundering in the wash, now bubbling pink with the boy’s blood.

Without pause for thought, Rigel turned Bindlestiff in the tightest arc Mikal had ever seen, and swung himself down below his mount’s neck, holding the harness with one hand while stretching his other hand down to the boy, right into the middle of the sharks. It was amazingly brave. The crowd gasped as a hand came out of the waves and clamped onto Rigel’s.

“Up!” came Rigel’s ringing command, booming above the melée. Bindlestiff lifted his head high, pulling the boy clear of the water. Blood streamed from the open wound on his leg where one of the sharks had taken a bite.

The other plesiosaurs soon smelled the blood in the water and realized what was happening. They turned and began lunging their heads into the waves, savaging the sharks in their jaws. The parade collapsed into pandemonium, with the riders clinging desperately to the backs of their plesiosaurs as the giant beasts tore the shoal of sharks to pieces, dropping their dead bodies back into the water before diving their heads back in for more. Within a few minutes the entire shoal was bobbing lifelessly in a sea turned crimson with blood. A flotilla of small boats was sent out to clear away the dead sharks, and the plesiosaurs swiftly made their way to the quayside.

As Bindlestiff lowered Rigel and the injured boy onto the quay a roar of applause went up from the crowd. Mikal saw Tash rush over to Rigel and throw her arms around his neck. For once Mikal was not jealous. Rigel had earned the adulation.

Mikal was distracted by the sound of his father arguing with one of the judges.

“You have to abandon the games now,” Mr Tarrant was shouting. “My boy has already had three near misses this month.

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