Inquisitor Read Free Page B

threatening manner and lazily waved its tail as if it was warning the visitor – don’t touch, it’s mine.
    When Lery saw Flatis who was hovering over him, he opened his mouth to scream something but just spent the remains of precious air – Flatis came to the consciousness and did the only thing he could do. He needed one fast movement to reach Lery. But he decided not to waste time trying to unclasp the sharp-teethed jaw – he took the aim and suddenly poked his thumb into one of the eyes staring at him. Flatis felt slimy mess getting pressed under his thumb and pierced it further. It worked. The fish started with pain, opened the jaw and jerked aside, raising a huge cloud of black ooze from the bottom.
    Lery was free but he had almost lost his consciousness because of the lack of air. Besides, a cloudlet of blood was wrapping his leg.
    Flatis felt that his lungs were burning, rainbow circles were floating in front of his eyes but he didn’t give up. He grabbed Lery’s hair tight and pushed himself from the bottom dragging the exhausted friend up to the surface. The light above their heads became brighter and brighter. Finally Flatis came up to the surface. He inhaled deeply and started coughing. In a moment Lery emerged from the water gulping life giving air by his blue lips and sobbing.
    -          Oh my god… what’s the hell… what was it? What a beast! – he could hardly say, holding on Flatis’s shoulder.
    -          Swim to the bank! – Flatis cried out as soon as he recovered his breath – Faster!
    The horrible injured fish was thrashing about in the deep water below them and it wasn’t a good idea to procrastinate in the pond. The monster that had intruded the mill hammer-pond was injured but not defeated.
    -          Come on! – Flatis rushed Lery who was swimming slowly – Hurry up!
    -          I can’t. I can’t control my hands – Lery murmured swallowing water – And… and my leg.
    -          Swim to the bank! It’s not far away.
    It was true. There was a dozen of yards left to cover to reach the bank. But it seemed to be very far away. Flatis looked back in panic to search for the fish, but the water surface was still. Flatis didn’t relieve as the monster that tried to kill Lery could be straight below them waiting for the appropriate moment to attack – to close its jaws in a fatal capture.
    Rushing and pushing slow Lery, Flatis had covered about two yards when he felt some movement of water under his feet and got frozen with terror. The sharp-teethed beast was back, but the bank was still far away. The decision came up suddenly. Flatis patted Lery’s shoulder who was hardly floating on the water and cried out:
    -          Swim to the bank! Don’t stop!
    Exhausted Lery didn’t object. He nodded and kept on moving. The terrified boy was shivering. The blue lips looked bright on the pale face as well as the black spots of the eyes, that were wide because of horror. They were fixed on one thing – the edge of the bank that was approaching unbearably slowly. Flatis remained on the same place. He lowered his face in the water to find the terrible fish. The boy relied on his agility and ability to swim fast – he wanted to divert the predatory fish’s attention to let Lery get out to the bank and then try to reach the bank himself. Flatis had seen that the fish didn’t have any limbs. He hoped that it wouldn’t be able to get out to the ground.
    Wiggling his legs as fast as he could, Flatis started spinning around at one place and looking below. He hoped to notice a shadow of the predatory fish approaching him.
    Flatis’s plan was almost ideal – he managed to divert the fish’s attention but he hadn’t expected that the monster was so fast. It was too late when the boy noticed the dark shadow swimming closer to him. There was one yard left between them. Suddenly Flatis felt a burning hit on his chest and yelled with an unbearable