"Paul McAuley - The Book of Confluence 01 - Child of the River" - читать интересную книгу автора (Mcauley Paul J)

"All on the river within a day's voyage is my business, "




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the Constable said.
"You don't know everything, " Urthank said. "You just
think you do."
The Constable knew then that this was the moment poor
Urthank had chosen. So did Unthank, who subtly shifted on




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the thwart so that he was no longer shoulder to shoulder with
his brother. The Constable met Urthank's stare and said,
"Keep your place, boy."
There was a moment when it seemed that Urthank would
not attack. Then he inflated his chest and let out the air with
a roar and, roaring, threw himself at his father.
The whip caught around Urthank's neck with a sharp crack
that echoed out across the black water. Urthank fell to his
knees and grabbed hold of the whip as its loop tightened
under the slack flesh of his chin. The Constable gripped the
whip's stock with both hands and jerked it sideways as if he
held a line which a huge fish had suddenly struck. The skiff
tipped wildly and Urthank tumbled headfirst into the glowing
water. But the boy did not let go of the whip. He was stupid,
but he was also stubborn. The Constable staggered, dropped
the whip-it hissed over the side like a snake-and fell overboard
too.
The Constable kicked off his loose, knee-high boots as he
plunged down through the cold water, kicked out again for
the surface. Something grabbed the hem of his kilt, and then
Urthank was trying to swarm up his body. Light exploded in
the Constable's eye as his son's hard elbow hit his face.
They thrashed through glowing water and burst into the air,
separated by no more than an arm's length.




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