'I need two, maybe three men for a half-day's work,' he called loudly. 'A coppernow and a silver when it's over. No swords or bowmen -just axes or pole-arms.I'll be outside.'

'Why are we going to talk to them outside?' Hort asked as he followed his fatherinto the street.

'I want to know what I'm getting,' the Old Man explained. 'Couldn't see a thingin that place.'

It took most of the afternoon but they finally sorted out three stalwarts fromthe small pack that had followed them. The sun was dipping towards the horizonas Panit gave his last man the advance coin and turned to his son.

'That's about all we can do today,' he said. 'You run along and

see your friends. I'll take care of the trap.'

'Aren't you going to tell me your plan?' Hort pleaded. 'Haven't got it allworked out yet,' the Old Man admitted, 'but if you want to see what happens,be on the dock at first light tomorrow. We'll see how smart this monster is.'

Unlike the day before, Hort was at the dock well before the dawn. As the firsttendrils of pre-dawn light began to dispel the night, he was pacing impatiently,hugging himself against the damp chill of the morning.

Mist hung deep over the water, giving it an eerie, supernatural appearance whichdid nothing to ease Hort's fears as he alternately cursed and worried about hisabsent father. Crazy old man! Why couldn't he be like the other fishermen? Whytake it on himself to solve the mystery of the sea-monster? Knowing the best wayto combat the chill was activity he decided to launch the family's boat. Foronce, he would be ready when the Old Man got here.

He marched down the dock, then slowed, and finally retraced his steps. The boatwas gone. Had Sanctuary's thieves finally decided to ply their trade on thewharf? Unlikely. Who would they sell a stolen boat to? The fishermen knew eachother's equipment as well as they knew their own.

Could the Old Man have gone out already? Impossible - to be out of the harbourbefore Hort got there, the Old Man would have had to take the boat out at night- and in these waters with the monster...

'You there!'

Hort turned to find the three hired mercenaries coming down the pier. They werea sullen crew by this light and the pole-arms two of them carried gave them theappearance of Death's own oarsmen.

'We're here,' the leader of the trio announced, shifting his battle-axe to hisshoulder, 'though no civilized man fights at this hour. Where's the old man whohired us?'

'I don't know,' Hort admitted, backing down from this fierce assemblage. 'Hetold me to meet him here same as you.'

'Good,' the axe-man snarled. 'We've appeared, as promised. The coppers are ours- small price for a practical joke. Tell that old man when you see him thatwe've gone back to bed.'

'Not so fast.' Hort surprised himself with his sudden outspoken courage as themen turned away. 'I've known the Old Man all my life and he's no joker. If hepaid you to be here, you'll be needed. Or don't you want the silver that goeswith those coppers?'

The men hesitated, mumbling together darkly.

'Hort!' Terci was hurrying towards them. 'Whafs going on? Why are there cutthroats on the dock?'

'The Old Man hired them,' Hort explained. 'Have you seen him?'

'Not since last night,' the lanky fisherman replied. 'He came by late and gaveme this to pass to you.' He dropped three silver coins into the youth's palm.'He said if he wasn't here by mid-day that you were to use this to pay the men.'

'You see!' Hort called to the mercenaries as he held up the coins. 'You'll bepaid at mid-day and not before. You'll just have to wait with the rest of us.'Turning back to Terci he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 'Whatelse did the Old Man say - anything?'

'Only that I should load my heaviest net this morning,' Terd shrugged. 'What'sgoing on?'

'He's going to try to fish for the monster,' Hort explained as the Old Man'splan came clear to him. 'When I got here his boat was gone.'

"The monster,' Terd blinked. The Old Man's gone out alone after the monster?'

'I don't think so. I've been here since before first light. No, even the Old Manwouldn't take a boat out in the dark - not after the monster. He must be...'

'Look there! There he is!'

The sun had finally appeared over the horizon and with its first rays the mistbegan to fade. A hundred yards offshore a small boat bobbed and dipped and init they could see the Old Man pulling frantically at the oars.

As they watched he suddenly shipped the oars, waiting expectantly. Then the boatwas jerked around, as if by an unseen hand, and the Old Man bent to the oarsagain.

'He's got it! He's got the monster!' Terci shrieked, dancing with delight orhorror.

'No!' Hort disagreed firmly, staring at the distant boat. 'He doesn't have it.He's leading it, baiting it into shallow water.'

It was all clear to him now. The metal trap! The monster was used to raiding theOld Man's traps, so he fed it one that couldn't be crushed. Now he was teasingthe unknown creature towards shore, dragging the trap like a child drags astring before a playful kitten. But this kitten was an unknown, deadly quantitythat could easily attack the hand that held the string.

'Quick, Terci,' Hort ordered, 'get the net! It won't follow him on to theshore.'

The lanky fisherman was gaping at the scene, his mind lost in his own thoughts.'Net the monster?' he mumbled. 'I'll need help, yes, help ... HELP!' He fleddown the dock screaming.at the still-dark, quiet huts.

This was not the Maze where cries for help went unheeded. Doors opened andbleary-eyed fishermen stumbled out to the wharf.

'What is it?'

'What's the noise?'

'Man the boats! The Old Man's got the monster!'

'The monster?'

'Hurry, Ilak!'

'The Old Man's got the monster!' The cry was passed from hut to hut.

And they came, swarming over their boats like a nest of angry ants: Haron, hersagging breasts flopping beneath the nightdress she still wore; Omat, hisdeformed arm no hindrance as he wrestled his boat on to the water with one hand,and in the lead, Terci, first rowing, then standing, in the small boat toshout orders at the others.

Hort made no move to join them. They were fishermen and knew their trade farbetter than he. Instead he stood rooted on the dock, lost in awe of the OldMan's courage.

In his mind's eye Hort could see what his father saw: sitting in a small boat onan inky sea, waiting for the first tug on the rope - then the back-breaking haulon the oars to drag the metal trap landward. Always careful not to get too farahead of the invisible creature below, yet keeping its interest. The dark wasthe Old Man's enemy as much as the monster was; it threatened him withdisorientation - and the mist! A blinding cloud of white closing in from allsides. Yet the Old Man had done it and now the monster was within reach of itsvictims' net.

The heavy net was spread now, forming a wall between the mystery beast as itfollowed the Old Man and the open sea behind them. As the boats at either end ofthe net began to pull for shore, the Old Man evened his stroke and began to movesteadily through the water ... but he was tired now; Hort could see that even ifno 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 itsprey; a cheer went up from the small boats. He was waiting waist-deep in thewater when the Old Man's boat finally reached the shallows. Grabbing on to thecleats, Hort dragged the boat to the beach as if it were a toy while his fathersagged wearily between the oars.