19
The islet had stood in the middle of the sea forever, just listening as the surf smashed into it. Waves big and small struck its foundations, boiling and frothy, then leapt up as if to fly away, but never managing to escape. When the waves did their worst to shake the island loose, it was almost lost among them, like a ship sailing without a destination. From its narrow side, Aypi’s Peak did look just like a prow.
More than a few called the place Aypi’s Island. The fishermen had never liked it. The far flung accumulation of merciless glittering anthracite and the vague associations of terror put dread in the hearts of all who landed there. When the FishPreserve inspectors were on his heels though, Araz often hid there.
Now he was in his refuge again and growing restless from sitting
