The Call of Kerberos Part 14

"And have you thought of a name for the wee chap?"

Katya looked up at Silus and he said: "Zac. His name is Zac."

"Zac," she repeated as though trying it out. And then: "Yes. Zac."

"Congratulations. Both of you."

"Maylan. I really can't thank you enough." Katya said.

From above them there was the thunder of feet on deck. Silus heard ropes creak as somebody scrambled up the rigging.

And then there was the call they had so desperately been hoping for these last few days.

"Land Ahoy!"

Chapter Fifteen.

The city sat atop a rock plateau, supported by the sheer walls of iron green cliffs rising from the sea.

As the leviathan drew them closer, Dunsany could see something moving down the cliffs. He focused his telescope and what he saw just didn't make sense What he had taken to be walls of green stone were in fact the sides of a vast wall of water. The city was not supported by a series of cliffs but, instead, was riding on the crest of an enormous wave, frozen in the moment just before it would have fallen into an avalanche of frothing surf. And the things descending the wave, moving swiftly down its vertiginous sides, were s.h.i.+ps.

The leviathan brought them to the foot of the wave and the s.h.i.+p keeled to port as they stopped side-on to the water. The creature gave a great shudder and expelled a plume of spray. As it let out a bellowing call, Kelos moved to the prow and looked down.

"It's time to part ways with our friend. Ignacio, Jacquinto, give me a hand with these ropes."

Together they unharnessed the creature from the Llothriall Llothriall.

It didn't leave immediately. Instead, it regarded them for a moment with its many eyes, running its tentacles over the Llothriall Llothriall - one briefly brus.h.i.+ng against Kelos - before it turned and swam away. They watched as the creature submerged, its great tail the last to disappear in a crash of spray. - one briefly brus.h.i.+ng against Kelos - before it turned and swam away. They watched as the creature submerged, its great tail the last to disappear in a crash of spray.

"It's a shame Silus wasn't here to say goodbye," Dunsany said.

"Goodbye to whom?" Silus said, emerging from below, followed by Maylan.

"The whale thing just swam away." Ignacio said. "It sends its regards."

"I have some news. Katya has given birth to our son. Zac."

"A healthy baby boy I'm pleased to say." Father Maylan said.

"Congratulations!" Dunsany said. "That's terrific. I'd propose a toast but I fear that we may not have time to drink it before those s.h.i.+ps are upon us."

"What s.h.i.+ps?" Maylan said.

"Look up."

"G.o.ds! What is this?"

The s.h.i.+ps were almost on them, sailing down the vertical drop as though gravity was none of their concern. There were four vessels, simple in design, looking much like Allantian trading s.h.i.+ps.

As Dunsany watched their approach, his sense of perspective suddenly s.h.i.+fted and - for one vertiginous moment - he felt that he was about to fall out of the Llothriall Llothriall and towards the s.h.i.+ps. The horizon spun and he could no longer tell which was sky, sea or the s.h.i.+p beneath him. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he forced himself to look at the planks below his feet and - taking deep breaths - willed his world to be the right way up. and towards the s.h.i.+ps. The horizon spun and he could no longer tell which was sky, sea or the s.h.i.+p beneath him. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he forced himself to look at the planks below his feet and - taking deep breaths - willed his world to be the right way up.

"Are you alright?" Silus said.

"Fine. Fine. It's just that you don't see something that doesn't make sense everyday."

"Ho there!" Came a call, and they looked up to see the prow of a s.h.i.+p not more than twenty feet above their heads. "What seas have you traversed to find yourselves at Morat?"

What seas? Dunsany thought. Dunsany thought. What does he mean what seas? Surely there are only these seas? What does he mean what seas? Surely there are only these seas?

"The Twilight seas," he said.

"Twilight must be very far away indeed, for it is not a place I have heard of."

"You are on Twilight. This is is Twilight." Twilight."

"No friend, this is Morat."

"Look," said Jacquinto. "Wherever we are, our s.h.i.+p has been damaged and we need shelter while we try repairing her."

"Of course, tie on and we'll guide you to port."

A rope dropped down and Jacquinto and Ignacio secured it to the Llothriall Llothriall.

"Sorry, one moment." Dunsany said, as they made preparations to unfurl the sails. "How are we supposed to follow them to port? I don't know whether you've noticed but we are at the foot of a vertical wall of water. How are we supposed to traverse that that?"

"An interesting argument friend," said the man above them. "But to my eyes, it is your your vessel that is clinging to the side of a sheer wall." vessel that is clinging to the side of a sheer wall."

"You know what?" Ignacio said. "I think we should just go with this. If you begin to question it, it may hurt your brain."

"Okay. Okay." Dunsany said. "Bring us about."

As they brought the s.h.i.+p round to face the wall, the rope tying them to the vessel above pulled taught and Dunsany was convinced that they would be dragged into the wave, crushed beneath the weight of all that water. Instead, there was another moment of intense vertigo as the horizon tilted. Kerberos wheeled in an arc across the sky and, as it tumbled past him, Dunsany thought he saw a dark spec moving across its face. He closed his eyes against a sudden, dizzy nausea and when he opened them again, they were sailing across calm waters.

Ahead of them, he could just make out the headlands of the city. Behind them, stretching far above like an infinite wall of sea, was the rest of the ocean. Dunsany tried not to think about it, tried not to think about how they could be sailing up a frozen wave that was not a wave. Instead, he concentrated on the line of s.h.i.+ps ahead as they guided them towards a bustling port.

As the s.h.i.+p guiding them docked, the Llothriall Llothriall moored alongside and the captain of the vessel leaped across to greet them. moored alongside and the captain of the vessel leaped across to greet them.

The man was dressed in dark clothes; a vest of black silk and leather breeches that were inscribed with a pattern of intertwined flowers. His ears and eyebrows were heavily pierced and Dunsany couldn't help but notice the ridges beneath his vest that told of more piercings on his torso. The captain held out a many ringed hand, the back inked with a tattoo that appeared to show the sun rising out of the shadow of Kerberos.

"Well, this is a surprise. And a pleasant one."

Dunsany took the man's hand. "I'm Dunsany, the captain of the Llothriall. Llothriall. This is my second-in-command and resident mage, Kelos. Behind us stands Silus, Ignacio, Jacquinto and Father Maylan. Below we have Katya and Emuel." This is my second-in-command and resident mage, Kelos. Behind us stands Silus, Ignacio, Jacquinto and Father Maylan. Below we have Katya and Emuel."

"And Zac." Silus reminded him.

"Yes, and Zac. Newly arrived in this world."

"A most diverse and unusual crew," the captain said. "I'm Winrush Searah Jaxinion, child of Kerberos and Archduke of Morat. But you can call me Win. May I ask how just the nine of you manage to crew such a vast s.h.i.+p?"

"Ah," said Kelos. "That's because this is no ordinary s.h.i.+p. It is based on ancient elf design."

"Yeah, but we sort of broke it." Jacquinto said. "Well, something broke our eunuch. Anyway, it's a long story."

"Indeed. Clearly you gentlemen are tired and hungry. I think that we can converse more easily over some refreshment and a decent meal. I'd be honoured to have you as guests at the palace."

"Palace?" Jacquinto said. "Now you're talking!"

"That's a yes then? Splendid. Follow me gentlemen. And welcome again to Morat."

As soon as Dunsany stepped off the gangplank and onto the cobbles of the Morat docks, his legs told him just how long he had been at sea. They felt filled with the water upon which he had sailed and on each step he overcompensated for the rolling deck that was no longer beneath him.

Kelos watched him lurch down the street for a moment, before supporting him with an arm around his waist.

"Come on, we can stagger like drunks together."

Behind them followed the rest of the crew with Silus at the rear, his arm round Katya, who was carrying a squealing bundle close to her breast. She looked more tired than any of them, and her footing was less sure. Dunsany only hoped that Win could provide a suitable bed at the palace for her.

They followed Win along narrow streets hemmed in by tall buildings. There was a face at every window and doorway they pa.s.sed. Most turned away at the first glance though, expressions of disappointment on their features, as though they had expected the strangers to be more exotic, maybe even creatures of a different race. Dunsany understood and shared their disappointment. Here they were on a previously uncharted island and the people around him could have been his fellow countrymen. The buildings that towered above them looked as though they could have been built from Turnitia stone. When they had planned the voyage, he and Kelos has been full of visions of fearsome new lands, peopled by strange beasts and promising exotic treasures. But what they had found was merely more of their own kind.

Dunsany had to concede, however, the fact that Morat rode on the back of a vast wave really was impressive.

It took a long time to move through the outer districts of the city, as Win insisted on stopping every few minutes to shake the hands of his subjects and inquire after their well-being. It seemed that he knew almost everyone they pa.s.sed on a deep personal level.

"This you must taste," he said, stopping at a market stall and handing each of the crew a small pastry, before paying the trader.

"For the love of - " Ignacio exclaimed after taking a bite. "Well, I think that I may no longer have any taste buds."

"My eyes are watering." Dunsany said.

"Indeed, it is a little bit tart," said Father Maylan, finis.h.i.+ng his pastry in two bites.

"Fantastic aren't they?" Win said. "Worth stopping for I think. Anyway, onwards."

Eventually the narrow streets turned into wide thoroughfares which started to descend in a series of terraces. Win led them through a district where the buildings were lower and larger than those near the docks, each displaying a lavish garden, through which rang the sounds of children playing and water trickling.

"This is the education district," Win said. "There are many specialisations. That building there, for example, is the Inst.i.tute of Mechanised Puppetry. And over there we have the School of Salinity Studies."

"Sorry, but are you saying there's a place where you can go to learn how to measure the saltiness of things?" Dunsany said.

"Well, yes. Of course." Win said, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "There's a school for pretty much every discipline."

They carried on downwards, negotiating flight after flight of precipitous stone steps. Dunsany noticed that in a dark alcove beneath each were candles burning in front of what appeared to be shrines. On closer inspection he found that in each shrine there was a carving depicting Kerberos; most often with the sun edging out of its shadow, sometimes with the added symbol of a s.h.i.+p sailing away from the planet.

"You wish to make an offering to the Allfather before we enter the palace?" Win said.

"No. It's just interesting to see that Kerberos holds religious significance for the people of Morat. It is the same on Twilight, although I'm sure that your church is much less dictatorial than our own."

They were leaving daylight behind now. Even though the sun was still a long way from setting, very few of its rays reached this deep into Morat. They had descended to the city's lowest levels and the streets here were lit with torches that gave off a curious fragrance as they burned, reminding Dunsany of the Allantian spice markets. Fewer people moved through this district, and those that did were attired in clothes which marked them out to be officials of some sort.

"Welcome to the palace of Morat," Win said.

"Palace?" Jacquinto said, looking about him. "Where?"

They had stopped in front of a dark wood door set into an unremarkable wall, which followed the curve of the street on either side and stretched high above them.

"After you, honoured guests," said Win, opening the door.

The palace was as modest on the inside as it was on the outside.

They entered a damp stone corridor, lined at regular intervals with more of the aromatic torches. The only concessions to luxury were the rugs that lined the floor, but even these were threadbare and black in places with ground-in dirt. As the crew crowded into the cramped s.p.a.ce Win closed the door behind them and then shouldered his way through the group - apologising profusely all the while - before leading them along the corridor.

They followed the curve of the wall round to the right, occasionally pa.s.sing doors, from behind many of which they could hear voices raised in what sounded like theological or academic argument.

"Ah, the chaos of the ministries," Win said. "Politics was never my thing I'm afraid. Which I suppose may be deemed a bit of a disadvantage for an Archduke. But one can't help it if one is born into a role."

Extracting a key from a ring on his belt, Win unlocked a door and led them up a flight of stairs to the first floor.

Here, at last, there were windows, but instead of light they admitted a steady bitter draft and a host of pigeons. Feathers moved lazily in the steady wind that whistled down the corridor, while more crunched underfoot, along with a litter of tiny bones and bird carca.s.ses.

"The rookery," Win said.

"Get off you feathered b.u.g.g.e.r!" Father Maylan suddenly exclaimed, trying to brush away the pigeon that had landed on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Win said. "They're not used to guests you see. For her, you are just another perch. Come on my darling. Win can be your branch today."

The bird jumped onto Win's head and shat down his back. He chuckled as it flew off, like an exasperated but loving parent humouring a child.

"It's alright," Maylan said, composing himself. "It's just that I have this thing about pigeons."

"Then we shall hurry onwards and leave our feathered friends behind."

Eventually they came to another door and Win led them up another flight of stairs.

As they came out onto the second level of the palace they were hit by a wall of heat. From vents in the walls poured forth a muggy warmth, while pipes lining the ceiling shuddered and hissed out plumes of steam. Soon the crew's clothes were plastered to their bodies and Dunsany began to wish for a return to the icy winds of the rookery.

Win dug in a pocket and produced several handkerchiefs, which he pa.s.sed out to his guests.