The Call of Kerberos Part 27

"Katya, what is it? What have I done?"

But she couldn't tell him, couldn't explain to Silus why she was so repelled by his touch.

This was what it came down to. This was the place to which all of Dunsany's visions of adventure and discovery had led them; a s.h.i.+p full of disparate refugees arguing about the best way to fight a losing battle.

Dunsany thought that the fanatics of the Faith looked the most lost. Not only had they discovered that their holy mission had been for naught, but now they found themselves having to incorporate the existence of the Calma and the theology of the Moratians into their blinkered world view. Dunsany watched Bestion calmly explaining about the Allfather to Spalding, who was becoming increasingly agitated by the dissonance between their beliefs.

The Calma, of course, must be feeling the most acute sense of loss, though it was hard to read the creatures. The few that stood with them on deck silently looked out at their diminished fleet.

"Do you think I should say something before our friends from the Faith start executing heretics?" Kelos said.

"I think that may be a good idea."

"People, your attention please." n.o.body was listening, so Kelos lit up the deck with a spell that made them turn and stare. "Thank you. Now, I understand that this isn't where we want to be, but we owe it to ourselves not to run."

"We should consider it a great honour to give our lives in the service of the Lord of All," Spalding said.

"Thank you for your thoughts brother, but I'm hoping that won't be necessary. No, this is something we can can win. Already we have weakened the Chada.s.sa and all but defeated the Land Walkers. We can do this." win. Already we have weakened the Chada.s.sa and all but defeated the Land Walkers. We can do this."

"To die will be glorious."

"Yes, thank you again brother. It may be best if you didn't keep reminding us of that."

"I'm sorry Kelos, but we can't win this." It was one of the Calma. Kelos thought that it was Seras, the creature who had helped Dunsany recuperate. "When we still had a city we may have been able to help you, but now that we have nothing, no defences... I'm afraid that this is the end."

"Ah, but you have yet to see what the Llothriall Llothriall is fully capable of," Dunsany said. "She has, at her disposal, a devastating array of magical weapons." is fully capable of," Dunsany said. "She has, at her disposal, a devastating array of magical weapons."

"It won't be enough," Seras said. "What we have faced so far is but a small part of the Chada.s.sa's army and now, led by their dark G.o.d incarnate, they will fight with a conviction and ferocity that will ensure their success in wiping us out. I'm sorry Kelos, but the Calma can no longer offer their aid. We have to flee before the Chada.s.sa once more."

"There must be somewhere we can make a stand," Jacquinto insisted. "Is there no land nearby? If we can fight the Chada.s.sa out of water then they will soon tire."

"I'm sorry, but there's nowhere you can run to," Seras said.

"That's not true," Bestion said.

"Morat is gone, Bestion," said Kelos.

"Not Morat. The Isle of the Allfather."

"Do you even know how to get there? We have no charts for this area," Dunsany said.

"We don't need charts. We simply follow the call of the Allfather." Bestion raised a finger to Kerberos.

Spalding had had enough and he pushed his face into Bestion's before spitting his venom: "The only place that your blasphemies are going to lead us is the bottom of the sea."

"Which is exactly where you'll be going if you don't keep a lid on those convictions of yours," Dunsany said, steering the acolyte into the capable and firm hands of Jacquinto and Ignacio.

"Bestion, no offence, but how exactly do you expect us to follow this call?" Kelos said. "I hate to say it, but I can't hear it and I'm not sure that anybody else on board can either."

"There is somebody here who heeds the call quite clearly," Bestion said. "In fact, I'm almost certain that he has been hearing it all along."

"Is it... is it me?" Emuel said, stepping forwards. "Ever since I was taught to re-discover the song I have felt... something."

"No Emuel. The one who hears the call is the one who brought us all here."

Seras understood. "Silus."

"What is he talking about?" Katya said. "Is this what has been leading you away from me, Silus?"

Silus chose not to answer, instead he turned to Bestion. "It's Kerberos, isn't it?"

"Ever since I led you in communion with the Allfather I have sensed your unique bond with Him," Bestion said. "You still hear Him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Guide us to the Isle of the Allfather, Silus. If the Chada.s.sa mean to fight us with their G.o.d, then we shall simply have to call on our own."

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Silus heard the island before he saw it.

The music rose and fell with the warm breeze that moved across the deck, sounding as though it were being played on a thousand discordant pipes.

Above him, Kerberos sat so large in the sky that the rim of the great disk touched the horizon. If he were to step from the Llothriall Llothriall, Silus could almost believe that he would fall straight towards those endless azure clouds.

"How much longer?" Kelos said. "At this rate the Chada.s.sa are going to overtake us before we even reach the island."

"We're almost there, listen."

"According to Bestion you are the only one who can hear the call."

"No, not the call. The music. Can't you hear it?"

For a moment the only sound was the crack of the sails and the creak of rope, but when the wind strengthened the ethereal piping surrounded them.

"What on earth is it?" Kelos said.

"I think that it's the Isle of the Allfather."

A low dark shape could now be seen on the horizon, crowned with what looked like a host of crooked towers. As they rapidly closed the distance to the sh.o.r.e, the music grew in volume.

There was the thud of feet on the deck and Silus and Kelos turned to see Bestion racing towards them. "It's the Isle isn't it? I heard the music."

More people were coming up from below now, drawn by the strange melody.

Once they were close enough to drop anchor, Silus could see that what he had taken to be towers were in fact irregular pinnacles of stone rising from the bedrock of the island. These structures were not manmade; rather they appeared to have been sculpted by the wind which fluted through the many holes in the rock, producing the weird cacophony.

"Jacquinto, Ignacio - prepare the launches," Kelos said. "The rest of you, prepare to disembark."

Silus didn't wait for the boats; instead he dived over the side and into the blood-warm water.

The sand here was so white and the water such a pure sapphire blue that he was reminded of the paradise of the Sarcre Islands. However, it wasn't only the sea that reminded him of Sarcre, for as Silus surfaced and began to wade towards sh.o.r.e, a low incessant buzzing filled his head.

Ahead of him, the dazzling sands suddenly ended in a line of dark rock and there stood the monoliths, marching away along the coast as far as the eye could see. They were half as tall as a man and encrusted in lichens and salt. On their surface were etched runes.

Silus tried to fight against the nausea that seemed to emanate from the stones, but a sudden dizzy spell put him on his knees. As the darkness crowded his vision, he only vaguely registered that someone was standing beside him.

"They're the same as the stones on Maladrak's Cauldron," Kelos said.

"That... that's nice," Silus managed. "Just help me get past the b.l.o.o.d.y things."

He felt a hand under each armpit and then he was being carried forwards. As he drew level with the stones there was a second of intense pain before he blacked out.

When he came to he was lying on the ground and the sun was just beginning to edge into Kerberos's shadow.

"Well that is good news," he heard Kelos say.

"What is?" Silus said, getting to his elbows.

"The monoliths. They'll make the island a lot easier to defend against the Chada.s.sa."

"More importantly," Bestion said, offering Silus a hand up. "They'll buy us time as we call on the Allfather."

Once the last of the Llothriall's Llothriall's pa.s.sengers had reached the sh.o.r.e, Dunsany set about forming them into groups, which he then sent to scout out the island. It didn't take long for them to return, as they discovered that the island wasn't much bigger than the smallest of those in the Sarcre archipelago. The monoliths surrounded the Isle on all sides - even topping the sheer cliffs on the southern edge - and everywhere were the twisted stone spires, channelling the wind into the ethereal music that they had first heard on the s.h.i.+p. pa.s.sengers had reached the sh.o.r.e, Dunsany set about forming them into groups, which he then sent to scout out the island. It didn't take long for them to return, as they discovered that the island wasn't much bigger than the smallest of those in the Sarcre archipelago. The monoliths surrounded the Isle on all sides - even topping the sheer cliffs on the southern edge - and everywhere were the twisted stone spires, channelling the wind into the ethereal music that they had first heard on the s.h.i.+p.

In all, Silus considered, there wasn't a lot of land to defend, but then there weren't that many of them to defend it.

As Dunsany set about allocating tasks and forming up their defences, Bestion led Silus and Katya to the temple.

The low round building stood in a grove of trees whose perfume was almost as powerful as the incense sticks Bestion lit once they entered the cool interior. An anteroom opened into the main chamber where a bridge crossed to the island that sat in the centre of a wide, shallow pool. There, flanked by metal censers, stood a simple stone altar. Above them a wide circular hole in the roof let in the light of Kerberos, the azure planet entirely filling the aperture.

As soon as Silus stepped up to the altar silence fell on the temple. Not even the music of the wind reached them. He noticed that Bestion was looking at him with a kind of awed reverence. For a moment he thought that the priest was about to sink to his knees, but when he turned his full gaze on him, Bestion was frozen where he stood.

"What's happened to your eyes, Silus?" Katya said.

"What do you mean?"

"Truly He has touched you," Bestion said. "Truly you are His avatar on our world."

"What are you talking about? Katya, what's going on?"

But neither of them would answer him, so Silus knelt down by the water and looked at his reflection.

The light of Kerberos streamed from his eyes.

"You must be prepared to come into His presence," Bestion said. "His call has drawn you here and His call will draw you into His arms. Are you ready?"

"I didn't want this," Silus said. "Katya, you have to believe that I didn't want this."

"It is not for us to ask what we want, but what He wants." Bestion said.

"I want my son back and I want to go home with my wife. I just want this all to end now."

"And it will Silus. When you call on the Allfather."

"Katya help me." Silus reached out and she took his hand, though a long time seemed to pa.s.s before she was willing to look at him. "I love you," he told her. "Believe that."

"I believe."

"Silus are you ready?" Bestion said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"For the G.o.ds' sake man, give me a moment!" Then he turned back to his wife. "Katya I love you and I can't tell you how sorry I am for drawing you into this."

"It's not your fault Silus, you're just different... chosen chosen, I suppose. Just promise that you'll come back to me."

"I promise."

Beneath the gaze of Kerberos Silus took her into his arms, and this time Katya looked deep into his eyes.

In preparation for the coming battle Dunsany moved the Llothriall Llothriall into the shelter of a shallow cave on the southern side of the island. The last thing he wanted was for it to be destroyed, leaving them with no way of escape. Then, he removed the gem that sat at the heart of the s.h.i.+p. Kelos had asked him to do this, saying that he and Emuel could channel the power of the stone for use in the defence of the island. It could also, the mage said, be used as a weapon if it came to it. Next, Dunsany distributed weapons from the armoury. He knew that most of his crew were handy enough with a sword - with the exception of Emuel - but he wasn't too sure about the Moratians or the Final Faith fanatics. Thankfully, the latter saved him the worry of what to do with them by taking to their s.h.i.+ps and sitting not far from sh.o.r.e. Kelos's magic had ensured that the three remaining Faith vessels had reached the island intact, but his protection wouldn't be required for much longer. The disciples of the Faith planned to detonate their explosives at the first appearance of the Chada.s.sa, taking down any in their path. It seemed that whatever happened they were determined to give their lives, and Dunsany had neither the energy nor the inclination to argue with them. into the shelter of a shallow cave on the southern side of the island. The last thing he wanted was for it to be destroyed, leaving them with no way of escape. Then, he removed the gem that sat at the heart of the s.h.i.+p. Kelos had asked him to do this, saying that he and Emuel could channel the power of the stone for use in the defence of the island. It could also, the mage said, be used as a weapon if it came to it. Next, Dunsany distributed weapons from the armoury. He knew that most of his crew were handy enough with a sword - with the exception of Emuel - but he wasn't too sure about the Moratians or the Final Faith fanatics. Thankfully, the latter saved him the worry of what to do with them by taking to their s.h.i.+ps and sitting not far from sh.o.r.e. Kelos's magic had ensured that the three remaining Faith vessels had reached the island intact, but his protection wouldn't be required for much longer. The disciples of the Faith planned to detonate their explosives at the first appearance of the Chada.s.sa, taking down any in their path. It seemed that whatever happened they were determined to give their lives, and Dunsany had neither the energy nor the inclination to argue with them.

At least they should buy them some time, and time was very much what their success hinged on here. Now that they didn't have the support of the Calma they had little hope of defeating the Chada.s.sa on their own. Instead they would have to rely on Silus successfully persuading whatever power resided in Kerberos to intervene. If he were interrupted before he could do this then their slim hope would turn into no hope at all. In truth, Dunsany thought that they were already doomed, but both Bestion and Kelos had persuaded him that this was the only path open to them.

"Silus has a unique relations.h.i.+p with the Allfather that I have never before seen, even in the most devout of our priests." Bestion had said. "If anybody can persuade the Allfather to intervene then it is he."

"Bestion may well be right, Dunsany," Kelos had argued. "Who knows what power Kerberos holds? Besides, the Chada.s.sa are not just going to withdraw now that we have stymied their plans. They will want revenge."

"I have seen the wrath of the Lord of All with my own eyes," Spalding spoke up. "In the World's Ridge Mountains a great bolt of energy did fall from Kerberos and destroy the heathens and their vile den of iniquity."