Call of Kerberos: Twilight of Kerberos, The - Jonathan Oliver Page 0,105

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 win. Already we have weakened the Chadassa 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 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 Chadassa's army and now, led by their dark god 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 Chadassa once more."

"There must be somewhere we can make a stand," Jacquinto insisted. "Is there no land nearby? If we can fight the Chadassa 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 Chadassa mean to fight us with their god, 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, Silus could almost believe that he would fall straight towards those endless azure clouds.

"How much longer?" Kelos said. "At this rate the Chadassa 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