Call of Kerberos: Twilight of Kerberos, The - Jonathan Oliver Page 0,40

black spiral upon which he stood began to glow with a maroon light, Querilous pulled on another lever.

The pipes were silent then for the briefest of moments and the only sounds in the chamber were the muttering of the sorcerer and the cries of the heretics, before the valve at the top of each cage squealed open and naphtha rained down.

As flesh began to sizzle under the onslaught of burning oil and the screams of the condemned men rose to an almost girlish pitch, Querilous pulled another lever and the fans set into the walls began to suck the human smoke from the room. It would rise through the many levels of Scholten cathedral to pour from the great chimneys that extended high above the church. Pilgrims making their way to prayer would pause and think that this smoke was from the incense of Makennon's devotions, and give thanks that they had witnessed the smallest part of such a holy rite.

The naphtha did its job quickly and the heretics were soon silent. However, their part in the ritual was far from over. Querilous began to manipulate the levers and the cages in which the heretics burned began to revolve around Brother Sequilious. The flames reached high as the cages spun faster and faster, adding their light to the glow of the magic that suffused the sorcerer. Sequilious threw up his arms and his pupils were suddenly full of the azure light of Kerberos. Threads of dark energy began to extend towards him from the circle of flame and, as they touched him, a strange cry filled the room, like the whimpering of whipped dogs. A dark aura began to weave itself around Sequilious and he was soon lost in the folds of a strange black caul.

Querilous pulled another lever and the spinning cages came to a sudden stop, the blackened bones within rattling against the bars.

The black aura surrounding the sorcerer began to grow until there was a dark column reaching to the ceiling. As it towered above Querilous it seemed to lean forward and he was suddenly fearful that it would fall on and consume him. But then a shudder passed through the column as the air in the room was sucked toward it with a great rushing of wind.

Above the keening of the maelstrom Querilous could hear the beating of his own heart and, as he struggled to breathe, he prayed to the Lord of All that the spell would soon be over. Through the blur of tears, he saw the dark column give a great shudder before it exploded outwards, bringing with it the smell of burning stone and cherry blossoms.

Querilous would have expected Sequilious to be flattened by the force of the magic he had just woven, but he stood in the last flickers of the dissipating energy, untouched. Brushing down his robes he stepped from the circle and bowed before Makennon.

"Anointed One, it is finished."

"Are you sure that it has been effective?"

"Oh yes. Somewhere on the Twilight seas Emuel will be in a great deal of pain."

Emuel cried out as Katya applied the wet cloth to his forehead. The ship's eunuch had collapsed shortly after the rest of the crew had departed, convulsing as he frothed at the mouth, his eyes rolling so far back in his head that only the whites showed. Katya had managed to bring him out of the seizure gradually, but now he was burning up and the skin that showed in the gaps between his tattoos was deathly white.

After putting him in his bunk Katya had thrown open the porthole, hoping that the fresh sea air would help cool him down. But now it seemed that all she could do was wait for him to ride out the fever.

Emuel arched his back until only the back of his head and heels were in contact with the bunk. Katya held his hand as the eunuch screamed, but he didn't return her grip, conscious as he was of nothing but the pain that wracked his body. She began to undress him, hoping that, out of his clothes, Emuel would be a little cooler and more comfortable.

As she unbuttoned his shirt, the extent of his tattoos became clearer. Katya had been aware that the cryptic patterns and swirls of elvish script covered most of Emuel's body but, up to now, she hadn't realised to what extent.

Katya removed his shirt and gasped at the sight of the living script that ran over the arches