Call of Kerberos: Twilight of Kerberos, The - Jonathan Oliver Page 0,44

it than that Silus. It's as though you have a sixth sense when it comes to the sea. Think for me here, has there ever been an occasion when you have surprised yourself with your abilities?"

Silus thought back to the time when he had got his foot caught up in the anchor rope; how his vision underwater had been crystal clear and how it had taken a long time before he had struggled for breath.

When Silus related this to Kelos he smiled and said: "There, you see. You have a deep-seated magical affinity with the ocean."

Jacquinto laughed. "Fish man! Really Kelos, I've heard you spin some wild tales but this one really takes the bait."

Kelos was pleased to see that none of the other crew members shared in Jacquinto's joke and, once the smuggler had composed himself, said: "Are you done? Good.

"Silus, I believe that I can help you channel your power in order to get us out of this mess."

"But I didn't even know that I had any of these powers before you pointed them out. What is it you expect me to do exactly?"

"You are going to call for aid."

"How?"

"I want you to speak to one of the denizens of the sea. I believe that, with my help, you will be able to achieve this."

Silus looked around the table at his companions' faces and hoped that the trust he saw there would not turn out to be misplaced. A great shudder passed through the Llothriall and several of the crew members cried out in panic, as though they were expecting the sea to rush in at any moment.

Silus got to his feet and gestured to Kelos.

"If we're going to do this, I think that now is the time."

Kelos nodded and together they staggered to the stairs leading above.

As Silus raised his head above the hatchway he was slapped in the face by a stinging blast of salt water.

"I don't think that this is going to work." He shouted to the mage, but Kelos pushed him out onto the deck, before securing the hatch behind them.

In the gaps when water wasn't being whipped into his eyes, Silus saw vast hills of sea rolling all around the Lothriall. He clung to the mainmast and his feet were tugged out from under him as a surge of water rolled across the deck. As the ship rose to the crest of a vast wave all he could see was sky, before the horizon tilted dramatically and they were hurtling down into a dark, roaring hollow.

Silus turned to look behind him, convinced that Kelos would already have been dashed into the maelstrom, but the mage stood perfectly sure footed on the bucking deck. He face was creased in concentration as he tapped two emeralds together, while speaking words in a language that Silus didn't recognise.

After a moment he put the stones away and looked up at Silus.

"Take your hands away from the mast," he shouted.

"Are you mad? It's the only thing keeping me on the ship!"

"Trust me."

Silus looked at the calm expression on Kelos's face and did as he had been told.

Even as the ship was tossed from wave to wave, Silus stood firm. A motionless point in the chaos that surrounded them. He laughed and held out his palms to the mage.

"No hands!"

"No hands. And have you noticed that we no longer need to shout? The field that we're contained in means that we don't have to compete with the wind."

"Okay, what now?"

"Now we need to put you in the right state of mind. Hold my hand."

Silus did so. When Silus looked at the mage's eyes there was a soft glow there, like the sky just after a summer sunset. He couldn't hear the angry ocean at all now and could barely feel the boards beneath his feet.

"This power is within you Silus." Kelos said. "I want you to move away from the Llothriall. Hover out over the water like an albatross borne on a gentle wind. Just let your mind drift out."

Silus felt himself moving away and he looked down, expecting to see his reflection moving across the water, but there was just the sea, and he followed its ever changing contours, accompanied by Kelos's voice.

"Move into the sea now, Silus, and, as the water surrounds you, send your mind out and sense the touch of the many creatures that dwell there."

Silus hadn't expected it to be so noisy beneath the waves. As soon as he let his consciousness into the