Call of Kerberos: Twilight of Kerberos, The - Jonathan Oliver Page 0,49

Chadassa, and not the leviathan who had been responsible for his loss.

"Ignacio, this is probably our only shot at survival," Kelos said, coming to Silus's defence. "Don't let this voyage have been for nothing."

"The mage is right," said Jacquinto. "How do you think Ioannis would have wanted to die, Ignacio? Deep in the Citadel at Turnitia, tortured to death by the City Guard for running Sarcrean spice to low-life users? Or out on the open waters, battling with his friends and using his sword for something worth fighting for? This was where he wanted to be."

Ignacio looked at Silus, then at Katya cradling the curve of her belly and his features softened.

"Throw me a knife." He said to Jacquinto before scrambled into the rigging.

Soon they were moving at the creature's full pace and Silus communicated his thanks to the leviathan. It responded with a great, booming call that vibrated the planks of the deck.

Brother Incera polished the telescope's eyepiece before bringing his right eye to bear on it once again. He found that he hadn't been mistaken after all. The thing that looked like a small black dot moving across the face of Kerberos was not a flaw in the lens.

The astronomer noted the position of the dark spec on his charts before increasing the magnification and looking again.

The dot now resolved itself into a sphere, about an eighth the size of Kerberos, its surface a pure featureless black. He tracked its progress for a couple of hours before satisfying himself that it was not on a collision course with Twilight. Then he cranked the handle that lowered the telescope's cradle, stepped down from the seat and stretched to work out the kinks in his back.

In all his years as the Final Faith's head astronomer, he had done little more of note than track the movement of the stars and record the phases of eclipses. He had studied what few ancient astronomical texts there were, but they told him nothing he couldn't have found out for himself just by looking at the sky. It would seem that to the Old Races the heavens were just as much a mystery as they currently were to the humans. Yet the Final Faith still maintained an interest in the astronomical arts and this was why Brother Incera had occupied his position for the last three decades, tucked away in his dusty observatory in one of the highest towers of Scholten cathedral.

He had to admit that he was a touch alarmed at the appearance of the new moon. Katherine Makennon would have to be informed. No doubt she would be just as surprised at his continued existence as she would be at the news of the astronomical phenomena.

Brother Incera felt a little trepidation at the prospect of an audience with the Anointed Lord. It had been quite some time since he had last spoken to the leader of the Final Faith. In fact it had been quite some time since he had last spoken to anybody.

Carefully, he descended the spiral staircase that led from his garret down to the main levels, his arthritis burning deep in his bones. By the entrance to a bell tower he paused to catch his breath and managed to startle a passing Eminence who hadn't expected to see so pale or so elderly a figure leaning against a wall in this part of the cathedral. The Eminence hurried on, throwing glances behind him as though he wasn't sure that Brother Incera wasn't a ghost.

The astronomer muttered a benediction at the priest's back before descending into the main body of the cathedral.

Here he briefly basked in the warm, heavily incensed air that wafted through the decorated arches and aisles. In their stalls beyond the transept, the Eternal Choir's song heralded the approach of dusk, the last few rays of the sun pouring through the stained-glass windows painting the robed singers with vivid splashes of colour.

Brother Incera realised that this meant that it would be at least two hours before the next service and, in all likelihood, Katherine Makennon would currently be in her audience chamber.

He descended more stairs before being stopped at an ornately decorated door by two knights of The Order of the Swords of Dawn.

"State the nature of your business with the Anointed Lord."

"I... I." Brother Incera swallowed. It had been so long since he had spoken that his throat seemed to catch on each word. "I have important astronomical news that I believe the Anointed Lord will