The Call of Kerberos

by Jonathan Oliver

  "Is this it?" Kelos said.

  The Chadassa sank slowly to their knees, settling so gently on the sand that they didn't make a sound. Then, from every eye socket and from every mouth streamed the light of Kerberos as the Chadassa began to sing.

  The sound was deafening but glorious.

  "My God," Emuel said, "it's the song." Then he turned to the temple and shouted: "Bestion, it's the song."

  The strong, high note washed over them all for a second more before falling in pitch and then ceasing altogether.

  The Chadassa remained where they were, but now smoke rose from their empty eye-sockets and their open mouths. Gulls descended on the corpses, drawn by the smell of cooking flesh.

  The Great Ocean howled at the death of its children, before turning its fury on the humans in its midst.

  Far from the Isle of the Allfather, on the coast of Turnitia, the Land Walkers burst from the sea only to be faced with a vast army wearing the crossed circle of the Final Faith.

  Though the army before them was formidable, the Land Walkers raised their voices and charged. They had advanced no more than halfway up the beach, however, when a pure, holy light blazed from their eyes and mouths and they dropped dead.

  "Well done Anointed Lord," said one of the knights, turning to Katherine Makennon. "Truly such abominations are as like wheat to the scythe before your divine presence."

  "Thank you Alonkin," Katherine Makennon said, "but, really, it was nothing."

  The Great Ocean's howl was that of a parent bereaved, but Jacquinto didn't give the creature time for its sorrow as he swung his sword. The blade was caught before it could connect and the steel shattered in the creature's grip.

  Ignacio, seeing the danger his comrade was in, followed with his own attack. This time the weapon connected, but when the smuggler drew back to strike again, the creature grabbed his skull.

  Jacquinto was showered with his brother's blood as the Great Ocean brought its hands together, but he still managed to scramble out of the way when the creature turned its attention on him.

  Kelos stepped into the monster's path and raised the stone from the Llothriall, speaking words from a long dead tongue as he channelled the power of the gem.

  The Great Ocean stood its ground against the sudden gale that howled around it, before taking the stone from the mage's hands and turning it into dust.

  Kelos stared in numb horror as hope blew away on the wind. Emuel was shouting something at him, but, though he could see the eunuch's lips moving, he couldn't hear his words.

  The pitch black eyes of Zac looked up at him from where was he was fused to the monster's breast. "Give Silus to me now and your deaths will be painless," said the Great Ocean through the infant's mouth. "Otherwise, your agony will be ten times worse than this."

  The Great Ocean strode towards Father Maylan, brushing aside a Moratian as he attempted to defend him. The creature reached towards the priest and the half-born foetuses scrabbled out of the ruins of its body, to swarm over him. Father Maylan screamed as the tiny creatures burrowed into his flesh. He tried to pull them away but they were too slippery and soon they were moving under his skin.

  Kelos looked away as the aborted Chadassa fed. Emuel was tugging on his sleeve now and, this time, he could hear what the eunuch was saying.

  "Run."

  Silus felt the deaths of his friends as the Great Ocean took their lives and the storm gave voice to his sorrow. The Chadassa may have been destroyed but the father remained, the shadow of the black moon moving across Kerberos testament to this fact.

  He searched for the sound of Bestion's chanting and when he found it the words seemed less sure of themselves, as though they were being spoken under duress. However, with them Silus regained the thread that would lead him back to his body.

  But he didn't follow it home just yet.

  Instead he left Kerberos and moved across the surface of the dark moon. Below him a ripple passed through the orb as it sensed his presence. This thing was as much his true father as it was the Chadassa's. When it reached out to him he didn't fight its embrace, even though he was repulsed.

  Though the Chadassa had been everything he didn't want to be, Silus gave up a part of himself to their god.

  The Great Ocean poured into him and when he felt himself beginning to drown, he fell back towards Twilight, carrying its tainted waters within him.

  Dunsany and Jacquinto held the main entrance for a time but soon the Great Ocean had them backed into the temple.

  Parrying a swipe of its claws Dunsany tried to push it into the pool in the main chamber, but it lashed out with its other arm, scoring a series of deep slashes into his chest. When the blood began to flow Dunsany decided to retreat, though there was nowhere to retreat to. Behind him Silus lay prone on the altar while Bestion chanted over him, lost in his devotions. Katya stood beside them and she had been the only one to look up as they barrelled into the temple, a howl of grief erupting from her when she saw what had happened to Zac.

  "He is the Great Ocean," the child said, giggling. "He is the Great Ocean. Praise him."

  "Katya, get out of here." Dunsany shouted, before bringing his sword down in a wide arc. The blow connected with a hollow sound before the sword was swept from his grip. The weapon skittered across the smooth marble floor, coming to rest at Katya's feet.

  Dunsany closed his eyes as the god pressed forward, waiting for the killing blow, but the Great Ocean paid him no heed and instead walked towards where Silus lay.

  The remaining members of the crew looked on helplessly as the monster approached. Kelos reached out to Katya as he saw what she was about to do, but it was too late.

  She rounded the altar and charged the Great Ocean, Dunsany's blade held before her. The creature watched her come with a mild disinterest and didn't even cry out as the sword sank into its chest to the hilt. Katya kept her grip on the pommel and pushed until she was face to face with the creature.

  The dead white eyes of the ruined Chadassa body writhed with maggots. Only a small trickle of blood covered Katya's hand where she held the sword. There was a tug on her chest and she looked down to where Zac was fused to the creature. She had thought her son dead, but somehow this was worse.

  A wide smile split the infant's face as it looked up at her, but it wasn't a smile of recognition. It was a smile of malice, a smile that said it would bring death to them all.

  Zac's small hand pushed her gently back, until she was bent over the altar with Silus beneath her. Foul smelling liquid gushed from the Chadassa's corrupt body to cover her.

  "He is the Great Ocean. His time is now," said the voice coming from her son and, beneath her, Silus's body stirred. "He is the Great Ocean. Praise Him. Praise Him. Praise Him."

  The chanting was so loud it overrode Bestion's own words. Katya looked up at the priest, pleading with him to break out of his prayerful meditations, but he did not stir, even with the presence of something so foul in their midst.

  Then another voice joined with the Great Ocean's as Silus sat up on the altar.

  "I am the Great Ocean."

  Katya turned and when she saw the darkness that filled her husband's pupils she backed away in horror.

  "Yes, that's right Silus," the Great Ocean said. "That's right, join with me."

  "I am the Great Ocean."

  The darkness streaming from his eyes, Silus reached out. His hands went to Zac and held him. There was a deep rumble of thunder and, above them, a sheet of blinding light suddenly washed across Kerberos. It was almost as though the planet had blinked.

  As the echoes of the thunder died away the sound of a child crying filled the temple. Katya looked over at her son to see a pure azure light pouring from his pupils. The flesh that had bound him to the body of the monster melted away and Silus lifted him free from the hideous caul.

  "Silus, what are you doing?" said the Great Ocean.

  Silus ignored it and placed his son in Katya's hands. As he did so the light went out o
f Zac's eyes, to be replaced by the deep blue gaze she had first fallen in love with. This time when the child cried, it was with an entirely human voice.

  "Silus, you are my son. We are the Great Ocean," The dark god said, doubt now tingeing its voice.

  "No, you are the Great Ocean, I am something else. We were both born of Kerberos, yet you choose to seed this place with your own taint. A taint that I carry within me only to deliver back to you a thousand-fold."

  Silus gripped the monster's skull and let the dark water of the Great Ocean pour back out of him. With it, though, came an energy more ancient, more powerful - that of Kerberos itself.

  Silus maintained his grip as the creature dropped to its knees and he didn't let go even when it began to burn. Soon there were only ashes on the temple floor where the Great Ocean had stood.

  Bestion's chanting came to an end and he opened his eyes.

  "What happened? I heard the voice of the Allfather."

  But Silus didn't say anything. Instead he went to Katya and Zac, knelt and put his arms around them.

  Listening to his son cry, Silus thought that it was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard.

  Soon the Isle of the Allfather was awash with great buzzing clouds of flies as the Chadassa's bodies rotted. A nauseating stench washed over the island and made it difficult to venture anywhere other than the temple. When the supplies on the Llothriall ran low it was clear it was time to leave.

  "Where are we going to go without the power of the stone?" Silus said. "The waters may be calm around the isle, but out there are currents that will rip apart the ship in seconds."

  It seemed to him that they had escaped one disaster only to head into the jaws of another.

  "There are a chain of smaller islands not far from here," Bestion said. "We could head over there."

  "And what then?"

  "I hadn't thought much further than that if I'm honest."

  "Where's your sense of adventure?" Dunsany said. "The ship can hold her own for a while I'm sure. We don't need magic all the time after all." Kelos looked up at him and smiled. "Besides, if it gets too rough on board Silus can always swim alongside. Maybe he could call the creatures of the deep to our aid."

  So, with the sales billowing they left the Isle of the Allfather behind. As they turned hard to starboard the sun was just coming out of Kerberos's shadow. There was nothing to mar the azure sphere now, the Great Ocean had vanished.

  Silus held Katya tight as the shore moved out of sight over the horizon. In her arms Zac stirred sleepily. Silus wondered how much Zac had inherited from his father and, more, he wondered how much his time in the grip of the dark god would have tainted him.

  Silus swore that as his son grew up, he would teach him to fight.

  THE END

  Jonathan Oliver

  Jonathan Oliver is the Editor-in-Chief of Abaddon and Solaris. He has had stories published on both sides of the Atlantic in various publications, along with a handful of articles. He used to dabble in stand-up comedy before coming to the realisation that writing may be far less gruelling. He lives in Abingdon with his wife Alison and their cat Fudge. The Call of Kerberos is his first novel.

  Acknowledgments

  Firstly, thanks must go to Alison, my wife, who had to sit through many an evening of me pounding at the keyboard, swearing at the computer and being wracked with self-doubt as the novel took shape. Your patience is amazing and I love you with all my heart.

  A massive thank you must also go to Rebecca Levene, my editor on this project. Rebecca's advice and editorial guidance have been invaluable.

  Mark Harrison - as ever - was master of cover duties and I couldn't be happier with how beautiful it is. Mmmmm...tentacles.

  Pye and Luke are the design team who have made sure the book looks the biz. They both rock the kasbah and are design gods.

  Thanks also to Mum and Dad, Jim and Anna, Chris and Antonia. the Bardsleys and all my family. Joel Lane, the NRFTers (Sam, Owen, James, Pete, Craig) who have fought many a fish demon and continue to provide friendship and dice-based hilarity, Rob Spalding, the 2000 AD and Abaddon/Solaris teams, especially Jenni who proofread this, Kelly and Pat who have been reading my stories possibly longer than anyone, and Sam and Elaine who have sat through many stand-up gigs and tales from the ice-cream factory.

  Now read the first chapter of the next exciting novel in the Twilight of Kerberos series...

  Engines of the Apocalypse

  Mike Wild

  COMING SOON

  WWW.ABADDONBOOKS.COM

  Chapter One

  The world was plunged into darkness. There was a scream.

  The scream in question came from one Maladorus Slack, entrepreneur and guide, hired only hours before by Kali Hooper after he'd approached her in the Spider's Eyes claiming to know the location of a forgotten passageway leading directly to the fourth level of Quinking's Depths. It was an audacious claim, and it wasn't every day that Kali trusted the word of some drunk in a backwoods tavern, but there had been something in the way Slack made it - with wariness, rather than greed, in his eyes - that had made her take a gamble on its veracity and hand over fifty full silver for the privilege of having him share it with her.

  As it turned out, her money had been well spent. Slack guided her at twilight to a cave in the hills above the remote town of Solnos and deep within, pointing out an overgrown cryptoblock defence that he swore - once unlocked - would enable her to bypass the Depths' first three levels and find treasure of such value that she might, as he so colourfully put it, "come over all tremblous in the underknicks." Kali had had a word with him about this, pointing out that it was her business what went on in her underknicks and, far more importantly, that she didn't do what she did for the money. Most of the time, anyway.

  She felt a bit bad now, about having pinned him against the wall. Especially considering the man's fate. Not that it was her fault - or his, really. For one thing, Slack's nervousness had threatened to make him come over all something else in the underknicks and he had stuck to her like a limpet even though she tried to shoo him away, and for another there was no way either of them could have anticipated what was going to happen once they had found what lay within the Depths.

  Perhaps, though, she should have done. Perhaps the way things had gone she should have realised that the whole thing was going to go tits up.

  "This cryptoblock," Slack had said as she had begun to work on it in the cramped conditions of the cave, "It is some kind of puzzle, yes?" He was crouched awkwardly between the skeletal remains of previous adventurers who had found their way there, trying to ignore the fact that every one of their bones was completely, utterly shattered.

  "Not some kind of puzzle," she replied. "A very specific kind."

  "You have seen such things before?"

  "Once or twice. Cryptoblock defences are typical of an ancient race called the dwarves."

  "The Old Race, you mean? With the pointy ears and bows?"

  Kali sighed but took time to set him straight because Slack had at least heard of the Old Races, which was more than could be said of most people on the peninsula. "No, the other lot. The noisy ones with axes and blood pressure."

  "Bows, axes, what does it matter?"

  Slack sniffed the kind of sniff where you could hear the contents of his nostrils slop against his brain, and Kali grimaced in distaste. But as she once more felt his hot, alcoholic breath in her face, the man seemed to accept the truth of what she was saying.

  "I remember. These dwarves were supposed to have been masters of deadly traps, yes?"

  "Oh, yeah."

  "Then this door is such a trap?"

  Kali glanced at the skeletons on the floor of the cave. "Either that or these guys succumbed to a very bad case of the jitters."

  Slack glanced fearfully around the cave, looking for hidden devices.

  "You won't see a thing," Kali advised. "They were master engineers, too."

  "Then I hope you know
what you are doing!"

  "Wish I did," Kali said. She was working on one particular area now, concentrating hard, tongue sticking out between her teeth between responses. "Trouble is, each cryptoblock is different... springs, balances, counterbalances... you just have to feel your way around." She suddenly pulled back with a gasp as something sprang inside the cryptoblock and one of its component parts snapped into place where she had delved a moment before. "Farker!" she cursed, shaking and sucking her fingers, then almost casually grabbed Slack's sleeve, pulling him aside as a solid stone fist the size of an outhouse punched down from the cave roof onto the spot where he had stood, reducing what remained of the skeletons to dust. With a grinding of hidden stone gears, the fist retracted, and Kali returned to her work, leaving Slack where he was, white-faced and with a small stain spreading on the front of his pants.

  "Sorry about that," Kali said. "Getting somewhere, now."

  She continued to work diligently on the puzzle for the next few minutes, Slack staring warily around himself, below and above all the while, flinching or emitting a little whimper each time there was the sound of something clicking into place in the cryptoblock. But at last there was a sound that was different to the others - somehow final - and Kali stood back with a sigh of satisfaction.

  Slack regarded her and the cryptoblock with some puzzlement, because at first nothing seemed to happen. Then each part of the cryptoblock that Kali had repositioned retracted into another adjacent to it, which in turn retracted into adjacent parts. Other components of the cryptoblock automatically moved up or down, enveloping their neighbours or moving in or out. This reordering became faster and faster, the size of the cryptoblock diminishing all the time until Slack found himself staring at a small cube where the cryptoblock had been. For a second it simply hung there, and then Slack jumped back as it, too, retracted - this time, into itself. Nothing remained of the cryptoblock - nothing at all.