LOST!
Suddenly there was an immense screech of psychic noise and Querilous's hands jolted as his flesh began to burn. He tried to pull away from the voices and images that crowded his mind but the maelstrom of sensations held him in its grip. He could feel the creature in the chair thrashing against its restraints and there was a peculiar smell. It reminded him of the sea but there was also an odour of burning to it. Querilous suddenly found himself blind and he gritted his teeth as he forced his mind against the barrier that had been thrown up against it.
Suddenly he was free, and he reeled across the interrogation room, he palms throbbing with pain.
Once his surroundings had stopped spinning Querilous looked down at his hands. They were blistered and peeling, as though they had been plunged into a pot of boiling water. The odour that he had smelt earlier was stronger now and he realised that it was coming from the prisoner.
Looking over at the thing in the chair he could see steam rising from its skull.
Querilous cautiously approached and was appalled to see two gaping holes in the Chadassa's head where he had hurriedly torn his hands free.
Querilous may have found a lead to their fugitives, he considered, but how was he going to tell Makennon that he had killed one of their most valuable prisoners?
Chapter Seven
Silus marvelled at the beauty of the Sarcre archipelago as they glided over the crystal blue water. He had never seen the sea so calm. The formation of the islands here broke apart the angry water that surrounded Sarcre, channelling it into the clear cool channels that separated the islands. Silus looked over the side of the boat and could see all the way to the seabed. The water glittered with life. If he and Katya lived here, he considered, they could make a very comfortable living. He wouldn't even need a net; he could just reach over the side of the boat and pick the fish from the sea.
At the oars Dunsany sweated in a heat that was even more intense than it had been that morning. The rest of them sat crowded into the boat; Emuel looking forlornly into the distance as though searching for a lost love, Jacquinto and his compatriots steadily drinking from hip flasks, Father Maylan beaming a smile as though he were rather enjoying every moment, Kelos looking eagerly ahead to the approaching island and Katya, sitting with her arms folded, her look a warning to anyone on whom it happened to settle.
The quietly smoking cone of a volcano dominated the small island towards which they were heading and Silus watched its approach with some concern.
'I don't suppose that there's any risk of that thing blowing its top is there?' He said.
'Oh, you mean Maladrak's Cauldron?' Kelos said. 'Well, of course there's a risk but it hasn't erupted in living memory. So I wouldn't worry too much.'
'Well that's reassuring,' Katya said.
As they drew closer Silus recognised the regularly shaped standing stones that ringed the island a short distance from the shore. He'd noticed similar monoliths surrounding several of the other islands in the archipelago, though he'd never seen any of them up-close before.
Dunsany took the oars out of their loops as they drifted to a halt on the pebbles of the beach, while Kelos leapt out to secure the boat.
As Silus stepped ashore he could hear a strange low buzzing, as though a vast colony of bees were somewhere nearby. He turned to look at the rest of the crew but none of them seemed to have noticed anything out of place.
'Can you hear that?' He asked Katya.
'What am I listening for?'
'I don't know. It's sort of a weird buzzing.'
'I don't hear it.'
Trying to shake his head clear Silus followed the rest of the crew. As he drew closer to the standing stones, a pressure began to build up behind his eyes and a sharp pain gripped his head. Feeling nauseous and dizzy, he reached for Katya's hand.
'Silus, what's wrong?'
Ahead of him the stones swam as though in a heat haze. Gentle whispers filled his head and the monoliths began to glow.
'Silus?'
He staggered past the line of stones and fell to his knees, splattering the ground with vomit. Silus took deep breaths and, slowly, his head began to clear. He looked back and the stones stood silent, the air around them untroubled.
'What happened?' Katya said, kneeling beside him.
'I don't know. The stones, they filled my head with this awful noise.'
'Are you alright old chap?' Dunsany offered his hand and helped Silus to his feet.
'I'm fine, I think. Those stones, what are they for?'
'No one knows,' Kelos said, joining them. 'But from what I have noted of the markings they probably held some religious significance for the early islanders. The minerals from which these rocks are carved are fascinating. I haven't seen anything like them elsewhere. They may even be unique to Sarcre. Why do you ask?'
'I seem to have an adverse reaction to them. Or maybe it's just the heat?'
Kelos looked at him with some concern, before Dunsany linked his arm in his and marched with his friend towards the volcano.
'Onwards team,' Dunsany said.
'Where exactly is this ship of yours anchored?' Jacquinto said. 'This is a pretty small island and I can't see this mighty vessel that you've been enthusing about.'
'Ah, but the Llothriall isn't anchored at this island.' Dunsany said, leading them to the foot of the volcano, where a cave opened up in the dark rock.
'Come on Dunsany, this is ridiculous!' Silus said. 'You're leading us on some sort of merry chase now.'
'Actually, this is the right way to the Llothriall.' Kelos said. 'It may seem strange but you'll understand the reasoning behind it soon.'
'He's quite the showman,' said Father Maylan. 'Dunsany, I don't suppose you've ever considered the priesthood have you? I'm sure that a man with a flair for the dramatic such as yourself would fit right in.'
'Funnily enough,' Dunsany said. 'It's not a vocation that I have ever considered,' and he led them into the side of the volcano.
As the darkness closed around them Kelos summoned a light to his palm. It burned with a steady glow that revealed their surroundings perfectly.
They had to stoop as the roof of the cave angled down, but the tunnel soon widened as it turned sharply to the right and descended. There was a powerful smell of sulphur and steam rose from fissures in the walls, coating them in moisture and making their clothes cling clammily to their limbs. Silus felt for Katya's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they followed the crew. He was wondering how much more of the stifling heat they could take when the tunnel levelled out and the temperature dropped.
The stone that surrounded them now gave off a pleasant coolness and the smell of the sea permeated the passage. The crash and susurrus of waves echoed around them and Silus wondered what kind of harbour they were being led to, so far beneath the ground.
It was hard to measure the passage of time as they walked along the tunnel, but Silus thought that at least half an hour had passed before Kelos extinguished his light. It took Silus a moment to understand where the new source of illumination was coming from, but then he noticed that the dark rock of the walls had given way to pale stone and it was through this that a soft marine glow filtered into the passage. Ahead of them the light increased and, as they continued, Silus was no longer looking at the walls, he was looking through them.
Dunsany and Kelos glanced back at the crew expectantly, trying to gauge their reactions to this new marvel.
'We're underwater. How are we underwater?' Katya said.
