marred by the sight of the black canker that continued to blight the face of Kerberos. Silus hoped that it was just some natural phenomena that would soon pass, but the more he looked at it, the more he knew this not to be the case. Something unnatural was hanging over the gaze of the Lord of All, like a barbed mote in His eye.
The Temple of the Allfather was spread over two levels and, from it, they could look down on the palace and the house of the Stone Seers. Its gardens were equal to anything they had seen since arriving and, as they approached, Silus could see several robed figures amongst the lush green ferns and flowers, sitting in attitudes of quiet contemplation.
The entrance to the temple gave on to a cool, marble hall festooned with hanging baskets overflowing with fragrant herbs and busy with the noise of the tiny birds that twittered from archway to archway.
A robed man greeted them as they entered.
'Friends, welcome. Win told me of your arrival. Indeed, I'm sure the whole of Morat is abuzz with the news of our guests. I am Bestion. I believe that we have much to discuss, so if you gentlemen would care to follow me?'
The priest led them down a flight of stairs and into an indoor garden. Above them, holes in the temple roof let in narrow shafts of sunlight, which fell on clusters of iridescent lichens clinging to dark boulders. Between the stones trickled a shallow stream, the noise of the water's play over the gravel beds amplified by the marble walls that surrounded them.
'The gardens are central to our work here at the temple,' Bestion said, ushering them through a door and into a small room lit by oil lamps. 'We use the herbs and lichens we grow here in many of our ceremonies.'
Bestion seated himself on one of the cushions that were scattered across the floor, and gestured for his guests to do the same.
'Our friends here are curious to find out more about the Allfather,' Win said. 'Silus, in particular, seems to have a strong bond with Him.'
'I have been fascinated by Kerber — sorry, the Allfather — for a very long time. Win tells me that you have a method of communing with Him,' Silus said.
'Yes, through the sacred lichens we can leave our bodies for a short period of time and enter into His presence.'
'I would very much like to do that, if you would be willing to guide me.'
'Silus here has been having dreams concerning the Allfather,' Kelos said. 'Perhaps through this meditation he can work through some of his concerns and come to a greater understanding of our god?'
'With respect, Silus does not number amongst the priesthood.'
'I understand,' Kelos said. 'But ever since I met Silus I have sensed a deep spirituality in him. It is my belief that he will increase our understanding of the Allfather. Maybe he will even be able to shed light on the dark speck that has so recently marred His face.'
'Bestion, we do not pose a threat to your beliefs,' Silus said. 'We praise the same God you and I, just under different names. We all respect the sanctity of Kerberos, the Allfather.
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence then. Bestion stared at Silus intently, his gaze not unfriendly, yet piercing, as though he was searching for any sign of moral laxity in Silus's soul.
'If I am to guide you through the rites, Silus, you must do everything that I say, exactly as I say it,' Bestion said. 'The rituals are not to be entered into lightly.'
'I understand.'
'Win and I will return to the palace while you work with Bestion,' Kelos said. 'We will see you after your meditation.'
'Very well,' Bestion said. 'Silus follow me to the sanctuary. I will inform the other members of the priesthood that we are not to be disturbed.'
Bestion led Silus deeper into the temple complex. As they passed through more of the gardens, he saw men tending to the sacred lichens and herbs. He noticed that some of the priests had peculiarly iridescent eyes.
They passed through an archway and into a silent hall. No birdsong rang from the walls here and there was no trickling of water. Their footsteps made no sound. Bestion opened a door at the far end and they entered a room bathed in the light of Kerberos.
A stream ran out of an archway on the far side of the room, forming a moat around a stone dais in the centre of the chamber, before exiting through a second archway. On the dais four brass censers were set at the corners of a carpet woven with symbols not unlike the songlines that had been inked onto Emuel's body. Above the dais, a wide circular hole in the roof let in the light of Kerberos.
Bestion led Silus over the bridge crossing the moat and gestured for him to be seated on the carpet.
As he sat, Silus looked up and was reminded of that first night with Katya; how they had moored the boat on the subterranean lake beneath the gaze of Kerberos, how he had shared his dreams and fantasies with her. Now that he was actually to come into the presence of Kerberos more directly, Silus wondered whether any of his visions would turn out to be true.
Bestion poured a sparkling powder into each of the censers before lighting them. The smoke that poured from them was bitter and Silus choked as it wreathed itself around him.
'Don't fight it,' Bestion said. 'Otherwise this isn't going to work. Breathe.'
The first lungful burned as deeply and painfully as a knife to the ribs and, as Silus fought a growing sense of panic, Bestion put his hands on his shoulders and forced him to be still.
'Breathe, Silus, breathe.'
Eventually, the pain subsided and Silus found himself able to breathe without gagging on each inhalation. There was a taste in his mouth that was vaguely metallic, but also sweet. Bestion sat opposite Silus and he noticed that the smoke didn't go near him. Instead, it seemed to be pouring from the censers and streaming directly into his nostrils.
When the censers were empty Bestion began to chant.
His voice was low and resonated deep within Silus's chest.
Silus didn't understand the words, but they seemed to be doing something to him. The taste in his mouth grew more pronounced and he felt as though he was going to be sick. He folded himself over the centre of his sickness — trying to hold it in — but a great shudder wracked his body, forcing him upright. When he opened his mouth what came forth, however, was not bile but smoke. It felt like he was being drawn inside-out. Silus tried to scream but he couldn't. The smoke pouring from his mouth felt like something solid, something living. He looked up and saw the column of smoke reach the hole in the temple ceiling, and he suddenly found himself following it. As he tumbled towards Kerberos he looked down and could see his body below, kneeling with its head thrown back. And as Silus looked at himself, he prayed to the Lord of All that he would be able to return so that life would once more shine behind those eyes.
Chapter Seventeen
The sound of Bestion's chanting followed him as the thread tying him to his body unravelled.
Silus rose through the temple roof and, looking up, he could see the great disk of Kerberos expanding as he hurtled towards it.
As the last few words of Bestion's mantra faded away, Silus found himself moving over the azure planet, the clouds just inches from the soles of his feet.
This silence was bigger than himself, bigger than the stars that blazed above him like a multitude of jewels strewn across black velvet. Ahead of him, one jewel burned brighter than all the others — its blue-green light reaching him in brilliant cold shards — and Silus knew that he was looking at Twilight. It seemed so fragile, as though if he could reach out and touch it it would shatter.
Remembering his dream, he stared into the clouds below him, expecting to see the spirits of all those who had left Twilight behind, but there was nothing. Just the odd flicker of lightning gave life to the roiling mass.
Silus felt disappointed. He had expected this to be a profound, spiritual revelation but, instead, he had found that, even close-to, Kerberos refused to give up its secrets.
He felt anger burn through him. Below him the clouds darkened.
