Twilight of Kerberos: Wrath of Kerberos

by Jonathan Oliver

  When they finally stood before the ornate door leading to Makennon’s quarters, Dunsany reached for Kelos’s hand.

  “Are you ready?” he said.

  “Do we have a choice? Have we ever had a choice? I feel like we’ve been nothing more than pawns in a game played between gods.”

  “It’s been a hell of an adventure, though, hasn’t it?”

  “Oh, yes. Though it’s a pity we never got a chance to put that retirement plan of mine into effect. No desert island for us, just a ruined land at war once again.”

  “That’s the Twilight we love.”

  Kelos laughed. “And that’s the Dunsany I love. Now, let’s see what a god has to say for itself.”

  KATHERINE MAKENNON HAD heard the trail of destruction coming her way and had been about to call for her guards, when she remembered that those who remained were no longer hers to command. All authority had been stripped from her by the Red Chapter and she had been confined to her quarters, able to do little more than pray for her liberation.

  This she did now, falling to her knees as she heard screams coming from beyond her chamber door.

  “Lord of All, deliver me from this torment; free me to serve you once more.”

  The prayer was no sooner spoken than the door opened and there, stood before her, was Silus Morlader.

  Except it was not Silus Morlader, for from his eyes poured an azure light that she knew all too well.

  Katherine Makennon looked into the eyes of her god and her heart filled with hope.

  She was about to bow her head when Kerberos sank to His knees before her. He seemed to be in pain, and for a moment a cruel grin crossed His face as His eyes shone with an unholy light.

  “No! This world is... not yours! This... this is my creation!” He screamed, and to hear such pain and despair in the voice of her god chilled Katherine Makennon to the very core.

  “My Lord?” she said, reaching out and touching the man’s shoulder.

  Kerberos looked up at Makennon – her god, her life, her reason for choosing the path that had seen her rise through the ranks of the Final Faith to become the most powerful woman on the peninsula – and there was fear in His eyes.

  “Katherine Makennon. You have to help me, or all of Twilight will fall.”

  There was a peal of thunder then, so loud that she heard it even here, far beneath the ground, and as her god bowed before her Katherine Makennon began to sob.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Wrath of Kerberos seems like it took an epically long time to write – there was a lot going on during the coming together of the novel, all of it good. So, first and foremost all my thanks and love to my ever patient wife, Alison, who delivered to us a beautiful baby girl on the 10th February 2011, about halfway through my progress on this book (not that I was writing during the labour, you understand). So welcome, Maia Rose Oliver, you changed everything, all in the most wonderful way.

  Thanks again to Rebecca Levene, who provided wise editorial guidance on the first draft of this beast. And thanks also to my colleagues, David More and Jenni Hill, who further knocked it into shape. Thanks to the team at Rebellion, for their patience and grace in working with one so often manic and strange. And thank you to Adam Tredowski for the stormingly good cover.

  Big thanks must also go to Matthew, Mike and David, who have helped make Twilight of Kerberos what it is. It’s been a hell of a ride, and it’s been an honour to share this world with you all.

  Thanks again to all our friends, family and colleagues who have provided support and inspiration. You know who you are, and we love you all.

  Lastly, thanks to you for reading this. If you enjoyed it, why not drop me a line? You can check out my random musings at jonoliverwriter.blogspot.com or follow me on Twitter at @JonOlivereditor

  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, and has edited two critically-acclaimed anthologies – End of the Line and House of Fear – for Solaris Books. 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, his daughter Maia and their cat Fudge. The Wrath of Kerberos is his second novel.

  WITHIN THE CALL OF KERBEROS LIES THE DESTINY OF ALL HUMANKIND!

  Silus Morlader is a fisherman working the Nurn coast; a simple man leading a simple life. But there is more to Silus than even he himself realises. A mysterious man on the run from the Final Faith tries to persuade Silus to join him on an extraordinary voyage, and when an ancient and evil race bursts from the sea and tries to claim him as one of their own, Silus is forced to flee his home.

  Soon Silus becomes a pawn in a deadly game played between ancient races. On the forbidding Twilight seas, Silus begins to discover the extraordinary truth behind his burgeoning preternatural abilities. As he battles alongside the crew of the magical galleon, the Llothriall, he will find out more about his world and his legacy than he could ever have imagined. Hearing the call of Kerberos, he will fight to save existence itself!

  A SILUS MORLADER ADVENTURE

  www.abaddonbooks.com

  “CHILD OF TRASS KATHRA... WELCOME HOME!”

  One year after Kali Hooper defeated the Pale Lord, Bastion Redigor lives on in the body of Jakub Freel. The mysterious entity known as the Hel’ss, meanwhile, moves closer to Twilight, welcomed as the herald of their ascension by the Final Faith. Only Kali and her friends know the deadly reality of what this will bring, but they have been declared outlaws, hunted by the Order of The Swords of Dawn.

  So begins Kali’s penultimate adventure, a quest far beyond the Stormwall to the mystical Trass Kathra, the Island of the Lost. Here she will suffer the trials of the Four to discover the true nature of Twilight’s gods and her own shocking origin in the chaotic depths of the Thunderflux. Kali Hooper is dead, and this is the beginning of the end...

  A KALI HOOPER ADVENTURE

  www.abaddonbooks.com

  Title

  Series

  Dedication and Indicia

  Map of Twilight

  Part One: A World Away From Home

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Part Two: Arrivals and Departures

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Part Three: A History Lesson

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Acknowledgements

  Jonathan Oliver

  'The Call of Kerberos' by Jonathan Oliver

  'The Trials of Trass Kathra' by Mike Wild