The blast of spray and the wind in his face made Silus struggle for breath as he fought with the boom. The boat leaned hard to port. One of the morning's catch took advantage of the motion to leap free of its bucket and belly-flop on the deck, before the boat lurched again and sent the fish back into the sea.
"Alright, you can have that one," Silus shouted at the waves.
He lodged the catch bucket against a bench, wrapped his right hand in a rope, pulled hard and hauled the Ocean Lily back on course. There was a lull then and Silus took advantage of the brief respite to lash everything down. He looked up at the clouds and considered casting out one more time, but the flicker of lightning and the kiss of warm rain convinced him that he was done for the day.
The lights of Nurn shone weakly through the mist but Silus managed to guide his boat back by the light of the beacon that blazed on the farthest sea wall. People had already begun to gather at the harbour, hurrying to get the best of the catch.
Katya caught the rope that Silus threw to her and together they moored the boat.
"Any gemfish Silus?" called one of the punters.
"We'll get to the catch in just a moment. But first, a kiss for my wife."
Silus pulled Katya close and some of the cold of the morning dissipated as he was wrapped in her warmth. Smiling, he ran his hand over her belly and his touch was greeted by a slight nudge from within.
"A feisty wee one alright," Katya grinned. "I worry about you out there you know. How far out did you have to go today?"
"A bit too far to be honest and the catch isn't great either. I really don't understand why the shoals are sitting so far out." There was a tugging at his sleeve and Silus turned to see Mrs Greaves brandishing a couple of coppers at him. "Gemfish Mrs Greaves, yes gemfish! Well, there are three right here with your name on them."
Silus and Katya laid out the catch and all but two sold.
"Ooooh, seacrake for breakfast again. Truly we are spoiling ourselves." Katya said, tossing the sticky yellow tubes back into a basket after the crowd had dispersed. Silus put his arm around her and together they made their way through the precipitous Nurn streets to their home.
Silus and Katya had been married for almost three years. Both natives of Nurn they had met at one of the many festivals that dotted the local calendar. Katya had been immediately impressed with this softly spoken fisherman who — unlike some of the other locals — was not in the process of drinking himself into a coma or starting a fight.
On that day, as the sun had started to move out of the shadow of Kerberos, the two of them had broken away from the revellers and wandered down to the harbour.
Beyond the breakwaters the fierce sea churned, the foaming white tips of the waves catching the light of the new sun like cascading diamonds. Grinning, Silus helped Katya down into the Ocean Lily and cast off. The roar of the sea quickly swallowed the sounds of the party as Silus began a familiar dance with the boom.
They crested a wave that seemed to climb forever and then Katya was screaming with delight as they hurtled down the swell.
"Hold on!" Silus shouted as the sail swung round and the Ocean Lily leaned hard into the curve of another wave.
Katya marvelled at the way this man fought the sea and didn't once flinch as it fought back. Silus never once lost his footing as he danced around the sail and he even had time to steal a kiss as the rope played through his hands.
The boat lurched again and the crest of a wave burst across the bow, soaking the two of them instantly. But Katya didn't mind and they laughed as they looked at each other through dripping fringes.
"I think that you're probably ready to give it a go now that you're a seasoned sailor." Silus said.
"More like a salted sailor! No, I'm happy to leave it to you, thank you."
"Come on, I'll show you how."
Katya scrambled across the deck to lean against Silus as he taught her the play and pull of the rope. The power of the wind frightened her a little as it sent them hurtling across the sea, but she found herself trusting him absolutely and relaxed as they guided the boat together.
"See? We'll make a fisherwoman of you yet."
"A fisherwoman? Oh thanks, that's very romantic."
Suddenly Katya couldn't feel Silus at her back or his pull on the rope. Then, he stepped in front of her and smiled.
"No hands!"
"Silus!"
"You can do it. Just play the ropes as I've shown you."
The only still point in her world was Silus as he stood with his arms folded, calmly riding the pitching deck. He nodded as she guided them into the wind, the Ocean Lily immediately bolting across the water. In the distance Katya could see the lights of Nurn as they tumbled around the horizon. The sails keened as the wind pushed against them. Katya began to relax, timing her turns so that the boat didn't keel over and capsize, learning when to play the rope out and when to reign it in. Soon she felt that the Ocean Lily had become a part of her.
"Superb!" Silus shouted. "I'll let you bring her in now. Change course for the shore."
Katya swung the boom around and it was immediately slapped back by the wind. She ducked as it narrowly missed her head, the rope whipping through her hands. Silus lost his footing as the deck slanted away beneath him and Katya watched as he fell towards the edge. She launched herself forwards — ducking the boom as it swung back round — and her hands closed on Silus's shirt just as his upper body crested the lip of the boat. Barely a metre from his head the black waters frothed angrily. It seemed that the boat was almost ninety degrees to the horizon now. Katya's arms burned with the effort of keeping Silus from toppling into the sea. She looked down and was astonished to see him laughing.
He grabbed her as the Ocean Lily crashed into a wave. Silus's lips met hers in the freezing water's embrace, and then they were through and Silus was scrambling across the deck to right the boat.
The horizon stabilised and Katya managed to struggle back to Silus's side.
"Did we just almost die?"
"Nah!" Silus said. "You have to be used to the randomness of the sea, that's all."
"How can you get used to randomness?"
"Good point. Okay, how about I show you something a lot more tranquil and just as beautiful?"
"Sail on."
The sun had fully left the shadow of Kerberos now and the day was already promising to be a hot one. They hugged the shoreline for a while before Silus angled them towards the mouth of a cavern that gaped in the side of a cliff. The sea was considerably calmer here and Silus had no problem in guiding the boat into darkness.
"Would you mind lighting those two lamps there? Otherwise the next few yards can be a little difficult to negotiate."
Katya lit the lamps as a light wind followed them into the cave. It was so quiet that all she could hear was the gentle wash of the sea and their breathing. The soft illumination coming from the boat showed walls glistening with veins of minerals and turquoise lichens. Above them she could hear the scrabble and twitter of small creatures and, as they passed beneath a stalactite — its tip almost scraping the top of the sails — she thought that she saw something slowly undulating upwards along its length.
The wind changed direction, coming from before them now. A warm breath from the depths, rich with the smell of wet stone and something sweeter, like cinnamon. The tunnel narrowed and Katya saw Silus's brow wrinkle as his concentration increased. She winced as the Ocean Lily scraped against the tunnel wall, but then they were through and the gloom surrounding them increased ten-fold.
Katya had never been in such darkness before and she felt a wave of panic begin to fizz through her nerves. She turned around, half expecting to find Silus gone. But he was still there, the rope now slack at his feet, the sails dead above him. He was looking past her into the depths of the subterranean night and he gestured for her to follow his gaze.
Ahead of them there was a… it was hard to tell and Katya screwed up her eyes as she tried to make it out. At first she thought that it was a glowing mist, but as they drew near she could hear the rush of water. Katya then realised that what she was looking at was a waterfall surrounding a wide shaft of brilliant light. The Ocean Lily glided through the shimmering curtain and into the familiar and comforting glow of Kerberos. Katya looked up to where a hole in the cavern roof seemed to cradle the azure disk, water cascading around its circumference. The boat came to rest and Silus gently fed out the anchor.
"Wow," Katya said. "Do you bring all your girlfriends here?"
"Believe it or not you're the first."
"What, the first girlfriend?" Katya smiled. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease. Anyway, you owe me one you know."
"What for?"
"For saving your life."
"Oh, I see. I owe you one what?"
"One of these."
Katya kissed him. She tasted of the sea and when Silus pulled away from the kiss he could see Kerberos reflected in her eyes.
"Do you ever wonder what it's like, up there?" Silus said, looking up at the azure planet.
"Well I don't suppose that we'll find out until we pass on and join our ancestors there. I do hope that you're not in any hurry."
"But what if we could go to Kerberos before that? I sometimes think that it's one vast ocean. You could sail forever on its azure seas. The marine creatures would be unlike anything you've ever seen and, beneath the waves, would be vast and ancient cities."
"You certainly can't take the sea out of the boy can you?"
"I'm from a long line of fishermen. Not very exciting really.
"The other night I dreamed that I was swimming down a great hall. It was dark, but on the walls I could see paintings of strange creatures. They stood on two legs and were covered in dark scales. Sharp spines ran up their backs to the top of their heads. Each finger ended in a wicked looking talon. And then I was at the end of the hall before a set of enormous doors. I reached up to open them and my hands were just like theirs." Silus's focused on Katya again, wrapping his arms around her. "Anyway, it was just a dream. Silly really."
"As long as you're not about to abduct me and take me to your underwater lair."
"Ah, well. Wouldn't you say that's sort of what this place is?"
That had been almost four years ago and Silus was still dreaming of Kerberos
In The Necromancer's Barge his stories and dreams were well known and when Silus came off the Ocean Lily he'd often share a tale or two over an ale or three.
That morning the seas had been calmer than usual but the catch hadn't improved and Silus was beginning to worry that if the fishing didn't pick up soon he was going to be out of a job. The drink was starting to take the edge off but he didn't want to get too deep into his cups, Katya would need a hand with some of the chores and he still had nets to mend. One more for the road, however, would do no harm.
Silus signalled to the landlord but another hand arrested his.
"Let me get this one friend."
The man sitting beside him was dressed in simple garb and appeared to be little older than Silus. He could remember having seen him in the tavern a couple of times before but didn't think that he was a local.
"Thank you. I'm sorry but I didn't catch your name. I'm Silus by the way."
"Yes, I know. Kelos." They shook hands. "I saw you out on the water. Can't be easy for you with conditions being what they are."
"It hasn't been easy, but it's not the sea that worries me so much as the lack of fish."
"You handle that boat of yours beautifully."
"Thank you. The Ocean Lily has been in my family a long time." The landlord placed two tumblers of liquor before them and Silus thanked Kelos again before knocking his back. "Haven't I seen you in here before?"
"A few times. I'm just passing through really."
"A trader?"
"I think that entrepreneur is a more fitting description."
They sat in silence for a while then. Beside themselves there were few customers in The Necromancer's Barge. There was a group of elderly men playing a game with woodrene bones and a stout woman busy with her knitting, a scrawny dog snoring at her feet. Despite the quietness of the bar, Kelos still looked nervously about before speaking again.
"Actually, I'm putting together an expedition and we're in need of strong, reliable men like yourself, who can handle themselves at sea."
"We?"
"My colleague and I. We are in possession of a unique vessel."
"And where is this expedition bound?"
"Beyond Twilight."
"Impossible. You won't get more than five miles off the peninsula before your ship is smashed to pieces. There's not a vessel on Twilight that could make it through the Storm Wall."
"As I said, we are in possession of a unique vessel."
Silus suddenly went cold as he realised who he may be speaking to. "You're Final Faith."
"Used to be."
In some ways this was even worse and it was now Silus's turn to look around nervously.
"Listen. Thanks but no thanks. You may think that Nurn is a small town and that we're comfortably far from Scholten, but even here you don't know who may be listening. There's no question of me joining your expedition. I have a pregnant wife at home and a livelihood to consider. You said that you were passing through Nurn? Well if I were you I'd continue to pass through, because any day now Makennon's Swords are going to catch up with you and I'd rather you were far away from my town when that day comes."
"Trust me, Makennon hasn't the first clue where to find us." Kelos took out a map and laid it on the bar. It showed the peninsula and was heavily annotated. "What do you think lies beyond these rough seas Silus?"
"I really don't know."
"But you want to, I can tell. They all know your stories here, those dreams of other places. What about making those dreams a reality? I know that you have a wife with child, but she'd be well looked after and you'd be paid handsomely for your time. Do you really want it to be Makennon who discovers new lands, only to bring them in line under the banner of her faith? If there's something out there to be discovered wouldn't you rather that it was people like ourselves doing the discovering, not those with a vested interest in spreading the 'word'?"
As a child Silus had often played with maps, adding in his own details, drawing in new islands, whole continents peopled with his imagination. His father had told him tales of the Old Races and their mastery of the sea and Silus had wondered why humans hadn't achieved the same heights of naval prowess. They were the ones who ruled now after all, long since those strange beings had perished. Why couldn't they dominate and harness their world in the same way? Silus had been fishing and exploring the same stretch of coast ever since he was old enough to handle a boat and he often yearned to strike out far from shore and try his hand against the stormy waters beyond the horizon. He remembered that first time with Katya and how they had lain in each other's arms, looking up at Kerberos, imagining beyond Twilight, wanting to explore together.
"Look, I hardly know you." Silus said, folding the map and handing it back to Kelos. "Really, the dream is compelling but I'm sure it's just that. A dream."
"From what I've seen of you out on the water and what the good people of Nurn have already told me regarding your character, it would be a great shame if I couldn't tempt you to join us. However, the decision must not be forced. No doubt I shall see you around."
Silus watched Kelos walk away. The dog at the knitting woman's feet woke briefly to watch him go before returning to its snoring. The men playing the bones paused before the next throw. Then the ribs were rattling across the table once more as the door closed.