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 of 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.