This time he thought that he could hear a low rhythmic thudding and, putting his ear to the stone, he heard the unmistakable sound of a slow, steady heartbeat. The realisation that this wasn’t just a rock, and that there was something within the sphere, cut through Emuel’s curiosity to where raw fear lay. He began to scrabble his way back up the side of the pit, but before he could pull himself out, there was a loud crack and he looked down to see a jagged rent running from the top of the sphere, a clear fluid leaking from it. Another fissure appeared, then another; an entire section of stone dropping back to reveal part of what lay within.
And that was what really sent Emuel racing away from the hole and sprinting across the sand, for there, staring out at him from the heart of the broken black stone, was a huge, yellow eye.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ignacio shut the telescope and handed it back to Lieutenant Stefanelli.
“I can confirm that there is no sign of Emuel or Lieutenant Berling.”
“That’s seven members of the expedition we’ve lost,” Stefanelli said. “What is more, we appear to be nowhere near the remains of the Llothriall. I have absolutely no idea where we are, for that matter. I mean, where is Kerberos?”
Ignacio was perturbed by the note of panic that had entered the lieutenant’s voice. This man had been hand-picked by Katherine Makennon to lead the expedition, but he was already losing control. He looked back towards the camp, but nobody among the tents and equipment would meet his eye. A few were praying, while the remainder were polishing swords, although quite what they expected to meet in all this nothingness was beyond him.
“Brother Sebastian,” Ignacio said, waving over the priest. “Can you perhaps use magic to ascertain the location of the Llothriall? It could be that it’s close by and we just don’t realise it.”