31.4 black oculus

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BLACK OCULUS

John French

‘Beyond the edge of the sky there is always another horizon, always a

step further to take, always a new sun to see.’– from Verses of the High Age of the Great Crusade (Canto XIX) by Calus

Quintus

I know you are there. I see you in the dark of your sleep. We have not met, and we willnot meet yet. ou !annot even hear me, but that does not matter. ou don"t need to hear tolisten to the truth. #o I am $oin$ to e%plain this to you. I am $oin$ to e%plain it be!ause I!an"t show you. &nd you must understand, be!ause if you don"t then I will be alone withthis $ift. &nd that I !annot bear.

It be$an with three words spoken by the primar!h.

‘We go in.’We.'o.In.‘his is !y order. Carry it out. "ow.’I have to obey. It is my fun!tion. It is my life. I am the ship and its !ourse. I $o where I

am ordered. he metal of the navi$ation throne was warm a$ainst my skin as I took mypla!e. #weat was runnin$ from my pores, pink with blood.

I was not alone. y !ousins took their thrones beside me. hey were sli!k and !lammy tolook at, like fish $rowin$ skins of slime under the sun. It took three of us, you see, three ofus to pilot the #ron Blood as it threaded the warp"s needle – one to wat!h, and the othersto wat!h what the first !ould not wat!h. I was the first. I was the *avi$ator +rime, and inthe warp that $reat ship belon$ed to me as mu!h as it did the ord of Iron. #o, as mu!h asit was he that spoke the !ommand, it was I who $ave the ship to the bla!k star.

I sat in my throne, and the shutters pulled ba!k from the viewin$ portal.I saw the sun.White sheet.he sound. Glass edges ringing against ea$h other.%is$ of night.I was shrinkin$ in my throne, and the bla!k sun was swellin$. I !ould feel sound bu--in$

up my throat. he ed$es of my mundane eyes stun$. &!id tears were upon my !heeks.

We go in.I open my true si$ht.he unli$ht of the sun tou!hes the bla!k of my third eye.&nd I see.We were made to see. I am a navi$ator of the /ouse of hal, and our house is but one of

many. We are not human, thou$h we may seem human. We are an off shoot, a !reation –a deliberate rea!tion to ne!essity, if you like. *avi$ators !an look into the warp and read its!urrents, and so $uide ships over distan!es that would take millennia to !ross whilekeepin$ to the laws of time and spa!e. 0or this we are set apart, our $enes prote!ted, andour houses $iven privile$e. he third eye in my skull is a portal between the madness of

the warp, and human thou$ht. y mind !an look upon the impossible and not break.I have looked upon horrors, and worse, and remained alive. I have remained myself.

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hat was, until my servi!e to the I1 e$iones &startes led me to the bla!k star at theheart of a wound left by the birth of a $od.

es, I say 2$od".What else should I !all them3 here is a limit to our !ons!iousness, a limit to

our understandin$, a limit to our words. #o I say 2$od" knowin$ that it e%ists, that

they e%ist, and still I know that the word !annot fully en!ompass what they are. heyare the truth beyond the veil. hey are the pattern in the warp that I !ould never see.

hey are what waits beyond the $ateways.&nd I saw them. I saw the heart of all.he bla!k star took us.he #ron Blood slid into the throat of the darkness. 4%isten!e stret!hed, be!ame a line

drawn upon a bla!k sheet. I heard the silen!e, and the silen!e s!reamed. i$ht be!amesolid. he solid be!ame s!ulptures of li$ht and refle!tion. *umbers and dimensions,tumblin$ down from reality into the pit. & sin$le instant, thinner than thou$ht and lon$erthan time, stret!hin$ on, and on, and on, until it be!ame a sound that had always been

there but that no one !ould hear.5ntil it be!ame lau$hter. &n eternity of lau$hter.&nd then it ended, and I was s!reamin$ in my throne of steel, and a world of

si!k sensation and !ruel ed$es tumbled over and over and over. here werealarms soundin$, and the walls were bleedin$ red. he !rew were runnin$. he shipwas spinnin$ – thoughts, stars – without dire!tion. he medi!ae"s eyes shouted –shouted in fear – as they rushed me and held me down and I heard words – say‘al$he!i$al for!ulae’ – and the words were puffs of red vapour in my si$ht. &nd thenI felt the first needle in my flesh.

&ed light. 'a$hine s$rea!ing. "eedles6

6and then silen!e.I dream now. I dream beneath the waves of sedatives in a pit at the bottom ofa murdered world !alled allarn. he sons of +erturabo keep me here. hey keep us allhere, all those who went into the bla!k star with their eyes open. hey wake us to see forthem, to $uide them to the end of the !ir!le they wish to !omplete.

hey think they understand.hey !annot, and do not, and never will understand.o understand you have to see.I see the shadows beneath the world. I spent my whole life as a !reature movin$ throu$h

an unreal realm with the eyes of a mortal. *ow I am a !reature movin$ throu$h the mortalrealm with the eyes of a $od.

&nd I always see.I see now. 4ven as I han$ here, silent and asleep, I see. I see you, son of iron, hidin$ in

the distant dark beyond layers of earth and stone. I see you and I tell you se!rets that youwill never hear. &nd this last se!ret is my $ift to you, a $ift from the heart of a bla!k starburnin$ at the point where the mundane and the eternal meet.

#een from here – from the other side of the skinthin membrane of reality – you are notstron$ or weak, noble or !ruel.

ou are not heroes.ou are blind.&nd the universe sees you.

&nd it lau$hs.

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MEDUSON

Dan Abnett

HERE WERE NO sur$i!al lasers available.

& !lustered missile strike over Isstvan 1 had blown out the #onside(s flank from thelateral e%!han$ers aft, voidin$ ei$ht deployment bays and the portside apothe!arion!hambers. he smaller medi!ae anne% on the ship7s starboard side was overwhelmed withlife!riti!al !ases. 8yin$ le$ionaries on stret!her boards were lined up alon$ the hallway.

#hadrak had only lost a hand. /e reported instead to a makeshift tria$e station set up inthe forward hold. ost of the staff there were fri$htened serfs drummed up from theship7s !rew. 'or$onson of the okopt Clan was the only &pothe!ary present, the only onethat !ould be spared from the !haos of the medi!ae anne%. /e looked at the hand.

74%!ise,7 he instru!ted the human attendant waitin$ nearby. 7Clean down to the forearmbones. eave some tissue for !on9un!tion and $raft. I7ll be ba!k to fit the au$meti!.7

'or$onson didn7t say anythin$ to #hadrak. here was nothin$ to say.*o. here was a $reat deal to say 9ust no words with whi!h to say it./e treated #hadrak like a pie!e of broken ma!hinery presented for repair, not as a

brother, an old friend or a fellow son of erra. /e didn7t even make eye !onta!t. /e 9ustmoved on to the ne%t !ase, a battlebrother whose helm had been fused to his !heek by amelta burst.

he human was a youn$ ensi$n, fre!klefa!ed and redheaded. /is an%iety made himseem like a small boy !ompared to #hadrak7s bulk. 7#eat yourself, lord,7 he stammered,$esturin$ to a !ommandeered suitroom rediner that had a metal servi!e trolley positionedbeside it.

#hadrak didn7t mu!h !are for the term 77lord77. /e was a !aptain, and that word alone wasmore than suffi!ient. :ut he was too tired to !orre!t the serf, too empty./e felt like the tombs of &lbia that he had visited as a !hild; vast and endurin$, but lon$

sin!e robbed of the pre!ious thin$s they had on!e !ontained.5sin$ his $ood hand, he took off his helm and pla!ed it on the de!k. hen he unstrapped

his weapon belt, so that the harnessed $ladius and bolt pistol would not en!umber himwhen he sat. he belt had loops for reload !lips. hey were empty.

he re!liner !reaked under his armoured wei$ht. /e set his boots on the foot rest,leaned ba!k and pla!ed his ruined left arm on the trolley. It would have been palm up, if hehad still had a palm.

he attendant stared at the wound. he hand was missin$ most of the fin$ers.It was a bloody mitten of bla!kened meat, with broken knu!klebones protrudin$ like

twi$s. he wrist was misali$ned. he !omposite !eramite sleeve of #hadrak7s ironbla!karmour was man$led at the !uff, the torn ends stabbin$ into his flesh.

7Is there pain37ruth be told, #hadrak hadn7t been aware of any pain not physi!al pain, anyway. he

other pain was too immense, too entire.#urprised, he answered, 7*o.77I have no anaestheti!,7 the man added relu!tantly. 7I have some numbin$ a$ents, but

resour!es are so<77=ust do it,7 said #hadrak. /is body had autonomi!ally shut down a $reat number of his

neural re!eptors at the moment of in9ury. /is left hand didn7t feel mu!h of anythin$anymore. It was 9ust a dead wei$ht, like a pie!e of kit he !ouldn7t unbu!kle and remove.

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7here are no sur$i!al lasers either,7 the serf apolo$ised. #hadrak saw he was wipin$ amanual bonesaw with a sterile swab. he man7s hands were shakin$. 5nder other!ir!umstan!es, in other wars, #hadrak would have been amused by the sheer pathos of thesituation. :ut his !apa!ity for amusement was as empty as the tombs of &lbia too.

/e si$hed.

7ou7ll never $et throu$h the vambra!e with that,7 he said. he man looked as thou$h hewas about to pani!. 78o you have medi!al trainin$37

7I am a 9unior $unnery offi!er, lord,7 the man replied. 7:ut I have my!orpsman !ertifi!ate.7

&$ain, the 77lord776#hadrak rea!hed over with his ri$ht hand, un!lasped the elbow $uard and let it fall to the

de!k. hen he unfastened the !lamps in the !rook of his elbow and mid forearm, andtu$$ed the !omposite plasteeland!eramite sleeve off. +arts of the $auntlet were stillatta!hed, flappin$ loose. he bu!kled wrist seal was impa!ted into his flesh, and it took alittle more effort to wren!h it !lear. 0luid and fle!ks of meat spattered the de!k.

/e stripped away the undersleeve, tearin$ the fabri!. /is e%posed skin looked as pale asbone, in stark !ontrast to the mauled mess of his hand.

7/ow did this happen37 the man asked, eyes wide at the fully e%posed dama$e.7/orus happened,7 said #hadrak./e rested his arm ba!k on the trolley. he man approa!hed, $in$erly, puffin$ !ounter

septi! onto the wound from a flask, his hands still shakin$. /e took a $rip on the bonesaw, and !onsulted an anatomi!al dia$ram he had !alled up on the display of his dataslate. #hadrak knew that the man was dyin$ to ask what he had meant, but didn7t dare.

/e rested the saw7s serrated ed$e a$ainst #hadrak7s flesh 9ust below his torn wrist. heskin was !overed in spots of fastdotted blood. he serf swabbed them away, and then

made the first draw.here was pain, of !ourse, but it seemed minor and distant. #hadrak sat ba!k and let itpass over him. /e stared at the hold7s $loomy roof, into the darkness beyond the han$in$lumens. /e let his mind fill with memories memories from before the pain. /e tried tore!olle!t somethin$ as far from it as possible. :efore this minor dis!omfort, before the$reater in9ury of the dropsite, before edusa, before the 'or$on, before the 'reatCrusade6

/e thou$ht of erra, and the last years of the 5nifi!ation Wars. /e thou$ht of his firstdays as a #torm Walker, servin$ under ord Commander &madeus 8uCaine in the theatresof &frik and the +anpa!ifi!. :a!k then, 9ustly proud of their fresh, $eneherited mi$ht, noneof them had known what the #torm Walkers would be!ome, or what revision of stru!tureand loyalty they would have to under$o. &nd even on!e they had known, they hadembra!ed it wholeheartedly. It had not been a matter of reformation or repair, thou$h fatesknew that the X e$ion were espe!ially resilient when it !ame to repair.

It had been a matter of as!endan!y.It had been a blessin$. o be !alled to your primar!h7s side, to be!ome one of his.

#hadrak had !ast off his erran surname, a mortal vesti$e that had fallen into disuseanyway, and taken the name eduson to demonstrate and affirm his alle$ian!e to his inhome world.

/e had be!ome #hadrak eduson of Clan #orr$ol, Captain of the enth Company. he#torm Walkers of 5nifi!ation had be!ome the Iron /ands. hey had e%pe!ted nothin$ but

$lory in their future.4ven if !alamity !han!ed to overtake the Iron enth on the field of war, it would be a

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$lorious !alamity in the 4mperor7s servi!e.*one of them had ever anti!ipated this in$lorious ruin. *one of them !ould ever have

ima$ined su!h a measure of raw trea!hery.*one of them !ould ever have e%pe!ted this s!ale of loss and pain.7I7m sorry,7 the man said.

#hadrak opened his eyes.8espite his !lottin$ fa!tors and vas!ular shunts, the top of the nolley was runnin$ with

blood. It was drippin$ off the ed$es and makin$ a re!tan$ular, splatterpattern halo on thede!k. he flesh of his wrist was marked with several bloody hesitation wounds. When theyoun$ serf had finally found some !onfiden!e and purpose, he had opened a $ash like a$aspin$ mouth, but the bone was barely ni!ked.

he man7s hands were shakin$ more than ever. 7our bones are very6 very stron$, lord.7#hadrak saw that he was sweatin$.7hey were made that way,7 he replied, sittin$ up. 7'ive me that slate.7he serf handed him the dataslate, and #hadrak reviewed the anatomi!al $raphi! as

dispassionately as he mi$ht !he!k a me!hani!al dia$ram. /e made a note of the boneformation, !ompared it with what remained of his wrist, took note of blood vessels andtendon assembly and paid heed to the re!ommended link points for stru!tural and neural$raftin$.

7I7ll do it,7 he said, handin$ the slate ba!k. 7It7ll be >ui!ker.7he man slowly offered him the bloody saw, but #hadrak had already leaned over the side

of the re!liner and drawn his $ladius. /e set the ed$e of the blade alon$ the !lumsy $uide!ut that the bone saw had s!ored, paused, and stru!k his ruined hand off with a sin$le,swift blow. It boun!ed off the side of the trolley and landed in the pool of blood on thede!k. he serf hesitated, as thou$h he felt it would be polite to pi!k the severed hand up

and return it to #hadrak. hen he remembered himself, dropped the saw, and hurriedforward to attend with !lamps and waddin$.7If it7s $oin$ to hurt anyway,7 said #hadrak as the man worked, bindin$ the stump ti$htly,

7it7s better that it doesn7t lin$er too.7'ood advi!e, he thou$ht. &pplies to so damned mu!h.

GORGONSON RETURNED AN hour later and inspe!ted the wound.78o this yourself37 7It seemed for the best,7 #hadrak replied.7ou7re no sur$eon,7 said 'or$onson.7*ever !laimed to be. :ut your man there was intent on whittlin$ me down until I was

nothin$ but a spinal !olumn and a ri!tus.7'or$onson frowned. 7We7re doin$ the best we !an, $iven the !ir!umstan!es.77Well, he made more of a mess of me in ten minutes than the damned #ons of /orus

!ould mana$e in a week.7'or$onson $lared at him. 78on7t even 9oke,7 he hissed. 78amn you, #hadrak.8on7t even say the words aloud.77ou don7t think I7m an$ry37 asked #hadrak. 7I7m beyond ra$e. I7m in another pla!e

entirely. White heat and boilin$ blood. I7m $oin$ to but!her and burn every one of thebastards. 'ive me my new hand so I !an $et on with it.7

'or$onson hesitated. hey had known ea!h other for twentyfour de!ades.ike #hadrak, 'oran 'or$onson had been a #torm Walker, a son of erra. hey

had fou$ht throu$h the 5nifi!ation Wars side by side. &t their as!endan!y, 'oranhad ele!ted to 9oin okopt, the !lan that most remembered and !elebrated the

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erran aspe!t of the foundin$.:ut he had !han$ed his name to 'or$onson in honour of the primar!h.7&n$er7s not $oin$ to $et us anywhere, earthbrother,7 #hadrak said >uietly, 7e%!ept deader

than we are already. &n$er7s a blindfold, a fool7s motivation. I reserve it only for killin$blows. We need !ool heads and !lear minds. his is survival, repair, rebuildin$. erra only

knows, we7re $ood at repair we e%!el at it, so this should play to our stren$ths.77hey7re !allin$ a !oun!il,7 said 'or$onson.7Who7s they377he !lanfathers.77& !lan !oun!il37 #hadrak asked. 7What in erra7s name for3 his isn7t a matter of

bloodline and herita$e.77Isn7t it377he !lanfathers are proposin$ to assume !ommand3 Colle$ti)e !ommand377I suppose so. In the absen!e of67 'or$onson paused. here were words that were $oin$

to be too hard to say, names that were $oin$ to be too hard to utter.

7he !lanfathers take !ontrol, for now. Isn7t there !omfort and assuran!e in that3 heyare veterans who understand<7

7& !lan !oun!il is the last thin$ we need,7 said #hadrak. 7Command by !ommittee3+ointless. We need positive, sin$ular leadership.7

7I didn7t know you had aspirations of !ommand,7 'or$onson remarked.#hadrak thou$ht about that for a moment. he notion !ame as a surprise.7I don7t,7 he replied. 7I7ve never !onsidered it. I 9ust know we need somethin$ now.

*o!eone. We7re dead without it. =ust a shattered rabble.7'or$onson si$hed. 7&ny &pothe!ary, even the best of us, will tell you that you !an $raft

on a new hand, but you !an7t $raft on a new head.7

7hen we7ll have to learn how,7 said #hadrak.& servitor beside 'or$onson was holdin$ the au$meti! on a tray.7*othin$ fan!y,7 said the &pothe!ary, rea!hin$ for a s!raper and a neurofuser.7I have no 9uvenat pa!kin$ left either, so you7ll have to let it bond by itself. 8on7t test it.

It7ll be weak. 0or months, probably. et it bed in and heal.7#hadrak nodded.7=ust fi% me up,7 he said. 7I7m sure I7ll have many weeks of !alm and leisure to $et the

healin$ done.7'or$onson started workin$. 7Is he dead37 he asked >uietly.7es.77ou know this377&madeus told me,7 said #hadrak. 7It was !onfirmed from the surfa!e.77ord Commander &madeus is dead too,7 murmured the &pothe!ary.7es. I saw it. :ut his word lives. he 'or$on is dead, and our stepfather &madeus is

$one too. #o we !an lie down and die with them, or we !an learn to $raft heads.7

IT TOOK EIGHT weeks for the Coun!il to assemble. hat meant ei$ht more weeks ofrunnin$. he 'or$on7s martial poli!y had always been to fi$ht and move on, but this wasnot the sort of movin$ on that #hadrak approved of.

hey $athered at &eteria, a lonely ro!k of sulphurous waste and tainted pink skies on theed$e of the ?>ueth #e!tor.

wentynine ships hun$ low in the heavens, in!ludin$ two #alamanders vessels and three@aven 'uard. hey seemed $hostly, like dark thunderheads behind the wispy banks of

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!loud. hey were survivors of Isstvan, all of them.It wasn7t mu!h of a !oun!il. ?nly five !lanfathers were present. he fate of the others

was unknown, thou$h intelli$en!e data reported that the for!es of the Iron enth hads!attered after the massa!re, put to rout. any of the @aven 'uard and #alamanders hadfled too. +ur$efleets of the #ons of /orus and the 4mperor7s Children were reported to be

ra-in$ system after system in an effort to obliterate any survivors before they !ouldre$roup. *o reliable fi$ures were available, but it was possible that all three e$ions hadbeen redu!ed to mere thousands.

7We have been6 shattered,7 said e!h 1ir!ule, Clan0ather of &tra%ii, risin$ to his feet.hey had $athered in the !ourtyard of a ruined monasti! stru!ture, built in the &$e of #trifeand abandoned, like &eteria, $enerations before. he lonely walls e!hoed his words.

7:ut not broken,7 answered the Clan0ather of 0el$, oreson 5nfleshed. 7here will beothers, like us, meetin$ in se!ret as we do now. We are dis!onne!ted, but not lost.7

1ir!ule shru$$ed.7We !annot re$roup or !oordinate,7 he said. 7ines of !ommuni!ation are !ut or

disadvanta$ed. *o one dares show himself or attempt an open si$nal. With the traitorsabroad in for!e, any $limpse of us will result in unstintin$ prose!ution.7

7?ur stru!ture allows for this, lord father,7 said &u$os umak, a !aptain of Clan &vernii./e was one of the few members of the $enesire7s favoured to have made it out of themassa!re alive. 7?ur !lan stru!ture, as ordained by the 'or$on, will serve us well.Independent units of !ommand, interlo!kin$. We !an survive, by dint of our individual!ommands, and reassemble.7

he &tra%ii !lanfather nodded. 7hat is to be hoped. ?nly when unified !an we turn andfi$ht ba!k.7

7hen we will never fi$ht ba!k,7 said #hadrak eduson.

here was a silen!e, filled only by the moan of the wind a!ross the la$oon.7ou spoke, !aptain37 said the fleshspare oreson.7Quite !learly, lord father,7 said #hadrak. 7he a!!ursed Warmaster, may fate smite him,

will not $ive us $ra!e to re$roup.77We do not need his $ra!e.7 he !lanfather7s voi!e was a syntheti! $rowl. 7?r his

permission.77&s he did not need our $ra!e or permission to slau$hter us, and to murder our $ene

father and stepfather alike,7 said #hadrak. 7We are not alone in this. #alamanders and@aven 'uard stand with us.7 /e $estured to the ranks of the other e$ions present. 7?urbrothers of the 4i$hteenth and *ineteenth follow different martial philosophies. We !ouldlearn, learn !utually. We !ould learn to fi$ht in new ways, marry the iron for!e of theenth to the stealth of the *ineteenth and<7

7?ur brothers of the 4i$hteenth and *ineteenth are wel!ome here,7 said 1ir!ule of&tra%ii.

7?ur losses mat!h yours in s!ale and $rief,7 said a @aven 'uard !aptain named 8al!oth.7We must !ombine resour!es<77ou are wel!ome here,7 1ir!ule repeated, !uttin$ him short.7:ut our words are not37 asked 8al!oth. here was a bitter $rin on his lips.7In time, of !ourse,7 said Aarel a!h, the Clan0ather of @aukaan. 7:ut this is !lan !oun!il

business and words. ?ur way of war is not yours, sir. We will not stoop to sly hitandrunta!ti!s.7

7#toop37 asked one of the other @aven 'uard offi!ers.7I meant no insult.7

7



7?n the fli$ht here, we spent time dis!ussin$ operational needs with your !aptains,7 said8al!oth. 7eduson of #orr$ol a$reed with my proposal that a hybridisation of ta!ti!smi$ht avail us of<7

7Captain eduson should know his pla!e,7 said 1ir!ule.7/e was not the only offi!er of the enth who thou$ht so,7 said 8al!oth.

7:ut I was the loudest, so I speak for the notion here,7 said #hadrak.74i$ht weeks aboard the survivor ships, !rammed in with brothers from other e$ions.

?f !ourse we talked. It is selfevident that<77Anow your pla!e, eduson,7 said the Clan0ather of &tra%ii more firmly.7Anow your pla!e, erranborn.77I know my pla!e well enou$h,7 said #hadrak. 7It appears to be somewhere on a sulphur

stinkin$ waste at the end of the $ala%y. &ny delay is $oin$ to weaken us further. We are not,and we will never be, what we on!e were. he @aven 'uard are ready to fi$ht. 'uerrillata!ti!s, if ne!essary.7

8al!oth nodded.

7he #alamanders too,7 said #hadrak.*uros, the most senior le$ionary of the X1III e$ion present, nodded in turn.7his is !lan !oun!il business,7 said oreson 5nfleshed.7It would seem that the Coun!il does not know its business,7 replied #hadrak.7When we lose in war, we are returned to the en!laves and are rebuilt. We are made

better than we were before. :ut that lu%ury is not open to us now. When we lose onthe field, away from an en!lave, what do we do37

7We repair as best we may,7 said Aarel a!h. 7:attlefield fi%es. We make the best of theresour!es available to us.7

7hat is our situation now,7 said #hadrak. 7&nd what is available to us3 he $ood

brotherhood of our fellow e$ions. he !han!e to learn, to alter ourselves, and to remakeourselves in ways that the traitors are not e%pe!tin$.774nou$hB7 barked =ebe- &u$. &u$ was an Iron 0ather of the #orr$ol Clan, hailin$ from

edusa. With his venerable status !ame $reat influen!e. 7ou shame our !lan with youroutspoken remarks, erranborn.7

7I speak only with respe!t,7 said #hadrak.7ou have shown the Coun!il pre!ious little respe!t,7 said &an Aolver, the Clan0ather of

5n$avarr.7Indeed, be!ause you have warranted none,7 said #hadrak. 7I speak with respe!t to our

$enesire.774s!ort the !aptain from this pla!e immediately,7 said 1ir!ule to &u$. 7/e needs time to

level his head and dull his ton$ue.7

7WHAT ARE YOU playin$ at37 &u$ asked. #hadrak !ould feel the Iron 0ather7s an$erradiatin$ out like a for!e field. hey stood on the !austi! shoreline of the sulphur lake. &!idvapour swirled like battlefield smoke.

7What3 We bite our lips now3 4ven now, in this predi!ament377#orr$ol has no !lanfather here,7 said &u$. 7ou shame us in the !ompany of<77I shame you37 #hadrak shook his head. 7Is that really what matters now3 he shame of

speakin$ out3 0ates above, we are shamed enou$hB he !lan leaders are $ropin$ around,tryin$ to re!over somethin$ we have lost forever. :y the time they rea!h a de!ision, we will

be dis!overed and slau$htered. ?r if they rea!h a de!ision, it will be the wron$ one, and wewill be slau$htered anywayB7

8



7We need unifi!ation, #hadrak,7 said &u$. 70or morale alone.77I a$ree. :ut under one warleader, with one purpose.77?ne leader37 &u$ lau$hed bitterly. 7Who37 7ou, perhaps37&u$ spat and looked away.7*o one wants it,7 said #hadrak. 7*one of us. *ot a sin$le !aptain, not a sin$le Iron

0ather. hat7s why the !lanfathers have taken the lead. hey are pro9e!tin$ a sense ofse!urity, of unity, throu$h our blood herita$e. & reassuran!e in this time of loss throu$hthe bonds of fraternity. :ut it7s a $roup de!ision, so that no one shoulders the burdenalone. *o one bloody wants itB hat7s why no one has stepped forward and !alled the rallyaround him.7 /e looked at &u$. 7*o one wants to be seen as tryin$ to repla!e the 'or$on.*o one wants to repla!e &madeus 8uCaine. *o one wants to be seen as that impertinentor disrespe!tful. I understand it.7

/e paused.7:ut we need to raise the storm a$ain. *o one wants the !ommand. *o one wants to

appear so arro$ant as to ima$ine that he !an assume the primar!h7s role.

:ut it7s not a matter of want, or pride, or vain$lorious ambition. It7s a matterof ne!essity.7

7his talk will $et you killed, erranborn,7 said &u$.7*oB7 #hadrak snapped, pointin$ towards the monastery. (hat talk will $et us killed.7/e lowered his hand. he au$meti! $raft had not fully healed and still a!hed abysmally.

he violen!e of the $esture had 9arred it.7I have it on $ood medi!al authority that you !an7t $raft on a new head,7 he said.=ebe- &u$ uttered a dry lau$h. /e shifted his fleshspare frame and wiped his mouth

with the ba!k of his hand. 7ou don7t need to be a medi!al authority to know that,7 hereplied.

7I7m not su$$estin$ that anyone pretend to be the 'or$on. I7m not proposin$ thatanyone presumes he !an !ommand as well as 0errus anus, or attempt to be su!h amaster. I am simply talkin$ about fo!us of authority. ?ne mind, one will, one iron drivestron$ enou$h to !ompel us for lon$ enou$h to67

7o what3778o what needs to be done.77Whi!h is what3 #urvive377*o.7 #hadrak looked out over the misted lake. 7ou !an7t $raft on a new head, but you

!an !ut off an e%istin$ one.7 /e turned to the Iron 0ather. 7We need to fo!us lon$ enou$h to$et /orus. o !ut off his head. We de!apitate the traitors. We do to them what they did tous. We shatter them, and s!atter them to the winds. We end this trea!hery.7

&fter a moment, he added, 7hen we !an die, for all I !are.7

EMBARKATION HAD BEEN ordered. #tormbirds and lifter ships rose from the surfa!eof &eteria and soared up to the waitin$ warships.

#hadrak had been posted to the strike !ruiser #ron Heart. hey were to es!ort theflotilla7s fla$ship Crown of +la!e. Iron 0ather &u$ $athered the offi!ers of Clan #orr$olwhile the ship prepared to make way. he !lanfathers had instru!ted the respe!ted veteran&u$ to take !ommand.7I believe we have eduson to thank for this,7 he said.7What have I done now37

7?ur !lan has the weakest numbers after &vernii,7 said &u$, 7so we have beentold by the Coun!il to absorb the overspill into our formations. We are to !oor

9



dinate with the #alamanders and @aven 'uard s>uads as they are brou$ht aboard,too.77#o we are bastardised while the other !lan!ompanies stand more or less inta!t37 asked Captain ars e!hosa.7*o one7s inta!t,7 whispered #hadrak.

7I7d ask you to wat!h your words, brother,7 &u$os umak said to e!hosa. 7ou absorb my&vernii too. 8o we make you bastards377*o, you make us fatherless,7 snarled e!hosa. 7Where were the favoured &vernii at Isstvan3 #avin$ the 'or$on3 Why, noB hey were dyin$ at his feet.778amn your eyesB7 umak !ried, risin$ from his seat.7#it down, umakB7 &u$ shouted. 7Captain umak of &verniiB #it yourself downBhis !lanunit is mine to !ommand.77hen brin$ your foulmouthed do$s to heel, Iron 0atherB7 umak snapped. 7Ifyou e%pe!t me to re!o$nise your authority, then you damned well better e%er!ise itand put e!hosa in his pla!e.7

7Captain umak<77?r I7ll do it,7 umak added.7?h, really37 replied e!hosa. 7I would love to see you try, you toothless !ur.7umak rea!hed for his sword, but another hand !lasped over his before he!ould draw the blade.78on7t, umak,7 said #hadrak throu$h $ritted teeth. 7I mean it. 8on7t.77et $o of me,7 said umak, lookin$ #hadrak in the eye.7es, let him $oB7 mo!ked e!hosa. 7I yearn for some sport.778o not unsheathe your blade,7 #hadrak whispered into umak7s fa!e. 7*ot inhere. *ot like this, a$ainst a brother. ?n!e it7s drawn, it !an not be put away.7

7ou #orr$ol bastards,7 $rowled umak, 7!overin$ for ea!h other, dishonourin$ the<77y loyalty to Clan #orr$ol be!omes more frayed with ea!h passin$ hour,7 said#hadrak. 7I would rather !ut it and !ast off my !hosen name of eduson. I would$o ba!k to my erran birth name. y loyalty is only to the enth, and to the memory of the 'or$on.77hen unhand me,7 said umak.7We7re in the middle of a !ivil war a$ainst traitor e$ions,7 said #hadrak slowly.7Is this really time to start another one, inside our own37

/e looked at e!hosa.7&polo$ise,7 he said, 7ri$ht now.7e!hosa looked down and hesitated.7Civil war is the $reatest !rime humanity has known,7 #hadrak said to him.7:rother betrayin$ brother3 he very thou$ht si!kens me. What about you, e!hosa3 ?r are you of that disposition too3 8o you find it a matter of nothin$ todraw arms a$ainst your own37e!hosa looked up, his eyes burnin$ bri$htly. 78amn you, #hadrak,7 he said.7&lready $ood and damned,7 #hadrak replied. /is $rip on umak7s sword handhad not diminished.7I7m no traitor,7 said e!hosa.

7hen stop a!tin$ like you7re about to be!ome one,7 said #hadrak.e!hosa !leared his throat.

10



7:rother umak, I apolo$ise for my words. We have endured too mu!h. empers are weak6 &hh, I make no e%!uses. here was no !all for that.7umak looked at #hadrak. 75nhand me, brother.7#hadrak released his $rasp. umak let $o of his sword $rip, walked around thetable and offered his hand to e!hosa.

7I would that all of &vernii had died, and more besides, if we !ould have savedthe $enesire,7 he said. 7ou were not there. ou did not see. We did not shirk. We$ave all we !ould. It was not enou$h. hat fa!t will haunt me until the day I die, surrounded by the but!hered !orpses of traitors.7e!hosa took his hand.7I do not doubt it. I would $ladly 9oin you in that death.7#hadrak sat down as the offi!ers retook their pla!es. /is $raft throbbed fromthe effort of keepin$ umak7s hand in pla!e.& thin thread of watery blood sobbed from the !uff of his armour. & FIST THUMPED onthe outer hat!h. #hadrak rose, rebindin$ the bloodsoiled

wrap around his wrist. /e was stripped to the waist, his torso and shoulders showin$ a hundred old s!ars. /is flesh was inlaid with au$meti! !ir!uitry. ?n his ri$htside, his entire ribwall was an au$meti! plate $rafted to his fleshspare bone. hathad been part of him sin!e the :attle of @ust.7ComeB7 he !alled./is >uarters were small and !luttered. #pa!e was limited on the #ron Heart.he hat!h opened with a s!rape of metal on metal, and =ebe- &u$ stepped inside./e looked around.7our !hamber is no better than mine,7 he remarked.

7What do we need more than a de!k to sleep on37 asked #hadrak.&u$ smiled. 7I sleep standin$ up.77&re we underway37 #hadrak asked. /e knew that they were. /e had felt theyawin$ slip of translation an hour before. /is >uestion had been a soft way of askin$ where they were $oin$.&u$ nodded.7I need a /and 4le!t,7 he said, !uttin$ ri$ht to it.o re!ompense &u$ and #orr$ol for be!omin$ a bastard !lan, the Coun!il hadde!lared him a!tin$ warleader of the fleet under their uithority. In pra!ti!e, thissimply meant he was responsible for the !lanfathers7 prote!tion. :ut however!ompromised a warleader7s role was, a warleader always needed a reliable deputy.7ou7re askin$ my advi!e377I !onsidered e!hosa, of !ourse, be!ause of his re!ord, but he7s an illtempered brute.7 &u$ paused, and idly s!rat!hed the ba!k of his shaven head. 7Ialso !onsidered umak, as a $esture of $ood faith towards the &vernii. &fter today7s alter!ation, I !an7t favour one without offendin$ the other.7/e looked at #hadrak.

7:y the way, my thanks for that,7 he added. 7ou defused a bad moment.77I spoke my mind, Iron 0ather. hat7s all.77&s a /and 4le!t should.7

7e377es, sir, you, sir.7

11



7*o one likes me,7 said #hadrak.7?ne of your most appealin$ >ualities. ou have been pretty blunt about yourdemand that somebody steps up and take the reins of authority.77es, but not me. I have no ambitions above line !ommand.77Wasn7t that your very point37 asked &u$. 7*o one wants the responsibility3

he 'or$on7s $one, and none of us want to su$$est we !ould take his pla!e.77es.7&u$ sat down on the !ot.7#hadrak, you7re erranborn. hat means that we edusans, no matter howbrotherly we are, either think you7re superior be!ause you were $enereared beforeus, or dismiss you as not a!tually edusaborn truesto!k. ou favour the welfareof the #alamanders and the @aven 'uard more than most. ou seem to understandthem and liaise with them better than others. ou speak your bloody mind all overthe pla!e. he !lanfathers despise you. &nd you7re the only man I know whoseems to have a !lear and sin$ular vision of what we should be doin$.7

7Whi!h is3770o!usin$ !ommand and killin$ that bastard /orus.77#o you were listenin$ to me.77#hadrak6 for the dubious reasons I7ve 9ust enumerated, you seem to me tobe the wisest !hoi!e. I !an7t think of a better /and 4le!t, not when it !omes tohelpin$ me keep what7s left of this !lan in line.77I suppose the /and 4le!t would $et a privile$ed look at our line orders37&u$ rea!hed into his thi$h pou!h and produ!ed a dataslate. /e tossed it to #hadrak, who!au$ht it, instin!tively, with his left hand, and win!ed.7What7s the matter37 asked &u$.

7'raft7s still healin$. he au$meti!7s fine. he flesh is weak.7/e speedread the slate7s summary.7#everal aspe!ts of this I don7t like already,7 he said.7I knew you wouldn7t,7 said &u$.7Can I !onsult the other e$ions3 #hare this with them to $et ta!ti!al feedba!k377y /and 4le!t !an do 9ust as he damn well pleases,7 said &u$.

DALCOTH, NUROS AND their seniors slapped their fists to their breastplates as#hadrak entered the !hamber.7*o need to salute,7 he said.7I think there is,7 said *uros softly. 7ou are the /and 4le!t. 8is!ipline and respe!t remind us we7re not dead.7hey took their seats around an oval table. #hadrak pla!ed the dataslate infront of him.7ou7ve seen the data,7 he said.7roublin$,7 said 8al!oth.74nli$hten me.77ou know already,7 said *uros.78oesn7t hurt to hear someone else say it.77our !lanfathers are all transitin$ to$ether on the Crown of +la!e.(

7he Coun!il stays to$ether,7 says #hadrak.7&nd forms one ni!e, bi$ tar$et,7 said 8al!oth. 7Idio!y.7

12



7Clan !oun!il business and !lan !oun!il words,7 said #hadrak. 7hey are !olle!tively our leadership, now. *o one has preeminen!e. hey stay to$ether. Consider them as one bein$ our leader.7

7&nd one bi$ tar$et,7 8al!oth repeated.

7/ow did the enth ever !on>uer worlds37 asked *uros.7:rute for!e,7 said #hadrak. 7&nd ri$id dis!ipline. It served us well. #uperblywell. :ut we always had the 'or$on and 8uCaine to remind us when to break therules. *ow we haven7t $ot the numeri!al stren$th to deliver any $reat de$ree offor!e, and we7re hidebound by the traditions of our e$ion. he !lan !oun!il has always $athered in times of need, to maintain a sense of union and solidarity, espe!ially in the absen!e of the primar!h or the lord !ommander. I think the !ustomwas all well and $ood when those absen!es were temporary.77our e$ion must unlearn their old ways,7 said *uros.7I know.7

7?r one of you must step up,7 8al!oth added.7=ebe- &u$ has been named as warleader for this endeavor,7 said #hadrak.7&n honorifi! only,7 said *uros. 7hat is, if I understand the obs!ure and shiftin$ lines of alle$ian!e and fealty within your e$ion. =ebe- &u$ answers to the !lan!oun!il. /e is only as mu!h of a warleader as they will let him be.77I know that too.77ou should also know,7 said 8al!oth, 7with respe!t, I7m not sure how lon$ the4i$hteenth or the *ineteenth !an stay with the enth e$ion formations while thisattitude prevails. #in$ular vision of war leadership is essential, even if it is then divided between autonomous splinter fleets.7

7& !oun!il !an only advise,7 said *uros. 7It !an7t !ommand. /ow lon$ will ittake them to rea!h any ta!ti!al de!ision in the heat of !ombat377on$er than usual,7 said #hadrak. 7*o one wants to make the !all. 5nless we!an learn to $raft heads ba!k on.77What37 asked 8al!oth.7*othin$. *o matter.77et7s move on,7 said *uros. 7?h, let7s,7 a$reed #hadrak.8al!oth tapped the slate7s s!reen. 7&nd this is what we7re doin$3 his is ourundertakin$37#hadrak nodded. 7#ubvo% !ommuni>ues have been re!eived. Coded. Ironenth battle!ant. here7s an Iron /ands flotilla waitin$ in !on!ealment in the solarshadow of ?>ueth inor. hey have @aven 'uard for!es with them. hey7re awaitin$ reinfor!ement. We7re movin$ to 9oin them. Coun!il7s orders. 5nited, we7ll forma reasonably serious battle$roup.77If I was /orus,7 said 8al!oth, 7and I was huntin$ the remnants of my enemy,I7d want to lure them out of hidin$. I7d pretend to be a friend and !all for help.77Is that @aven 'uard ta!ti!s37 asked #hadrak.7#ometimes.778o the traitors know Iron enth battle!ant37 asked *uros.7Why should they37 asked #hadrak.7Why wouldn(t they37 asked 8al!oth. 7We study ea!h other. We all do it. We ob

serve the stren$ths and weaknesses of our fellow e$ions. ou !an be sure as hellthe traitors have done it. /ow else did they overwhelm us so entirely at Isstvan3

13



We trusted them, and they were ri$ht inside our !ommnets.770ul$rim and your $enesire were $ood !omrades of old,7 said *uros >uietly,7as !lose as any brothers. here was trust there. :ut 0ul$rim !ut off the head of0errus anus without a moment7s hesitation. :y !omparison to that foul a!t, howlittle do you think he would have a$onised over stealin$ your !iphers37

7#o this is a trap37 asked #hadrak.7*o,7 said 8al!oth. 7We7re sayin$ it $ould be a trap.77I invite your re!ommendations,7 said #hadrak.

7IF IT COMES to a boardin$ a!tion, or a !ounterboardin$ response, we7ll do itthe old way,7 said =ebe- &u$. 7ubes. aun!hes. #hiptoship teleportation re>uires

a vast e%penditure of power, and it7s notoriously unreliable. We7re likely to lose afifth of our for!es to an unse!ured teleport durin$ !ombat.778on7t worry,7 muttered #hadrak, 7they7ll mainly be @aven 'uard.7

7our humour $rows ever darker, brother,7 said &u$.7&re we $oin$ to employ their e%pertise or not377he !lanfathers will never approve it.77hey don7t have to. ou have !ommand. his ship is yours. ou are the a!tin$warleader.77Is this the true advi!e of my /and 4le!t37 asked &u$.7ou7d better hope so,7 replied #hadrak.&u$ pursed his lips, and then nodded.7'ood,7 said #hadrak. 7*e%t, ti$hter field !ontrol on the shields.775seless a$ainst lon$ran$e fire.7

7:ut perfe!t for !lose >uarters, whi!h is what this is $oin$ to be if it happens.*e%t, all ship munitions set for impart detonation rather than timed or ran$ed.*e%t...7

SHADRAK HAD NEVER even made it onto the surfa!e of Isstvan 1. he !lan!ompanies of #orr$ol had been in the se!ond line with &madeus 8uCaine, an orbital reserve for the 'or$on7s main assault.hey had seen the horror blossom a!ross the world below in disbelief. hen ithad be!ome a fren-y first to e%tra!t any of their brethren still alive, then simply tofi$ht their way !lear. #hips had flamed out all around them. he heavy killships ofthe I1 and X1I e$ions had !ome in $unnin$, rakin$ their way a!ross the orbitalline.he #onside(s es!ape had been stalled by the !luster strike a!ross her port side.With the drives offline, they had been boarded. he #ons of /orus had poured inthrou$h the brea!h, hun$ry to take the killin$ to a personal level. hey had fou$ht in!orridors where the de!ks were streamin$ with blood. hey had fou$ht in voided!ompartments where the spa!e around them was full of spinnin$ debris and wobblin$ bubbles of $ore and fluid.#hadrak made war with a bolter in his ri$ht hand, and a $ladius in his left. /isaim had always been better ri$hthanded, his speed and strike superior with hisleft. hat was where his stren$th and de%terity lay.

/e7d 9ust emptied the last of his boltrounds throu$h the fa!eplate of anenemy le$ionary when the plasma blast mutilated and !ooked his left hand. /e had

14



pi!ked up his fallen $ladius and fou$ht on ri$hthanded.*ot lon$ after that, the franti! teams of en$inseers had relit the !ruiser7sdrives and, with a series of desperate and unsteady burns, they had torn free of theenemy ship $rapplin$ them.?n the brid$e, drippin$ blood that wasn7t all his own, #hadrak had taken the

last messa$e from &madeus 8uCaine./is old friend. /is !ommander from the very start.(he Gorgon(s dead( 8uCaine had yelled at him over the link, theima$e of him fra!turin$ and breakin$ up.7y lord377/e7s deadB /e7s $oneB 0ul$rim but!hered himB hey7re all dyin$, #hadrakB It7sa bloody massa!reB &n obs!enityB77y lord, move your ship !lear of the lineB77oo late, boyB he drive7s $one for $ood. /ull plates are splittin$. hey7re inside with usB :astard bloody<7

he ima$e had blinked away for a se!ond. hen it had !ome ba!k.7<ember @ustB77#ay a$ain, my lord.77I said, do you remember @ust3 0ates, you were thereB ou were one of thefirst, #hadrak one of my #torm Walkers from the very startB 4mperor7s bloody

ownB77es, my lord.77hen don7t you for$et @ust, boyB 8on7t you lie down and dieB *ot everB ouknow what kind of horror that hordefi$ht wasB illions of the $reenskin bastardsB

:ut we raised the storm. We raised the bloody stormB We prevailedB7he lord !ommander7s voi!e had be!ome a brittle s!ree!h. #hadrak had notbeen sure if it was throu$h pain, or the stran$lin$ distortion of the vo%.7y lord3 ord Commander 8uCaine37he ima$e blinked on and off, !hoppy and broken.7@aise the storm, #hadrakB @aise the bloody storm, my boyB ell the enth toraise the storm and take every last one of the bastards to hellB7he ima$e had vanished. he s!reen had fu--ed with white noise.hen there had been another, final blink. &madeus 8uCaine was s!reamin$.78on7t you for$et me<78ead air.?ff the bow of #hadrak7s wounded !ruiser, the lord !ommander7s warship hadblinked out like a dyin$ !ommlink, and been repla!ed by the heat and li$ht of anewborn sun.

TRANSLATING OUT OF the warp, the survivor fleet de!elerated towards ?>uethinor. It was a pale, baleful star.7Conta!tsB7 the aster of 8ete!tion announ!ed. 7hirty shipsB77Code mat!h37 asked =ebe- &u$.7Codes !onfirmed.77?f !ourse they are,7 muttered #hadrak.

7+rofiles37 asked &u$.7+attern mat!h. #everal types. &ll e$iones &startes fleet!raft.7

15



7Whi!h is in no way an assuran!e,7 #hadrak whispered to the Iron 0ather. 7@amp up visualresolution,7 &u$ !alled.7#tandby, !ommander6 /ulls read as bla!kened. 0ire dama$e. *o visible insi$nia or serial numbers.77ou don7t like this, do you37 =ebe- &u$ said to #hadrak.

7I haven7t liked mu!h of anythin$ sin!e my ei$hth birthday, warleader,7#hadrak replied.7Is 8al!oth prepared377/e is.77I7ll lead them if it !omes to it.77*o, warleader. hat7s the /and 4le!t7s 9ob. our pla!e is here.77?ur fla$ship is hailin$,7 reported the aster of 1o%.here was a lon$ wait.7Codes e%!han$ed. Cipher !onfirmed. ead ship is identified as the 'aster of#ron. Clan0ather of :orr$os !ommandin$. he Coun!il is $reetin$.7

&u$ tapped his fin$ers on the !onsole impatiently. 7Come on, !ome on677@e>uest for our fla$ship to draw alon$side the 'aster of #ron so that theCoun!il !an be united,7 reported the aster of 1o%. he reuest has been a!!eptedby the !lanfathers.77:atteries to power37 asked the Ironwrou$ht aster of ?rdnan!e.7We dare not risk anythin$ so provo!ative,7 replied &u$. 7:ut ready theme!hani!al autoloaders. I want all weapons at my dis!retion inside ten se!onds, ifit !omes to it. ou understand me377&ye, sir.77he fla$ship is under our prote!tion,7 &u$ reminded everyone.

?n hi$h resolution, they wat!hed the tortuously slow pro$ress of theCrown of +la!e as it drew alon$side the 'aster of #ron, and se!ured moorin$ lines and an!hors.7Coun!il is boardin$,7 advised the aster of 1o%.

hey waited a$ain.7@eport37 asked &u$.7*othin$, sir.77It7s been ten minutes. @eport.771o% is dark, sir.77here will be !eremonials,7 said e!hosa. 7his is a $reat day, after all.7#hadrak was about to warn him about temptin$ fate, but the aster of 1o% !uthim off.7&!ousti! e!hoes,7 he said, strainin$ at his au$meti! ear plu$s, one hand!lamped to the side of his head.7?ri$in37 barked &u$.70rom inside the Crown of +la!e. 0lattenin$ the si$nal. I7m tryin$ to wash it to$et a !lean si$nature. It sounds like6 !heerin$.77I told you,7 smirked e!hosa.

16



ARTEFACTS

Nick Kyme

7&t the ed$e of the 'houl #tars, at the very frin$e of #e$mentum 5ltima, my broth

er and I united on a mission of mer!y. We emer$ed from warp transit wreathed intendrils of psy!hi! !orposant that !lun$ to the s!arred hulls of our ships but wearrived too late. We had !ome to rein in a madman, yet !ould only bear witness toan atro!ity.70ire !ra!kled beneath the primar!h7s words, thou$h 7kell found it hard to dis!ern if the sound !ame from his lord7s voi!e or the flamin$ tor!hes on the walls.Whatever the !ause, the air was filled with the reek of hot ash and !inder, !arriedalon$ by 1ulkan7s deep and rumblin$ baritone.7It wasn7t mu!h to see, thou$h I7m not sure if I e%pe!ted it to be. #o differentfrom our home world, one to the other as ni$ht is to day... *o!turne is a terrible

pla!e to behold and, thou$h I felt no fear as I emer$ed from my own !apsule intothe burnin$ dawn, I !ould appre!iate its feral ma9esty. all peaks of fire mountains,lon$ plains of ash and sunbaked deserts, the stink of sulphur from the o!eans itwasbra!in$, deadly. 0rom the void, *o!turne is a deep red orb, a bla-in$ iris of fire./is was a dark, unremarkable world. It looked like a bla!k marble, flawed by the $rey smo$of its polluted atmosphere.7 1ulkan s!owled at the memory, as if he!ould taste those no%ious fumes on his ton$ue. o be able to see it from orbit,those !louds must have been dense, but I am told they hid a plethora of sin. 4venso, it doesn7t 9ustify what he did. What we saw him do.7

& shadow passed a!ross the primar!h, the en!umbent silen!e that followedthis de!laration filled by the sound of his heavy breathin$. "kell realised theheinous a!t that 1ulkan was des!ribin$ had left a mark deeper than any brand thou$h whether the perpetrator or the a!t itself was the !ause, he did not know.78arkness veiled it, a !urse met out by an u$ly moon !alled enebor. Its namemeant shadow, an apt appellation. /ere it was literal, for the moon !ast a shroudof ni$ht over a world desperately in need of illumination. :efore that moment, Ihadn7t ever seen his home. *ow I never will, and I !annot say I7m sorry. :y everya!!ount I7ve heard, it was a wret!hed pla!e, without possibility of transformation.7It be$an as a starburst, noiseless flashes in the vastness of spa!e. hey !amefrom a dark, da$$erlike vessel his own fla$ship. &t first, I !ould not >uite re!on!ile what I was seein$ with the deed. 'reat beams of stabbin$ li$ht and swarms oftorpedoes hurtled down onto his dark world. &ll attempts to hail his ship failed, of!ourse. ?ur brother was in the mood for ven$ean!e, not reason. /e wanted tosmite it, he would de!lare later, and e%pun$e it of all sin in a sin$le, purifyin$ andinsane a!tion. he surfa!e erupted in a !hain of stark, flarin$ blooms and for thefirst time in its lon$, beni$hted history the world saw li$ht. :ut it was the li$ht ofendin$.71ulkan paused, as if wantin$ to !hoose his words !arefully and re!ount what heremembered as !learly as he !ould.7ou have to understand, my son, be!ause this is the where the real horror of it

all lay there was pre!ision in that orbitalbombardment. /e wasn7t 9ust ventin$ his wrath. /e knew. #ome flaw in the te!

17



toni! stru!ture, it doesn7t matter how or where, was tar$eted dire!tly. I had thou$ht

we were witnessin$ petulan!e, the immature a!t of an immature soul with tra$i!!onse>uen!es. :ut it wasn7t. What we saw was premeditated.7&nd so it was the perpetrator and the deed that had left the primar!h so dis>ui

eted. 7kell !ould not ima$ine havin$ to a!!ept the reality of that. 1ulkan went on.7Cra!ks split the outer !rust alon$ fault lines, then spread, webbin$ in all dire!tions. 0ire !olonised the lands!ape, virulent as a pla$ue, until the entire surfa!e ofthe world was burnin$. hen it was no more. In one !ata!lysmi! e%plosion, itsmoon and every minor !elestial body in si$ht of this destru!tion were $one.7owerin$ his head, 1ulkan took a moment to re$ain his !omposure. When helooked up a$ain his eyes bla-ed like the fires he had 9ust des!ribed, the physi!ale%pression of an$er he felt towards his brother for unleashin$ planetary $eno!ide.78ebris rained a$ainst us, strippin$ shields and batterin$ the armour of ourvessels. We rode the sho!k waves that emanated from the detonation but emer$ed

s!athed in ways that went beyond the dents and s!rapes !lawed into the ship7shull. &n immense e%pulsion of heat faded and in its wake was dust and floatin$ro!k.7#ilen!e rei$ned for a while, until /orus !on>uered our !olle!tive sense ofdisbelief and $ave us purpose. /e was in!ensed at what our brother had done. /ewas also determined to run him down. I $ave !hase alon$side, not knowin$ that/orus had tasked another primar!h to slip around undete!ted. :etween the threeof us, we bra!keted the worldmurderer with our ships. here !ould be no es!ape. Ithou$ht /orus mi$ht open fire and kill him for what he had done, but in fa!t hewas determined to redeem him. I wonder had there been one of us to do that later

for /orus, would events have taken a different !ourse now37&$ain, 1ulkan paused in his iteration, as if ima$inin$ a realitywhere that was true /orus the loyal son, instead of the rebel.7It doesn7t matter now. *ostramo died in those moments and thou$h none ofus !ould have realised it at the time, so did any !han!e for Cur-e7s redemption. It all be$anwith him. I think it will probably end that way too.7kell wat!hed his primar!h !losely, bein$ sure not to speak until 1ulkan hadfinished. &round them, the atmosphere of the for$e was soothin$, the heat and thepenumbral darkness addin$ solemnity to the primar!h"s words. &sh and the smellof warm metal were redolent on a shallow bree-e, but the sound of hammer strikesa$ainst the anvil was >uiet for nowD the for$e7s bla!ksmith had paused in his !raftin$.7I !an"t fathom what must have been $oin$ throu$h his mind, my lord. I haveseen destru!tion on su!h a s!ale before, but to turn your $uns on your own worldwith the e%press purpose of destroyin$ it... We are $enerationally set apart from oursires, but at least I !an understand your motivations77:ut not in this37 asked 1ulkan. 7*ot in the task I have asked of you377I7ll do my duty, primar!h,7 "kell answered, somewhat defensively, as thou$hnot wantin$ 1ulkan to think he was a poor son.7:ut you don"t understand the reason.7kell !onfessed, 7I do not. *ot for this.7

1ulkan leaned ba!k in his seat. It was a simple blo!k of stone, !arved from thefa!e of the mountain, worn to the primar!h7s shape by the many hours he had

18



spent sittin$ and toilin$ over the artefa!ts he wrou$ht with his 4mperor$iven !raft.?ne parti!ularly ma$nifi!ent spe!imen was lyin$ on his workben!h, now finished.he hammer was a true work of art, and kell found his own !rafts humbled by theweapon7s beauty.1ulkan saw him admirin$ it.

78o you know why my father made all his sons different37 he asked."kell shook his head. /is warplate whirred and $roaned in sympathy. /e hadfor$ed the armour himself, and it was as finelyartifi!ed as any suit of !eramite and adamantium in the X1III e$ion. 5sually, itwas !rowned with a drake7s head helmet, but 7kell would not dream of wearin$

that when in !onferen!e with his lord. he primar!h always insisted on meetin$ the$a-e of his warriors and e%pe!ted the same in return. /e would have reprimandedthe for$e master if he had hidden his eyes behind retinal lenses.7I !annot even pretend to understand the depths of the 4mperor7s desi$n or

!olossal intelle!t,7 7kell said humbly.7?f !ourse not,7 1ulkan replied without !ondes!ension. 7I believe he did it aspart of his vision for the $ala%y. hou$h I know my brother 0errus would disa$ree,ea!h of us has an important role to play. 'uilliman is the politi!ian, the statesman.8orn, the keeper of my father7s house, and @uss is the dutiful wat!hman that keepsus all honest.77/onest371ulkan smiled !oldly. 7& 9oke that is no lon$er funny.77&nd Cur-e37 asked 7kell, his desire for knowled$e a symptom of his artiantrainin$. 7What is he37

1ulkan7s fa!ed darkened.7*e!essary. ?r so we all believed on!e.7ars was the reason for 1ulkan7s return to *o!turne and his brief reunion withhis for$e master. @esupply from the e!hani!um had been sparse and the primar!h had been for!ed to deviate part of his fleet7s !ourse to the one munitionsstore he !ould rely on his own home world. he fa!t that 7kell was stationedthere on the fortressmoon of +rometheus only made it more timely.7&nd /orus, and you37 "kell pressed, his ea$erness to understand interferin$with his sense of propriety.1ulkan indul$ed him. 7/orus was the best of us. &lthou$h, in our father7s eyes,we were e>uals. I always felt like a !hild in his presen!e. 5nless you7ve met him, itis hard to des!ribe but my brother had this... way about him, an undeniable !harisma that made you listen to his every word and then believe it without >uestion.:a!k then, none of us thou$ht anythin$ but absolute loyalty lay in his heart, otherwise wemi$ht have realised 9ust how dan$erous his persuasive aura !ould be.7/is role was leader and on!e I would have followed him to whatever end andfor any purpose. :ut that pedestal has fallen, and there will be no ri$htin$ it. &s forme...7 1ulkan lau$hed humourlessly, spreadin$ his arms to en!ompass the for$eand the vault beyond. 7I am my father7s weaponmaker, but unlike 0errus or +erturabo, I spe!ialise in the uni>ue.7kell7s $a-e strayed to the immense vault door that dominated the ba!k wall of

the !hamber as he re!alled the many names and forms of the artefa!ts within.7ike the hammer37 "kell said, $esturin$ to the workben!h.

19



1ulkan turned to re$ard it, lost for a moment as he ran his hand a!ross 8awnbrin$er7s head, the haft bound in firedrake hide, the $emstones and the esoteri! devi!e he had fashioned into its pommel.7It is the sin$le finest thin$ I have ever wrou$ht,7 he told the for$e master, 7but itwas never meant for me. I for$ed it for my brother, for /orns, and that is another

reason for the task I must set for you.71ulkan left it alone, but did not avert his $a-e from the hammer.7It was after *ostramo, after 5llanor. y $ift to him to !ommemorate hisa!hievement. With =a$hatai7s help we had !aptured Cur-e and brou$ht him to heel.ou have to understand, my son, nothin$ like this had ever happened before. 0or aprimar!h to a!t in the way Cur-e had, to do what he had done...7he primar!h shook his head.7It was un!ons!ionable. et, my brother had a solution.77@emake him,7 /orns said proudly, and with enou$h enthusiasm and vi$our tomake the ord of 8rakes look up from his broodin$.

/orns looked resplendent in his armour, a mus!ular sheath of pale ivory and9et bla!k. It was a suit so fine that even the $reat bla!ksmiter had to admit his envyof it.

/e and 1ulkan were alone in /orus7s >uarters on board the 1en$eful #pirit,sittin$ in !ompanionable silen!e when the primar!h of the unaWolves spoke. hey shared a drink to$ether, a heady broth native to Cthonia 1ulkan did not know its name, but appre!iated it for its heat and poten!y./e swilled the mi%ture around the !up, lookin$ into the tiny maelstrom he hadmade, as if the answer he sou$ht mi$ht be waitin$ for him somewhere within its

depths.1ulkan looked up, his eyes $lowin$ as they always did in the dark !onfines of/orus7s private !hambers. 7ell me how, brother, for no one more than I wishesthat to beB7We !an rehabilitate our brotherB&t first even /orus7s rhetori! !ould not sway him, and 1ulkan looked morealoof than ever, !on!ealed by the shadows. he first primar!h7s >uarters were fun!tional but wellappointed, even opulent. & fire ra$ed in an ouslite hearth, a !on!ession 1ulkan felt sure /orus had made to make his $uest more !omfortable. Instead, the ord of 8rakes es!hewed the li$ht and heat of the fire, wonderin$ why hehadn7t disabused himself of this !onferen!e as =a$hatai had, thou$h his $a-e o!!asionally strayed to the flames.7&fter this,7 said 1ulkan, an$rily 9abbin$ a fin$er towards the empty darknessand ima$inin$ the swathe of atmospheri! dust that used to be *ostramo. 7/ow37/orus smiled in a way that su$$ested he already knew this would work, andhad but to !onvin!e 1ulkan of it.74a!h of us shall take him under our win$, nurture himB /e $estured with hishands, mimin$ the ne%t part. 7ould him into the weapon he needs to be, not the9a$$ed implement he is ri$ht nowB1ulkan frowned, thinkin$ of the midni$ht!lad prisoner they held, doubtin$ thesa$a!ity of his brother7s su$$estion.

hink of it like this,7 said /orus, his optimism unwaverin$. 7ou are a weaponmaker, the

20



weapon maker. Curze is but an untempered blade that requires its edge

honing. Remake him, as you would remake a broken sword, Vulkan!

There was a vibrancy to his eyes as Horus made his pitch, his certainty for his

wayward brother's resurgence becoming infectious.

'I believed him,' said Vulkan, leaving the past behind. 'Curze was to be separated

from the bulk of his Legion, in the hope that - free of Nostramo’s malign influence

- he could change. I would take him first, then Dorn... once he was healed.'

'Healed?'

Vulkan's expression turned rueful. His eyes met the forge master's. 'Curze had

tried to kill Rogal.'

T'kell cursed under his breath at this admission.The Praetorian of Terra?'

'I know of no other,' said Vulkan. 'For Horus's plan to work, it was vital that the

relationship between Dorn and Curze be repaired. But after Kharaatan I knew we

had erred. I don't know whom Horus had planned to put Curze with next, but we

didn't get that far. The demands of the Great Crusade and his new position as War-

master kept Horus in a distant orbit. I couldn't attend the Triumph at Ullanor, so I

had not seen him in person since Nostramo. Years had passed without word be-

tween us, but I knew I must disturb him for this. I had seen what was within

Curze's heart. It was nightmarish and broken. 1 pitied my brother, hated his deedsbut not him, and feared what he would do or become if allowed to continue.

'Horus and I met across a lithocast projection. I had already spoken to Dorn,

who had returned to Terra by that point, and we were of the same mind. Foolishly, I

thought Horus would be too. His initial greeting was warm enough, if a little more

prickly than I had once known.'

'Brother Vulkan, what matter of great import do you come to me with that

warrants my time and the disruption of our father's Crusade?'

The Warmaster stood amongst warriors on the bridge of his flagship, an array

of sensorium and auguries suggested along the edges of the hololith. He wore dif-

ferent battleplate to their last meeting aboard the Vengeful Spirit, repainted in the

deep sea green of his newly renamed Legion.

The Sons of Horus.

The undertone of condescension was hard to miss,' Vulkan said

to T'kell. 'I have no doubt it was deliberate.'

'I apologise, brother, for taking you away from your duties, but I believe this

matter is dire enough that it must come to your attention.'Horus's eyes widened and Vulkan could not deny the sense that his brother

21



was mocking him.

'It must? Well, then you had best speak of it, Vulkan, so I can gauge for myself

just how dire the matter is.'

It was more than just the Warmaster's tone that worried Vulkan - something

deeper, implied rather than overtly expressed. Though little of the ship was dis-cernible behind Horus in the hololith, there was enough to suggest that it had been

changed. Markings that had not been there before, strange symbols Vulkan did not

know the meaning or significance of, were partly visible. At first, he considered they

might be lodge sigils, as it was Horus who had instigated these traditions within

the Legions. Vulkan had eschewed them, despite his brother's overtures, such

bonding rituals redundant in the face of the Drake's own Promethean Creed.

But what he saw did not seem entirely related to lodge culture. There was

something else, something inscrutable...

'It was as if another being were wearing my brother's skin,' Vulkan explained.

'Yet even that skin, with all its usual trappings, was a darker version of what I

knew.'

'You believed him changed?' asked T'kell.7It was more than that. I re!ounted what hadhappened on Aharaatan Cur-e7smania, his sui!idal, nihilisti! tenden!ies. 8espite the stran$e mood I had foundhim in, I e%pe!ted /orus to be appalled.71ulkan paused, his 9aw hardenin$ at the memory.7:ut he lau$hed,7 he said, frownin$ in!redulously. 7I was an$ry and !onfused.7

7I see nothin$ amusin$ in this, brother,7 1ulkan said, wonderin$ what had happened to the noble warrior he had on!e so admired. 7We have failed.7/orus7s mirth turned to serious intensity. 7?n the !ontrary. ou have su!!eeded.77I do not see how.72Cur-e !annot be tamed. /is is a ne!essary evil, a monster to help us win thislon$ war and keep our hands !lean.77/ow are they !lean3 hey are tainted 9ust as his, perhaps not with murder, butwith !ompla!en!y in the full knowled$e of Cur-e7s homi!idal patholo$y.7/orns leaned in, his fa!e fillin$ the $rainy hololith.

74very $eneral needs a weapon of terror, an instrument to threaten the hardiestof his enemies with. ou have sharpened ours well, 1ulkan. 0rom what you7ve toldme, Cur-e has turned fear into a blade that I !an wield.77his is no weapon we should harness. /is mind is broken, /orus. /e needshelp.77/e7s had help. ours. &nd I am $rateful for it.7 /orus leaned ba!k a$ain. 7Ifthere is nothin$ further377I saw somethin$ in /orus,7 1ulkan said to 7kell. 7#omethin$ that stopped mefrom replyin$. It made me withhold the $ift I had made for him. It made me realisethat my pleas would forever fall on deaf ears. It has also driven me to my de!isionabout the vault. #ome weapons are simply too dan$erous, in the wron$ hands.78espite everythin$ he had heard, 7kell still pleaded.7ou are not the leader of a rebellion a$ainst the 4mperor. It is not your army

22



that we $o to !ensure on Isstvan. ou are not /orus.71ulkan7s eyes strayed to the vault. 7Why is it so important to you that we do notdestroy them377:e!ause they are your work and le$a!y. 8estroy them and the $ala%y will never

see their like a$ain.77&nd would that be su!h a terrible thin$, my son3 &s weapon maker, I havefor$ed an arsenal that !ould !ause unima$inable death and sufferin$. hat is not ale$a!y I want.7hen why fashion them in the first pla!e371ulkan leaned forward so he !ould pla!e his hand on 7kell7s shoulder. he$esture dwarfed the for$e master, but was paternal and reassurin$.7:e!ause it was my purpose, the one my father made me perform,and ba!k then I did not believe any of us were the wron$ hands. hrou$h Cur-eand /orus, I now sadly know different. ?ne mania! in our midst, a tra$i! error of

nurture over nature that I !an understand and a!!ept. /orus is rational. *ot onlythat, he is the very best of us. I would freely admit that it terrifies me to think ofhim wilfully in!itin$ rebellion. /e is an enemy I would not wish to fi$ht on any level, not least of whi!h be!ause he is my brother. &nd should my !raft, what lies beyond those vault doors, be taken by /orus...I !annot be responsible for that, 7kell.71ulkan rose to his feet to de!lare the matter !losed, takin$ up the hammer8awnbrin$er as he did so.7Come. I7ll show you what must be done.7o$ether they !rossed the smokethron$ed for$e, their armour refle!tin$ the

lambent fireli$ht, until they rea!hed the door of the vault.It was immense, as was the vault itself, and 1ulkan used an i!on he had fashioned as part of his armour to unlo!k it. he small fuller slipped into a re!esswrou$ht into the door7s ornate surfa!e. It was diffi!ult to see, and 7kell realised hewouldnot have found it without the primar!h to show him.?ne twist and the !avernous spa!e was filled with the dull !lunk of $ears, pulleys and !hains the sound of an old me!hanism !hurnin$ to life. &fter a few se!onds the door be$an to open, slowly but ine%orably. It split down the middle, ea!hhalf openin$ outwards and into the for$e.When the $ap was wide enou$h, 1ulkan stepped throu$h and led 7kell into thevault after him.&s he passed throu$h this slender portal, 7kell marvelled at how thi!k thedoors were, at the sheer in!redible artifi!e of their !onstru!tion. 8espite theirostensible fun!tion, they were as beauteous as any of 1ulkan7s !reations. /ad 0errus anus made these doors they would be !old, u$ly thin$s. Impervious, se!ure,but ultimately bland.Where the ord of Iron was a smith, 1ulkan was an artisan, or so 7kell believed.Eou are the first and only one of my sons to see this vault,7 said 1ulkan. 7/eldsafe within its walls is every artefa!t I have ever for$ed.7utterin$ a word of !ommand, 1ulkan i$nited the bra-iers around the room.

0li!kerin$ tor!hli$ht !ast the !ontents of the vault in tones of umber and !rimson,fillin$ every re!ess with shadow. ?nly hints of the wonders that the primar!h had

23



fashioned were revealed.7kell re!o$nised some, and knew their names.?bsidian Chariot.1ermillion #phere.i$ht of 5nmakin$.

#ome were !onstru!ted as simple bladesD others were lar$er, more !omple%me!hanisms. &ll were named.

#C?@C/48 4&@/

*i!k Ayme

~ DRAMATIS PERSONAE ~

The XVIII Legion ‘Salamanders’@&"#&* e$ionary5#&:I5# e$ionary

The X Legion ‘Iron Hands’4@&#5# @55&* Ironwrou$htI#/& #5*&@ Commander&@A&* e$ionary sniper

The XIX Legion ‘Raven Guard’?@1&X /&5A#+44@ &pothe!ary

The III Legion ‘Emperor’s Children’?@I&@@ e$ionary

%espair is the !o!ent when all hope dies and the ine)ita-ility of ending$rashesin like the sword -low ai!ed suarely at your ne$k or the hot !uzzle of agun pressed to

your te!ple. #f you are fortunate, if !er$y is fa)ouring you, then yourdespair will -eui$k. But not all of us are fortunate/ for so!e the realisation of despair isa slow $reep,an eroding denial like 0esh gi)ing way to age or !etal to rust. #t hollows you out, $utsaway e)erything that you were and repla$es it with -la$kness. his # hadheard."e)er in !y life had # gi)en in to despair. 1)en during the trials on !yworld of2re and ash, when the heat was s$alding !y -a$k like a -la$ks!ith’stongs or the sahrk

24



were at !y heels, eager to taste !y 0esh, ne)er did # -elie)e # would notsu$$eed. # al3ways had hope.Ba$k then # was !ere 0esh and -lood, 4ust a !an whose -ones would notre3knit

in !inutes, whose -lood would not $lot in se$onds, whose skin was nothard like ony5and $oloured the )ery sa!e. "ow # ha)e eyes of 2re to !at$h the redworld that ga)e-irth to !e, on$e as a !ortal then again during !y apotheosis as alegionary. # don’tre!e!-er !y na!e fro! -efore. # a! $alled &a’stan now -y !y -rothers,or $aptain -y!y !en. hat rank holds al!ost no !eaning now -e$ause there are nowarriors left torefer to !e -y that no!en$lature, so # a! 4ust &a’stan. "ot a hu!an, -uta super3!an/transhu!an in e)ery sense with all the ad)antages !y father ga)e !e. As a !an, # had ne)er gi)en in to despair. As a !an, # always -elie)ed #wouldsu$$eed. # had hope.# a! a *pa$e 'arine of the 6V### 7egion *ala!anders, one of the +ire3-ornandtrue son of Vulkan, and for the 2rst ti!e in !y life # know despair.

&* 4X+?#I?* I up the distant rid$e line, illuminatin$ a lar$e dark plain.#tark ma$nesiumwhite turned our deep $reen armour into $rey mono!hrome,thou$h our eyes still bla-ed like for$e fires. 5sabius and I du!ked instin!tively andbra!ed for the seismi! tremor that followed, even thou$h the u$ly flare from in!endiaries had be!ome !ommonpla!e in the last few days. ?r was it weeks, evenmonths3 ime had !eased to be relevant when we realised >ui!kly that our sands inthe hour$lass were borrowed.hose with a more twisted outlook mi$ht say we had been lu!ky, fortunate tohave any time afforded to us at all, but they would be wron$. We live in hell, a hellof bla!k sand where nothin$ is as it should be and all has !ome to madness. & war

rior, even one as steeled as a #pa!e arine, !ould lose his mind in su!h turpitude.here are many words in many !ultures for su!h a state of bein$. I have heard sonsof @uss !all it &agnarok. ?thers know it as &rma$eddon. We #alamanders !all it thee!pus #nfernus or ime of 0ire, but I suspe!t many will later 9ust refer to it asheresy.&s of this moment, we knew it as Isstvan.We set down our burden as we went to $round, s!ramblin$ behind ro!ks andthe burnedout wre!ks of dropships. hese military leviathans !ould !arry entirebattle !ompanies and their !onvoys of support vehi!les, serfs, e!hani!um adeptsand 8readnou$hts. *ow they were downed, their $uts ripped open to fester in thesmokethron$ed air, festooned with bodies, !harnel houses in every aspe!t. he

dirty little pat!h of earth where we s>uatted was also a wre!ker"s yard... and@aiders, @hino armoured personnel !arriers and the skeletal remains of speeders

25



littered our position alon$ with the massive dropships like an iron $raveyard.4ven with a dropship"s !oalbla!k fusela$e between us and our hunters, thefirefi$ht still far off and e%plosions distant, I did not feel safe. *owhere was safeand eventually we too would be swept up in the tide of an$er that had des!endedon the 5r$all 8epression like a !loud in whi!h fratri!ide on a $rand s!ale was the

only !onstant.2Aeep him still," I said to 5sabius, knowin$ my brother would not allow ourburden to reveal our position.4ven in the wastes, far from the 5r$all /ills, there was still a lot of bla!k sandbetween us and sola!e.I $lan!ed ba!k and saw him mutterin$ somethin$ reassurin$ to the halfdead@aven 'uard we were !arryin$. he dropship a$ainst whi!h we were hidin$ hadbelon$ed to his e$ion. :la!k on bla!k, the s!or!h marks from the terrible fires thathad eventually destroyed it had obliterated the white !orvidae devi!e on both the

win$ and the tornup hull.4d$in$ around the nose of the dropship, whi!h was half buried in darksand, I tried to $au$e the level of threat beyond our fra$ile san!tuary.I saw a pa!k of ei$ht warriors in sea$reen armour, bla!k trim around theed$es of their battleplate, !arryin$ a mi%ture of power mauls, $laives and !hainblades. he !hain weapons were burrin$ noisily, vyin$ with the dark lau$hter ofthese killers and the me!hanised barkin$ of their beasts.2& deaths>uad," I told 5sabius, who did not respond. 2With mastiffs. *oblindhunters."I almost felt my brother rela% at the last remark.

I felt far from san$uine, but then I !ould see what was happenin$ beyond thenose of the dropship in a shallow, ellipseshaped $ully.hree other warriors, two in armour of !oalbla!k, a white hand embla-onedon their left pauldrons, and one in darker armour still with his battlehelm torn offto reveal a !halkwhite fa!e beneath, were bein$ en!ir!led by the deaths>uad.I saw a se!ond $roup of hunters, si% this time. #ame damn e$ion, boltersloose. ?ne !arried a missile tube, the !ause of the earlier e%plosion that had fro-enus in pla!e.&fter a few se!onds of !har$ed silen!e, 5sabius asked, 2Can we move3" I shook my head,motioned for him to stay still.*o point in lettin$ 5sabius see this. /e would want to fi$ht, to try and savethe warriors in the hunters" deadly trap. It was a death senten!e and I had not res!ued him from mortal peril on!e only for him to !ast away his life meanin$lessly. Iwanted to save them too, but nailed my resolve throu$h my feet so I would notmove.#o, as the 9aws of the trap !losed and the hunters advan!ed, I waited andwat!hed. &nd hated myself for that.hey were badly in9ured, the three in bla!k. :ut two atta!ked anyway, thunderhammers swin$in$. I flin!hed involuntarily as the trio of bolt rounds sounded likea parade drum, a sta!!ato onetwo one and the Iron /ands 9erkin$ to their deadlytattoo.

?ne fell, !hest ruptured, arm severed at the shoulder. I saw sparks, thrashin$serpentine wires severed from their !onne!tions in a bioni! arm. he hand !ame

26



away at the wrist, sawn off in the kineti! impa!t of bolter shells.y mus!les felt ti$ht and heavy like slabs of lead. I realised I was tensin$them. :lood pounded hard a$ainst the inside of my skull, my enhan!ed metabolism re!o$nisin$ the ele!tri!al si$nals my brain was sendin$ it and preparin$ for!ombat. I !almed down, reasserted my order to 5sabius to hold after havin$ heard

the shots and movin$ up a fra!tion.Be still, I willed him as I saw the se!ond Iron /and die. /e was impaled by a!hainblade, then blud$eoned to death. /is s!ream was a me!hanised blurt ofpseudostati! that !hilled my lavahot blood.2:rother..." 5sabius ur$ed from behind me. /e spoke the word throu$h!len!hed teeth and made it sound like an impre!ation.he last slipped the net, afforded an es!ape route by the sa!rifi!e of the others. I saw him barrel two of his wouldbe torturers out of the way, spearin$ the $utsfrom one and slashin$ off half the fa!e from another with his !laws.

#ons of /orns, mewin$ and !ursin$ as they !hoked on their own blood... It$ave me more satisfa!tion than it should have, and for a moment I balked at myown transformation.&s the @aven 'uard took fli$ht, I dared to hope and wanted to !len!h my fistin triumph and defian!e.I waited and wat!hed as mu--le flares lit up the darkness, the s!urryin$ andshoutin$ that followed as the hunters tried to reset their trap.hen !ame the !hill in my blood, renewed by an avian !ry of an$uish. #omeone was dyin$ somewhere ahead of us. & few minutes later, I saw the @aven 'uardraised up on an ei$htpointed !ross, snat!hes of his !ru!ifi%ion revealed to me

throu$h flashes of in!endiary and the dull lambent $low of funerary pyres. ?n thehori-on line, I saw a lon$ !hain of those burnin$ hillo!ks, bodies for fuelD the bodies of my brothers. hey were lar$e, some even dwarfed the 5r$all /ills. ?ne, Ithink, was !omprised entirely of skulls but I looked away as a stran$e sense ofwrath and si!kness !ame upon me. #omewhere up there was his fortress, wherethe 4mperor"s fallen son had plotted his de!eption and seen it ena!ted in full.I averted my $a-e, tried to shut out the sound of the @aven 'uard"s tormentand saw somethin$ !rawlin$ towards me. &ra!hnid, spasti! motions made it hardto identify immediately.I re!oiled when I realised it was a hand, the same bioni! ripped from one ofthe dead warriors durin$ his e%e!ution. Without thinkin$ I !rushed it beneath myboot, horrified at the very si$ht, and looked up.he deaths>uad lin$ered, their silhouettes bulky and spiked a$ainst the roarin$ pyres behind them, their hounds snarlin$ at the leash. hey were torturin$, andrelishin$ the a!t. I knew pain, I had infli!ted it upon my enemies, re!eived it ba!k inturn. I had even visited it upon !aptured foes in order to learn of their battle plansor as!ertain mission ob9e!tives when none were obvious. It left a taste like the dustof the #!orian +lain in my mouth, but this was somethin$ else. y deeds,however repu$nant to me, had purpose. he !ruelty the deaths>uad were sub9e!tin$ the!ru!ified le$ionary to was animalisti!, debased. I had to fi$ht not to rea!h for mybolter and put the poor bastard out of his misery. :ut to do so would reveal our

position, then we would be the ones upon the ei$htpointed !ross.We would have to stay and listen to them have their sport. I !ould feel 5s

27



abius"s an$er like an ele!tri! tan$ in the air behind me. I held out my hand in warnin$. 2Wait."2his one mi$ht not last," he snarled, an$er bubblin$ over, referrin$ to ourown wounded @aven 'uard.We were huntin$ too, for survivors, for survival, anythin$ that would fill the

$lass with more $rains and allow us that time to hit ba!k, for reven$e, be!ause wewould never understand why. 0or 5sabius and me, there was also somethin$ else,someone else we were lookin$ for. We had been !lose when we heard the moanin$from inside the dropship and found the son of Cora% bathed in his own blood. /edid not moan any more, but was lar$ely still and >uiet. his bothered me morethan I let on to 5sabius, be!ause to admit that our efforts had been futile in res!uin$ him would also for!e us to admit other truths whi!h we were not yet ready tofa!e.I had not seen 0errus anus die.I think I felt his death throu$h the ra$e and an$uish of his sons. he Iron

/ands were normally so stoi!, as me!hanised with their emotions as they werewith the slow metal !olonisation of their bodies.he flesh is weak, so went their e$ion mantra.&ll of us were weak. Weak when fa!ed with trea!hery beyond !ountenan!ewhen the $uns at our ba!ks that were meant to prote!t us turned...I was there on the left flank. &n entire e$ion arrayed for battle, led in$loriously by our father into a fi$ht we did not want but !ould not avoid. 8eath !amefirst, for them and us. /orus had leashed three primar!hs to his !ause, as well as

his own devoted e$ion. +erhaps we should have known when his !ult of person

ality overtook him, when the title of Warmaster !han$ed to warmon$er and be!amethe ri$ht of a disaffe!ted son, not an honour bestowed by a $rateful father. /e!han$ed their name, no lon$er !ontent to share the lupine aspe!t with a more obviously feral and deservin$ brother e$ion, and made them all his sons in identity aswell as blood.+erhaps then we should have known, but even if those si$ns were there, we!ould not have divined what happened ne%t.We had lost a lot, killed our brothers in what felt like senseless slau$hter. Itpaled to what followed as we were retreatin$ ba!k towards the dropsite, li!kin$ ourwounds and !onsolidatin$ our for!es so that others !ould resume the fi$ht in ourstead. :anners of the /ydra and the Iron were behind us, ready reinfor!ements andthe very real eviden!e that /orus had erred. :ut the unthinkable be!ame realityDseven e$ions had defied the 4mperor and 9oined /orus. ?ur numeri!al advanta$e, our ta!ti!al superiority, disinte$rated like flesh before a nu!lear sunrise. ?urreinfor!ements be!ame the hammer a$ainst /orus"s anvil. &nd so the $unsturned.*i$ht had fallen upon Isstvan, thou$h that !ould be the floatin$ ash and vastpalls of smoke that had blotted out the sun. It mattered not. :la!k on top of bla!ka$ain, that was the only time when we !ould move with any hope of se!re!y. herewas a distant $low to the north, where our trea!herous enemies had !ast off their!loaks and revealed themselves. I revised my estimate ni$ht was fallin$. Warriors,

or the semblan!e of warriors in some instan!es, were stirrin$ from debau!hed torpor, roused to ritual and suppli!ation in the name of dark $ods.

28



his was supposed to be an a$e of enli$htenment, where superstition hadbeen banished by the li$ht of empiri!al truth. Where was that li$ht now, I wonderedas I stared into the darkness, re!o$nisin$ the e!ho of it that had taken root in mysoul.

A Safe and Shadoed !la"e

Guy Haley

'endor #kraivok, the +ainted Count, Clawaster of the FGth Company, stoodmotionlessly on the !ommand de!k of the 8!-er 9rin$e. /e i$nored the bustle ofthe ship"s brid$e !rew and stared out throu$h the last armour$lass portal still in

ta!t. @amrod strai$ht, as if inspe!tin$ a flypast, he looked not upon a e$ion fleet,but upon the remains of one – a fili$reed 9unkyard of broken vessels driftin$purposelessly a$ainst the raw, poly!hromati! fury of the aetheri! storm shroudin$5ltramar, framin$ it in twists of superstru!ture as deli!ate as i!e patterns on $lass.It was a wholly depressin$ si$ht. :eautiful in its own way, he supposed, but#kraivok had never been one for beauty. hou$h the opa!ity of the window wasturned almost to ma%imum, the li$ht of the warpborn disturban!e pained hissensitive eyes. Without movin$, he shifted his $a-e to look out past the twistin$tendrils of the storm, into the deep ni$ht beyond the borders of @oboute 'uilliman"s pompous little kin$dom.

What few healthy ships had made it to this pla!e had lon$ sin!e departed. /e didnot blame them. here was an anomaly at the ed$e of the #othan #ystem, a midni$ht blind spot out past the andeville point, framed a$ainst the !orona of thedistant #aphir Cluster. It had lon$ been a favoured rende-vous for the *i$ht ords,who took deli$ht in plottin$ their murderous business under the nose of the 5ltramarines. hat odd, shadowy bla!kness remained.:ut #otha had !han$ed.*o lon$er a ba!kwater, it pra!ti!ally swarmed with 'uilliman"s miserable sons.&s soon as the more fun!tional 1III e$ion vessels !omin$ into the shadow !au$htsi$ht of the streams of ships makin$ their way to and from the planet – and thenew orbital platform, and the babble of noospheri! traffi! – they had turned tail and

fled ba!k into the empyrean. he rest had departed one by one, limpin$ away assoon as suffi!ient repairs had been made to their rava$ed hulls.hose that remained were the hopeless !ases. he 8!-er 9rin$e, #kraivok relu!tantly supposed, was one of them./e had spent many sleepless ni$hts anti!ipatin$ the wail of pro%imity alarms,but the XIII had not !ome. /e had be!ome as bored of waitin$ for them as he hadof everythin$ else here. :ut 'endor #kraivok re!koned he had a $ood idea, now,what the !ause of all this in!reased a!tivity was – and that it had somethin$ to dowith the re$ular ener$y pulses !omin$ from #otha. u!kily for him, these emana

tions had made the 5ltramarines, if anythin$, !ore blind to the enemy lurkin$ beyond the rea!h of their sensors.

29



0or now at least, this remained a safe and shadowed pla!e.?f the nine remainin$ vessels, only the 8!-er 9rin$e, %o!inus "o$te! and*hadow Blow bore si$ns of a!tivity. he rest were entirely dark, their rea!tors dead,le$ionaries eva!uated. &ll li$hts out, they had be!ome slabsided shadows thwartin$ the stars.

#kraivok wondered what terrors now played out within those !old hulls. Whatpetty prin!elin$s ruled over the serfs, now that their masters had removed themselves, in the dark of the broken de!ks3 8id they hoard dwindlin$ supplies of food,air and water to support their impermanent thrones3 /e was sure that it must beso. If there was one thin$ #kraivok had learned in his de!ades of servi!e, it was thathumans always reverted to type, and that type was u$ly.Considerin$ the irony of these half a do-en *ostramosinminiature $ave him a!ertain amusement. It helped stave off the boredom, at least.a!kin$ attitudinal !ontrol, the damned vessels were slidin$ into one another,their mass attra!tion pullin$ them slowly a!ross the millpond!alm of spa!e where,

very soon, they would meet their final ends as an a$$lomerated mess of brokenspars and mashed hull platin$. /e >uite liked that idea. he !ollision was somethin$ elseto look forward to./e had been there for seven months. /e !he!ked the !hrono !ount in his lensdisplays, as he had !ome to do almost obsessively, !ountin$ the hours of every dayoff with in!reasin$ annoyan!e. :es, he thou$ht. *e)en !onths of skulking in theshad3ows, li$king !y wounds. 'ar)ellous.he 8!-er 9rin$e had fared only sli$htly better than the dark ships, !omin$ so!lose to destru!tion that it was no lon$er funny, and #kraivok was a le$ionary who

found a lot of unpleasant thin$s funny. /is serfs had laboured in!essantly to healit. It had been an un!ons!ionably lon$ wait, and today was the day that wouldprove their efforts insuffi!ient.

Censure

Nick Kyme

1hetok @aan si$hts the tar$et throu$h his s!ope, !arefully an$lin$ the !rosshairsover its ba!k. here"s a stron$ side wind blowin$ that reeks of radiation de!ay, andhe ad9usts the aim to !ompensate when his spotter whispers, readin$ from a brass$au$e.24i$hteen millimetres left, elevate three millimetres."@aan makes the ad9ustments without a!knowled$ement. /e does not nod, noreven blink. It would spoil the shot and he knows he will only $et one. iss, andthey will have to run. /e doubts they would es!ape. /e and #!arbek would be dead– or worse, left for dead for the 5nburdened to feast upon.he tar$et is one of the!. & $eneti!allyenhan!ed killin$ ma!hine, bent on re

ven$e. 4ver sin!e the world burned under the li$ht of its own sun, they have beenout for blood. & hummin$ power pa!k atta!hed to the tar$et"s armour !reates a

30



heat ha-e in the air above it. It feels !lose even throu$h @aan"s radsuit. /e !anpra!ti!ally taste it.& smirr of raddust o!!ludes his vision for a few se!onds, his fin$er moist in his$love 9ust !aressin$ the tri$$er of his sniper rifle. he rebreather fastened to hisfa!e and ne!k starts to pin!h.

@aan holds his breath. he tar$et is !rou!hed, barely movin$, as thou$h he mi$htbe patiently di$$in$ for somethin$ in the dirt. he sniper"s eye line is a tunnel, myopi! and fo!used, and narrows 9ust a fra!tion as the moment arrives6Cobaltblue flashes in the predawn li$ht, and the !rou!hin$ fi$ure shifts a little.2*ow," #!arbek hisses throu$h the vo%.@aan s>uee-es the tri$$er.ike li$htnin$ on the sun, a heavy !alibre shell s!ores the radhot air as a low !ou$hes!apes from the rifle. It seems to pass in slow motion. /e fan!ies he !ansee the bullet turnin$, air parti!les dislo!atin$ at its passa$e throu$h them, a faintand lon$lived spark as it strikes metal and penetrates6

:ut there is no blood.here should be blood, even throu$h all that armour, a si$n that his shot was amortal one./e"s turnin$, mouth openin$ in a halfshout, world slowin$ further as if in partialsuspended animation."o -lood, he tries to shout. "o–& !old ball of pain flares in @aan"s ba!k. hen #!arbek"s throat is bul$in$ openlike a burst water main and $ushin$ red all over his radsuit, soakin$ the robes beneath.Cobaltblue flashes a$ain. ?nly this time it is behind them, around them, stab

bin$ into them.In his eye line, whi!h is no lon$er !onfined by the rifle s!ope, but myopi! all thesame and ever shrinkin$ to bla!k, @aan sees the tar$et still !rou!hed down, as lifeless as it has been ever sin!e they first si$hted him.*ow there is blood. ots of blood, but it is all theirs.8arkness rolls in, in!on$ruous durin$ the rads!arred day, and 1hetok @aan realises – too late – that they have been tri!ked.

&eonid hiel takes an ankle of ea!h !orpse in either hand and starts to dra$. /ehas slun$ the $uns a!ross his body already, widenin$ the straps so they will fit hisbroader and more heavily armoured frame. /e doesn"t en9oy this $runt work, but itis the pra!ti!al thin$ to do. /ide the bodies, bury them in the sunblea!hed desert.0indin$ a $ood spot, he starts to di$. 'auntleted hands make for surprisin$ly$ood shovels. :ury the dead deep enou$h and even the 5nburdened !an"t sniffthem out. hiel suspe!ts the radiation is foulin$ their senses, 9ust as it is foulin$

his. &uspe%, s!anner, even his !losed helm"s retinal display are all unreliable inCalth"s s!or!hed atmosphere.'raves du$ and then !overed ba!k up, a !hrono warnin$ flashes up on his leftlens. It is brief and marred by visual stati!, but about the only thin$ a!tually workin$ that provides him with useful information. @adiation levels are spikin$. & fresh

solar event bla-es on the hori-on. :urnup is due in ei$ht minutes, ei$hteen se!onds and !ountin$.

31



2y $ratitude for your assistan!e, :rother &kanis," he says to the distant, bluearmoured !orpse, 2but I must be on my way."*o need to bury him – the 5nburdened hollowed &kanis out days a$o. ?nly armour and bone remains. here was a time when hiel would have been reprimanded for su!h disrespe!t, usin$ a dead battlebrother as a lure, but hiel is no

stran$er to !ensure. /e still wears the red proudly a!ross his battlehelm, thou$h itno lon$er means what it on!e did. /ad he not defied his superiors, then arius'a$e and even ord 'uilliman mi$ht be dead. &s it is they live, but they have leftCalth behind.hiel thou$ht that he had too, but now he is ba!k. &nother a!t of insubordinationon his part.It isn"t that &eonid hiel la!ks respe!t, he simply a!knowled$ed more >ui!klythan his brothers that the rules of en$a$ement had !han$ed. ?ld ta!ti!s laid downin his primar!h"s Code5 , as it is bein$ !alled, were not always pra!ti!al. hiel wearsthe pra!ti!al upon his armour, a !eramite and battles!arred treatise of all the ploys

and strata$ems he has utilised in this most un!onventional underworld war.?ne more stret!h of hardline !able to !he!k for this tour. /e marks it upon hisarmour with a short stylus, in!ludin$ !oordinates, depth, and time. hiel runs,stayin$ low, away from the dead &kanis.@ea!hin$ the di$ site, he pulls a seismi! stave from his e>uipment belt, plants itdeep and a!tivates the subterranean mappin$ pulse. akes a few se!onds to ki!k in.Che!kin$ the !ountdown in his left retinal lens, he realises he has but a few tospare.2Come on, !ome on6"@adiation levels are risin$ faster, a red and fatal dawn is already burnin$ the hori

-on in a shimmerin$ line of fire. hiel feels the temperature in!rease, even as heshuts down the warnin$ !hime in his battlehelm to silen!e his armour"s plaintiveur$in$.2*ot yet."If he finds the break in the hardline !able, he will have to !ome ba!k. *o way he!an di$ now – the ambush took up too mu!h time. hat parti!ular strata$em iswritten on his left shoulder $uard. It is not the first time he has employed it, norwill it be the last.#eismi! stave !omes ba!k ne$ative.28amn."hiel tweaks the depth $ain and boosts the si$nal pulse, knowin$ that radiationand several metri! tonnes of earth, stone and steel will be !loudin$ any weak returns.&nother few se!onds lapse, and the !hrono $oes from amber to red. ime is runnin$ out.#tave beeps a$ain.2*e$ative6 damn itB"&n a!tual wave of fire is boilin$ a!ross the surfa!e of Calth, on!e a shinin$ frontier of the 5ltramar 4mpire, now rendered into endless desert. *uminus City is ahusk, inhabited by !orpses and predatory shadows. 'one are the 8era Caren owlands, their forests turned to ash. &bove, 1eridia bla-es, not so beautiful now. #he

is a harbin$er, a pearl transformed into a fiery !oal of hellish retribution.

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84&/0I@4 – Into the @uinstorm

*i!k Ayme

~ Dramatis Prs!"a ~

The !rimar"hs#an$uinius, he :lood &n$el, ruler of Imperium #e!undus@oboute 'uilliman, aster of 5ltramar, and the &ven$in$ #onion 4l"=onson, ord +rote!tor of Imperium #e!undus1ulkan, ord of 8rakes Hde!eased@o$al 8orn, he 4mperor"s +raetorianThe XVIII Legion ‘Salamanders’

&rtellus *umeon, +yre !aptain, former e>uerry to 1ulkan*omus @hy"tan, 1oi!e of 0ire and Aeeper of the Aeys+haestus 1ar"kir, I$nia% Chaplain5shamann, ibrarius 4pistolary?rhn, 0iredrake@an"d, 0iredrake@ek"or Xathen, +yro!last ser$eant:aduk, +yro!lastAur"ak, +yro!lastu"$arna, +yro!last

Jadar, +yro!last:arek Jytos, e$ionary ser$eant&bidemi, e$ionary8akar, e$ionaryI$en 'ar$o, e$ionary0eron, e$ionaryAadir, e$ionaryur"ak, e$ionary5n$an, e$ionary1orko, e$ionaryXorn, e$ionary

0ar"kor Jonn, e!hmarineAolo &dyssian, #hipmaster of the Chary-dis&rikk 'ullero, ieutenant, first offi!eryssa 4sen-i, 0la$ lieutenant, helm offi!erCir!e, *avi$atorThe XIII Legion ‘#l$ramarines’itus +rayto, aster of the +residin$ Centuria, ibrarius1alentius, e$ionary ser$eant&eonid hiel, #er$eant, !ommander of the @edmarked1itus Invi$lio, @edmarked

:ra!heus, @edmarkedCorvun, @edmarked

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8rusus, @edmarked0inius, @edmarked'ordianius, @edmarkedaertes, @edmarkedear$us, @edmarked

*aevius, @edmarked+etronius, @edmarked1enator, @edmarkedThe XVII Legion ‘%ord &earers’Quor 'allek, 2he +rea!her", former Chaplain, 8ark &postle ma$isterXenut #ul, 5nburdened8e$at, aster ser$eant, on board the 'onar$hia:arthusa *arek, 0ormer 1i$ilatorThe XIV Legion ‘'ea$h Guard’ali$ aesty$on, e$ionary !ommander

5kte$, #er$eant@a!k, #hipmaster of the &eaper’s *hroudThe (nigh$s Erran$Kasian Hecht

!H" #$O#H"C% OF !H" ON"&"%"D K'NG

A !ountain loo!s a-o)e you, wreathed in !ourning $loud. Crags $lawupwards, grasp3ing towards a -lood3red light at its su!!it. he sky is a-laze and re0e$tsthe !oun3tain’s anger as it $asts down 0a!e fro! a-o)e. #t is trou-led, wounded -y those whotried to put it asunder. #t rages, and its wrath is terri-le to -ehold. A -leak !ood is upon you, a hollow !antle that -ears !ore weight than a$urse. :our-are feet are -listered and -loody, for you ha)e walked !any leaguesa$ross the $uttingro$k of your death world.

#t has not -een forgi)ing.But your 4ourney is slowly rea$hing its end, its $on$lusion $loser withe)ery $ri!soni!pression you lea)e -ehind you.*$arred peaks rise to -lot out the sun, though the heat of that gloweringor- is still!er$iless, stealing -reath, drying out life until nothing re!ains -ut adusty $ar$ass. At the hell3stoked foothills, you -egin your as$ent. Cinder and hot ashsear your feet,-ut you -arely feel it.

Hand o)er hand, the $li!- is tough, -ut you are dri)en -eyond the$on$erns of fatigue.

34



:our !ind is a dense, dark pool fro! whi$h you know you will notresurfa$e. :our -odywill o-ey, despite the s$rea!ing agony in your li!-s, to whi$h you are-lind, deaf anddu!-.

:ou rise with the nu!-ness and !onotony of a $orpse gi)en life afterdeath, for are you not !erely 0esh3wrapped despair, your weary -ones responding tothe last )estigesof your will;+ro! the su!!it you hear a ru!-le to e$lipse the $rash of o$eans at fullswell, athunderous -ellow fro! the deep earth that e$hoes a$ross peak and $rag. And as youreye is drawn to the -urgeoning 2re glow a-o)e, you see a 2ssure in the0ank of the!ountain.Heat and earth3-lood issue fro! within this $ra$k. he trailing wisps ofs!oke enti$e

your enfee-led !ind, so -lighted -y a son’s in$o!para-le sorrow. A-o)e you, the ru!-le of the !ountain’s displeasure grows into a roar.%oes its an3guish resonate with your own, an e!pathi$ freuen$y that has so!ehowaligned ro$kand 0esh in grief3stri$ken sy!pathy;

+ire rises, soaring upwards in a -urning pillar that taints sky, sun and$loud with itsfury.%esperation seizing your dead !an’s li!-s, you struggle for the 2ssure,dis$o)ering a$left wide enough to ad!it your -ody. And as the hea)ens weep tears of 0a!e, you enter the !ountain to 2nd your san$tuaryand your doo!. he last i!age of your e5isten$e is o-s$ured -y pyro$lasti$ $loud untile)entually nothing re!ains -ut a shadow and a !e!ory.

)neBurnt o(erin)sraoris, the lightning 2elds& body lay in the $rey ash.ranshuman, male. /is skin was the !olour of !oal, and his battered armour hads!alloped ed$es, as thou$h it had been fashioned from $reen s!ales. & #alamander. & sword lay a fin$er len$th from his $rasp. & warrior. /e had met the fateof most who walked that violent road, another !orpse amon$st many. he woundin his !hest the si-e of a fist had killed him, but his left eye was also badly dam

a$ed./e hadn"t been rea!hin$ for the sword when he died, thou$h. /is still fin$ers

35



$rasped for somethin$ else. & hammer.& flash lit up the sky overhead in veins of pearles!ent li$ht.&n eyelid >uivered in response, nothin$ more than a nerve tremor, the last firin$of neural synapses before brain death.&nother flash. & bolt of li$htnin$ stru!k the earth. Close.

& fin$er trembled. &nother nerve tremor3& third flash, thunder resounded./e blinked, the !orpse who was not a !orpse, trappin$ a free-eframe of what was!omin$ for him a!ross the ash. /is other eyelid had been !auterised and stayedshut, a ball of throbbin$ a$ony harboured behind it.#entien!e returned, time and pla!e reasserted themselves. Cons!ious thou$ht resumed. +ain. u!h pain6i$htnin$ ar!ed from the dry and !loudless sky of raoris.*umeon blinked a$ain as the bolt 9erked wildly, splittin$ into separate arteriesand i$nitin$ the darkness with violent flashes. 0orks of li$ht hit the $round like

thrown spears, almost strikin$ his body this time.8eath would be a mer!y. *ot be!ause of the pain of his wounds, but the a$ony of hisfailure.2Vulkan<" *umeon"s voi!e !ame out as a drythroated rasp.*o, not 1ulkan. It had been 4rebus, and now his a$ent had fled with the ful$urite.'rammati!us, the spy. iar. raitor.&nother bolt earthed nearby, and *umeon $rima!ed. hat made five sin!e he had!ome round. 4a!h belli$erent strike brou$ht the storm !loser. /e had no desire tosee what would happen if he remained where he was when a si%th or seventh forkhit the surfa!e.

ovin$ was provin$ diffi!ult. & pat!h of spilled blood en!ir!led his body, slowlyspreadin$ in a dark morass his enhan!ed physiolo$y was impotent to staun!h.When the 4mperor had !reated /is #pa!e arines, /e had made them hardy, butthey were not indestru!tible. *or were their primar!hs, as some poor sons had!ome to know.*umeon would refute the !laims of his father"s death, thou$h.If he lived lon$ enou$h./is !hest was a mess of broken bone !arapa!e and dama$ed internal or$ans. /edrank and breathed blood, not air. 4rebus"s bolt pistol had seen to that. 4ven bein$blind in one eye and unable to see it at that moment, he knew his armour was morearterialred than drake$reen. *umeon"s in9uries, his nearparalysis, left a stark!on!lusion.# a! dying.4ven transhumans had limits, and &rtellus *umeon had rea!hed his. hou$h hismind rebelled a$ainst the prospe!t of his death, his physi!al body !ould not support the lie.&nother !ra!k of li$htnin$ stru!k !lose, s!or!hin$ the earth – 9ust like the bombsand !annons that had rained death upon Isstvan 1. Weakly, *umeon turned hishead to tra!k the bolt"s tra9e!tory. he flash e!hoed a!ross his retina, multiplyin$repeatedly then fadin$ into sharp relief before ultimately dissolvin$ into a memory

of si$ht. In its wake, he saw vorti!es of harsh $rey sand s!uddin$ a!ross the wastesof raoris, like insubstantial d9inn of old &byssinii, !arryin$ the reek of death and

36



the sten!h of burnt earth.?nly when the vorti!es $rew lar$er and be!ame more uniform did *umeon realise it wasn"t 9ust the wind rollin$ off some distant and unseen sea.It was a ship, whi!h meant the +ire Ark !ould still be aloft, and so he dared tohope.

8urin$ the events that followed, *umeon would learn there was pre!ious littlehope left in a $ala%y at war. A desert stret$hed away into the distan$e, endless and -la$k. Crestedwith high dunesand for!ida-le iron -ulwarks, it had -e$o!e a )ista of de)astation,thronged with thedead and dying. *o!e of the fallen lay half -uried in -lood3soaked sand.=thers -akedin their ar!our, slowly -urning in the sun. he stink of putrefa$tion was soripe it had

attained for!, a rank and physi$al !ass that weighed hea)y on theshoulders.#t was $haos on the -la$k sand. rue $haos.Brothers slain.Betrayal !ost foul.8etails of the massa!re fled, as if fearful of bein$ re!alled, thou$h they would beforever lod$ed in *umeon"s eideti! memory. he bla!k of the desert was usurpedby the darkness of a !ell, the dyin$ s!reams of his brothers repla!ed by maddenin$>uietude in whi!h a thou$ht was louder than a shell blast.Iron sha!kles linked his wrists, and snaked to his ankles too. It was hardly ne!essary. he river of *umeon"s stren$th had ebbed to little more than vapour.

/e was naked apart from the lower half of his armour"s undermesh sublayer, themany old wounds and brandin$ s!ars starkly visible. /is battleplate was destroyedanyway, dama$ed beyond repair. he !old of his !ell, the !hill of the void bleedin$throu$h the bare metal, was as adverse to him as shadow was to the sun. /e shivered. @udimentary medi!al work had been done to reknit his body. It healed, but wouldbe badly s!arred. &t least the hole in his !hest had been stit!hed ba!k up. /is !aptors had the !raft for more effe!tive sur$eriesD they 9ust wanted *umeon to suffer./e suspe!ted it was also why they had left him the hammer.It was a relatively simple thin$. #hort haft, s>uare head, a sin$le 9ewel stud set into the pommel. Crafted as a pie!e of ornamentation, it more a!!urately resembled

a fuller, the preferred tool of a bla!ksmiter./umble appearan!es often belied more esoteri! si$nifi!an!e. It was more than9ust a hammer. It was also a symbol.0or *umeon, now the last warden of the +yre, it represented hope.#o $rievously wounded, *umeon !lun$ to the si$il of 1ulkan as if it were his mortal thread, in the fear that if even one fin$er slipped then he too would be lost./is eye stun$ with the poten!y of helfyre, remindin$ him of that mortality andwren!hin$ him from fan!iful notions. 0eelin$ his !ons!iousness slippin$, he !hoseto supplant poetry with fa!t, usin$ the fo!us of his thou$hts as an an!hor.0enrisians had numerous words to des!ribe snow and i!e, but those who !ame

from *o!turne, or believed in the +romethean !reed, had many ways to define fire,and these terms varied a!ross the seven realms or #an!tuary Cities.

37



In /esiod, known as the #eat of Ain$s, it was helfyre. In hemis, City of Warlords,they used urgrek . :oth were old, lyri!al words for the deep ma$ma flows at thenadir of ount 8eathfire, the bubblin$ heartblood of *o!turne. It was hot, promisin$ !ripplin$ a$ony to any who tou!hed it or even strayed within its stifl in$ aura.?nly the deep drakes !raved its radiatin$ warmth and the natural solitude it of

fered, on a!!ount of it bein$ anathema to most other forms of life. +rotean fire, asdes!ribed by inhabitants of the =ewel City of 4pithemus, was !laimed to be the vitalspark that took the souls of the dead, and the husks they had be!ome, and restoredthem to the world, albeit !han$ed and renewed. #u!h beliefs persisted in #karokk,!alled the 8ra$onspine, and &ethonion, the 0ire #pike, but ea!h realm used a

different word, protan and !orphean respe!tively.+a-rikarr , as it was referred to in the er!hant"s #prawl of Clymene, was thefor$esmith"s flame, the heart heat that tempers metal, the mundane !reator. In the:ea!on City of /eliosa it was ferrun.

#!!olus was the worldender, and all seven !ities uttered it the same and often inhushed whispers. 0or it was the unbound flame, and had been a part of *o!turnean !reation myth sin!e before the fabled days of the first I$nia% and the metalshapers of old.*umeon knew all their names and every variation a!ross every !ity, 9ust as heknew the names of !ountless others and he !lun$ to them as he !lun$ to thefuller"s haft, separatin$ purpose from a$ony so that he mi$ht rise and live.7i)e<*ot for himself, but for an errant father whom *umeon believed in above all else./is faith – not the tawdry ephemeral faith asso!iated with reli$ion, but the true and

honest !onvi!tion that somethin$ was real in spite of empiri!al eviden!e – was thevital for!e flowin$ throu$h his veins and the eternal fire i$nitin$ his mind. /is belief manifested as a simple fa!t. wo words.Vulkan li)es.he dull $rindin$ of $ears brou$ht *umeon out of his deepenin$ torpor. /is !elldoor opened, admittin$ a thin shaft of li$ht into the darkness that widened as thedoor !limbed and slowly disappeared into an aperture in the !eilin$.& fi$ure stood silhouetted in the li$ht. /is form was powerarmoured, furtherbulkin$ out his broad and formidable transhuman frame. ?ath papers bede!kedhis torso and shoulders like a !onta$ion, but *umeon took !are to lower his eyesfrom what was s!rawled upon ea!h strip of fleshpar!hment. hey were damnin$

words, borne by those who had turned from the 4mperor"s enli$htenment and embra!ed old $ods. #u!h thin$s used to be mo!ked as stories of overa!tive ima$inations. *o one did so any more.*umeon $ripped the si$il ti$hter and tried to stand. /e $ot as far as one knee before his defian!e was overruled by his fati$ue.#hakin$ his head, the fi$ure outlined in silhouette tutted.2#till weak." It was less a >uestion, more an observation. 2Where is that fabled enduran!e, son of *o!turne3" asked Xenut #ul. /is voi!e was sibilant but possesseda ri!hness at odds with his raspin$ !aden!e.Xenut #ul had introdu!ed himself soon after *umeon was taken and had awoken

aboard the Word :earers ship. /e had seemed a pe!uliarly ordinary le$ionary atfirst, with !lose!ropped fair hair, and an oddly symmetri!al fa!e with Col!hisian

38



runes et!hed down both ri$ht and left aspe!t. It was as if he wore the fa!e of everyman and no man at the same time. /is eyes were youthful, yet !aptured a sense offathomless e%perien!e only seen in veterans. In the si% weeks sin!e he had beentaken !aptive, *umeon had failed to divine Xenut #ul"s ori$in, a fa!t that amusedhis !aptor $reatly.

2Why has your father"s stren$th deserted you when you need it the most, hmm3"Xenut #ul taunted.*umeon replied by $rittin$ his teeth, $lowerin$ throu$h his one $ood eye.he li$ht stret!hed further into the !ell, bathin$ *umeon in an u$ly yellow $lowthat $ave his skin a si!kly pallor.2our wounds look improved," muttered Xenut #ul. /e !rou!hed down onto hishaun!hes, sei-in$ *umeon"s !hin. & pained $rima!e twisted the #alamander"s fa!eas the Word :earer"s armoured fin$ers bit into flesh.2I wonder, son of *o!turne," he said, 2are you ready to speak3"Xenut #ul"s warm smile but !old eyes !onfronted *umeon. It was an e%pression

he had !ome to know well, alon$ with the traitor"s inherent la!k of mer!y andpredile!tion for infli!tin$ pain.2I hurt you be!ause you ask me to, son of *o!turne."

It was as if he had !ored out *umeon"s mind as well as his badly stit!hed flesh.28o you remember the >uestion3" Xenut #ul asked, in!rementally in!reasin$ thepressure on *umeon"s !hin. 2he ful$urite6 where is it3"*umeon made no sound beyond the whee-in$ of breath sawin$ in and out of hislun$s.2ell me," said Xenut #ul, 2what do you know of :arthusa *arek3"

#till the #alamander $ave no answer.Xenut #ul smiled a se!ond time, his e%pression pityin$.2&re you really askin$ me to do it a$ain3"/e lowered his head, resi$ned. When he fa!ed *umeon on!e more, his eyes weredark, abyssal pits. he ri!hness in his tone be!ame a resonan!e, as if one voi!eoverlapped another and they were speakin$ fra!tionally out of syn!h.2I serve6" he said, and in!lined his head, 26you serve." /e nodded at *umeon.2?ne of us is $oin$ to disappoint his master. It won"t be me, son of *o!turne."*ow *umeon $rinned, e%posin$ redrimed teeth.2#omethin$ amuses you3" Xenut #ul asked.*umeon kept $rinnin$. o a !asual observer, it would have looked insane.2ou wish to speak3"*umeon nodded slowly.2hen $ive me your words and all of this !an end."ettin$ $o of the prisoner"s !hin, Xenut #ul stood up and stepped ba!k.It took *umeon a few pre!ious moments to marshal his stren$th. /e wanted thisutteran!e to have import. /e wanted his $aoler to remember.his time he rose to his feet, and thou$h he shook and trembled with the effort,he did not fall.4yes wide, $larin$ with defian!e, *umeon roared.21ulkan livesB"

Xenut #ul lashed out sava$ely, drivin$ the air from *umeon"s lun$s with a heavy pun!hand floorin$ him. he $aoler !rou!hed ba!k down.

39



2ou are weak be!ause your father is dead. ou 9ust don"t have the wit to see it."#omethin$ barbed and metalli! flashed in Xenut #ul"s hand. 2I will show you6"

To*$e+&marke+,

Gladius3$lass $ruiser, 8ark #a!ramenthe !ruiser %ark *a$ra!ent was burnin$.It listed painfully in the void, $as and parti!ulate spewin$ from its vast arterieslike blood.aritime sailors, those of the deep o!eans of ?ld 4arth, from the a$e when errastill had natural seas, had often likened their $reat seafarin$ vessels to beasts. heyinvested them with spirit to imbue the wood and steel of their !onstru!tion withwill and presen!e. In times of dire need, durin$ a storm or when imperilled bysome leviathan of the depths, these mariners would !all upon that spirit to res!uethem, besee!h it to deliver their !rews from death one last time.

o those able to observe its demise, the %ark *a$ra!ent appeared very mu!h likea beast, but in its death throes it was impotent to save those aboard, no matterhow desperately they pleaded.#!ars riddled the an!ient !arapa!e of its armoured flanks, and entire plates ofadamantium flaked away like shed s!ales. 4%posed beneath it, a vulnerable layer of2flesh" flared with ephemeral fires that died almost as soon as they were born, hun$rily devourin$ the s!ant o%y$en that remained inside the ruptured ship.5pon the beast"s ba!k, the immense !athedrals alon$ its spine had !ollapsed andfra$mented, releasin$ !hunks of i!ono!lasti! statuary into the starless depths ofspa!e, where they drifted without an!hor.

he deep wound that s!ored the ventral hull had been the de!isive blow, destroyin$ most of its en$inarium in a sin$le, pre!ise strike. he ship"s open belly hadbled flashfro-en !orpses into the void moments after it was sundered. #ome ofthe dead wore the !rimson battleplate of traitors. heir bodies were riddled withlasburns too. hey drifted still, for$otten amon$st the other debris.Its shields had failed ne%t, another sur$i!ally e%e!uted strike intended to weaken and!ripple, not kill.&lon$ the lateral aspe!t, starboard side, a !luster of deep impa!ts had !oredthrou$h the flakin$ armour plate. & Caestus assault ram had rea!hed a terminus atthe end of ea!h one, !lin$in$ do$$edly to the %ark *a$ra!ent’ s brutalised flank.8espite the destru!tion wrou$ht a$ainst it, the vital !uts debilitatin$ the !ruiser, it

was here in the !omparatively diminutive boardin$ !raft that the mortal blow fell.8eadly !ar$o, 5ltramarines of the 2@edmarked", had been harboured within andtheir minds were bent on ven$ean!e.Invi$lio ran the len$th of the ventral a!!ess !orridor, keepin$ one eye on the rad!ounter $lowin$ on his left helmet lens. /e was headed towards the ship"s aft, lower de!ks, where the warp en$ines were situated.2*aevius.":reathin$ hard, Invi$lio rea!hed the first transverse 9un!tion of the !orridor. heyneeded to push ahead, advan!e >ui!kly and violently before reinfor!ements !ouldbe mustered. :ut beyond the 9un!tion, the ship"s illumination and vital support

systems had failed. 'ravity lin$ered tenuously, ne$atin$ the need for ma$lo!k tothe de!k underfoot, but visibility was poor.

40



Invi$lio had already lost 8rusus to one of &n$ron"s but!hers lurkin$ in the shadows. /e had no desire to lose another, and would even risk his !ommander"s ire atthis abrupt la!k of ur$en!y.*aevius arrived se!onds after bein$ summoned, a bios!anner in hand, seekin$potential threats. ike the rest of the le$ionaries in his s>uad, he wore a stripe of

red paint down his fa!eplate, perpendi!ular to his armoured shoulders.2@eadin$ four hostile !onta!ts," muttered *aevius in the deep baritone of Ia%.Invi$lio hailed from Aonor but adopted no airs or $ra!es with his Ia%ian brother.War and the pra$mati! tutela$e of the !ommander had seen to that.he brutal assault on 5ltramar had levelled all hierar!hies and pre!on!eptions ofnobility. #olidarity had !ome in its wake, a desire in all 5ltramarians, transhuman

and otherwise, to stand to$ether and take ba!k what had on!e been theirs.?ffi!ially, the war was won in 5ltramar, after the 0ive /undred Worlds had suffered at the hands of the X1II and XII e$ions before 'uilliman and the XIII had

mana$ed to turn ba!k the tide, but these le$ionaries knew different. hey knew thatbeyond the immediate auspi!es of a!ra$$e and the ae$is the presen!e of theprimus worlds provided, Imperium #e!undus still suffered.*oddin$ to *aevius, Invi$lio tapped the !ommbead embedded in his $or$et.2ear$us, take van$uard position. *aevius and I will flank. :ra!heus, hold rear$uard."& strin$ of rapid affirmatives flashed as i!ons a!ross Invi$lio"s retinal feed andthey were ready to pro!eed.ear$us !ame up from behind, heftin$ a snubnosed $rav$un, whi!h he kept atwaist hei$ht.

24asy does it, brother," whispered Invi$lio, earnin$ a !urt nod of a!knowled$ement from ear$us as he led the three 5ltramarines forwards. 2We don"t knowpre!isely what"s out there."ore than on!e durin$ the re!ent patrols, they had raided vessels !rewed by5nburdened. 8aemon huntin$ had be!ome !lose to se!ond nature to the XIII now,but that didn"t make these !reatures any less dan$erous. he rules of en$a$ementhad !han$ed, and either the sons of 'uilliman would adapt or they would die.Invi$lio was determined it would be the former rather than the latter. In this instan!e, !aution was less a lu%ury and more an imperative.heir first warnin$ !ame a >uarter of the way down the !orridor in a broad maintenan!e se!tion, arti!ulated in the flash of arterialred a$ainst ear$us"s armour. hele$ionary rea!ted fast, swivellin$ to tri$$er a burst of hyperdense $ravity from hisweapon. +art of the !orridor"s superstru!ture bent and split as if bein$ !rushed.?ne of the murderous XII !au$ht in the $ravity field took the hit too, and his plastron and left pauldron bu!kled inwards. It didn"t stop him hurlin$ his !haina%e, whi!h spunend over end before embeddin$ itself in ear$us"s upper ri$ht torso.he other rene$ades lyin$ in wait e!hoed the roar spat throu$h ear$us"s vo%$rille, only their !ries were murderous, not a$onised.hree warriors !lad in le$ionary plate !ame at the 5ltramarines strike team. wowore the $rubby, battletarnished white and blue of the World 4aters. he otherhailed from the X1II, but was no ordinary Word :earer.

/un!hba!ked, its $rotes>ue mus!ulature throbbed inside battleplate strainin$ to!ontain it. & helm alloyed with a daemoni! visa$e to the point at whi!h determinin$

41



where one ended and the other be$an was impossible. It needed no bolter orblade, the unnatural attributes of !law and fan$ more than ade>uate to its needs.ear$us summed up the damned !reature su!!in!tly, de!larin$, 2&bominationB"8espite the !haina%e lod$ed in his !hest, the le$ionary had enou$h !o$en!yremainin$ to aim his se!ond shot at the 5nburdened, but it shru$$ed off the

$raviton burst as thou$h it were a mere irritation and spran$ off its !loven hoovesat the 5ltramarine.Invi$lio had only fou$ht an 5nburdened on!e before. 8urin$ that en!ounter, the#er$eant had been leadin$ them and he had taken the beast apart with the blade ofan ener$ised lon$sword.=ld foes, old weapons. Invi$lio remembered the lesson, as he wat!hed poor ear$us split from !rown to $roin, his armour partin$ sinister and de%ter like par!hment. :ra!heus was !omin$ to reinfor!e him, but with the rest of his brothersen$a$in$ their own tar$ets, Invi$lio was alone when he fa!ed the monster that had9ust !arved up ear$us.

/e drew his $ladius. With one press of the a!tivation stud in the hilt, he i$nitedthe power field that !ra!kled alon$ its ed$e and fa!ed down the 5nburdened.1ia the retinal display in his helmet, Invi$lio saw :ra!heus split the skull of the XIIe$ion warrior wounded by the $rav$un. *aevius fired off snap shots with his boltpistol at the se!ond World 4aters le$ionary, but drew his power sword on!e at

!lose >uarters.Invi$lio"s si$ht then shrank myopi!ally as the 5nburdened shouldered ear$us"ssteamin$ !orpse aside and found the 5ltramarine standin$ defiantly.*o words would do 9usti!e, so Invi$lio !ried out wrathfully as he thrust his blade

at the beast. It was like strikin$ the adamantium hull plates of a #tormbird, and theblow resonated painfully ba!k down the blade, 9arrin$ his shoulder.he 5nburdened"s riposte was sava$e, a ba!khand that lifted Invi$lio off his feetand had him hurryin$ to roll away as a se!ond overhand blow !leaved into the de!kwhere he had been lyin$./e had barely $ot to his feet when the beast swun$ a$ain, a sli!in$ transverse likea sword!ut that Invi$lio had to parry with the flat of his $ladius or be bise!ted.etal shrieked a$ainst metal as his booted feet skidded a$ainst the de!k, throwin$up fri!tion sparks.It was tou$h to $et movin$. /e needed to be faster, but the slowly diminishin$$ravity from the vessel"s dyin$ lifesupport systems dra$$ed on his limbs with the$rowin$ presen!e of inertia.& blur of motion flashed on Invi$lio"s ri$ht, and throu$h a ha-in$ visual feed hesaw :ra!heus slam an a%ehead into the 5nburdened"s flank. It bellowed, so loud itstunned Invi$lio"s audio feed and briefly overloaded the dampeners built into hishelm.@e!o$nisin$ this !han!e to !laim a mu!hneeded advanta$e, Invi$lio aimed athrust up at the beast"s ne!k. &s he wren!hed the blade free, a fount of dark fluidspurted out with it. 4ven throu$h his rebreather the sten!h was vile, but the howl ofa$ony from the 5nburdened was even more dis!on!ertin$.It wasn"t the deep and $uttural bellow of a wounded beastD it was the shrill shouts

of tortured inno!ents, the dyin$ !ries of infants and their mothers. It was the deaths!ream of 5ltramarians, but!hered in the thousands durin$ the invasion.

42



:ra!heus lashed out a$ain, severin$ wrist from arm. &bout to turn, the 5nburdened 9erkedspasmodi!ally before the !ra!klin$ point of *aevius"s swordemer$ed throu$h its !hest from its ba!k. he !orridor stank of sudden putrefa!tionas old blood burnt and !auterised.Invi$lio knew that they !ould not relent. &lready, the 5nburdened"s wounds were

knittin$ to$ether as the daemoni! passen$er wearin$ the skin of its willin$ le$ionary host drew on the power of the warp. &s the beast fell to one knee, Invi$lio!leaved down with his blade, pier!in$ armour and strikin$ !lavi!le bone before hebe$an to !arve.:ra!heus ha!ked, wren!hed his a%ehead loose then ha!ked a$ain as if fellin$ anIa%ian harrowin$ tree. I!horous blood fle!ked his armour, hissin$ as the mild a!ids!or!hed paint and pitted the battleplate./oldin$ his sword twohanded, in a downward $rip, *aevius emer$ed from theother side of the 5nburdened, stabbin$ un!easin$ly with metronomi! re$ularity.In a few more se!onds it was over, and the dismembered remains of the 5nbur

dened lay slou$hed at the 5ltramarines" feet. &s the entity bled ba!k into the hellrealm that had spawned it, the host shrank and withered until nothin$ but a miasma of $ore and !hunks of sundered plate and bone was left of it.Invi$lio $estured to *aevius. 2ell me we"re !lear, brother."#heathin$ his sword, *aevius !he!ked the handheld s!anner and nodded.2Clear."?n!e throu$h the ventral !orridor, they would rea!h the warp en$ines.4ven without 8rusus and ear$us, they would have enou$h !har$es betweenthem to infli!t !riti!al dama$e on the ship. & !atastrophi! e%plosion would result.*onetheless, Invi$lio instru!ted :ra!heus to $ather their fallen brother"s in!en

diaries. /e wished there was enou$h time to speak some appropriate words overear$us"s !orpse. hey had survived the first battle of Calth to$ether, bled in thesubterranean ar!olo$ies that were, even now, bein$ !ontested. o die in the !onfines of some thri!e!ursed starship did not seem fittin$, nor did the fa!t ear$us"s

$eneseed would remain unharvested.2Is that the last of them, do you think3" asked *aevius, even thou$h his auspe%threw up only ne$ative returns with every fresh s!an.Invi$lio slammed his $auntlet a$ainst the side of his helm, en!oura$in$ the!omms to !ome ba!k online. It worked, and he was about to answer *aevius whenthe vo%link !ra!kled loudly in his ear.2*tatus, -rother."It was the #er$eant. It never failed to surprise Invi$lio, the versatility in that voi!e,whi!h !ould so easily be turned to !ommand or $oodnatured bonhomie. *ot unlike the warrior himself, who was as adaptable an 5ltramarine as Invi$lio had everknown or had the privile$e to serve with. It was part of the reason why he had leftCalth, and how he had !ome to be amon$st the @edmarked.2Closin$ on ob9e!tive now."2Casualties;"2wo, 8rusus and ear$us."he #er$eant swore under his breath. here was a momentary pause before he

replied. 2'unitions de$k is $leansed and se$ured. Charges set. We await your word,

43



-rother. Gi)e it ui$kly, though. Another ship has appeared on augury."2We $o to inter!ept3"2With all haste." /e !ut the link.:ra!heus returned with ear$us"s !har$es and held them out to the others.24nou$h to take down three !ruisers," he remarked.

Invi$lio nodded, silently applaudin$ :ra!heus"s a$$ression. 2*o need for overkill.We only need to take down one."

Three-i)il'agna 'a$ragge Ci)itas, Vault of the 8n-ound +la!e0unerary rites varied $reatly a!ross even the lar$ely homo$enised Imperium of the'reat Crusade. 8espite a $rowin$ $ala!ti! -eit$eist towards enli$htenment, manyhuman !ultures still ritualised the passin$ of the dead.8urin$ the days of ?ld 4arth, the erra that e%isted before 5nity, the @omanii

pra!tised inhumation, whilst most *ordafrikans preferred !remation. he old !ustoms of the &e$yptos demanded embalmin$ as a way for their departed to enter theunderworld, whilst the peoples of an!ient /imala-ia embra!ed the ostensibly barbari! rite of 4hator, or ritual disse!tion.*o!turnean belief held that all thin$s whi!h !ome from earth must then return toit. ?nly then !ould the !ir!le of rebirth be for$ed. It referred to immolation byflame – flesh, bone and ash.0or the X1III, fire was both baptismal and funeraryD thus the +romethean !reed astau$ht by 1ulkan !ould be preserved. his, and so mu!h more besides, was a partof his le$a!y now and must be prote!ted.

#o it was with bitter re$ret that :arek Jytos knelt before the !asket in whi!h theord of 8rakes was now entombed.2/e belon$s with the earth," uttered a solemn voi!e from the shadows of the deepvault. 2*ot in this !old and $ilded barrow."& sin$le memorial flame alleviated the darkness, flutterin$ mournfully. Its lambent li$ht !au$ht the ed$es of 1ulkan"s $olden tomb, whilst limnin$ the $rievin$features of Jytos.2& primar!h held in state beneath the 0ortress of /era6" Jytos murmured to thenew!omer, his $rief makin$ him pause. 2It is almost beyond !ountenan!e."/e had de!lared to ord 'uilliman his belief in 1ulkan"s survival, defiant a$ainstany who would dare $ainsay it. he bitter irony was their father had survived the

8ropsite assa!re, only to be murdered by an assassin whilst purportedly onfriendly soil.oyalty was air and sustenan!e to Jytos – he !ould not es!hew it any more thanhe !ould willin$ly stop breathin$ or eatin$ – but the fate of 1ulkan, and what hesaw as the de!eption of a!ra$$e, had wounded him deeply.2et us hope he is the only one," said the other fi$ure in the vault as he knelt beside Jytos.2Why are we still here, 1ar"kir3" Jytos asked.+haestus 1ar"kir did not answer immediately. /e took a moment to bow respe!t

fully to his primar!h in state, and muttered a few words of +romethean ritual.2/ow do you propose we leave, Jytos3" he asked, his !aden!e reminis!ent of

44



!ra!kin$ par!hment. 2he ord of a!ra$$e forbids it whilst the @uinstorm remains."2I find that an overly lyri!al and unne!essarily !alamitous word for it."2What3 &uin;" 1ar"kir replied.5nlike Jytos, who wore the drake$reen of the #alamanders, 1ar"kir was entirely

!lad in bla!k. &s a devotee of the Chaplain!y, it was his duty. /e had often reminded Jytos, it was not be!ause he was in mournin$ but on a!!ount of his !allin$, one needed more than ever in su!h tenebrous days.& wound not 9ust of the flesh but of the spirit had been infli!ted upon the nas!entImperium, provokin$ a theolo$i!al war of the soul.2It has brou$ht us to our knees," 1ar"kir admitted, 2for a time, at least."Jytos respe!ted the san!tity of the !hamber, even with all of its hollow opulen!e,but still transmitted the futile an$er in his words.2/ow !an we now rise3 ?ur father !ame to a e$ion approa!hin$ selfannihilation. Without his influen!e, how !an we hope to avoid su!h a fate a$ain3"

he le$ionary had a stern !ountenan!e and the broad shoulders of a hemian./is deep !rimson hair was !ut short and on both hemispheres of his skulli!oni! representations of drakes were shaved into the s!alp.'ently, 1ar"kir laid a $auntleted hand upon Jytos"s shoulder.2With his influen!e are we made protean, brother." /e smiled warmly, despitetheir bleak surroundin$s. 2We are mu!h !han$ed from the 8ra$on Warriors weused to be."0ew in the e$ion knew, let alone spoke, the X1III"s old !o$nomen. o do soprompted a reminder of the $reat shame it si$nified, of the days before 1ulkan hadtau$ht them pra$matism to temper their selfsa!rifi!ial natures and humanity to

!ounter their abyssal an$er.1ar"kir was badly s!arred. he latter part of his name, kir, meant 2!hosen". In1ar"kir"s !ase, it was an apt honorifi!. &s one of ord @hy"tan"s 21oi!es of 0ire", hehad been sent to minister to the le$ionaries about to brin$ /orus the @ene$ade toheel, but s!ar!ely survived the massa!re. he stunted, ashwhite !rest bifur!atin$his hairless s!alp su$$ested veteran, as did the !loseness of his flesh to the skull./is eyes still held their *o!turnean fire, thou$h, embers to the !oalbla!k of hisskin.& moment of pensive silen!e fell before Jytos said, 2I thou$ht I heard it beat. /isheart."&s one, the eyes of the two #alamanders turned to re$ard their slain lord.1ulkan lay in silent repose. /is eyes were !losed and he looked serene behind the!asket $lass. /e was, as he always had been, their father. /onour s!ars marked hisfa!e, branded into flesh by an iron rod. /ard to dis!ern, e%!ept in a !ertain li$ht,they des!ribed the le$a!y of 1ulkan"s deeds.2?ur minds !an sometimes tri!k us into believin$ what our hearts desire, Jytos,"1ar"kir replied >uietly. 2It is well, at least, he is here to be mourned by his sons, instead of defiled on some distant battlefield."Jytos lowered his $a-e, unable to look upon his dead father any lon$er.Clen!hed in 1ulkan"s fist was %awn-ringer, an artefa!t of peerless !raftsmanship,

wrou$ht by the ord of 8rakes himself, and the very hammer that had spirited hima!ross the empyrean to a!ra$$e.

45



&side from his flesh and bone, it was the only thin$ that had survived atmospheri! reentry inta!t. In point of fa!t 1ulkan wore not his dra!onian battleplate,but was instead !lad in a suit of armour from ord 'uilliman"s vault. &t least it hadbeen !rafted with the livery of the X1III.Jytos and the other #alamanders who had made it to a!ra$$e knew fra$ments

of the story surroundin$ 1ulkan"s violent arrival. #ome aspe!ts of it be$$ared beliefto the sons of *o!turne, in!redulous a!!ounts of mira!ulous resurre!tion andhealin$, and a madness that rendered the ord of 8rakes into a fren-ied beast.@umours, nothin$ more. he former was !ruel, $ivin$ hope where none e%isted,and the latter was an insult to 1ulkan"s memory. :oth Jytos and 1ar"kir had refutedthem.2/as anyone else tried to remove it3" he sound of 1ar"kir"s voi!e lifted Jytosfrom bleak reverie. he Chaplain"s hand wavered in front of him, held before the$lass and hoverin$, fin$ers outstret!hed towards where the u$ly spearhead 9uttedfrom the primar!h"s !hest. /is $auntleted hand trembled at the horror of it, the ab

9e!t violation. o see it was a !onstant reminder of 1ulkan"s murder and the !rudetool used to end him.2#ome," said Jytos, a ta!it admission in the tone of his answer that he !ould be!ounted amon$st them, 2but all who have tried, failed."2*one !an," said 1ar"kir, tra!in$ the words en$raved upon the !asket"s onlyornamentation, a $ilded s!roll, with his fin$ers. 28n-ound +la!e<" he whispered,readin$ the words aloud. /is eyes strayed to the memorial flame.1ar"kir was $ifted. ike the I$nia% of old, he per!eived truth and wisdom in flames.Jytos had followed his $a-e. In spite of his $rief, his voi!e still betrayed a sliver ofhope.

2What do you see3" &fter starin$ for a few minutes, 1ar"kir shook his head.2*othin$," he murmured, re$retful.2I would $ladly sa!rifi!e my life," de!lared Jytos, unashamed of the tears streakin$down his fa!e.2here are none amon$st us who would not do so, brother."he an!ient +romethean !reed told that the !ir!le of death and rebirth not onlymaintained the balan!e of nature, but also held the belief of life eternal, of resurre!tion. Within the e$ion, this had been a!!epted as the harvestin$ of $eneseedpassin$ on from one host into another, so a warrior"s le$a!y mi$ht live on, but Jytos referred to a more literal interpretation. he sa!rifi!e of one !ould brin$ aboutthe apotheosis of another. It was foolish and sentimentalD pra$matism was needednow. :ut $rief had to be properly observed first.20ather," said Jytos, a fier!e stren$th infle!tin$ his voi!e, 2we have $reat need ofhope. +lease6"/e bowed his head, and 1ar"kir 9oined him in $rave memoriam.

*our!he #reacher

+ain woke *umeon./is treatment at the hands of Xenut #ul had been severe enou$h to render him

un!ons!ious. /is first thou$ht was of the fresh stit!hes in his side, the !rude sutures in his !hest and ba!k. /is se!ond thou$ht was the realisation he was no

46



lon$er in his !ell.& smell pervaded, faintly reminis!ent of a slau$hterhouse, thou$h *umeon hadlearned to be suspi!ious of his senses in this pla!e. ?ld friends, almost !ertainlydead, had !ome to him in his barely lu!id moments, eodrakk and +er$ellen starin$ with $houlish fa!es, their flesh sunken and putrefyin$. he stink of their rottin$

!orpses, somehow animate and enslaved to hun$er, had been so !onvin!in$ that*umeon had almost believed they were real.&wakin$ in a feverish sweat, only to !ollapse in e%haustion a moment later, hehad been sorely $lad they were not.8ead is dead, and nothin$ !ould alter that.2:ein$ able to distin$uish phantoms from what is real will serve you well here,"the +rea!her said to *umeon, re$ardin$ him with the same deta!hed interest abiolo$is adept mi$ht re$ard an inse!t.& !avernous yet !laustrophobi! !hamber surrounded *umeon. Xenut #ul had$one, repla!ed by his new tormentor. &nd thou$h it appeared as if they were alone,

*umeon"s instin!ts warned him of the opposite./e heard6 !ur!urings. hou$h he knew he !ould not rely upon anythin$ he sawor heard, the voi!es sounded pained. hey were also reminis!ent of warriors hehad fou$ht beside before, not spe!ifi!ally but !ertainly of the same !aste.What is this fell pla$e; he wondered.&bout to speak the >uestion aloud, he stopped when he realised he was bound hand andfoot to a slab, and that the si$il was $one. :riefly, he $lan!ed around forit but saw nothin$ save the bla!kness of the !hamber and the +rea!her before him./is interro$ator pa!ed a short ar!, his eyes !onstantly s!rutinisin$ the prisoner.2he hammer6" *umeon said at last, despisin$ himself for the weakness in his

voi!e. 2Where is it3"2It speaks," said the +rea!her, i$norin$ his >uestion, as !almly and !onversationally as if they were two stran$ers 9ust $ettin$ a!>uainted. 2Xenut #ul said youwould not speak to him. Will you speak to me then, &rtellus *umeon of 1ulkan"shonoured +yre 'uard3"*umeon bared his teeth but didn"t bother to strain a$ainst his bonds. It was apetty a!t of defian!e, but the only one he had left.he +rea!her $ave no rea!tion. /e was tall with transhuman physiolo$y and worelon$ !rimson robes, et!hed in Col!hisian. /is bald pate and fa!e seemed stran$elypatterned, as if dark, tanned, until the +rea!her drew !lose and *umeon saw theumber !uneiform markin$ his skin.2ou"re a Word :earer," spat *umeon.2#o you will speak to me. 4ven if it is to state the obvious."he +rea!her bowed reverently.2ou"re a traitor," the #alamander a!!used.& sli$ht tremor below the ri$ht eye betrayed the +rea!her"s annoyan!e.2oyalty is 9ust a matter of perspe!tive, &rtellus. ours is merely different to mine."2Is this your ta!ti! now3" asked *umeon, his eyes still sear!hin$ the !hamber forthe si$il but findin$ only shadow. /e heard the faint susurration of labouredbreathin$. 2&m I to sympathise with betrayers and murderers3 :y seein$ from your perspe$ti)e will I $ive up what you want to know3"

he +rea!her la!ed his fin$ers and held his hands 9ust above the abdomen.2I know everythin$ you know, &rtellus."

47



*umeon failed to mask his surprise. he reek of the !harnel pit returned, and a

si!kenin$ suspi!ion be$an to form as to both the !hamber"s purpose and itsinhabitants.he +rea!her frowned. 28id you think you were brou$ht here to bar$ain3 o resist

another round of torture3" /e lau$hed !urtly. 2Xenut #ul"s task was not the e%tra!tion of information – he merely wished to hurt you. hat was !y bar$ain6 withhim. 8o you see3"*umeon did not, but he was weak and only half !ons!ious. /e !ould not even be!ertain he was awake and hunted the shadows for the spe!tres of his lost !omrades. *one manifested.2& mind as untrained as yours, however stron$, is no barrier to a 8ark &postle,"the +rea!her said without pride. 2es, I seek :arthusa *arek. /e is a true rene$adeand shall be hunted to the ends of the $ala%y for what he"s done."*umeon remembered the Word :earers marksman, but had not known his e

$ion !onsidered him a betrayer.2#o," said the +rea!her, 2I have $iven you somethin$ and now you must providesomethin$ in return."*umeon s!offed. 2ou are deluded."& thin smile $ave the +rea!her a sinister aspe!t.2I know you will be!ause it will !ost you nothin$. @emember, I have rea!hed inside your mind already. I know what you know, 9ust as I am aware of the atta!hment you have to that s!rap of your dead primar!h"s armour."21ulkan li–"2es," the +rea!her"s interruption !ut *umeon"s de!laration short, 2so you keep

sayin$, all eviden!e to the !ontrary."/e li!ked his lips in the manner of someone a!!ustomed to speakin$ at len$th.2I am a believer too, as devoted to my faith as you are to your absent father. Wehave fallen from $ra!e," he said, 2all of us. 0or a time, not even a heartbeat in theendless sa$a of the !osmos, we turned our fa!es from the true $ods and embra!ed a lie."he +rea!her nodded to *umeon. 2our 4mperor6" then tou!hed a hand tohis !hest, 26my former 4mperor. &nd now we are bein$ punished for it. his war isnot about the e%hortation of reli$ion, it is not for the dominan!e and sub9u$ationof our spe!ies. ?ur souls are at stake – this is our penan!e for the sin of unbelief."*umeon s!owled, already tired of the +rea!her"s rhetori! and willin$ Xenut #ul toreturn. 2What do you want3"2o tell me what it was like."2I am still no wiser, traitor."he +rea!her"s eyes flashed with fervent desire.2he ful$urite, the stone spear invested with the 4mperor"s power on earth."2It was6" *umeon !ast his mind ba!k to his first meetin$ with the man who!alled himself =ohn 'rammati!us, how he had des!ribed the spear and what itpurportedly represented, 26unremarkable."ruthfully, he had barely seen it, but !ould $ain a small vi!tory in the torment ofhis interro$ator.2&musin$," said the +rea!her, turnin$ his ba!k.

2It is a pie!e of !old stone."2It is far more than that, I think."

48



Were he able, *umeon would have shru$$ed, but his bonds were ti$ht. 2Why doyou even !are3 I thou$ht you said the 4mperor"s power was a lie."he +rea!her fa!ed him. 2/is !reed, not /is power. I want it be!ause it killed theimmortal primar!h, and turned one of our own a$ainst us. *o !old stone !an dothat."

*umeon"s eyes widened. 2Ailled3"he +rea!her nodded slowly.2ou lie," *umeon sneered, eyes narrowin$. 21ulkan lives," he de!lared with fier!ean$er, 2and nothin$ you say will !onvin!e me otherwise, so you mi$ht as well 9ustkill–"

he !hamber trembled. *umeon felt the tremor resonate throu$h the slab.0or a few se!onds, the +rea!her $lan!ed over his shoulder as if speakin$ tosomeone standin$ 9ust behind him. *umeon tried but failed to dis!ern his e%a!twords. Whatever was said, the +rea!her looked perturbed.

2What"s happenin$3" *umeon demanded. 2Who are you3"&s the +rea!her looked ba!k, his form fli!kered as a se!ond, !orporeal fi$urewalked throu$h it and disen$a$ed the hololith. *umeon had been speakin$ to thesimula!rum of the +rea!her, but Xenut #ul was very real as he advan!ed upon him.In a violent flare of ma$nesiumwhite, the li$hts in the !hamber !ame on. &fterthe hard metal shunt of phosphor strips en$a$in$, *umeon took a few se!onds toad9ust. What he saw !onfirmed made him !ry out in ra$e and an$uish.2y brothersB"@ow upon row of metal slabs, arrayed !lose to$ether like ranks and files in battle,almost filled the !hamber. In another li$ht, it mi$ht have resembled an apothe

!arion but that would have been a lie.:lood and death dren!hed this pla!e, far from ima$ined and very real. e$ionariesof the XIX, X and X1III lay strapped down to the slabs and, like *umeon, they hadbeen beaten $rievously.2What is this3" he roared, findin$ stren$th in his an$er and tearin$ one of hisbonds loose.Xenut #ul answered !urtly. 2orture room. /ave no fear, #alamander, yours is only 9ust be$innin$."8a$$ersharp pain flared in *umeon"s 9aw. :la!k shadows !rept over the ed$e ofhis si$ht. Xenut #ul disappeared behind a !loud of darkness. :efore he passed out,*umeon heard the Word :earer shoutin$ orders.2&ll hands, repel boarders." he Word :earer sounded !alm, as if he had e%pe!tedthis. 2hey have found us. Aill any 5ltramarine who sets foot aboard this ship."he words faded, swallowed by un!ons!iousness, and as he fell into the blessed abyss,*umeon was left with the drone of kla%ons and the thud of booted feet6

*iveLiberatorsHunter3$lass destroyer 8ema$o$ue, 8ltra!arhe bulkhead slammed hard a$ainst the de!k, raisin$ a loud !lamour. Its burnted$es $lowed solarred before fadin$ to embers then dull bla!k metal. hrou$h the

ra$$ed aperture, Invi$lio led a strike s>uad of the @edmarked.&head, the narrow !orridor se!tion was dark. 8urin$ in$ress onto the Word :ear

49



ers ship, the 5ltramarines had neutralised its primary power. &u%iliary did notstret!h this far, so they were advan!in$ throu$h the din$y a!!ess tunnels as intended.he %e!agogue was a mu!h smaller ship than the %ark *a$ra!ent, a destroyer!lass vessel with fewer !rew. It !ould have easily been missedD Invi$lio still had no

idea how the shipmistress aboard the %e2an$e of Calth had found it. 8espite itssi-e, thou$h, it was still teemin$ with traitors.:ra!heus saw them first. 2Conta!tsB"he 5ltramarine en$a$ed, firin$ off a short sta!!ato burst from his bolter. uffled shouts followed, the pair of enemy !ombatants lit up briefly by :ra!heus"smu--le flare before the flash died and so did they.2wo kills," he barked, e9e!tin$ a spent !lip before $hanking a swift reload into theempty bree!h.2&dvan!in$," stated Invi$lio, dartin$ forwards with his body !rou!hed low topresent a smaller tar$et.

*aevius had one eye on the auspe% and !ried out a warnin$ 9ust as the shellstorm erupted in front of them.:olter rounds stru!k around the 5ltramarines like hot, brass rain. Invi$lio took a$lan!in$ hit a$ainst his shoulder $uard and felt his lower le$ $reave dent with anonpenetratin$ impa!t hit before he hu$$ed the wall of the !orridor.he others had done the same; :ra!heus, 'ordianius and +etronius on the leftD he and*aevius on the ri$ht.he two traitors :ra!heus had e%e!uted were bait, intended to draw the 5ltramarines into a narrow bottlene!k.Inwardly, Invi$lio !ursed his stupidity and briefly !onsidered he mi$ht be rea!h

in$ his physi!al limits, the point at whi!h his mission effi!a!y would be$in todiminish.2+etronius," he uttered throu$h the vo%, 2$ive us some !over." hrou$h the sharedretinal feed, Invi$lio i!onlit +etronius"s strike point.he burly 5ltramarine stepped out from behind the narrow ribstruts where thes>uad were hunkered down and fed a rapid burst from his melta$un into the !ablin$ and armour platin$ above. /e took a boltround in the upper torso for his efforts, and the massrea!tive shell shattered bone and almost tore off his shoulder.:ra!heus and 'ordianius dra$$ed the wounded le$ionary !lear. & se!ond laterand a !hunk of upper de!kplate, !ablin$, pipes and adamantium rebar !ame !rashin$ down into the !orridor se!tion.Invi$lio and the others took up positions behind the improvised barri!ades, ableto adopt a better line of fire and brin$ their full stren$th to bear. 4ven +etronius9oined the barra$e, hookin$ the melta$un into a makeshift firin$ lip and unleashin$sustained pulses of fo!used ele!troma$neti! radiation.It was over >ui!kly, the three ambushers no mat!h for the e%pertly trained 5ltramarines.:ra!heus ki!ked throu$h the debris they had used for !over, whilst Invi$lio >ui!kly stabilised +etronius so he !ould fi$ht onehanded.2@ee>uip," ordered the s>uad leader, promptin$ 'ordianius and +etronius to!han$e weapons.

?n!e he had rearmed +etronius with a bolt pistol, Invi$lio !lapped the hulkin$5ltramarine on the shoulder. 2@eady."

50



+etronius nodded and they swiftly moved out.

he @edmarked were pi!kin$ their way throu$h the three Word :earers !orpseswhen Invi$lio"s vo% !ra!kled in his ear. Inside his sealed helm, the return wasstran$ely neutral and bereft of any ambient noise.

2#er$eant," he said, re!o$nisin$ the #er$eant"s ident as it flashed up on his retinaldisplay. Crou!hed down, Invi$lio raised his !len!hed fist as a si$nal to the othersto stop.2Change to !ission para!eters," the #er$eant replied. In the ba!k$round, Invi$lio!ould hear the sound of bolter fire and the an$ry $rowl of !hain weapons.2'o ahead."&t Invi$lio"s ne%t silent order, the s>uad assumed a defensive perimeter.?verhead, kla%ons sounded and the !rimson li$ht of emer$en!y lamps tainted the$loom the hue of blood.29ri!ary is inloading to your retinal display," the #er$eant said as fresh

!oordinatesand vessel s!hemati!s resolved on Invi$lio"s left lens !orner.2Interro$ative," said Invi$lio.2Go ahead," the #er$eant answered !almly despite the fier!e firefi$ht he was obviously embroiled in.2&pothe!arion3 8o we have wounded friendlies on board3"2"egati)e. heoreti$al is prisoners." /e paused a beat. 2he Word Bearers arenot pat$hing the! up, Vitus."25nderstood," said Invi$lio. /e had known the #er$eant for a lon$ time, but still

!ould not $et used to his informal habit of o!!asionally usin$ first names. heimpli!ation was obvious, thou$h.2'ake it ui$k," said the #er$eant 9ust before !uttin$ the link. 2We’re drawing a lotof 2re."25pdated mission parameters," Invi$lio told the others as they were movin$ a$ain.2heoreti!al – hi$h probability of friendlies on board vessel."2+ra!ti!al, brother3" asked :ra!heus. Invi$lio briefly met his $a-e, answerin$ firmly, 2We $etthem off this ship thensend it s!reamin$ ba!k to hell."#houts e!hoed down from the ne%t turn ahead.&s mu!h as Invi$lio wanted to take the fi$ht to the Word :earers, he had his or

ders.2=un!tion left," he said, leadin$ the others away from the !onfli!t and towards theapothe!arion. /e looked down to his left at *aevius"s auspe% s!anner. 8ark $reenbioreadin$s had 9ust filled the s!reen with a profusion of !onta!t blips. 2With allhaste, brothers."/e !ould not have been out for more than a few minutes, but by the time *umeon!ame around a$ain Xenut #ul was $one.Anowin$ it was unlikely that he !ould save the other prisoners, *umeon had tothink pra$mati!ally instead.?ne wrist already freed, *umeon rea!hed over and un!lasped the other. hey

were simple leather straps, easy enou$h to remove, but his fin$ers were numb so ittook several minutes.

51



Instin!tively, he rea!hed for a sidearm that was no lon$er there. /e didn"t evenhave the si$il, and felt its loss as if it were a missin$ limb. /e had to $et it ba!k./eadin$ off in the opposite dire!tion to where the voi!es were emanatin$ from,*umeon went huntin$. Xenut #ul had the si$il, and would be made to relin>uish itbefore he died.

Invi$lio left the apothe!arion and shook his head at the others waitin$ for him outside.2&ll of them3" asked :ra!heus.28ead, brother. &ll fiftythree of them. I finished two off myself that !ould nothave lived."2hrone of 4arth6" muttered +etronius, $lan!in$ down at his boots.'ordianius hissed a >uiet oath.*aevius ra!ked the slide on his bolter. 2&t least we !an aven$e them."2*o," said Invi$lio, his tone severe and brookin$ no ar$ument. 2?ne of the slabswas empty. :loody marks led to the door. I think someone es!aped."

2hen we must find him," said :ra!heus, fier!ely.2#o, where is this errant prisoner $oin$3" asked *aevius. 2/e !ould be anywhereon the ship."Invi$lio met his >uestionin$ $a-e.2What would you do in his pla!e3"It took two se!onds for *aevius"s frown to turn into a s!owl.

2I"d find the one responsible for what happened to my !omrades, and I"d kill him."2he master of this vessel," :ra!heus a$reed.he @edmarked headed for the brid$e.

#!aven$in$ weapons in a !lose>uarters boardin$ a!tion was easy enou$h, and *umeon now !arried a halfloaded bolt pistol in one hand and a short !ombat bladein the other. While a far !ry from the halberd he had on!e wielded as one of the+yre 'uard, his purloined armaments would have to suffi!e.Xenut #ul was a sadist, but he was also no !oward. It was possible he had 9oinedthe defenders in tryin$ to repel their boarders, but *umeon thou$ht it more likelyhe had retreated to the brid$e to !oordinate the !ounteratta!k from there. In a shipthis si-e, it would be !lose to the prow. *umeon had enou$h of his wits about himto know whi!h dire!tion to head in. he brid$e would not be far from the apothe!arion, and he only needed to $o up three de!ks before findin$ the ri$ht level of theship.*umeon had yet to see a sin$le le$ionary without the dark red battleplate of theX1II, and mana$ed to avoid the Word :earers. =ud$in$ by the distant sounds offi$htin$, they had $reater !on!erns, but *umeon still needed to !onvin!e himselfthat this was not some deeper plot to further dama$e his mind and wren!h loosewhatever se!rets they thou$ht he possessed.#tandard ta!ti!s durin$ an in!ursion would be to disperse defenders around theship, to hold and prote!t vital bulkheads leadin$ to volatile re$ions of the ship,where a small insur$ent for!e !ould !ause a disproportionate amount of dama$e.It would leave the e%terior a!!ess !orridor to the brid$e lar$ely un$uarded withonly a sin$le Word :earer at his post outside.

*umeon did not know what stren$th remained in his body. /e only knew he hadto endure. If he !ould find the si$il, somehow $et off this ship6 4ver sin!e Isstvan,

53



hope had been his $uidin$ prin!iple. /e !leaved to it now, readyin$ for the nearsui!idal run down the !orridor. hree rounds were all that were left in the pistol.It trembled in his $rasp, for!in$ *umeon to admit he !ould barely raise the weapon,let alone aim it.Will was everythin$. 1ulkan had tau$ht him that.

#t is our will, our deter!ination that lets us 2ght on when others $annot. #tis our willthat gi)es us the strength to self3sa$ri2$e and endure -eyond hope</ow *umeon wished his primar!h was here to say those words to him now. Inspite of the memory, he found he !ould not re!all the sound of 1ulkan"s voi!e.#ome said it was the first thin$ you for$ot when someone died and it troubled *umeon $reatly that, even with his transhuman abilities, he !ould not brin$ its !aden!e and timbre to mind.*umeon had no wish to die, to sell his life !heaply in some final, vain$loriousa!t. /e hesitated not out of fear but from a desire for his sa!rifi!e to have meanin$,

for all of this to have some $reater purpose.1en$ean!e was a petty motive, the provin!e of lesser men. *umeon told himselfthis was not about reven$e. /e fooled his head, but not his heart.4ffe!tive kill ran$e for a bolt pistol a$ainst an armoured le$ionary was rou$hlyhalfway down the !orridor. 'iven his debilitated !ondition and pau!ity of ammunition, *umeon knew he would need to $et !loser. /e turned the !ombat knife hehad !len!hed in his hand around, so the blade fa!ed down. Qui!ker to slash, tothrow./is had always been a fool"s hope, he supposed.21ulkan lives," he whispered, si$htin$ on his prey6

6when the Word :earer"s visor erupted in a fount of $ore and displa!ed bone.he traitor $ar$led blood, !lut!hin$ at where his fa!e used to be, and fell forwards.&n ally3 &n insurre!tion3 *umeon !ould not tarry to !onsider this sudden strokeof provenan!e. he resonant !lan$ of the dead Word :earer"s armoured form hittin$ the de!k had still not faded by the time the #alamander was on his feet andrunnin$ for the brid$e.

28id you see that3" asked 1enator, lowerin$ his sniper rifle.2& halfnaked le$ionary," 0inius !on!urred.2Invi$lio"s survivor3" su$$ested Corvun.2#printin$ for the brid$e," added aertes.

0rom the lon$ a!!ess !onduit leadin$ to the brid$e, the 5ltramarines and theirser$eant wat!hed from the shadows as the ony%skinned *o!turnean ra!ed fromthe 9un!tion and leapt over the traitor 1enator had 9ust e%e!uted, before barrellin$onto the brid$e.2/e"s $oin$ to $et himself killed," said the ser$eant, sourly.he door to the brid$e was neither lo!ked nor barred, and as it parted with a fainthiss of released pressure, *umeon saw his enemy revealed.Xenut #ul was alone, standin$ on a !ommand dais with his ba!k to the #alamander.Cautiously, *umeon stepped inside. /e rea!hed halfway up the stepped dais

when the Word :earer spoke.2his ship is overrun," he said, $esturin$ to the s!enes of !arna$e des!ribed on

54



$rainy, in!orporeal hololiths surroundin$ him.e$ionaries embla-oned with the noble si$il of the ultima were maraudin$throu$hout the vessel, sons of 'uilliman on a res!ue mission.Xenut #ul shut off the hololith array with a !len!hed fist, e%tin$uishin$ the !ir!leof 9ade li$ht around him. In its absen!e, the bodies of humans wearin$ the livery of

the X1II e$ion were revealed at his feet.2&nd I killed the !rew."2Where is the si$il3" *umeon demanded, movin$ up the dais to where Xenut #ulawaited him unarmed. /is hands were by his sides, the fuller held in the left.2y honour forbids me from takin$ my own life," Xenut #ul answered, yet to turn,2but your interro$ators will not for!e me to betray my e$ion."*umeon frowned. 2What3" It was only when he heard the ra!kin$ of bolter slides and thesound of bootedfeet a$ainst the de!k that he realised Xenut #ul had not been talkin$ to him.2#tand down, #alamander," uttered a firm, !ommandin$ voi!e.

*umeon turned to find a s>uad of 5ltramarines with their weapons pointed athim and Xenut #ul.heir ser$eant removed his !rested helm.& pair of blades was sheathed at his ba!k, and his bolt pistol was ma$lo!ked tohis thi$h. :lond, !lose!ropped hair framed a warrior"s fa!e, youthful but hardenedby war. /is eyes shone a-ure, sharp and alert. /e was vital, stron$ and en9oyed hisappointed task.2I am +yre Captain &rtellus *umeon," said *umeon, 2and I !laim this prisoner for1ulkan. &nd what he !arries."21ulkan3 I have not heard that name in a while," the ser$eant"s fa!e darkened, 2at

least not happily."&t a silent si$nal the four 5ltramarines in the ser$eant"s s>uad fanned out, two either side of the !ommand dais, to en!ir!le Xenut #ul.*umeon went to inter!ede but the ser$eant"s voi!e stopped him.28aresay you have looked better, Captain *umeon, and in your prime you mi$hthave even $iven us a fi$ht." /e smiled, then shook his head. 2:ut not like this, andwe are not enemies, the two of us," he added, $esturin$ to the purloined bolt pistoland !ombat knife *umeon still !arried. 2+ut them down."2*ot until I have what is mine."2I have known #alamanders to be stubborn, defiant even. hat"s a >uality I $reatlyadmire, but don"t make me apprehend you. I would prefer not to mark your or myhonour that way."*umeon was adamant. 2he si$il."*oddin$ to one of his men, the ser$eant took the item after Xenut #ul was relieved of it and $ave it ba!k to *umeon.

2Is in our possession. *ow," the ser$eant said sternly, 2lower your weapons."&fter $ratefully a!!eptin$ the si$il, *umeon obeyed.2ou do not know what this means," he murmured, !radlin$ the hammer for amoment.2I know it led us ri$ht to you," the ser$eant replied, one eye on his men as they

pushed Xenut #ul to his knees, and sha!kled his wrists.*umeon looked up. 0aintly, throu$h the ser$eant"s vo%, he heard other 5ltra

55



marines" voi!es.2#e!ond s>uad," he e%plained. 2hey"re se!urin$ the ship before we atomise it."ookin$ over *umeon"s shoulder, he nodded up to Xenut #ul, who was nowbound and prepared for departure. 2ou"re !omin$ too, traitor. ord +rayto willhave >uestions."

Xenut #ul smiled thinly but didn"t rise to the bait beyond that.he #er$eant returned his $a-e to *umeon.28on"t worry, #alamander. ours will be a warmer $reetin$."2Where3" asked *umeon.2Where else3 a!ra$$e."2he heart of 5ltramar3" asked *umeon.2es," said the ser$eant, his fa!e darkenin$ a$ain. 2here is a lot you don"t know,but for now let"s $et you off this ship and into our apothe!arion."2#er$eant," said *umeon, as they were leavin$.he #er$eant turned.

2y $ratitude," *umeon told him. 2I thou$ht6" /e let the admission fade, deemin$ it unworthy, and instead asked, 2What is your name3"2hiel," the ser$eant replied, as he put his helmet ba!k on, 2&eonid hiel."

Si+De.ance*trike $ruiser 8efian!e of Calth, 8ltra!ar#in!e his res!ue, *umeon had stayed in >uiet se!lusion.0or the first few days aboard the %e2an$e of Calth, he had been !onfined to theapothe!arion. 8urin$ his ministrations, he learned of hiel"s mission to !leanse

the outer worlds of 5ltramar of the traitors who still lin$ered there, !austi! and!an!erous to his primar!h"s $rand ideals.u!h had been a!hieved sin!e 'uilliman"s hardfou$ht vi!tory, whi!h had seennot one but two rebel primar!hs wa$in$ war a$ainst him on 5ltramarian soil.&!!ordin$ to hiel, there was still mu!h to be done. u!h soldierin$. +oliti!s and$overnan!e were of less interest. :y his own !andid admission, hiel was illsuitedto them. It was a lar$e part of the reason he had left Calth, less a war of re!on>uestand more a transparent a!t of propa$anda.#u!h !on!erns were stran$e to *umeon. ?n the death world of *o!turne, survival not politi!s dominated the minds of its leaders. :ut then, 5ltramar had lostso mu!h durin$ its war, its needs and the needs of its peoples were more !omple%

and less obvious. 0or that, *umeon did not envy them, or their lie$e lord. /e preferred the isolation and selfsuffi!ien!y inherent in the +romethean !reed.

/4 +5@'4

&nthony @eynolds

~ DRAMATIS PERSONAE ~

The XVII Legion ‘%ord &earers’

56



#or al$ron, Captain of the KFth Company, and representative of or$ar on erra=arulek, Chaplain and later 8ark &postle

&hraneth, KFth Company standard bearer8al &hk, aster of #i$nal

oth, @e!onnaissan!e ser$eantelakhas, inebreaker ser$eant5rhlan, &pothe!ary

1olkhas Wreth, +redi!ant, servin$ in the Crusader /ost

The XII Legion ’#l$ramarines,

&e!us 8e!imus, Chapter aster, LMth ChapterConnor, #er$eant, LMNth Company

*a%or, e!hmarine, LMNth Companyillus 1i!torius, LMLst Company !hampion1au &$re$hus, 1eteran battlebrother, LMLst Company

0reia #olontine, &dmiral, !ommander of the &ighteous +ury

@omus, 1eteran battlebrother, LMNth Company Hmarked+aulus, #ky /unter, LMOnd Company HmarkedXion ?!tavion, :attlebrother, LMFth Company Hmarked #io, :attlebrother, LMGthCompany Hmarked

Aorolos, 0ormer !aptain, LMPth Company Hmarked

The 'efenders of Terra

@o$al 8orn, +rimar!h of the Imperial 0ists, and the 4mperor7s +raetorian&r!hamus, aster of 8orn7s hus!arlsiber &!anthus, Custodian 'uard*athaniel 'arro, 0ormer battle!aptain of the 8eath 'uard

(Violen$e does, in truth, re$oil upon the )iolent, and the s$he!er falls into

the pit whi$hhe digs for another.(

< attributed to the pre5nity prophet 8hoyalle

PROLOGUE

>?@.'D E 9er$epton *yste!, 8ltra!ar

he le$ionary writhed on the apothe!arion7s slab. #kinless, raw and bleedin$, he

more !losely resembled one of the 8wellers :eyond than anythin$ of human birth./is flesh had run like wa%, $ivin$ it a wet, $lossysli!k appearan!e. /is features

57



had melted and blurred to$ether, makin$ it look as thou$h he wore a $rotes>ue!ult mask. /is eye so!kets were tortured red pits, burned tear trails all that remained of his li>uefied eyeballs, and what was left of his mouth opened and !losedin a$ony. #trin$s of melted flesh linked his lips or at least where his lips hadbeen.

#ervo!utters, diamondtipped drills and monosaws !ut away the smokin$ se!tions of his ruined ark III plate. 4a!h pie!e fell with a resoundin$ !rash, splatterin$ blood and oil a!ross the pristine white floor. he le$ionary7s flesh had fusedwith his armour, and he thrashed and mewled as it was shorn away peeled fromhim like the e%oskeleton of a beetle, e%posin$ yet more mutilation beneath. /otvapours rose from the e%posed, bloody ruin, stinkin$ of a!idi! !hemi!al fire and!ooked meat./e was not aloneD every slab within the apothe!arion was o!!upied, and s!oresof le$ionaries had been dumped wherever spa!e allowed it. he $roans and roarsof the dyin$ and wounded blended with the ba!k$round noise of franti! orders,

bone saws, life support systems, hypoin9e!tors and synthskin appli!ators.*eedles, feeder !ables and stims were rammed into his veins and spinal !olumnand a rebreather tube shoved down his throat. /e went into !onvulsions, hisblood pressure dropped markedly, and alarms be$an to whine.With a burst of fevered stren$th, he tore free of the restraints holdin$ him down.&s medi!ae attendants rushed forward, he yanked the rebreather tube from his

throat and !lut!hed at the nearest &pothe!ary with a wa%en !lawlike hand, pullin$him !lose. he abused mus!les of his ne!k bul$ed like wet !ables as he strainedforward.

/e $ar$led somethin$ inde!ipherable, splatterin$ blood a!ross the &pothe!ary7sfa!eplate.he attendants stru$$led to hold him down. 4ven wounded as he was, they wereas !hildren a$ainst his au$mented stren$th. /is $rip was like iron.75rhlan,7 he snarled, eyeless so!kets borin$ into the &pothe!ary.78o... not...inter me.7In answer, &pothe!ary 5rhlan pressed his wristmounted narthe!ium to thepatient7s ne!k, in9e!tin$ more doses of powerful nar!oti!s into his bloodstream.he le$ionary7s $rip went sta!k, fin$ers twit!hin$.&pothe!ary 5rhlan stepped ba!k and the medi!ae attendants finally mana$ed tose!ure their !har$e with new restraints. :lood !oated his arms and !hest not all ofit was his patient7s. /is white armour was a!ids!arred and malfun!tionin$, sparksleapin$ from dama$ed 9oints and servos, and he moved with a pronoun!ed limp./e had barely made it offworld himself, and he7d already been aboard his eva!uation shuttle when everythin$ had $one wron$.7Will he live375rhlan $lan!ed ba!k to the one who had spokenD the 8ark &postle, =arulek. /estood with arms !rossed over his !hest. here were a handful of other offi!ers andle$ionaries !lustered around the slab. &ll of them bore eviden!e of battle, and mostsported wounds of varyin$ severity.7I am surprised he is even alive now,7 5rhlan said, makin$ a vain attempt to wipe

the blood from his helmet7s visor lenses. 7I was surprised that he was alive whenhe $ot here.7

58



7:ut !an you save him375rhlan looked down at his patient, writhin$ on the slab before him.7*o,7 he said.7hen his fate is in the $ods7 hands,7 said =arulek.5rhlan turned ba!k towards the now !omatose, twit!hin$ mass of !hemmelted

flesh on the slab before him. It was hard to believe that this was his !aptain.2'et out,7 he said over his shoulder. 7et me work. I will do what I !an.7

ONE

>?>.'D 3 9er$epton *yste!, 8ltra!ar

he war had, been won in twentyseven minutes, thou$h the battle still ra$ed onone hundred and si%ty<three days later.wentyseven minutes. hat had been how lon$ it had taken for his ships to !rip

ple the 5ltramarines fleet above +er!epton +rimus. he enemy had not yet heardabout Calth, nor of &rmatura, alassar, or any of the !ountless other war-ones tar$eted as part of the #hadow Crusade.he !hronometer had !li!ked over, and he had $iven the order.he Word :earers stru!k. ?ver half the enemy flotilla was lost in the openin$salvoes, the rest in the hours and days after. he wre!ka$e now orbited the !apitalplanet, the heart of this system.hus, the war for +er!epton was won in twentyseven minutes. In the months thatfollowed, all that remained was to !omplete the !ull.?ne hundred and si%tyfour days after that initial strike, the world of +er!epton

+rimus ended.

DF@.'D E erra

+ro! or-it it was possi-le to see the $oastlines that on$e delineated the$ontinents ofold erra. he )ast o$ean tra$ts that $o)ered the glo-e were gone,)aporised during thelong interne$ine nuke3wars that al!ost o-literated hu!anity in -ygoneages, -ut theoriginal shapes $ould still -e )aguely dis$erned, like ghosts of the past E

though !ost$learly in darkness.#t was the lights that re)ealed the!. While the entire planet shone like a-ea$on inthe )oid, lit -y the glow of the hi)es, !ega$ities and highways, thoselights were -rightest upon the old $ontinents, and the darker tra$ts ofland !arked where the seashad on$e -een E or along the straight, unnaturally angular $oastlines ofthe newer,arti2$ial o$eans.1thereal green aurorae shi!!ered o)er the southern horizon, while great$he!3stor!sshrouded the rad3s$arred lands to the north, 0i$kering with an al!ost

59



$onstant stro-e oflightning. #t was not in those dire$tions that the lander was headed,howe)er. As itsgolden3sheathed wings unfolded and the glow of re3entry faded fro! itsther!al shields,

it angled its des$ent towards the )ery roof of the world.Within the en$losed $a-in, *or algron sat alone, looking out of the)iewport. =ne i!3!ense grey3gauntleted hand shielded his )iew fro! the shuttle(s interiorillu!ination.(&efresh!ent, $aptain;(*or algron glan$ed away fro! the port. he interior of the shuttle was allgently$ur)ed surfa$es, su-tle lighting and neutral tones. His synth3leather seatwas largeenough to a$$o!!odate his o)ersized -ulk in $onsidera-le $o!fort. here!ainingele)en passenger seats were uno$$upied, though there were others on-oard. 1)enthough he $ould not $urrently see the!, he $ould taste their gene3forgeds$ent in there$y$led air E at on$e fa!iliar and yet strange E as well as sense thefaint hu! oftheir ar!our.he attendant who had spoken was unnaturally tall and willowy, and herlarge, o)al

eyes were !ilky or-s, -ereft of pupils. Gene3!anipulation had gi)en herthis for!,though for what purpose he $ould not fatho!. 9erhaps hu!ans found herappearan$e pleasing to the eye. 9erhaps they ta!pered with her genes si!ply-e$ause they $ould.(*weet ne$tar; A!ase$;( she said, gesturing languidly at the refrigerated$art thatho)ered -efore her. (*o!ething else;(He shook his head and turned -a$k towards the )iewport. He saw his ownre0e$tion

there, frowning -a$k at. hi!. While he was not sure what a hu!an would2nd appeal3ing in the soft, pale features of the shuttle attendant, he knew what theywould 2ndunattra$ti)e a-out his own.

His fa$e was suare and hard. Brutish. #t was not the fa$e of a s$holar or astates!an. A lifeti!e of -attle had 0attened his features, and ugly s$arring $riss3$rossed his fa$e and

s$alp. His own role in the uni)erse $ould not -e !istaken. He was awarrior, a soldier, a

60



killer. #t was what he had -een !ade for, a role he had -een geneti$allyaltered to per3for!, and it was what he was good at. #t was his purpose.*er)o3!otors in the 4oints of his ar!our whined as he leaned in $lose tothe glass on$e

!ore, -lotting out the glare and his own gri! re0e$tion. His eyes s$annedthe world -e3low as the shuttle(s des$ent le)elled. He saw the -urning thrusters ofgolden inter$eptores$orts 0ying o the wing tip, guiding the! in.*or algron stared un-linking, a-sor-ing all that he saw. #t was still so!eti!e -eforehe would arri)e at his destination, 0ying o)er the single largest !an3!adestru$ture theuni)erse had e)er seen. 1)en so, on the )ery outskirts of that i!!ense$ontinent3spanning !ega3stru$ture, it was apparent to *or algron that it was -eingfunda3!entally altered.When he had left erra the stru$ture -elow had -een a pala$e. Hereturned to 2nd itwell on the way to -eing transfor!ed into a fortress.

# # #

#or al$ron walked throu$h fire, flanked by &hraneth, his standard bearer, and 8al

&hk, master of si$nal. &ll three wore dark !rimson armour, the !olour of pooledblood. he heavy warplate had re!eived the new e$ion !olours while en route to5ltramar, but it did not sit well with him. It felt like a betrayal of the e$ion7s past.&round them, !enturies of learnin$ and wisdom were bein$ destroyed, fillin$ thes!or!hed air with ash and the flutterin$ pa$es of burnin$ books. housands ofte%ts and !odi!es were forever lost as librarium data banks were put to the tor!h,!ir!uitry and sili!onbased memory !ores meltin$ and !ra!klin$ in the flames.#or al$ron did not mourn this loss. he $reat !hamber was filled with dust. Clearly, it hadbeen abandoned after the*ikaea edi!t !ame into effe!t. It was hi$hly probable that none had walked its halls

sin!e that time.5ntil today, when it had be!ome a battle$round.0lames li!ked at his pauldrons as he strode throu$h the aftermath of the battle,!oloured $lass !run!hin$ underfoot. he immense $lassai! windows that hadlooked down upon the !avernous ibrarius atrium would have been an early !asualty in the battle for the !ity of assilea.:odies turned to ra$$ed meal by bolter fire lay splattered a!ross the floor anda$ainst the walls. 0our Word :earers were dead, dropped by killshots. #everal others were down, bein$ attended by the e$ion7s &pothe!aries. wo bore fatal in9uries and were $iven release, their prayers dyin$ upon their lips. he $eneseed ofthe dead was e%tra!ted, redu!tors whirrin$, spittin$ bone and blood.& number of the fallen 5ltramarines were not yet $one, but there were no XIII e

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$ion &pothe!aries to !ome to their aid, nor any livin$ battlebrothers to dra$ themto safety. In another battalion, perhaps, their lives would have ended in torment after !ountless hours of a$ony and ritual debasement < but #or al$ron would havenone of that, and they were dispat!hed without !eremony.hey were the enemy, and he would do everythin$ in his power to see them de

feated, utterly and !ompletely. :ut he !ould not hate them, and he would not seethem tortured needlessly.here was mu!h to admire about the XIII e$ion. heir !ohesion and dis!ipline inbattle was enviable, their e%e!ution beyond !ompare. hey were without a doubtthe most effe!tive fi$htin$ for!e that #or al$ron had ever fa!ed, and he respe!tedthem $reatly.(#t is 1re-us(s wish that e)ery ene!y taken ali)e -e sa$ri2$ed to feed the&uinstor!,(=arulek had stated at the outset of the system war. (his is to -e done a$ross all the+i)e Hundred Worlds.(

(1re-us -e da!ned,( had been #or al$ron7s response. (he snake does not$o!3!and !e. 'y orders are to kill this world. # will do it !y way.(/e walked from the atrium, past soarin$ white marble pillars peeked and !rateredby bolter fire. :eyond was a broad semi!ir!ular terra!e, bordered by natural stoneand imma!ulately maintained folia$e now !hurned to ruin. & waterfall fell into apool in the ro!k, where bodies floated fa!e down. #weepin$ marble stairs des!ended down to lower levels of the !on!ourse.#or al$ron walked past a towerin$ white statue depi!tin$ a robed fi$ure in athou$htful, seated pose.&n 5ltramarines le$ionary lay on the $round. /e had been !ut in half by $unfireDhis lower torso and le$s were nearby. :lood had pooled beneath him, and his insides were spilled out onto the terra!e, but he was alive. e$ionaries did not dieeasily.&hraneth levelled his bolt pistol at him.7*o,7 said #or al$ron, and his standard bearer lowered his weapon.he 5ltramarine was of a !enturion7s rank < a fellow !aptain, as indi!ated by theinsi$nia on his shoulder plates. /e was !laspin$ his innards with one hand, tryin$vainly to hold them in, while with his other he was dra$$in$ himself alon$ the$round. & volkite serpena pistol lay nearby. /e fumbled for it. 4ven in death, he

sou$ht a weapon to use a$ainst his enemies.#or al$ron7s boot !run!hed down on his wrist, and he stooped to pi!k up theserpenta himself. /e turned it over in his hands.7his is a $ood weapon,7 he said.he 5ltramarine looked up at him. /is helmet was in pla!e. & ark I1 variant,some 5ltramarlo!alised pattern. Its on!epristine !obaltblue surfa!e and $oldrimmed ed$es were splattered with blood, ri!h and bri$ht. & $olden wreath hadbeen painted around the temples, some battle honour that #or al$ron did notre!o$nise. 7Why37 asked the le$ionary. /is voi!e was !ra!klin$ and bled with stati!.#or al$ron pla!ed the barrel of the volkite pistol to the 5ltramarine7s visor lens,

aimin$ it s>uarely into his left eye. 7Why what377Why do you do this37

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#or al$ron s>uee-ed the tri$$er. he ba!k of the 5ltramarine7s helmet e%ploded,and the floor beneath lit up in flame.7:e!ause I am ordered to,7 he said.

TWO

Chapter aster &e!us 8e!imus of the 5ltramarines e$ion, LMth Chapter, plantedone heavy boot upon the traitor7s !hest and wren!hed his blade free. he shortsword slid from the fallen enemy7s vo%$rille with a wet s!rape, and the redarmoured le$ionary !ollapsed, 9oinin$ the blanket of others upon the blood!hurned earth.Chokin$ smoke !louded his vision, the !hemi!als and blindin$ mi!roparti!leswithin it makin$ his eyes stin$ and his throat burn. 1isibility had been redu!ed to amatter of metres. &u$ury s!anners were rendered useless by the shroudin$ fo$. /ehad no notion of where the battle lines lay, but it hardly mattered. he en$a$ement

had !ompletely lost its shape. he time for strate$y had passed.&nother enemy was upon him. /e batted aside the le$ionary7s s!reamin$!hainsword and pressed the barrel of his bolt pistol to the Word :earer7s !hest.he for!e of the detonation hurled the traitor ba!kwards, and he ended up on the$round four metres ba!k, a deep !rater in his ruptured $or$et. 8e!imus7s se!ondshot ended him, takin$ him between helm and breastplate. he detonation almosttore his head from his body.he ne!k seal was one of the few lo!ations in the newer marks of armour wherebolt weaponry !ould a!hieve a !lean kill from a distan!e. /e had never seen the effe!ts of bolt weaponry upon le$ionary power armour prior to this !ampai$n as far

as he knew, no one within the XIII e$ion had even !onsidered su!h an eventuality.he mere thou$ht would have been abhorrent. *ow that le$ionaryle$ionaryen$a$ement was a pra!ti!al, they had been for!ed to revise their ta!ti!s.0uture marks of power armour would likely be desi$ned to !over su!h defi!ien!ies, the e!hmarine *a%or had predi!ted. /i$h $or$ets, like those of the Cataphra!tii, would likely be inte$rated into line plate, he had said, 9ust moments before he was dismembered by a Word :earers le$ionary draped in human flesh. hat thesetrea!herous sava$es had ever been !alled their kin made him want to ret!h.he battle had devolved into a sava$e melee. &ll around him, le$ionaries in the!rimson of the reborn Word :earers and the noble blue of the 5ltramarines weredyin$. he s!ale of the slau$hter was $allin$. here would be no retreat, not fromthis battle. hey would fi$ht and die to the last. &ll that mattered now was to holdthe enemy here lon$ enou$h. What had started as lon$ran$ed tank battles andli$htnin$swift assaults had been redu!ed to slo$$in$ throu$h the mud and ha!kin$ at the enemy with blunted swords and toothless !hainswords. /e saw one ofhis veterans 1aul &$re$ius, the 1i!tor of #ta%us < $un down a Word :earermouthin$ vile !urses, silen!in$ the wounded traitor with a final bolt to the head.&nother veteran pun!hed a X1II le$ionary into the smokin$ !ar!ass of a dese!ratedand @aider, pulpin$ him beneath his ener$yen!ased power fist.&n 5ltramarine nearby was dra$$ed down into the mud, his atta!ker repeatedlystabbin$ a 9a$$edbladed knife into his throat until he was still. hat Word :earer

was in turn ripped apart by heavy bolter fire, but there were always more, mar!hin$out of the fo$ and intonin$ their mournful !hants.

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4vil had rooted itself within the psy!he of the X1II e$ion. It was the only e%planation that 8e!imus had for what they had be!ome.he silent !ompany !hampion illus 1i!torius fou$ht like he did in the duellin$!a$es, favourin$ a small !ombat shield and $ladius opposite his power sword. /ewas masterful to wat!h. /e took a blow upon his bu!kler and spun, !uttin$ a Word

:earer down at the knees before despat!hin$ him with a !rossbladed de!apitatin$strike.he !hampion had never been beaten bladetoblade, but as he turned to find anew foe, a stray bolt from out of the smoke took him in the eye. It pun!hed throu$hhis left visor lens and detonated in his brain pan. /e fell without a sound, bladesslippin$ into the mud from his lifeless fin$ers. he warrior had been almost obsessive in his trainin$. hat had !ounted for nothin$ at the last. It was an i$noble end.

31.4 black oculus

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