Emperor’s PrayerThere couldn’t be more than one hundred of them in the half dark basement. Cold and bloody. Dirty and crying. Dying and dead. A basement hidden under the local Ecclesiarch temple in the dust-ridden town of Emperor’s Reach. A little slice of hell on a planet whose sole purpose was death. oha n found himself thinking of how !uickly it had happened. There was no warning" no time. The assault by the minions of ch aos had erupted without alarm. #n mere minutes" Reach was reduced from a mining town with a population of some se$en hundred to the few scant souls left here. %eeping. &ost. 'opeless. %hen and how the basement was disco$ered no one knew" nor cared. %hat mattered was that they could hide while destruction came and took what little world they had. ohan had been a preacher once( a good one" at that. 'e could turn a stirring phrase as well as any low-borne could be e)pected to. *ut out here" in this small" desolate place where mortal danger lurked in the mines" the people had no need or want of faith. &ho-sticks" alcohol and stimms were the currency of sal$ation and penance. +tirred from his re$erie" ohan had risen and ambled to the center of the b asement. 'e loudly o$erturned a large empty wooden crate much to the annoyance of those who only wished to die in silence. 'e mounted the bo)" and cleared his throat. ,%ho will oin me in the Emperor’s prayer/ he proclaimed as he spread his arms wide. 'is tattered clothes hung from him limply" blood stains down the sides like dark spots of sweat. 'e looked like a winged demon of the arch-enemy. 'e looked like a prophet of doom. +tartled eyes looked up" tears streaming down cheeks. 'ate filled eyes looked up and grumbled for !uiet. Terrified eyes looked up and !uickly looked away" lost in thoughts and $isions dying. 0o one had spoken in hours" and the sound of ohan’s sudden mo$ement and proclamation had shocked all. ,# said"/ ohan spoke loudly" clearly" in a $oice other than his own ,"whom amongst you will lay down your fear of death and pay fealty to the Emperor in prayer/ They were all staring now. There was no denying ohan’s force of will. +omething had come o$er him. +omething to make him shake off his apprehension and disregard the looks of those wounded souls surrounding him. ,+hut up ohan1 2ou’ll let them know we’re here. They’ll kill us all1/ came a whispered cry from behind him. 3leading and feeble. %eak and scared. Cowardly. ,4ill us/ screamed ohan" spittle and bile spraying from his mouth. +ome people recoiled in horror at the loudness of his $oice. 5thers inched closer. ,4ill us" says 6ikala./ ohan’s $oice was a whisper now. ,As if that were an unworthy end. Dying with the Emperors prayer on our lipsThat is b adThat is e$ilThat is terror to you all/ ohan was not speaking the words. They were coming from somewhere. 0ot from his mind. 0ot from his mouth. *ut from 'is $ery soul.
