Her shadowy and delectable patron princess had already granted Lelith numerous favours and had offered her a.s.sistance to ensure the longevity of the wych queenas rule on Hesperax itself. In return, Lelith had promised her enough souls to push her Slaaneshi army out of the infernal dimensions and into the material realm. As it turned out, she was still a vital few short.

Atreus and Ashok had emerged first, and they were defending the mouth of the portal, each standing like colossi, unleashing the fury of the warp against the wyches that ran and sprang around the cavern, trying to close in on the glorious librarians. Behind them, the rest of the Deathwatch team was emerging one by one. Kruidan tumbled out onto the ground, rolling back up onto his feet, still clutching the buckled and bent glaive that he had taken from the guards in the arena. Sulphus stepped confidently out of the shimmering pool in the wall, his arms twitching and probing the liquid substance as though he was testing its composition. Luthar and Pelias vaulted out together, each braced and ready for whatever lay in wait.

aThis is not a battle that we can win,a growled Luthar as the magnitude of the challenge began to sink in. His armour was shattered, cracked and broken, and the ruined plates were slick with blood a alien blood intermixed with rivers of his own. The battle in the arena had almost finished him, and it looked fairly certain that the teeming cavern would finish the job.

aWe do not have to win, brother-chaplain,a replied Pelias, his voice deep with gravel and fury. aBut we do need to take some of these vermin with us when we go.a Just like Luthar, the Black Consulas armour was tattered and broken where it had begun to buckle under the onslaught that it had suffered in the arena. His already scarred face was coated with ichor and blood, and a fresh gash had ripped down across his left eye, leaving the socket ruptured and gory.

aPelias is right,a hissed Kruidan, drawing himself up to his full height. The Mantis Warrioras tattoos were now barely visible beneath the patchwork of cuts and gashes that laced over his exposed abdomen. So much blood covered his chest and arms that it appeared as though his skin was of the deepest red, flecked all over with traces of pale scars and cursive, black ceremonial tattoos. Even with most of his armour missing, Kruidan cut an imposing and powerful figure, like a barbarian warrior poised to do battle with the terrible beasts of myth and legend.

aNo,a said Ashok, his low, calm voice commanding instant respect and attention. aThis is not a battle that we need to win. We just need to survive for a few moments; just for long enough to give Sulphus a chance to rig that thing for destruction.a The face of the Angel Sanguine librarian was still hidden under his shroud, but his voice was powerful and clear, as though it did not require the medium of air to travel into the heads of his Deathwatch brethren. His armour was scarred and scored, showing signs of the frenzied combat in the arena, but it was unbroken. Compared with Pelias and Luthar, the librarianas dark appearance was immaculate, as though he were dressed for the parade ground in the Watchtower Fortress itself.

Sulphus nodded his understanding and looked across the cavern at the immense and intricate device that dominated the centre of the cave. It was roughly conical in shape, with its point touching down into the ground and its base stretched out across the ceiling. It was laced with a complicated array of tubes and wires, but the focus of it was a huge sphere of darkness, like a large black pearl, which was set into the translucent cone near the roof. It pulsed and shimmered with a black light that hurt his eyes.

Lined up in front of the spirit pool was a bank of wyches. There must have been twenty or thirty of them arranged in haphazard rows of five or six. Each was armed with an array of ugly beautiful weapons no longer merely the simple poisoned blades used in the ceremonial arena. Standing before them, quite alone in the no-manas-land between her retinue and the Deathwatch, was Lelith herself. The wounds in her stomach still ran with blood, sending streams of sickly darkness cascading down her perfect legs. She was grinning with menace and composure, as though this was the best day she had experienced in centuries.

aSheas mine,a whispered Ashok, stepping forward of the group and holding his arms out to block the others from following. aYou see to the spirit pool,a he said to Atreus, turning his head to face the Blood Raven.

For the first time since they had encountered him, the Deathwatch kill-team saw Ashok reach up slowly and push back his hood. He revealed a completely shaven head, laced with scars and lined with signs of hardship and suffering. A row of golden service studs glinted above his eyebrow, but it was the glow emanating from his eyes that caught everyoneas attention. As they stared, they could see the fathomless black eyes begin to flicker and sheen, as though a red mist were curdling across his vision. After less than a second, the burning red had engulfed his eyeb.a.l.l.s completely, and they raged with a flaming radiance that made the others recoil.

With an abrupt nod to the team, Ashok turned and charged towards the Wych Queen of Strife. He roared an incoherent battle cry, dedicating his efforts to Sanguinius and to the Emperor, as his hands empted into fireb.a.l.l.s.

In response, the wyches scattered, reorganising their lines to accommodate the terrifying figure that was charging towards them. Lelith herself grinned and darted forward to meet the rampaging librarian head on.

As the strategic situation shifted, Atreus broke into a run, leading the Deathwatch team in an arc around the side of the cavern, looking for an angle of approach towards the spirit pool. His fingertips were alive with fire, lashing out at the wyches and trying to clear a path. But there were simply too many of the dark eldar foes.

Focusing his will, the Blood Ravens librarian unleashed a ma.s.sive javelin of power through the constantly shifting lines of wyches. A couple of shrieks told him that he had hit his mark, but most of the darting warriors flipped aside, evading the tirade of warp power. However, evasion was enough, since it opened up a brief channel in their lines. It was enough for Sulphus and Kruidan to charge forward, hacking their way through the closing ranks until they stumbled up against the inverted point of the spirit pool itself.

Their charge had cut them off from the others, but the wyches were now caught between two smaller forces of Deathwatch Marines, forcing them to divide their attentions and to re-orientate their strategy once again.

Pelias and Luthar were not about to give the wyches time to reorganise, and they stormed forward into the lines, throwing their weight and their blades into the thick of combat once again. Atreus followed their lead, vaulting into the mix and setting his burning hands against the flickering whips, hydraknives and impalers brandished by the wyches. In only a matter of seconds, the Deathwatch had engaged the wych queen and her retinue in the very heart of her lair.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

Sulphus detached his vice-like grip and dropped off the inverted conical structure, crunching down onto the shoulders of one of the battling wyches below. He shattered the alienas spine and crushed her under his weight as he ground his boots into the broken ruins of her body. He thrashed his arms around him, clattering them against the forest of blades that lunged in.

aWe have to get out of here!a he yelled, his voice booming and resonant in the cavernous s.p.a.ce.

The Marines around him reacted as one, forming into a wedge and driving out from the centre of the chamber towards the portal in the far wall. They parried and hacked with their swords, meeting the skilful attacks of the wyches with brute power and will. Ahead of them, Kruidan could see the unfolding duel between Ashok and Lelith. A group of wyches had formed a ring around the combat to ensure that none of the others interfered with their queenas enjoyment.

The two warriors circled one another without caution. Every few seconds, one of them would throw themselves forward, lunging at the other with crackling lances of power. The other would meet the attack head on, each refusing to appear cowed by the powers of the other. Great eruptions of warp energy sparked and exploded from each and every clash between the magnificent fighters, riddling the cavern with hails of warp shards.

Even as they fought their way around the arena of the duel, the Deathwatch Marines could see the reckless pa.s.sion raging in their librarianas eyes as he threw himself into the contest with no thought of his own survival. His fury was reflected back at him, but it was twisted and perverted into a sick kind of euphoria as Lelithas terrible and beautiful face displayed a daemonic smile. Her teeth were glinting and she was biting down on her tongue, drawing an excited bead of blood across her grinning lips.

aAshok!a yelled Atreus as the team deployed around the portal, attempting to hold the position for long enough for their maverick librarian to break away from the magnificent queen. But the Angel Sanguine showed no signs of having heard the Blood Raven. His eyes continued to burn and he prowled menacingly around the dancing and swirling wych queen.

aAshok!a repeated Atreus as he parried a flashing blade and then pressed his other palm against the sneering face of a thrusting wych. A burst of power exploded from his hand and incinerated the dark eldaras head, but her place in the line was immediately filled by another wych, eager to prove her worth in combat against the Marines.

aAshok, there is no time for this. We are leaving now, with or without you!a With that, the Blood Raven flicked a signal to the others, indicating that they should throw themselves through the shimmering surface of the portal.

With a crisp nod of acknowledgement, Chaplain Luthar hacked and sliced a few last times with his chipped and blood coated sword, and then he turned and dived into the portal, vanishing immediately. Sulphus was close behind him, striding confidently into the sheen of liquid as though oblivious to the fury of battle that he was leaving behind.

Meanwhile, a flicker of recognition seemed to flash over Ashokas face. The burning light in his eyes appeared to flash and then fade into a simmer. He stole a glance back to Atreus, who stood in a blaze of blue and white flames, holding back the pressing line of wyches as the blood-red back of Kruidan vanished into the portal behind him.

The sound of a small explosion in the centre of the chamber dragged Ashokas attention back around in time for him to see Lelithas curving blade arching towards his neck. Instinctively, he threw out his arm to meet the slash, but he was already staring past the breathtaking visage of the wych queen, inspecting the puff of flame and smoke that had just blown out of the top of the conical spirit pool. Instantaneously, another explosion sounded and then another, strafing around the soul reservoir in a flurry of chain reactions.

Lelithas blade cut deeply into Ashokas arm, slicing straight through the ceramite armour on his forearm and burying itself in his bone. The librarian did not let out a sound, but he yanked his arm away from the wych, dragging the hilt of the blade out of her hand as its edge was lodged firmly in his flesh. Punching forward with his other hand, he threw a concentrated ball of fire into the wychas stomach from close range, blowing her back off her feet.

Grasping the opportunity, Ashok turned on his heel and pounded towards the portal and Atreus, ploughing his way through the lines of wyches, taking them by surprise from behind. As he ran, he could hear the staccato of explosions behind him growing to a crescendo. Throwing himself headlong into the portal, Ashok felt the concussion of a ma.s.sive explosion engulf him and propel him even faster. An instant later, and everything was black and silent.

As the t.i.tanicus Rex ploughed on into the asteroid field on the edge of the Circuitrine system, the quagmire of warp taint had grown so thick that the vesselas instruments were beginning to give conflicting readouts. The machine-spirit was uncertain about whether the Rex was in real s.p.a.ce or whether it had dropped into the warp.

The gunnery stations were working continuously, disrupting each wispy signature of the warp before it could fully form in the material realms. Meanwhile, the forward cannons were occupied with clearing a path through the asteroids. As the t.i.tanicus roared onwards, it was surrounded by a relentless barrage of fire, flames and burning warp energy.

aCaptain,a reported one the serfs on the control deck. aWe are detecting a ma.s.sive energy build-up on the other side of one of the larger asteroids.a aShow me,a replied Mordia, his voice calm and without emotion.

The viewscreen flickered rapidly as the image switched and then magnified, bringing the tumbling shape of a moon-sized asteroid into focus. Threads of warp mist had been pulled into orbit around the spinning rock, as though drawn in by its trace gravity, forming ruddy, red rings around its axis. For a moment, Mordia felt that he was gazing upon the formation of a Chaos world as the great Eye started to consume the asteroid field.

As the huge asteroid rolled over, a shimmering energy field swung into view. It was anch.o.r.ed to the rock by a series of metallic fixtures around the horizon, and it appeared to be stretched over a ma.s.sive cavity that had been excavated from the interior of the asteroid. The surface of the energy field rippled like a colossal lake, and Mordia could see the suggestion of images swimming in its depths.

aDistance?a he asked, his voice betraying no signs of the tension that had suddenly lurched into his mind.

aTwo thousand metres and closing captain. We will be upon it in a matter of seconds.a aWhat will be its orientation when we reach it?a aThe energy field will be on the dark side, captain, but only briefly.a aVery good. Hold the present course and alert the gunners that the asteroid should not be fired upon until I give the word. Ensure that they are ready. We may have to act quickly.a As the t.i.tanicus Rex cut its way through the roiling s.p.a.ce between it and the asteroid, Mordia kept his eyes locked on the tumbling rock. The energy field looked like a warp gate of some kind and, judging by its position, it was probably a gateway deeper into the Eye itself. It would be an incredible coincidence if the shifting warp signature in this region had nothing to do with the architects of that gate.

aThe energy surge is growing, captain,a cautioned the serf as the Rex closed on the position of the asteroid. Its image now filled the viewscreen, and Mordia could see each and every crater that had been blown into its surface as it rotated around in front of him.

aHold here. Ready the forward torpedoes.a After a few seconds, the edge of the energy field emerged over the horizon at the top of the screen. It was shimmering with reflected light, and the screen hazed for a moment as the imaging relays struggled to cope with the sudden contrast. By the time the picture on the screen had returned to crispness, the shimmering pool of energy was already dominating the image.

In the ripple obscured depths of the lake of energy, Mordia could just about make out the shape of a s.p.a.ce craft. Its outline was vague and malformed, as though it was little more than a ghost, but it looked distinctly like an Imperial vessel.

aEnhance that quadrant. Hold off with the torpedoes,a barked the Grey Knight, the tension finally showing in his voice. If there was really an Astartes frigate through that gate, he could hardly destroy it without finding out what it was and what it was doing there.

The image amplifiers kicked in and dragged the ghostly ship closer to the Rex. It was still obscured by the rippling effect of the energy field, but it was definitely a Nova-cla.s.s frigate. And it was getting closer.

aStop the magnifiers,a commanded Mordia as the vessel started to dominate the screen.

aThey are stopped, captain. The field is surging. Something is coming out.a aThrone!a barked Mordia. aPull us back! Get us clear of this portal before that thing rips out of there!a It was too late. The warp gate erupted suddenly, vomiting sheets of warp power which crashed out over the t.i.tanicus Rex, throwing it back through the asteroid field like a sailing ship onto rocks.

For the first time, the control deck of the Grey Knights frigate lurched into turmoil. The serfs were thrown from their terminals and scattered over the floor as the ship listed and pitched. Even Mordia had to check his footing as he struggled to maintain his view of the screen.

Outside, the crashing tide of the warp broke against the hull of the Rex and then a frigate roared out of the portal with its engines pouring fire out in its wake. It was powering along at full speed, as though fleeing from the grasp of death itself. Blasting over the tumbling Rex and bathing it in fire from its exhaust, the frigate instantly opened up with its guns, clearing a path through the warp mist and asteroids as it flashed away towards the centre of the Circuitrine system.

As Mordia caught his balance he cursed. The unidentified frigate had torn past the Rex without him being able to get a clear view of it. It had been too close and too fast, and the muddying distortions of the waves of warp had made its features indistinguishable.

aScanners?a he barked, demanding that the serfs should get back to their sensor terminals more quickly as the control deck continued to rock and reel. aGive me an ID on that vessel. Pilot, give us some stability here!a The serfs chorused their acknowledgements as they scrambled back to their stations. But just as the control deck appeared to be returning to normality, a second blast smacked into the stricken frigate. A ma.s.sive explosion rushed out of the warp gate. Great plumes of flame and smoke jetted out of the asteroid, as though they had been compressed and forced through a nozzle.

The rush of discharge crashed around the Rex, sending it sprawling once again and engulfing it in a superheated cloud of burning warp. After a second, it became clear that the structure of the asteroid could not bear the pressure that was being forced through it. Bits of rock started to break off and scatter, and cracks ripped through it. Finally, it could withstand the pressure no longer and the asteroid itself exploded, sending chunks of rock and debris shooting through the surrounding s.p.a.ce in a spray of projectiles. They pounded against the armoured panels of the t.i.tanicus Rex, smacking relentlessly into it like a meteor shower.

It took several minutes for the control deck to come back on line, and even then its instrumentation was damaged and only partially active. Smoke plumed out of a number of the terminals, and electricity arced across ruptured circuits. There were several small fires burning in the cogitator banks, and damage reports were flooding in from all around the ship. Mordia cycled through the remaining, functional scanners, bringing up image after image on the viewscreen. The Rex was badly damaged, but its situation had changed profoundly: the warp gate and asteroid had been utterly destroyed; the frigate that had emerged from its depths had vanished without a trace; and the thick, soupy mire of warp mist seemed to have evaporated completely. The t.i.tanicus Rex was alone and free-floating in the middle of an asteroid field, on the cusp of the Circuitrine system, which was now quite free of incursions from the nearby Eye of Terror.

The pa.s.sageways convulsed with flames and concussive blasts of thermal energy as the Deathwatch team stormed through the corridors and tunnels in the heart of Lelithas lair. Plumes of dirty green fire licked at their heels, and the ground shuddered, as though the mountain itself was riddled with nausea. Whatever Sulphus had done to the wych queenas spirit pool, it was having a chain reaction through the network of portals that interlaced the structure of Sussarkhas Peak, like the veins and arteries of a ma.s.sive body.

Although they never looked back into the raging inferno that chased them through the h.e.l.lish realm, the Marines knew that the dark eldar were not pursing them. There was no way that anything could survive in the midst of those flames. They did not even pause to wonder whether Lelith herself had escaped a their mission here was already complete.

As he ran, leaving his duel with Lelith far behind him, Ashokas smouldering eyes gradually returned to a depthless black. He could hear voices in the fiery hounds that snapped at his heels, as though long tortured souls were screaming through the conflagration, caught in the sudden ecstasy of liberation and the abrupt agony of incineration at the same time. The pa.s.sageways were alive with whispers and screams, and the flames seemed to reach at the backs of the Marines, like the hands of drowning men.

On both sides of him, the rest of the team rushed through the corridors, ducking under the low ceilings, vaulting the sudden cracks that ripped into the ground, and filing through bottlenecks with unquestioned and silent determination. But it was clear to Ashok that some of the Marines were suffering. For the first time in his long service, Ashok was concerned that the enhanced physiology of the Adeptus Astartes may not be enough for the challenge.

The Mantis Warrior, Kruidan, was without the support and protection of his armour; his skin was bloodied, raw, and thick with filth, and his long, matted hair whipped around his face as he ran. But his face was set with resolve and he showed no signs of slowing. In fact, the Mantis Warrior was at the head of the group, leaping and sprinting through the labyrinthine tunnels, leading the others with the power of his courage.

Luthar and Pelias were not in much better shape. Their armour was cracked and ruined, with sections of ceramite hacked away and others shattered beyond usefulness. The gnarled face of Pelias was taught with aggression and hostility; he was no longer a young Marine, and he had put his body through so much already. The conflagration of fiery souls clawed at his back and scorched the skin of his neck and head as he brought up the rear of the group.

Just as Ashok began to think that they were not going to make it, the team tumbled out of the pa.s.sageway and fell into the bowled floor of one of the wide, portal filled nodal chambers. Flames and smoke plumed in from all directions, vomiting out of the mouths of other tunnels and pluming out of dozens of the portals. As Ashok hit the ground and rolled back to his feet, he looked back and up, just in time to see the dirty flames explode out of the tunnel mouth through which the team had just fallen.

They were utterly surrounded by the fiery screams of desperate souls.

aAshok!a called Kruidan, his voice emerging like a ghost from the smoke.

Ashok and the others snapped their heads round to look at the Mantis Warrior, but he was nowhere to be seen. Great clouds of smoke and curdling gas roiled through the chamber, swirling and eddying in the thermal currents whipped up by the explosions of flame and the hot air being blasted through the tunnels.

aAshok, this way is clear!a As the words thundered and echoed around the chamber, the billowing smoke shifted and the unarmoured shape of Kruidan could be seen standing over a portal on the farside, his long hair lashing in the air currents, his emerald eyes flashing with clarity, and the tattoos snaking over his b.l.o.o.d.y shoulders.

Without pausing for discussion, Ashok broke into a ran. He vaulted through the pillars of fire that jetted out of the other portals on the ground, and sidestepped the yawning infernos that raged through the other tunnel mouths. Behind him, he could feel the rest of the team keeping pace. As he closed on Kruidanas portal, he noticed that the Mantis Warrior was waiting for them, standing like a beacon of confidence and heroism, armourless and surrounded by the infernal warp fires of Hesperax.

The Angel Sanguine librarian brought himself up short of the portal and stepped to the side, allowing Sulphus, Atreus, Luthar and then Pelias to pa.s.s him and dive through.

For a moment, standing on the cusp of the shimmering, watery portal as the cavern started to melt and collapse around them, Ashok and Kruidan held each otheras eyes, sharing an unspoken understanding.

The last portal dumped the Marines into the barren, frozen wastes under the roiling sky outside, ejecting them beyond the confines of Sussarkhas Peak on the crest of a ma.s.sive wave of fiery energy. They dived out, rolling free onto the sharp, icy rocks of the planetas surface as the mouth of the portal disintegrated and collapsed behind them.

On their feet and running immediately, the Deathwatch team did not look back. Instead, their thoughts had turned to the surviving Thunderhawk. Although Octaviusa ship had been destroyed, Kruidanas vessel had made it down into one of the craters. The Imperial Fists captain had insisted that the team brought two of them, in case one was destroyed, and yet again they were thankful for their fallen captainas understanding of the Codex. But none of them even dared to hope that the dark eldar would have left the downed Thunderhawk unmolested for all this time. And yet there it was.

As the Deathwatch Marines clambered up the bank of icy, black debris and boulders around the edge of the crater, they could see the gunship still sitting in the bottom of the pit, exactly where the team had left it. There were not even any guards around.

As Ashok strode up the ramp into the gunship, he whispered a prayer of thanks to the spirit of the deceased Octavius, and he offered a silent prayer of grat.i.tude for the arrogance of the eldar and their dark brethren. He could think of no other species in the galaxy that would have left the gunship untouched: only the eldar would be so certain of their victory in the amphitheatre and so dismissive of the technological capabilities of the ugly gunship. It was insulting, of course, but Ashok smiled, happy to disillusion the aliens. They had clearly never dealt with the Deathwatch before.

As the gunship had blasted up out of the thick, curdling atmosphere of the dark planet, the Marines had collapsed into their harnesses, teetering on the point of exhaustion. Without his armour to augment his strength, the heroic Mantis Warrior had been almost dead on his feet. His skin was bloodied and raw, and his muscles burned with over exertion. Luthar and Pelias had not been in much better shape. Their armour was broken and cracked, with sections missing or ruined beyond repair. The two librarians had sat in silent meditation while Sulphus, the almost entirely mechanical techmarine, piloted the vessel up and away.

It was not until they were a couple of thousand metres in the air that they had finally looked back and seen the volcano erupting. It appeared to be venting ma.s.sive amounts of sickly green and red energy, as though the souls that had been contained within were finally visiting their violence against the structures that had imprisoned them. The explosions reached right up into the stratosphere, chasing the fleeing Thunderhawk like packs of flaming warp beasts or h.e.l.lhounds, just as the Marines themselves had been chased through the labyrinthine tunnels inside the volcano itself.

Even when they were back aboard the Lance of Darkness, its engines pouring fire out behind it to blast it away from the disintegrating planet, the team had not been free of the explosive fury of Lelith, Wych Queen of Strife. Huge columns of warp fire lanced out of the ma.s.sive volcano as though the deathly planet had been hurling its infernal soul into the chase, wrenching the stomach of its core and vomiting vast swathes of daemonic energy into the wake of the speeding vessel.

Just as the Lance of Darkness had plunged into the warp gate and lurched out of the moon-like asteroid in the fringes of the Circuitrine system, the tide of warp energy had crashed against its engine blocks, hurling it forward at an incredible and impossible speed. The Lance had burst out of the warp gate into material s.p.a.ce like a torpedo from a barrel, firing straight through the rest of the asteroid field.

As they had emerged from the gate, the Marines had detected the briefest blip on their sensors, indicating the presence of another Astartes vessel in the immediate vicinity, but by the time the Lance of Darkness had slowed to normal speeds, the signature had vanished from their instruments, and the Lance must have been beyond the range of the other vesselas sensors too.

When they finally limped back to the previous location of Ulthwe, their engines spluttering and ruined after the warp inferno had scorched them to the point of destruction, Ashok was unsurprised to discover that the craftworld was no longer there. There was no way that the arrogant and conceited eldar would have expected the Deathwatch to survive their ordeal on Hesperax. They had been sacrificed and abandoned, just like the seers and the eldar warriors that were sent as bait. Ashok had never entertained any illusions about the honour of the deceitful aliens, but he knew that Octavius would have insisted that they at least attempt to make contact with Ulthran, had the honourable captain survived to make such an insistence.

Standing on the small control deck, Ashok, Atreus and Sulphus surveyed the stars before them. The tainted, ruddy, red fog of the warp had dissipated, as Lelith and the Slaaneshi princessa plans had been foiled. And now the stars shone with their customary clarity and brilliance. Not far off, however, the lashes of the Eye of Terror were already reaching back into the system, like a creeping and insidious cancer. Something about the momentarily pristine light of the stars made Ashok think of Dhrykna and the way her shining white armour had glared like a beacon on that dark and forsaken world. Instinctively, he moved his hand to the pouch on his belt, tapping the side to hear the c.h.i.n.king of three eldar waystones.

The doors slid open with a perfunctory hiss, and the ragged, b.l.o.o.d.y Deathwatch Marines strode forward into the conference chamber. Where it was still in evidence at all, their armour was in tatters. Where it was visible beneath the thick layer of congealed blood and grime, their skin was scarred and cut. Without their helmets, their faces were etched with dirt and creased with suffering, while their hair was matted and thick with ichor. They looked more like a ragtag bunch of renegades than a squad of the finest s.p.a.ce Marines in the galaxy.

Inquisitor Lord Vargas looked up from his customary chair, his delicate crystal wine gla.s.s poised precisely at his lips. An involuntary look of revulsion pa.s.sed across his features as he saw the filthy group. He didnat bother to stand up, but he did put his gla.s.s down on the table, giving the impression that he couldnat possibly drink in the presence of such pollution. Sitting across from him at the table experiencing none of his reticence about drinking, was the Hereticus Lord Caesurian. She nodded a swift acknowledgement to Librarian Ashok, as though they were already on familiar terms.

Lord Seishon hurried over to greet them.

aLibrarian Ashok, when you disappeared, we feared the worst, Iam afraid.a aI doubt that,a replied Ashok gravely. aThe worst is probably more terrible than you can imagine.a His black eyes danced from Seishon to Caesurian and back again.

Seishon stared at him for a moment, peering into the deep shadows that hid the librarianas eyes under the folds of his hood. aLord Aurelius dispatched the Grey Knights to investigate the shifting warp signatures around Circuitrine. What do you suppose that Captain Mordia might find?a aIt is nothing,a replied Ashok without a hint of irony. aJust a temporary storm. It appears to have burnt itself out now.a Although he was responding to Seishon, he addressed his words to Caesurian, who smiled knowingly in response.

Seishon nodded quickly, but the anxiety dropped slowly out of his shoulders.

aAnd what of our Captain Octavius?a asked Vargas, picking his gla.s.s up again and deciding to take the risk of a quick mouthful.

With heavy solemnity, Sulphus stepped out of the line and approached the table, his mechanical limbs twitching and whirring as the burnt out servos struggled to support their movement. Vargas recoiled slightly, pushing himself further back in his seat and trying to hide behind his wine gla.s.s.

Without even a clatter, Sulphus lay the Imperial Fistas shoulder plate carefully and reverentially onto the conference table. He did not say a worda no further comment was necessary a and the rest of the Deathwatch team hung their heads in a moment of respect.

aI see,a said Vargas at last. aHe will be missed, of course.a The sentiments of the inquisitor lord were utterly inadequate. aHe was a great captain and a magnificent warrior. His honour was beyond reproach, and he died as he would have wished, in the fulfilment of his duty. We will not see his like again,a intoned Ashok, offended by Vargasa casual words.

He could imagine how the inquisitor lords had sat around this table drinking wine and fretting about the chances that their little pact with the aliens would be discovered. It made him sick. They were as cowardly and treacherous as the eldar themselves. The loss of a Deathwatch captain like Octavius was a terrible price to pay for their games.

aYou see, Vargas,a snapped Seishon with a flicker of childish glee. aYour precious Octavius was not the key to this problem after all.a He turned to Ashok and held out his hand. aDo you have anything for me, librarian?a The Angel Sanguine paused for a moment, as though weighing up whether to give the inquisitor lord what he wanted. But then he flicked open the pouch on his belt and handed over the waystones that he had taken from the two seers in the arena. His finger toyed with the last stone, still hidden in his pocket, but he hesitated, as though considering his next move, before closing the pouch again. aAs requested,a he said. aThese are from the Ulthwe seers.a aExcellent, Ashok. Thank you,a Seishon was beaming, like a child that was winning a contest against his best friend. aCan I also a.s.sume that you placed our beacon into the infinity circuit of Ulthwe when you a'vanisheda from the team?a He shot a significant and sarcastic look over to Vargas, as though to rub in the old inquisitoras naivety. The old fool still seemed to think that the mission had been all about fulfilling their duty under the terms of the ancient coven.

aYes, Lord Seishon, you may a.s.sume that this has been done.a Ashok could feel that the other Deathwatch Marines were surprised and discomforted by this new revelation, but they maintained their discipline. He had lied to them, after all, and he could not blame them for their sudden resentment.

aExcellent,a repeated Seishon. aThen everything has gone exactly according to plan. Next time we have some dealings with the conniving and treacherous eldar of Ulthwe, we will have some extra cards to bring to the table. It is not only the alien fa.r.s.eers who can play these games, is it Vargas?a aNo indeed, my Lord Hourian,a growled Ashok, turning in disgust and striding out of the conference chamber. aIt seems that the keepers of the Coven of Isha are not so very different from the eldar themselves.a

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

C.S. Goto has published short fiction in Inferno! and elsewhere. His previous novels for the Black Library include the Necromunda novel Salvation and the Warhammer 40,000 epic Dawn of War.

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