Despite the brightness of the fire, the lodge darkВened and Erebus felt the temperature fall, a chill wind gusting from somewhere unseen and unknown. It carried the dust of ages past and the ruin of empires in its every breath, and ageless eterВnity was borne upon the unnatural zephyr.
'Is this supposed to happen?' asked Regulus.
Erebus smiled and nodded without answering as the air grew icy, the whisperers gibbering in unreaВsoning fear as they felt the arrival of something ancient and terrible. Shadows gathered in the corВners of the room, although no light shone to cast them and a racing whip of malicious laughter spiВralled around the chamber.
Regulus spun on hissing bearings as he sought to identify the source of the sounds, his ocular implants whirring as they struggled to find focus in the darkness. Frost gathered on the struts and pipes high above them.
Horus stood unmoving as the shadows of the chamber hissed and spat, a chorus of voices that came from everywhere and nowhere.
'You are the one your kind calls Warmaster?'
Erebus nodded as Horus looked over at him.
'I am,’ said Horus. 'Warmaster of the Great CruВsade. To whom do I speak?'
'I am Sarr'kell,' said the voice. 'Lord of the Shadows!'
The three of them made their way swiftly through the decks of the Vengeful Spirit, heading down towards the tiled environment of the medicae deck. Sindermann kept the pace as brisk as he could, his breath sharp and painful as they hurried to save the saint from whatever dark fate awaited her.
'What do you expect to find when we reach the saint, iterator?' asked Jonah Aruken, his nervous hands fingering the catch on his pistol holster.
Sindermann thought of the small medicae cell where he and Mersadie Oliton had stood vigil over Euphrati and wondered that same thought.
'I don't know exactly,’ he said. 'I just know we have to help,’
'I just hope a frail old man and our pistols are up to the job,’
What do you mean?' asked Sindermann, as they descended a wide screw stair that led deeper into the ship.
'Well, I just wonder how you plan to fight the kind of danger that could threaten a saint. I mean, whatever it is must be pretty damn dangerous, yes?'
Sindermann paused in his descent, as much to catch his breath as to answer Aruken.
'Whoever sent me that warning obviously thinks that I can help,’ he said.
'And that's enough for you?' asked Aruken.
'Jonah, leave him alone,’ cautioned Titus Cassar.
'No, damn it, I won't,’ said Aruken. This is serious and we could get in real trouble. I mean, this Keeler woman, she's supposed to be all saintly, yes? Then why doesn't the power of the Emperor save her? Why does he need us?'
The Emperor works through His faithful serВvants, Jonah,’ explained Titus. 'It is not enough to simply believe and await divine intervention to sweep down from the heavens and set the world to rights. The Emperor has shown us the path and it is up to us to seize this chance to do His will.'
Sindermann watched the exchange between the two crewmen, his anxiety growing with every secВond that passed.
'I don't know if I can do this, Titus,’ said Aruken, 'not without some proof that we're doing the right thing,’
%Ve are, Jonah,’ pressed Titus. 'You must trust that the Emperor has a plan for you,’
'The Emperor may or may not have a plan for me, but I sure as hell do,’ snapped Aruken. 'I want comВmand of a Titan, and that's not going to happen if we get caught doing something stupid,’
'Please!' cut in Sindermann, his chest hurting with worry for the saint. 'We have to go! SomeВthing terrible is coming to harm her and we have to stop it. I can think of no more compelling an argument than that. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to trust me,’
Why should I?' asked Aruken. You've given me no reason to. I don't even know why I'm here,’
'Listen to me, Mister Aruken,’ said Sindermann earnestly. When you live as long and complex a life as I have, you learn that it always comes down to a single moment – a moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he really is. This is that moment, Mister Aruken. Will this be a moment you are proud to look back on or will it be one you will regret for the rest of your life?'
The two Titan crewmen shared a glance and evenВtually Aruken sighed and said, 'I need my head looked at for this, but all right, let's go save the day,’
A palpable sense of relief flooded through SinВdermann and the pain in his chest eased.
'I am proud of you, Mr Aruken,’ he said, 'and I thank you, your aid is most welcome,’
Thank me when we save this saint of yours,’ said Дшкеп, setting off down the stairs.
They followed the stairs down, passing several decks until the symbol of intertwined serpents around a winged staff indicated they had arrived at the medicae deck. It had been some weeks since the last casualties had been brought aboard the Vengeful Spirit and the sterile, gleaming wilderness of tiled walls and brushed steel cabinets felt empty, a warren of soulless glass rooms and laboВratories.
'This way,’ said Sindermann, setting off into the confusing maze of corridors, the way familiar to him after all the times he had visited the comatose imagist. Cassar and Aruken followed him, keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who might challenge their presence. At last they reached a nondescript white door and SinderВmann said, 'This is it,’ Aruken said, 'Better let us go first, old man,’ Sindermann nodded and backed away from the door, pressing his hands over his ears as the two Titan crewmen unholstered their pistols. Aruken crouched low beside the door and nodded to CasВsar, who pressed the release panel.
The door slid aside and Aruken spun through it with his pistol extended.
Cassar was a second behind him, his pistol trackВing left and right for targets, and Sinderman awaited the deafening flurry of pistol shots.
When none came he dared to open his eyes and uncover his ears. He didn't know whether to be glad or deathly afraid that they were too late.
He turned and looked through the door, seeing the familiar clean and well maintained medicae cell he had visited many times. Euphrati lay like a mannequin on the bed, her skin like alabaster and her face pinched and sunken. A pair of drips fed her fluids and a small, bleeping machine drew spiking lines on a green display unit beside her.
Aside from her immobility she looked just as she had the last time he had laid eyes on her.
'Just as well we rushed,’ snapped Aruken. 'Looks like we were just in time.'
'I think you might be right,’ said Sindermann, as he saw the golden-eyed figure of Maggard come into view at the far end of the corridor with his sword unsheathed.
'You are known to us, Warmaster,' said Sarr'Kell, his voice leaping around the room like a capricious whisper. 'It is said that you are the one who can deliver us. Is that true?'
'Perhaps,’ replied Horus, apparently unperturbed by the strangeness of his unseen interlocutor. 'My brother Lorgar assures me that your masters can give me the power to achieve victory,’
Victory,' whispered Sarr'kell. 'An almost meaningВless word in the scale of the cosmos, but yes, we have much power to offer you. No army will stand before you, no power of mortal man will lay you low and no ambiВtion will he denied you if you swear yourself to us.'
'Just words,’ said Horus. 'Show me something tan-gible,’
'Power,' hissed Sarr'Kell, the sound rippling around Horus like a slithering snake. 'The warpbrings power. There is nothing beyond the reach of the gods of the warp!