Heralds of the Siege

by Nick Kyme

  Having lost command of the Perfection, Malcador countered with a picture of a weeping mother. ‘Unspeakable Suffering,’ he announced, shocked by the satisfaction he felt as he pulled away the Warhawk from its position next to the Invincible Bastion. He really wanted to win, to prove the lie of Revelation’s affectation of infallibility.

  Even so, however strongly he pressed to have an overwhelming advantage in the Emperor’s base positions, his opponent always seemed to spare a card to bring another piece into play from elsewhere on the board. Turn by turn a ring of attacking pieces converged around the rear of Malcador’s positions: the Hungering Wolf, Uncrowned Monarch and Double-Edged Blade were all poised to strike.

  ‘I win in my next move,’ declared Revelation, dropping the ‘Salvation’ card in front of His Regent. Malcador looked at the portrait writ in the coloured crystal, unmistakably that of Roboute Guilliman.

  ‘A turn too late,’ Malcador replied, his expression grim as he realised the meaning of what he was about to do. He whispered the next word as he turned a card depicting a bloodied white feather. ‘Sacrifice.’

  With shaking fingers he picked up the Angel and removed it from the board, leaving an opening in Revelation’s defence. His fingers gripped another piece, about to move it into the space. A piece he had been holding back for just that occurrence. The last to have been given to him, though in reality it was the first Revelation had put into motion.

  The Lord of Hearts.

  ‘Wait.’

  The single word, softly spoken, stopped Malcador as surely as a roared command. Still with the Lord of Hearts poised to claim victory, the Regent looked up.

  Revelation stared at Malcador, seizing him with His dark eyes. The Regent was not sure what he saw in there, aside from tiny reflections of himself, haggard within the shadow of his hood, cheeks glistening with the streak of tears.

  ‘I win…’ croaked the Sigillite, but as he returned his attention to the board to place the King of Hearts, there was another piece occupying the space he had to take.

  The Fool.

  ‘In ancient days, the Fool could say anything to anyone – in theory, at least,’ Revelation said. He smiled and warmth flooded through Malcador to see the expression, but then both the smile and his moment of hope faded. ‘It was the Fool’s task to remind kings and queens that they were mortal, and weak, and not above any other. In the parlance of a later time they existed to speak truth to power, to defy authority and, most importantly, puncture tyranny.’

  Malcador choked on his next words, not sure what to say. Even at the instant that he collected his thoughts, a distant ripple flushed through his mind. It stank in his nostrils, and brought the thunder of a great storm to his ears, prickling skin and psychic sense alike.

  He felt the rift opening, tearing apart reality at the edge of the Solar System. A chorus of infernal clarions screeched across his othersense.

  ‘The Warmaster has arrived,’ he said, though he knew his opponent could not fail to know also. He looked up but the chair opposite was empty.

  ‘To whom do you speak, master?’

  The voice of Latdava was like a hammer on a pane of glass, shattering the wall of concentration that Malcador had erected around himself. He glared towards the door where the functionary stood, fingers making clumps of her white robe as she stared fearfully at him.

  ‘How long have you been here?’

  ‘Several minutes, master,’ the functionary told him. ‘The Astrotelegraphica Exulta sent me with word that the traitor fleet will breach the warp-veil within the hour.’

  ‘And why do you stare at me like that? What have you seen?’

  ‘You, master, playing the game by yourself. You turned the cards and moved the pieces with terrible contortions of the features.’ She wrung her robes a little more and her eyes moved to the table. ‘What does it mean?’

  Malcador was not sure as he followed her gaze, seeing the pieces arranged at the endgame, the Lord of Hearts still in his hand. Yet where the Fool had been was now another piece, uniquely golden, shaped as a crown.

  Beside it lay the last crystal card, its image that of an eagle tearing out the throat of a serpent.

  AFTERWORD

  We stand at the battlements, staring at the edge of an approaching storm. It’s natural to feel nervous, that frisson of fear and excitement that comes with the conclusion of something powerful and momentous. I refer, of course, to the Siege of Terra and the upcoming, epic finale to the Horus Heresy series.

  Yes, we’re that close.

  As of the time of writing, there are just two books remaining (not including this one) until we reach the beginning of the end of a saga that has been over ten years in the telling.

  This, Heralds of the Siege, is the last anthology before the showdown between the Emperor and Horus, and, you know, the entire galaxy burns.

  One thing that sprawling, world-shaping storylines tend to have in common is that they spread out. In relating the sheer scale and galactic stakes, they seek to cover all manner of different events, battles and characters that have greater or lesser roles to play in the final reckoning. The Horus Heresy is no exception to this. It began as a highly focused narrative, seen through the eyes of Loken and rooted primarily with the then Luna Wolves and soon-to-be Sons of Horus Legion. And then it got bigger. We explored other battlefields, other conflicts (of the non-martial variety), characters and storylines. It spread out. As we close, inexorably, on the end, that initial diaspora of ideas has been reined back in, and is being gradually corralled into a narrative cavalry charge pointing to the way to Terra.

  This book, then, was really our last chance to gather up some of the disparate tales that were part of the natural narrative expansion. But that’s not all it accomplishes. Allow me to explain…

  Heralds of the Siege is something of a chimera. In fairly equal parts, it sweeps up the short stories and audio dramas released over the last year or so – tales such as ‘Blackshield’ by Chris Wraight (which has since helped inspire other Blackshield-related tales, the audio dramas written by Josh Reynolds) and ‘The Ember Wolves’, by Rob Sanders (which formed part of Black Library’s Titans celebration in early 2017) – but it also looks forward to the two books remaining in the series and the aforementioned conflict between gods that follows.

  Several of the stories tie in to major novels, and it’s worth pointing these out so you can go back and re-read them in light of the connective short stories, if you’d like to. For the fans of Cybernetica, Rob Sanders’ second short story, ‘Myriad’, is a straight-up sequel, and offers us another glimpse of the turmoil surrounding Mars in the wake of the events of Graham McNeill’s Mechanicum. ‘Grey Raven’, meanwhile, follows on from Corax, specifically the novella ‘Weregeld’, as Gav Thorpe continues to weave the harrowing saga of the Raven Guard. Guy Haley returns to the murky dealings set afoot in Pharos in his short story ‘The Painted Count’, and last on this particular list is ‘The Last Son of Prospero’, which features the character Revuel Arvida, who fans will know from The Path of Heaven.

  As well as the obvious connective tissue to some of the novels, there is also a sense in this book of tying up a few dangling threads. For instance, in ‘Children of Sicarus’ by Ant Reynolds, we delve as far back as the events of Calth and Macragge’s Honour, while ‘The Soul, Severed’ by Chris Wraight returns to the character of Eidolon and the Emperor’s Children. ‘Dark Compliance’ by John French is a fresh character study of Horus, set before the most recent events of the series. All of the above were initially released as audio dramas and are here in prose and print for the first time. So too was ‘Valerius’, though this one perhaps stands out for a different reason. Written by Gav Thorpe, it features the Imperial hero Marcus Valerius and the Therion Cohort as they are sent to the brutal meatgrinder of Beta-Garmon. Where it differs to the others is that it looks forward to one of the major events we’ve not yet covered in the series: the Titan Death. But this tale is not alone in its foreshadowi
ng of what lies ahead. Look no further than James Swallow’s ‘Exocytosis’, where he reunites with Typhon and the Death Guard. This, of course, is a minor prelude to the by now infamous events involving the XIV Legion on their way to Terra.

  All this talk of looking forward brings me to the final five stories in the collection. They are notable because not only do they all take place on Terra, but they all presage the events of the coming battle for the Throne. Heralds of the Siege, indeed.

  The variety across these six stories, the different characters and factions involved, hints at the sheer scope, the awe-inspiring, transhuman dread-invoking scale of the Siege of Terra. From the deep breath before the plunge in John French’s Dorn-centric story ‘Now Peals Midnight’, to the inner thoughts and strategies of Malcador the Sigillite himself in ‘The Board is Set’, the loyal side of the coming battle is explored. We soar to the very walls of the Imperial Palace with Maximus Thane in Guy Haley’s ‘Duty Waits’, before descending into the urban underbelly and Terra’s murky past with my own ‘Dreams of Unity’, and finally spend some time in the company of the Chief Custodian Constantin Valdor, in Chris Wraight’s ‘Magisterium’.

  Each of these last five tales hint at the conflict and the characters to come. Thinking now about the Siege, knowing that, at the time of writing this afterword, the first book is already being written, it’s interesting to reflect on the journey. Once again we begin with a narrative spear tip, before spreading out to encompass the other players in the Siege and their story, only to narrow inevitably to that final, fateful encounter on a little-known ship called the Vengeful Spirit…

  It’s almost as if we planned it.

  Nick Kyme

  April 2018

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Rob Sanders is the author of the Horus Heresy novellas Cybernetica and The Serpent Beneath, the latter of which appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology The Primarchs. His other Black Library credits include The Beast Arises novels Predator, Prey and Shadow of Ullanor, the Warhammer 40,000 titles Sons of the Hydra, Skitarius, Tech-Priest, Legion of the Damned, Atlas Infernal and Redemption Corps and the audio drama The Path Forsaken. He has also written the Warhammer Archaon duology, Everchosen and Lord of Chaos, along with many short stories for the Horus Heresy and Warhammer 40,000. He lives in the city of Lincoln, UK.

  Gav Thorpe is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Deliverance Lost, Angels of Caliban and the Corax anthology, as well as the novella The Lion, which formed part of the New York Times bestselling collection The Primarchs, and several audio dramas including the bestselling Raven’s Flight. He has written many novels for Warhammer 40,000, including Ashes of Prospero, Imperator: Wrath of the Omnissiah, Rise of the Ynnari: Ghost Warrior, Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence and Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan. He also wrote the Path of the Eldar and Legacy of Caliban trilogies, and two volumes in The Beast Arises series. For Warhammer, Gav has penned the End Times novel The Curse of Khaine, the Warhammer Chronicles omnibus The Sundering, and much more besides. In 2017, Gav won the David Gemmell Legend Award for his Age of Sigmar novel Warbeast. He lives and works in Nottingham.

  Chris Wraight is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Scars and The Path of Heaven, the Primarchs novels Leman Russ: The Great Wolf and Jaghatai Khan: Warhawk of Chogoris, the novellas Brotherhood of the Storm and Wolf King, and the audio drama The Sigillite. For Warhammer 40,000 he has written The Lords of Silence, Vaults of Terra: The Carrion Throne, Watchers of the Throne: The Emperor’s Legion, the Space Wolves novels Blood of Asaheim and Stormcaller, and the short story collection Wolves of Fenris, as well as the Space Marine Battles novels Wrath of Iron and War of the Fang. Additionally, he has many Warhammer novels to his name, including the Warhammer Chronicles novel Master of Dragons, which forms part of the War of Vengeance series. Chris lives and works in Bradford-on-Avon, in south-west England.

  Anthony Reynolds is the author of the Horus Heresy novella The Purge, audio drama Khârn: The Eightfold Path and short stories ‘Scions of the Storm’ and ‘Dark Heart’. In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, he has written the Space Marine Battles novel Khârn: Eater of Worlds, alongside the audio drama Chosen of Khorne, also featuring Khârn. He has also penned the Word Bearers trilogy and many short stories. Hailing from Australia, he is currently settled on the west coast of the United States.

  James Swallow is best known for being the author of the Horus Heresy novels Fear to Tread and Nemesis, which both reached the New York Times bestseller lists, The Flight of the Eisenstein and a series of audio dramas featuring the character Nathaniel Garro. For Warhammer 40,000, he has written four Blood Angels novels, the audio drama Heart of Rage, and two Sisters of Battle novels. His short fiction has appeared in Legends of the Space Marines and Tales of Heresy.

  Guy Haley is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Wolfsbane and Pharos, the Primarchs novels Corax: Lord of Shadows, Perturabo: The Hammer of Olympia, and the Warhammer 40,000 novels Dark Imperium, Dark Imperium: Plague War, The Devastation of Baal, Dante, Baneblade, Shadowsword, Valedor and Death of Integrity. He has also written Throneworld and The Beheading for The Beast Arises series. His enthusiasm for all things greenskin has also led him to pen the eponymous Warhammer novel Skarsnik, as well as the End Times novel The Rise of the Horned Rat. He has also written stories set in the Age of Sigmar, included in War Storm, Ghal Maraz and Call of Archaon. He lives in Yorkshire with his wife and son.

  John French has written several Horus Heresy stories including the novels Slaves to Darkness, Praetorian of Dorn and Tallarn, the novella The Crimson Fist, and the audio dramas Dark Compliance, Templar and Warmaster. For Warhammer 40,000 he has written Resurrection and Incarnation for The Horusian Wars, the audio dramas Agent of the Throne: Blood and Lies, Agent of the Throne: Truth and Dreams, the Ahriman series and many short stories.

  Nick Kyme is the author of the Horus Heresy novels Old Earth, Deathfire, Vulkan Lives and Sons of the Forge, the novellas Promethean Sun and Scorched Earth, and the audio dramas Red-marked and Censure. His novella Feat of Iron was a New York Times bestseller in the Horus Heresy collection, The Primarchs. Nick is well known for his popular Salamanders novels, including Rebirth, the Space Marine Battles novel Damnos, and numerous short stories. He has also written fiction set in the world of Warhammer, most notably the Warhammer Chronicles novel The Great Betrayal and the Age of Sigmar story ‘Borne by the Storm’, included in War Storm. He lives and works in Nottingham, and has a rabbit.

  An extract from Slaves to Darkness.

  The Sons of Horus bore their father bleeding to his throne. Ghosts followed them, howling from the shadows as the blood shook from their armour. There were four sons: Kibre, the black of his plate glossed with gore; Horus Aximand, his flayed face pale, eyes fixed on the red maw grinning from his Warmaster’s side, the armour still rent and smoking; Tormageddon, glittering with ghost-light, silent as smoke; and Maloghurst, who followed them gasping into his breath mask, limping with twisted limbs.

  The Justaerin thundered in their wake. Black Terminator armour glinted wetly with blood in the stuttering alarm lights.

  ‘Sire,’ called Aximand, grunting the word through the effort of lifting the Warmaster. ‘Sire, can you hear us?’

  ‘I…’ Horus’ mouth was a crack in the pale mask of his face. The fur and velvet of his cloak dragged on the floor, holed and charred, smearing onto the deck in his wake.

  Maloghurst tasted warm iron, sulphur and honey through his mask. Horus’ head shook. The wound in his side opened wider, the armour crumpling like skin around a sneering mouth.

  ‘Sire!’ called Aximand.

  A human in the red-and-black robes of a senior bonded officer emerged from a junction as they passed. The bronze data-slate in the man’s hands fell to the floor as he knelt, but Maloghurst saw the human’s eyes touch the Warmaster before he pressed his forehead to the floor. Maloghurst turned aside and kicked. Pain lanced through his back as the servos in his armour snapped his leg straight. The human f
lew backwards, his head a crumpled ruin of meat and shattered bone. Maloghurst let out a grunt of discomfort.

  ‘What…’ began Aximand.

  ‘He saw!’ growled Maloghurst and staggered after the others.

  ‘Justaerin,’ called Kibre, his voice booming over the vox as he moved. ‘Kill order, command deck, passages ninety-five through two hundred. No survivors!’

  The Terminators peeled away. Gunfire echoed down tunnels. Muzzle flare flashed from passage openings as they passed. Screams rose and were silenced.

  ‘The tides shift…’ hissed Tormageddon as he loped with fluid grace beneath the Warmaster’s weight. ‘He is–’

  ‘Silence!’ shouted Maloghurst, the word shaking with rage. The daemon-vessel hissed in reply.

  They reached the throne room. The doors opened at their approach. Starlight and flame diluted the darkness beyond. At the far end, the throne loomed before the open eye of a viewport. They hurried across the dark expanse. Blood scattered to the floor behind them, smoking as it touched air. The bowls of burning oil hanging from the ceiling guttered. Shadows grew in their wake. Ethereal cries rose through the dark as more blood fell to the deck.

  ‘Seal the doors,’ shouted Maloghurst to the two Justaerin who had followed them. ‘No one enters. No one!’

  They set the Warmaster down at the foot of the throne.

  ‘We must get the Apothecaries,’ said Aximand.