Hammer and Bolter 3
Page 13
Valeth rose to his feet, his shoulders unburdened by the weight of his trophy and armour. ‘Get kitted up.’ His voice was clipped and tightened by discipline. ‘We move after we eat.’
His two companions murmured their assent, and went about their tasks silently. Only Alvantir didn’t move.
‘He might still come back,’ he said, chewing at his fingernails. ‘There is still a chance.’
Valeth hadn’t the heart to tell him that his closest friend was probably lying in pieces. ‘Maybe,’ came his doubtful answer. ‘Maybe.’
‘Such little faith, kinsman.’
The voice was hoarse, gravelly and raw from a night without rest. It rumbled over the clearing, reaching their fire in a hoarse whisper. Four pairs of eyes widened in surprise.
The speaker looked as if he were dead. The bags under his eyes spoke of exhaustion and fatigue, and the clumsy stitching across his face did little to halt the blood that oozed from his ugly wounds. His teeth were a slash of white in a sea of grime; a smile that seemed out of place considering what the man had on his broad shoulders.
The head was… huge. Bigger than the rest of its kind, by far. Blood-caked dirty white fur in inch-thick blotches, most of it the lion’s own; some of it the blood of its old victims. The mouth was still open, still roaring soundlessly. Its empty sockets glared with the anger that had sealed its demise, biting through the air with hot intensity.
‘You…’ Valeth began, uncomprehending.
‘Yes,’ Korhil replied. ‘I did it.’
I became used to the smell on the journey. My nose is numb to the stench, now. It does not affect me.
I watch as it hits them, one by one, and my smile widens. I know I have stunned them. They look at me, slack-jawed and wide-eyed.
I do not blame them. They have just witnessed the birth of a legend.
‘I did it,’ I say again, savouring the way the words sound. ‘I have passed the rite. I am a White Lion.’
Silence, again. As I walk forward, dry blood falls from my skin in crimson snowflakes.
‘That is Charandis?’ Alvantir asks, choking on his own words. This is the first time he has seen the beast.
I shrug my shoulders, feeling the heavy weight of my burden. The skull alone weighs as much as a child. ‘Yes, my friend. This is Charandis.’
He laughs, cutting through his shock with surprised amusement. As he does so, he runs his fingers through his hair. The gleam of the ring adorning his hand catches the firelight. I begin to laugh, too, and–
The ring.
‘Alvantir,’ I say, my heart thumping. ‘Let me see your hand.’
He obeys, still laughing, still hardly believing what I have achieved.
The ring is a band of plain gold, its plainness its true uniqueness. It is tradition for rings of betrothal to be gaudy and bejewelled. This is something Alvantir has never cared for.
Neither does his wife.
I step forward and snatch at the wooden disc he has hung around his neck. It, too, is simple – carved into a rough circle, engraved with the Asuuri rune for courage.
His boy has such a pendant, too.
‘No…’
‘Korhil? What?’ He sees my fear. He sees the recognition in my eyes as I look at these very personal trinkets.
‘Alvantir, I…’ I cannot say it. I cannot say I am wearing the carcass of the beast that has killed my closest friend’s only family.
But he is a smart man. He knows.
‘No!’ He shouts at first, railing at me. ‘That is not true!’
‘My friend, I am so sorry…’
But he is gone. He sprints into the woods, choking on his grief, following the trail I have left behind me.
The weight on my shoulders doubles.
My elation vanishes.
‘Come, Korhil,’ Valeth says, clueless as to what has just transpired, here. ‘It is time for you to come with us.’
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2010 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK
Cover illustration by Cheoljoo Lee
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