The light bleeding from it banished the darkness, casting everything in an unkind, harsh white light.
In that light, it was possible to see the bustling activity on the ground. It was like an ants’ nest that had been kicked: Emperor’s Children overran the city, swarming forth from the cavernous depths below.
Convoys of armour – tanks, super-heavies and APCs – rolled along narrow streets and boulevards, crossing arched bridge-ways and colonnades. Alongside them marched columns of infantry, thousands strong. Hulking Contemptor Dreadnoughts strode alongside phalanxes of legionaries, and larger mechanical constructs walked; tainted Knights of some fallen household, ten-metre giants armoured in void shields and ceramite, and larger still, Titan war engines that sent up ululating cries from their war-horns at the death of the Golden Absolute.
‘Connect me to the Defiant,’ said Khârn. ‘I want my words to be heard by the whole Legion.’
All across the fleet, the World Eaters stopped to listen to the address of their primarch’s former equerry. His voice echoed through the corridors and chambers of every ship, from the lowest sump depths, where the inbred, indentured labourers dwelt in darkness, to the bridge and cells of every vessel. There was not a World Eater, nor one of their mortal servants, who did not hear his words.
‘Warriors of the Twelfth Legion. This is Khârn.’
In the Caedere cells, Ruokh hung in silence, returned – for now – to a semblance of lucidity. The massive figure of Jareg stood before him, his multi-articulated servo-arms and mechadendrites drilling freshly repaired armour plates to his massive frame. He paused, listening to Khârn’s words.
‘We are the Twelfth Legion. We are the sons of Angron. Our fate is not to dwindle, to be slowly snuffed out in the darkness, alone and divided. Our fate is to live and die as one Legion.’
Skoral halted in her work, looking up from the wounded legionary she was patching up, listening to Khârn’s voice echoing through the cavernous decks of the Defiant.
‘I say we take this world that the Third Legion claims as their own. I say we descend on it and take the skull of every Third Legion whoreson who would stand against us.’
On the bridge of the Defiant, Argus Brond listened intently, hand held up to forestall the order to leave the system. Already, those World Eaters ships that had turned to leave the system were swinging around, angling towards the signal. Those nearest the world were already preparing launch tubes and drop ships, ready to send the Legion down to Khârn, to join him.
‘I claim this world in the name of Twelfth Legion, and I name it… Skalathrax.’
About the Author
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 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.
When Horus fell, his Sons fell with him. A broken Legion, beset by rivalries and hunted by their erstwhile allies, the former Luna Wolves have scattered across the tortured realm of the Eye of Terror.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2014 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.
Cover illustration by Nacho Molina.
Internal illustrations by Sam Lamont, John Michelbach and Adrian Smith.
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ISBN: 978-1-78251-847-1
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