by David Guymer
White hair scuffed like a dandelion clock, eyes dampened like crushed lavender, Mori sat amidst the burned, stake-like pilings of the jetty and stared across the water to the ruins of the other side. She sat with crossed legs, brown water halfway to submerging her knees. The sporadic sounds of musket-fire came from distant quarters, an occasional shriek to startle the circling gulls. She did not know how long she had been sitting there.
She gave a sniff and wiped a tear from her eye. Her sleeve was muddy. She did not care.
Watching the dappling brilliance arc subtly through the water to face the drifting sun, she gradually became aware that she was not alone. With a giddy rush she spun around. The crush of disappointment was instant. The beach was empty but for gulls.
But she felt something there.
‘Hello?’
Her voice echoed back to her. Her heart knotted. It was as if she heard another’s voice.
‘Hello,’ she called again, waiting for the echo.
Why do you weep, daughter?
Mori froze, splayed fingers sinking into the silt. ‘F-father?’
Not yet.
‘Sigmar?’ she whispered, looking tentatively to the sky.
So much more.
Mori looked dubious, but she said nothing. It felt good just to be able to speak and have another reply in kind.
One fruit withers on the vine, while another will flourish. The forest burns to allow young saplings to cast their own darkness.
‘I… I don’t understand?’
Follow the river to the south gate, then take the Totenwald path to Drachenfels. There the barriers between worlds will be thin enough for me to speak with you again.
Joints cold and stiff, Mori stood, looking up the deserted beach to catch a glimpse of he who spoke. There was no one there. His words seemed to appear directly in her mind.
From there I will show you the Paths of the Old Ones. Mordheim has been denied me, but a fresh evil will soon arise on distant Albion. Damnation teaches nothing if not persistence.
‘Why do you want me?’
The voice chuckled, like a winter chill on bleak scarp.
Dark Gods demand a high price, daughter. But they are fair.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Guymer is no stranger to the worlds of Warhammer, with exciting stories in Gotrek and Felix: The Anthology and Hammer and Bolter, and much more on the way. He is a freelance writer and occasional scientist based in the East Riding. When not writing, David can be found exorcising his disappointment at the gaming table and preparing for the ascension of the children of the Horned Rat.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2013 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK
Cover illustration by Phrolian Gardner.
Map by Nuala Kinrade.
© Games Workshop Limited 2013. All rights reserved.
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A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-78251-151-9
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y of the Damned
