Horus Heresy: Galaxy In Flames Part 24

*Iacton Qruze?' laughed Horus mirthlessly. *We have seen no shortage of wonders, but perhaps this is the greatest of them. The Half-heard growing a conscience.'

*I have failed in this, Warmaster.'

*It is not a question of failure, Maloghurst! Mistakes like this should never occur. More and more of my efforts are distracted from this battle. Tell me, where is the Eisenstein now?'

*It attempted to break through our blockade to reach the system jump point.'

*You say "attempted",' noted Horus. *It did not succeed?'

Maloghurst paused before answering. *Several of our ships intercepted the Eisenstein and heavily damaged it.'

*But they did not destroy it?'

*No, my lord, before they could do so, the Eisenstein's commander made an emergency jump into the warp, but the ship was so badly damaged that we do not believe it could survive such a translation.'

*If it does, then the whole timetable of my designs will be disrupted.'

*The warp is dark, Warmaster. It is unlikely that-'

*Do not be so sure of yourself, Maloghurst,' warned Horus. *The Isstvan V phase is critical to our success and if the Eisenstein carries word of our plans to Terra, then all may be lost.'

*Perhaps, Warmaster, if we were to withdraw from the Choral City and blockade the planet, we could ensure that the Isstvan V phase proceeds as planned.'

*I am the Warmaster and I do not back down from a battle!' shouted Horus. *There are goals to be won in the Choral City that you cannot comprehend.'

Horus was shaken from his memories by the chiming of the communications array fitted into the arm of his throne. *This is the Warmaster.'

A holomat installed beneath the floor projected a large square plane on which swirled an image, high above the Warmaster's temple. The image resolved into the face of Lord Commander Eidolon, evidently inside his command Land Raider. The sound of distant explosions washed through the static.

*Warmaster,' said Eidolon. *I bring news that I feel you should hear.'

*Tell me,' said Horus, *and it had better be good news.'

*Oh, it is, my lord,' said Eidolon. *Well, don't drag this out, Eidolon,' warned Horus. *Tell me!'

*We have an ally inside the palace.'

*An ally? Who?'

*Lucius.'

THE AFTERMATH OF a battle was the worst part.

An Astartes warrior was used to the tension of waiting for an attack to come, and even the din and pain of battle itself. But Loken never wished for a time without war more than when he saw what was left after the battle had finished. He didn't experience fear or despair in the manner of a mortal man, but he felt sorrow and guilt as they did.

Angron's latest attack had been one of the fiercest yet, the primarch himself leading it, charging through the ruins of the palace dome towards Loken's defences. Thousands of blood covered World Eaters had followed him and many of those warriors still lay where they had fallen.

Once this place had been part of the palace, a handsome garden with summer-houses, ornamental lakes and a roof that opened up to the sun. Now it was a rubble-strewn ruin, its roof collapsed and only an incongruous decorated post or the splintered remains of an ornamental bridge remaining of its finery.

The bodies of the World Eaters were concentrated on the forward barricade, a line of heaped rubble and metal spikes constructed by the Luna Wolves. Angron had attacked it in force and Torgaddon had relinquished it, letting the World Eaters die for it before his Astartes fell back to the defences at the entrance of the palace's central dome. The ruse had worked and the World Eaters had been strung out as they charged at Loken's position. Many had died to the guns Tarvitz had stationed above the barricades, and by the time Loken's sword had left its sheath it was only momentum that kept the World Eaters fighting a victory was beyond them.

Luna Wolves were mixed in with the World Eaters' dead, warriors Loken had known for years. Although the sounds of battle had faded, Loken fancied he could still hear echoes of the fighting, chainblades ripping through armour and volleys of bolter rounds splitting the air.

*It was a close run thing, Garviel,' said a voice from behind Loken, *but we did it.'

Loken glanced round to see Saul Tarvitz emerging from the central dome. Loken smiled as he saw his friend and battle-brother, a man who had come a long way from the line officer he had been back on Murder to command the survivors of Horus's treachery.

*Angron will be back,' said Loken.

*Their ruse failed, though,' said Tarvitz.

*They don't need to break in, Saul,' said Loken. *Horus will whittle us down until there's no one left. Then Eidolon and Angron can just roll over us.'

*Not forgetting the Warmaster's Sons of Horus,' said Tarvitz.

Loken shrugged. *There's no need for them to get involved yet. Eidolon wants the glory and the World Eaters are hungry for blood. The Warmaster will happily let the other Legions wear us down before they strike.'

*That's changed,' said Tarvitz.

*What do you mean?'

*I've just had word from Lucius,' explained Tarvitz. *He tells me that his communications specialists have broken the Sons of Horus communiques. Some old friends of yours are coming down from the Vengeful Spirit to lead the Legion.'

Loken turned from the battlefield, suddenly interested. *Who?'

*Ezekyle Abaddon and Horus Aximand,' said Tarvitz. *Apparently they are to bring the Warmaster's own wrath down upon the city. The Sons of Horus will be playing their hand soon enough, I think.'

Abaddon and Aximand, the arch-traitors, men Loken had admired for so long and the heart of the Mournival. Both warriors stood at Horus's right hand and possibilities flashed through Loken's mind. Deprived of the last of its Mournival, a crucial part of the Legion would die and it would start unraveling without such inspirational figureheads. *Saul, are you certain?' asked Loken urgently. *As sure as I can be, but Lucius seemed pretty excited by the news.'

*Did this intercept say where they would be landing?' demanded Loken.

*It did,' smiled Lucius. *The Mackaran Basilica, just beyond the palace. It's a big temple with a spire in the shape of a trident.'

*I have to find Tarik.'

*He is with Nero Vipus, helping Vaddon with the wounded.'

*Thank you for bringing me this news, Saul,' said Loken with a cruel smile. *This changes everything.'

LUCIUS PEERED PAST the bullet-riddled pillar, scanning through the darkness of one of the many battlefields scattered throughout the ruins of the palace. Bodies, bolters and chainaxes lay on the shattered tiles where they had been dropped and many of the bodies were still locked in their last, fatal combat.

It had not been difficult for Lucius to slip out of the palace. The biggest danger had been the snipers of the recon squads the Warmaster's forces had deployed among the ruins. Lucius had spied movement in the ruined buildings several times and had taken cover in sh.e.l.l craters or behind heaps of corpses.

Squirming through the filth and darkness like an animal a it had been humiliating, though the sights, sounds and smells of these battlefields still filled his senses in an arousing way. He stepped warily into the courtyard. The bodies that lay everywhere had been butchered, hacked apart with chainblades or battered to death with fists.

It was an ugly spectacle, yet he relished the image of how intense their deaths must have been.

*No artistry,' he said to himself as a gold and purple armoured figure detached from the shadows. A score of warriors followed him and Lucius smiled as he recognised Lord Commander Eidolon.

*Lord commander,' said Lucius, *it is a pleasure to stand before you once more.'

*d.a.m.n your blandishments!' spat Eidolon. *You are a traitor twice over.'

*That's as maybe,' said Lucius, slouching on a fallen pillar of black marble, *but I am here to give you what you want.'

*Ha!' scoffed Eidolon. *What can you give us, traitor?'

*Victory,' said Lucius.

*Victory?' laughed Eidolon. *You think we need your help to give us that? We have you in a vice! One by one, death by death, victory will be ours!'

*And how many warriors will you lose to achieve it?' retorted Lucius. *How many of Fulgrim's chosen are you willing to throw into a battle that should never have been fought at all? You can end this right now, right here, and keep all your Astartes alive for the real battle! When the Emperor sends his reply to Horus's treachery you will need every single one of your battle-brothers and you know it.'

*And what would be your price for this invaluable help?' asked Eidolon.

*Simple,' said Lucius. *I want to rejoin the Legion.'

Eidolon laughed in his face and Lucius felt the song of death surge painfully through his body, but he forced its killing music back down inside him.

*Are you serious, Lucius?' demanded Eidolon. *What makes you think we want you back?'

*You need someone like me, Eidolon. I want to be part of a Legion that respects my skills and ambition. I am not content to stay a captain for the rest of my life like that wretch Tarvitz. I will be at Fulgrim's side where I belong.'

*Tarvitz,' spat Eidolon. *Does he still live?'

*He lives,' nodded Lucius, *although I will gladly kill him for you. The glory of this battle should be mine, yet he lords over us all as if he is one of the chosen.'

Lucius felt his bitterness rise and fought to maintain his composure. *He was once happy to trudge alongside his warriors and leave better men to the glory, but he has chosen this battle to discover his ambition. It's thanks to him that I'm down here at all.'

*You ask for a great deal of trust, Lucius,' said Eidolon.

*I do, but think what I can give you: the palace, Tarvitz.'

*We will have these things anyway.'

*We are a proud Legion, lord commander, but we never send our brothers to their deaths to prove a point.'

*We follow the orders of the Warmaster in all things,' replied Eidolon guardedly.

*Indeed,' noted Lucius, *but what if I said I can give you a victory so sudden it will be yours and yours alone. The World Eaters and the Sons of Horus will only flounder in your wake.'

Lucius could see he had caught Eidolon's interest and suppressed a smile. Now all he had to was reel him in.

*Speak,' commanded Eidolon.

*I'M COMING WITH you, Garvi,' said Nero Vipus, walking into the only dome of the palace not to be ruined by the siege. It had once been an auditorium with a stage and rows of gilded seats, where the music of creation had once played to the Choral City's elite, but now it was moldering and dark.

Loken rose from his battle meditation, seeing Vipus standing before him and said, *I knew you would wish to come, but this is something Tarik and I have to do alone.'

*Alone?' said Vipus. *That's madness. Ezekyle and Little Horus are the best soldiers the Legion has ever had. You can't go up against them alone.'

Loken placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and said, *The palace will fall soon enough with or without Tarik and me. Saul Tarvitz has done unimaginable things in keeping us all alive as long as he has, but ultimately the palace will fall.'

*Then what's the point of throwing your life away hunting down Ezekyle and Little Horus?' demanded Vipus.

*We only have one goal on Isstvan III, Nero, and that's to hurt the Warmaster. If we can kill the last of the Mournival then the Warmaster's plans suffer. Nothing else matters.'

*You said we were supposed to be holding the traitors here while the Emperor sent the other Legions to save us. Is that not true any more? Are we on our own?'

Loken shook his head and retrieved his sword from where he had propped it against the wall. *I don't know, Nero. Maybe the Emperor has sent the Legions to rescue us, maybe he hasn't, but we have to a.s.sume that we're on our own. I'm not going to fight with nothing but blind hope to keep me going. I'm going to make a stand.'

*And that's what I want to do,' said Vipus, *at my friend's side.'

*No, you need to stay here,' said Loken. *Your stand must be made here. Every minute you keep the traitors here is another minute for the Emperor to bring the Warmaster to justice. This killing is Mournival business, Nero. Do you understand?'

*Frankly, no,' said Nero, *but I will do as you ask and stay here.'

Loken smiled. *Don't mourn me yet, Nero. Tarik and I may yet prevail.'

*You'd better,' said Vipus. *The Luna Wolves need you.'

Loken felt humbled by Nero's words and embraced his oldest friend. He dearly wished he could tell him that there was yet hope and that he expected to return alive from this mission.

*Garviel,' said a familiar voice from the entrance to the dome.

Loken and Nero released each other from their brotherly embrace and saw Saul Tarvitz, framed in the wan light of the auditorium's entrance. *Saul,' said Loken.

*It's time,' said Tarvitz. *We're ready to create the diversion you requested.'

Loken nodded and smiled at the two brave warriors, men he had fought through h.e.l.l for and would do so a hundred times more. The honour they did him just by being his friends made his chest swell with pride. *Captain Loken,' said Tarvitz formally. *It may be that this is the last time we will meet.'

*I do not think,' replied Loken, *there is any "maybe" about it.'

*Then I will wish you all speed, Garviel,'

*All speed, Saul,' said Loken, offering his hand to Tarvitz. *For the Emperor,'

*For the Emperor,' echoed Tarvitz.

With his farewells said, Loken made his way from the auditorium, leaving Tarvitz and Vipus to organize the defences for the next attack.

Surviving tactical maps indicated that the Mackaran Basilica lay to the north of their position and as he made his way towards the point he had selected as the best place to leave the palace he found Torgaddon waiting for him. *You saw Vipus?' asked Torgaddon.

*I did,' nodded Loken. *He wanted to come with us.'

Torgaddon shook his head. *This is Mournival business.'

*That's what I told him.'