Free Galaxy in Flames by Ben Counter

yet,’ said Horus, lowering his arm and letting the body of Ing Mae Sing slide from the claws of his gauntlet.
    Erebus shrugged and began chanting words from the Book of Lorgar , his voice dark and guttural as he called upon the gods of the warp to send their emissary.
    Despite the brightness of the fire, the lodge darkened and Erebus felt the temperature fall, a chill wind gusting from somewhere unseen and unknown. It carried the dust of ages past and the ruin of empires in its every breath, and ageless eternity was borne upon the unnatural zephyr.
    ‘Is this supposed to happen?’ asked Regulus.
    Erebus smiled and nodded without answering as the air grew icy, the whisperers gibbering in unreasoning fear as they felt the arrival of something ancient and terrible. Shadows gathered in the corners of the room, although no light shone to cast them and a racing whip of malicious laughter spiraled around the chamber.
    Regulus spun on hissing bearings as he sought to identify the source of the sounds, his ocular implants whirring as they struggled to find focus in the darkness. Frost gathered on the struts and pipes high above them.
    Horus stood unmoving as the shadows of the chamber hissed and spat, a chorus of voices that came from everywhere and nowhere.
    ‘You are the one your kind calls Warmaster?’
    Erebus nodded as Horus looked over at him.
    ‘I am,’ said Horus. ‘Warmaster of the Great Crusade. To whom do I speak?’
    ‘I am Sarr’Kell,’ said the voice. ‘Lord of the Shadows!’
    T HE THREE OF them made their way swiftly through the decks of the Vengeful Spirit , heading down towards the tiled environment of the medicae deck. Sindermann kept the pace as brisk as he could; his breath sharp and painful as they hurried to save the saint from whatever dark fate awaited her.
    ‘What do you expect to find when we reach the saint, iterator?’ asked Jonah Aruken, his nervous hands fingering the catch on his pistol holster.
    Sindermann thought of the small medicae cell where he and Mersadie Oliton had stood vigil over Euphrati and wondered that same thought.
    ‘I don’t know exactly,’ he said. ‘I just know we have to help.’
    ‘I just hope a frail old man and our pistols are up to the job.’
    ‘What do you mean?’ asked Sindermann, as they descended a wide screw stair that led deeper into the ship.
    ‘Well, I just wonder how you plan to fight the kind of danger that could threaten a saint. I mean, whatever it is must be pretty damn dangerous, yes?’
    Sindermann paused in his descent, as much to catch his breath as to answer Aruken.
    ‘Whoever sent me that warning obviously thinks that I can help,’ he said.
    ‘And that’s enough for you?’ asked Aruken.
    ‘Jonah, leave him alone,’ cautioned Titus Cassar.
    ‘No, damn it, I won’t,’ said Aruken. ‘This is serious and we could get in real trouble. I mean, this Keeler woman, she’s supposed to be all saintly, yes? Then why doesn’t the power of the Emperor save her? Why does he need us?’
    ‘The Emperor works through His faithful servants, Jonah,’ explained Titus. ‘It is not enough to simply believe and await divine intervention to sweep down from the heavens and set the world to rights. The Emperor has shown us the path and it is up to us to seize this chance to do His will.’
    Sindermann watched the exchange between the two crewmen, his anxiety growing with every second that passed.
    ‘I don’t know if I can do this, Titus,’ said Aruken, ‘not without some proof that we’re doing the right thing.’
    ‘We are, Jonah,’ pressed Titus. ‘You must trust that the Emperor has a plan for you.’
    ‘The Emperor may or may not have a plan for me, but I sure as hell do,’ snapped Aruken. ‘I want command of a Titan, and that’s not going to happen if we get caught doing something stupid.’
    ‘Please!’ cut in Sindermann, his chest hurting with worry for the saint. ‘We have to go! Something terrible is coming to harm her and we