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Chapters (41)
  1. Cover
  2. Backlist
  3. Warhammer 40,000
  4. Preface
  5. Chapter one
  6. Chapter two
  7. Chapter three
  8. Chapter four
  9. Chapter five
  10. Chapter six
  11. Chapter seven
  12. Chapter eight
  13. Chapter nine
  14. Chapter ten
  15. Chapter eleven
  16. Chapter twelve
  17. Chapter thirteen
  18. Chapter fourteen
  19. Chapter fifteen
  20. Chapter sixteen
  21. Chapter seventeen
  22. Chapter eighteen
  23. Chapter nineteen
  24. Chapter twenty
  25. Chapter twenty-one
  26. Chapter twenty-two
  27. Chapter twenty-three
  28. Chapter twenty-four
  29. Chapter twenty-five
  30. Chapter twenty-six
  31. Chapter twenty-seven
  32. Chapter twenty-eight
  33. Chapter twenty-nine
  34. Chapter thirty
  35. Chapter thirty-one
  36. Chapter thirty-two
  37. Chapter thirty-three
  38. Postface
  39. About the Author
  40. An Extract from ‘Dawn of Fire: Avenging Son’
  41. A Black Library Publication

‘Get him out of here,’ he hissed, but I pushed him aside. I could not process it all, but one image was burned into my mind. I sought Shard, who was smiling, no doubt at my discomfort. I tried to speak, but I could not find my vocal cords. Instead, I pointed through the broken window to the skies beyond. I could see people were laughing now, perhaps taking the spectacle to be part of the festivities.

I focused on the grinning Shard, stabbing my finger wordlessly to the sky.

‘Yes.’ She nodded, as though addressing a child. ‘Window. He came through the window. Can you say window?’

I shook my head, still unable to speak. Instead I did the only thing I could think of, thrusting out my jaw and mimicking tusks with my fingers. As I grunted helplessly, laughter erupted across the room

Except for Shard. Her smile had faded.

‘Orks,’ she whispered, glancing to Wing Commander Prospherous. I could not hear what she said next, only Prospherous’ bellowed orders to get to the hangar. As Shard and the other pilots broke into a run, shoving the confused guests aside, I sank back to my knees. Mizar’s machine-memories were still clawing at my consciousness, but I knew what I had seen: the ork craft accelerating, intent on the château.

As my eyes glazed, I heard the distant thud of Hydra flak batteries.

Chapter twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

I cannot be certain when I regained consciousness. I remember being stretchered by two members of the ground crew, only for Stylee to reprimand them, insisting that I be taken to the governor’s physician. The subsequent debate might have persisted indefinitely, were it not for the explosion that lit the sky. As shrapnel rained down, it was decided the discussion could be postponed, at least until they were under cover. I would have agreed if I could speak, but my motor control was still limited. Mizar, like an excited child, sought to transfer every scrap of data it had accumulated in its travels. As the sky was lit by las-bolts and flames, I was treated to flashes of its pilgrimage. I saw remarkable flora and fauna, as well as rusted cabins nestled deep in the swamp. They had once belonged to the workers, but those unfortunates were lost, their bones strung between the gnarl-vines, perhaps marking terri­torial boundaries.

A cracked ceiling of pressed flakboard loomed into view, suggesting the ground crew had found cover. But Mizar’s eye was now drawn to the battle above. A squadron of Thunderbolts pirouetted through the invading orks, the lead claiming a greenskin fighter with every flash of its lascannons. I knew it was Shard, for who else had such precision? But Mizar was too awestruck by the carnage, and could not focus on any one target, its gaze flitting between duelling fighters. I tried to exert some influence, but the seer-skull took this as a signal to re-establish the data upload.