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Back The Magos Save as PDF
Chapters (51)
  1. Suggested Reading Order
  2. Title Page
  3. Warhammer 40,000
  4. Introduction
  5. PESTILENCE
  6. MASTER IMUS’ TRANSGRESSION
  7. REGIA OCCULTA
  8. MISSING IN ACTION
  9. BACKCLOTH FOR A CROWN ADDITIONAL
  10. THE STRANGE DEMISE OF TITUS ENDOR
  11. THE CURIOSITY
  12. PLAYING PATIENCE
  13. THORN WISHES TALON
  14. GARDENS OF TYCHO
  15. THE KEELER IMAGE
  16. PERIHELION
  17. THE MAGOS
  18. One
  19. Two
  20. Three
  21. Four
  22. Five
  23. Six
  24. Seven
  25. Eight
  26. Nine
  27. Ten
  28. Eleven
  29. Twelve
  30. Thirteen
  31. Fourteen
  32. Fifteen
  33. Sixteen
  34. Seventeen
  35. Eighteen
  36. Nineteen
  37. Twenty
  38. Twenty-One
  39. Twenty-Two
  40. Twenty-Three
  41. Twenty-Four
  42. Twenty-Five
  43. Twenty-Six
  44. Twenty-Seven
  45. Twenty-Eight
  46. Twenty-Nine
  47. Thirty
  48. Chronology
  49. About the Author
  50. A Black Library Publication
  51. Cover

+Where is Lilean Chase?+

Jaff began to choke.

+Where is she?+

Jaff was quivering wildly. She vomited blood down her front.

+What is the King in Yellow?+

‘P-p-please…’ Jaff gurgled.

Her left eyeball burst.

‘Is Macks alive?’ Drusher yelled.

She shrieked the word ‘yes’ as she died.

Seventeen

SEVENTEEN

One Word

Drusher turned away. He leant on the platform’s rail and stared at the slowly turning cog systems of the Great Machine. He didn’t want to be sick. He was afraid that if he started he wouldn’t be able to stop.

‘That was barbaric,’ he said quietly.

‘It was necessary,’ replied Eisenhorn, his breathing ragged and rapid. ‘And Jaff was a heretic. A murderer. A traitor to me.’

Drusher turned around slowly. Eisenhorn was crouching over Jaff’s steaming remains.

‘No one deserves that,’ Drusher said.

‘You have lived a very sheltered life, magos,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘This galaxy is more cruel and dangerous than you can imagine. When you fight against it, you cannot afford to be sentimental or squeamish.’

‘I know about you,’ said Drusher.

‘I resent your interruption,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘I was interrogating, at great cost to myself. There were a few seconds left. You jumped in with your question–’

‘I needed to know about Germaine–’

‘You are fond of the marshal,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘I understand. You must understand she is an insignificant part of this. So are you, and so am I. Your sentiment betrays you. A life or two, a hundred, a thousand, they are collateral in this war.’

‘I am quite content to remain a creature of sentiment for the rest of my life,’ replied Drusher. ‘I am very glad I am not like you. I told you, I know about you. You chose to ignore the remark.’

Eisenhorn rose to face him. He looked drawn and deathly pale.

‘What is it you think you know, magos?’

‘You are no inquisitor,’ said Drusher. ‘Perhaps once, but not now. You are a rogue, disavowed by your own kind. Whatever war you are waging, whatever quest you’re on, it’s yours alone. You are not sanctioned. There is no official support.’

‘There is truth in that,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘But it only serves to demonstrate that the Holy Ordos don’t appreciate the extremity or scale of this threat. I have warned them. They have ignored the warning. Therefore, I must act alone, or no one will stand against it.’

‘But it bothers you,’ said Drusher. ‘You lied. You and Voriet, you maintain the pretence that you are of the ordos. That you still have that authority. You used that lie to recruit me and to drum up the support of Macks and her deputies.’

‘The rosette of the Inquisition has clout,’ said Eisenhorn. ‘It has influence. You would not have assisted me otherwise… or it would have taken a great deal more persuasion. The guise of inquisitor is expedient in my work.’