The whole comet had been hollowed out two centuries before and become a resting place for the bones of the greatest heroes from the War of Unification and the Great Crusade. The skull of Skand, first of the Thunder Lords to fall in battle, had been laid here beside that of Maxilla, Barkeria Vu and thousands more. It had been a shrine to unity and heroism, and the Word Bearers had guarded its halls since the time before they had borne that name. They were still there when their treachery had been revealed, and so Rogal Dorn had sent his sons to slay them. They had done that. But, with the limited insight typical of the VII Legion, they had not thought to ask a deeper question: why had the Word Bearers remained at all?

Rockets loosed from the wings of the gunships. Fire erupted across the sealed breaches in the comet’s skin. Shreds of metal and stone erupted into the vacuum. The gunships slid through the reopened wounds into the comet’s interior.

Ahriman was on his feet before the gunship settled. His brothers followed, turning in perfect time as they moved to match him. Air misted into the cold dark as the hatch released. The space beyond was silent and still. Sunlight shone in through the holes to the void. Soot and scorch marks covered the visible floor and walls. Dry, broken bones lay at the base of walls of skulls. Ahriman’s eyes picked out names and deeds carved across the foreheads of each. Thousands of empty eye sockets returned his gaze. He let out a breath inside his helm. It tasted of dust.

He felt the ghosts of myriad wars whisper and rattle at the edge of his senses. Voices of ancient battles clung to the teeth of the skulls. The blood spilt by the Word Bearers before their purging filled his mouth with the taste of copper and iron. Around him the rest of the Thousand Sons spread out in rings, their eyes turned out, and their thoughts turning in harmony.

Beyond them, the hatches on three Word Bearers gunships opened. Bones and parchment covered the warriors that emerged. Half of them led thin humans in white robes. Unsuited, the mortals began to choke as they staggered down the ramp and knelt. The Word Bearers cut their throats before their hearts stopped. The prayers in each of the humans’ minds became a shriek as their death thrust the words deep into the ether. Blood splashed the scorched floor.