“If what you are saying is true then we must no longer allow ourselves to be manipulated.” Ragnar said.
“Yes, but blood has been spilled on both sides. How can you and I bring this to an end?” Jeremiah’s question was valid. How would they achieve this?
“Your team and the Wolfblade have managed to set aside our differences and forge an alliance, fragile as it is. If we can do it, then so can our Chapters. We must find and defeat the true enemy. We must succeed, Jeremiah. We must.”
Ragnar headed for the elevator. They had to move and move quickly. Each moment that the battle raged would make ending it even harder. Reaching the control panel to summon the elevator, Ragnar realised that Jeremiah had not followed. He turned to face his new Dark Angel ally.
“Ragnar, there is one more thing I must ask of you. Cadmus is an enemy of the Dark Angels and I must complete my mission,” Jeremiah said with guarded confidence.
“Cadmus killed Magni and abducted Gabriella, his life ends at the point of my blade.”
“I understand how you feel, Ragnar, but you must understand that I am a Son of the Lion, and Cadmus is mine.” Jeremiah’s voice was unwavering and firm. He could see the anger cross Ragnar’s face. His eyes were filled with rage.
He made one last attempt to gain the Space Wolfs understanding.
“You just told me that we must get our brothers to set aside their ancient distrust and bring this conflict to an end. We’re not even out of this room and already we’re back to this.” Jeremiah continued. “I, like you, have made an oath to serve, an oath of loyalty! I cannot — will not — set that aside. I pledge to you that I will stand by your side and do anything we need to bring this conflict to an end, but I personally must deal with Cadmus.”
Ragnar considered what the Dark Angel had just said. Evaluating the events of the last few days, he put himself into Jeremiah’s position. Again, he asked himself what he would do if things were reversed. He would not allow anything to deter him from his goal. Jeremiah was not what he would have expected from a Dark Angel. In fact, he was surprised at how alike they actually were, and if this was about redemption… He wondered what he would do to make up for the Spear of Russ.
Ragnar extended his hand to Jeremiah. Jeremiah accepted his gesture of friendship and trust.
“I know that there is more between the Dark Angels and Cadmus than you have told me,” said Ragnar. “I also know that you’ve risked much in sharing with me what you already have. I understand what it means to risk something for the greater good, and that I cannot ignore. Cadmus will be yours to deal with as you see fit. You have my word as a Space Wolf.”
TEN
A Thousand Pains
Cadmus stood among servitors wired into the monitor systems, in one of Lethe’s command bunkers. These former criminals served out their sentences for cowardice, heresy and their other crimes by helping to power the many surveillance systems of Lethe’s defences. They were more machines than men and as such, they were beneath Cadmus’s notice. As far as he was concerned, he was alone, surveying the carnage throughout the city. Watching the battle unfold gave Cadmus a sense of power. He had orchestrated everything that had happened.
The door behind Cadmus opened, and Lieutenant Carson of the Hyades planetary defence force hurried inside. Carson was a young man who had risen quickly through the ranks, a tall charismatic man who had earned his rank. Carson’s bravery and calm command were legend among the rank and file, but Cadmus could tell that his officer’s vaunted courage was wavering as the Space Marines assault continued.
“We don’t have much time, commander. The Dark Angels have breached many of our defences, and the Space Wolves…” the lieutenant swallowed. “Sir, why are we attacking the Space Wolves?”
Cadmus fixed the lieutenant with his gaze. Faint beads of perspiration showed on the man’s forehead. Cadmus sighed. It wouldn’t do to have the other men see Carson afraid. It was a pity. Carson had been the type of tool that Cadmus would have forged into a legend on other worlds in times long gone.
“Come with me, Carson.” Cadmus led the lieutenant out of the monitor chamber. None of the servitors even registered the fact the two men had departed.
“Sir, where are we going?” asked Carson.
Cadmus raised his hand in answer and led the young officer down the hall to a large plasteel door.
“This is the most secure chamber in the city. I even had the servitors eliminated after its completion to maintain the security. Once we are inside, I’ll explain the plan.”
Cadmus pressed the correct runes to activate the security door. With a rumble, the massive door slowly opened.
The lieutenant strained his eyes to see inside, but the room was pitch black.
“Go in,” ordered Cadmus. The commander followed the lieutenant inside. The door slid closed quickly, surprising the lieutenant as it slammed shut. The room was cold as well as dark. Carson felt as if they had entered a tomb. The two men stood in near darkness.
“Lieutenant, you were born and raised here on Hyades, were you not?” asked Cadmus.
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you know that the people of Hyades, particularly Lethe, are some of the most defence-minded that I’ve ever met? Your people adamantly refuse to give in to the wilderness and you refuse to adapt to the world. Instead, you try and force the world to adapt to you, an admirable quality. Unfortunately, you don’t seem to realise that your world only exists at the whim of the Emperor, or should I say, the Imperial bureaucrats.”
“What?”
Cadmus smiled. “Surely, you know that the Emperor is dead in that Golden Throne of his. He’s been dead for ten thousand years. The Imperium is a lie, and the greatest liars are those devout Dark Angels come to butcher you. So, lieutenant, I’m going to give you a bit of honesty.”
“Sir?” The lieutenant took a step backwards. “I don’t understand,” he said.
“Lieutenant, I don’t care about you or anyone else on this planet. I only care about my brothers and myself. To secure my safety and defeat my enemies, I’m afraid that I’ve had to make a deal and I’m going to sacrifice Lethe to my new allies.” Cadmus said.
The commander swept his arm out in front of him. As he did, an arcane circle sparked to life in the centre of the room. A bloody red light emanated from its twisting runes. Smoke swirled within the circle, and the lieutenant thought he could see something translucent moving inside it. Whatever it was, it was fascinating, and merely gazing on it made the lieutenant’s blood freeze with terror.
“The power of the Lord of Change flows there,” whispered Cadmus. “I can tell you are intrigued. The flames mesmerise even the strongest willed men. It’s even more impressive when fully activated.”
“Why would you…? What does this…?” The lieutenant struggled with his words and emotions.
“Blood sacrifice activates it,” said Cadmus in a tone as cold as ice. His sword flashed through the air, slicing neatly through the lieutenant’s throat. Cadmus carefully caught the soldier’s body with his free hand, pushing it into the circle. The smoke turned a deep red, and a hissing sound filled the room.
Cadmus paused for a moment and wiped his sword clean as he watched the lieutenant’s blood pulsing into the circle.
“The time is now,” said Cadmus, addressing the circle of power. “I have done everything you requested. The bodies of Space Wolves and Dark Angels litter Hyades. I even have the Wolfblade here as you wanted.”
A moment of silence followed. Then a commanding voice boomed from beyond space and time.
“You have done well, Fallen. As promised, your enemies will be destroyed. Vengeance shall belong to both of us, for though you hate the Dark Angels, there is nothing that can compare to the hatred for the Space Wolves that belongs to the Thousand Sons! As for me, soon I shall personally end the life of one who has ever proven himself to be a thorn in the side of my master.”
“Surely you speak of the Wolf Lord Berek?” asked Cadmus.
“No, I speak of the whelp, Ragnar!” The portal crackled. Blue bolts of lightning cascaded from the centre, and a large form took shape.
Cadmus took a step back and gripped the hilt of his blade. Though he wouldn’t admit it, seeing the image of the huge armoured shape manifest before him put him on his guard. The Chaos Space Marine wasn’t truly in the room, he reminded himself, just appeared to speak to him via dark sorcery. Still, Cadmus couldn’t escape a feeling of dread in his gut.
“My apologies, Lord Madox,” offered Cadmus.
The huge Chaos Marine sorcerer wore blue armour traced with gold covered with ever-changing sigils of Tzeentch. It was an artifact, a relic of Chaos in its own right, exposed to the power of Tzeentch and the daemons of the warp for untold millennia. Madox’s eyeplates burned with a bright yellow-white light, and Cadmus could feel the hatred within this master of the Thousand Sons.
“The Space Wolves destroyed our planet. They betrayed us. Our master, Magnus the Red, attempted to save the Emperor, but he was ignored. Only Horus believed us, and even he did not fully accept the truth! We could have saved the Imperium then, but we will destroy it now! I have walked the surface of Fenris. I have beheld the return of my primarch from the warp. Only one thing has stopped me from being the greatest of the Thousand Sons, that insignificant wolf pup, Ragnar.”
Madox threw his head back, raised his arms, and laughed.
Cadmus was sweating. He had seen hundreds of battles and faced terrifying enemies. He had even barely escaped the Dark Angels on two occasions, but the presence of the Chaos sorcerer chilled his soul.
Madox’s voice took on a maniacal tone, and the lightning from the portal struck in tune with his laughter. “My lord Tzeentch truly is the master of Chaos, the Master of Change, the Master of Magic, and the Almighty God of Fire! Truly, he tests my resilience. Were my adversary a Wolf Lord, or a hero of the Imperium, then my defeats would find excuse, but to face an ignorant warrior has driven me to aspire to greater heights! Thank you, Tzeentch, for Ragnar, for he and he alone has shown me the way to destroy his entire cursed Chapter.”
Laughter responded in a blasphemous cacophony from the portal.
Madox looked directly at Cadmus. “Now, Fallen, as you said, it is time.”
The Chaos sorcerer raised his arm and fire raced from his fingertips into the ceiling of the bunker, burning purple, blue, indigo, yellow, green and deep red all at once.
“Let the fire in the blood of this world, bring Tzeentch’s blessing.”
Cadmus heard shrieking. The sound was soft at first, but soon it echoed from all around him.
“The deaths of the Space Marines must provide fruit. I need more than just their lives; I need their very essence. The children of Tzeentch shall come and they shall reap the souls of their enemies.”
“Lord Madox, what more do you need?” asked Cadmus. “Have I not given you everything you requested? I have made a war.”
Madox fell quiet, and the shrieking fell to an almost imperceptible scream. “I wanted more than a war. I wanted bodies. Now, I want gene-seed.”
The gene-seed was the part of every Space Marine that made them what they were. Each gene-seed contained a piece of the DNA of the primarch, the Chapter’s founder. When a warrior was chosen to become a Space Marine, the Apothecaries implanted the gene-seed within their body. Other organs would be implanted alongside the gene-seed, which controlled and regulated not only the genetic changes but also the body’s acceptance of them.
The gene-seed was the essence of a Space Marine; it was what separated them from ordinary men, far more than their signature power armour or even their faith in the Emperor.
Cadmus suddenly realised that he was just a tool for the Thousand Sons. Everything he had done meant nothing to them. He was merely a pawn in their games. His anger brought courage. He wasn’t going to let anyone, not even an ancient evil ten thousand years old, play games with him.
“My lord, I expect you to honour the terms of our agreement,” said Cadmus, “and if you don’t…”
Madox tilted his head and stared directly at the commander, and the protest died in Cadmus’s throat. The Fallen felt as if Madox looked into the depths of his soul, as if he knew everything about him. “I know that you don’t wish to finish your threat. Emotion makes you weak. Cadmus, you are not worthy of honour. In that way, you are the same as your former Chapter. I will, however, send allies to you in your time of need,” Madox laughed. “Now, we have gathered all of our pieces and set the Wolf and the Lion against each other. We must reap our bloody harvest, so we may plant the seeds of destruction for my Lord Tzeentch.”
With a burst of multi-coloured flame, the image of Madox was gone.
Cadmus found himself sweating and trembling. His heart raced in his chest, and he felt the blood burn on his cheeks. The ritual had exhausted him physically and emotionally.
“By Luther’s blade,” cursed Cadmus. He walked over to the wall in the darkened room and activated the light. Carefully worked lenses shone into the room from sculpted gargoyles and daemons. Everything about the room had been made in secret to allow this summoning circle to work, just as the sorcerer had requested.
Cadmus glared at the quiet summoning circle. “Don’t trifle with me. I’m not one of your blind cultist pawns,” he muttered to the floor, but he knew that he was the only one listening. He would survive, and one day, there would be a reckoning for all of his enemies.
The commander took a moment to regain his composure. It wouldn’t do for the men to see his anger, and he couldn’t afford to have his thoughts clouded. He checked his uniform for blood and carefully removed a few incriminating droplets. There was no sign of the lieutenant’s body or even his blood in the room. The spell had completely consumed the corpse. Cadmus shuddered.
He activated the door, and then cut the lights. He was worried, even though he knew that everything had gone according to his plan. It was all about time and sequence, one event following another. He had set this in motion and he would see it to the end. He had contacted the Thousand Sons, hadn’t he? He was the master manipulator, he reminded himself, but try as he might, he could not dispel his doubts.
Cadmus followed the security corridor past the monitor chamber and the hall to the city complex. The plasteel door at this end of the hall was a duplicate of the other. Two of his loyal men saluted as they maintained their posts. The guards were his people, subservient to his every command.
“Open the door,” he snapped. The guard nearest the control activated it as soon as he dropped the salute. The door slowly slid open and lights activated as Cadmus stepped inside.
The largely empty chamber was nondescript, a storeroom that could easily have been on a thousand planets or even starships throughout the Imperium. The room had one occupant who lay on the ground in the middle of the chamber.
Gabriella lay shackled and bound. She glared up at her captor with hate in her eyes. She looked tired from struggling. It was a pity that she was so dedicated to her house. Despite her lack of classic beauty, Cadmus admired her spirit.
Gabriella had tried in vain to free herself from her bonds, and although she realised that she was probably wasting her strength, she wasn’t going to accept any part of this power-hungry officer’s plan. “I felt the presence of Chaos. Tell me, Cadmus, are the dark forces part of your plan as well? Because if they are, you are a bigger fool than I thought.”
Cadmus knelt down over the Navigator and slapped her hard across the face. The small release of anger felt good. “I promise you, Lady Gabriella, if I die, you’ll die as well. Fortunately, I expect that your Space Wolves will show their typical lack of control and spend their energy rending the Dark Angels. While that happens, my men will kill them both. Soon, we will be in a city of the dead, and my allies will put an end to all of this.”
Gabriella smiled; she didn’t believe a word of what he said.
On the streets of Lethe, battle raged between the Dark Angels and the Spa
ce Wolves. Both sides fought fiercely against their fellow Space Marines, while the men of Lethe did their best to defend their ruined city. Two ancient champions of the Chapters met on the cratered streets.
The Dark Angels Dreadnought, Arion the Unchallenged, levelled his twin-linked lascannons at his Space Wolf counterpart, Gymir the Ice-Fisted. The blasts scored a hit, but the Space Wolf war machine took the shots on his arm instead of the sarcophagus on his chest. The glancing strike set a massive Fenrisian wolf pelt ablaze, but failed to disrupt the mind of the entombed Space Marine housed within the venerable Dreadnought’s body. The combatants on both sides paused in awe and reverence at the duel unfolding before their eyes.
The Space Wolf Dreadnought kicked aside the remains of a dead Dark Angel as if it were a child’s toy and charged, conjuring images in the minds of soldiers on all sides of a sprinting soldier rather than a lumbering mechanical walker. The Dark Angels Dreadnought met the challenge full on, swinging his power fist. Metal clanged on metal like the sounds of a giant forge.
Lieutenant Markham staggered away from the battling Dreadnoughts. He prayed that with the aid of the Space Wolves, House Belisarius would emerge triumphant. Wolf Guard Mikal had contacted the other Imperial Guard units. Markham had been lucky to encounter the Wolf Guard. Word of Cadmus’s treason was spreading, but despite that many men would stay loyal to him and assume the rumours were just a Dark Angels trick. Still, the Space Wolves were coordinating the battle. The Dark Angels had adjusted to the challenge and the battle for Lethe was in full swing.
A Leman Russ tank, reinforced with siege armour, drove down a side street. It paused to fire its massive battle cannon at a target that Markham couldn’t see. Although the Leman Russ was the main battle tank of the Imperial Guard on countless worlds, the planetary defence force kept few of them on Hyades. The vehicle’s size made it difficult to manoeuvre in city streets and in the jungle, yet each one of the tanks received more attention from the tech-priests than the Hellhounds or Chimeras. That was because of the pride that House Belisarius took in the vehicle named for the primarch of their allies, the Space Wolves.
[Space Wolf 05] - Sons of Fenris Page 19