Path of the Seer
Page 30
The eldar leapt over the rocks and scrub, closing in on the jutting cliff where the Space Marines were stationed. The Dire Avengers opened fire as soon as the first enemy came into view.
The Space Marine fell, his thick armour scored by hundreds of shurikens, weaker joints and eye lenses shredded and shattered by the fusillade of discs. Almost immediately the other Space Marines returned fire, fiery bolts screaming back into the attacking eldar, three Dire Avengers smashed from their feet by bloody impacts.
Methrain and Nenamin cast their singing spears into the Space Marines, the triangular heads of the weapons gleaming with psychic energy. Both struck their targets, cutting through armour and fused ribcages to pierce vital organs. Thirianna let fly a ripple of lightning from her sword as she sprinted forwards, shattering the armour of another Space Marine.
The Librarian turned swiftly, instantly alert to the threat but, thanks to Thirianna, not psychically forewarned. Like the others he was clad in powered armour, of a deep blue, only his shoulder pads sharing the heraldry of his companions. His armour was scuffed and scored from fierce fighting and Thirianna sensed a wave of malicious intent. The Son of Orar held up a staff topped by an ornately carved rendition of a ram’s head. The skein buckled as he summoned power, drawing in an immense swell of energy. Thirianna leapt to her right as a blast of pure white light erupted towards her, obliterating two of the Dire Avengers following behind the farseer.
Thirianna dodged back and forth as boltgun rounds split the air around her, runic wards blazing into life as some struck home. In moments she had closed the gap and was swinging her sword at the Space Marine’s helmeted head. The Librarian met her witchblade with the haft of his staff, smashing Thirianna to one side with his raw strength.
With his other hand he drew a shimmering sword, psychic energy playing along the crystalline seams threaded through the blade.
The Librarian swung at Thirianna’s head as he tried to reach into her thoughts and shred her mind. She deflected the first with her witchblade and the second with a deft turn of thought, sending the psychic blast back to where it came from.
The staff blazed again, hurling Thirianna from her feet as serpentine psychic energy crawled across her rune armour. She recovered swiftly, jumping to her feet to avoid a second blast. Fire raged from her sword, catching the Librarian in the shoulder, scorching paint and leaving a blackened sworl across the grey material beneath.
She saw his head was surrounded by a tracery of cables and wires and could feel the psychic power flowing along these conduits. She fired her shuriken pistol into the Space Marine’s chest and he turned a shoulder towards her to catch the flying projectiles on his armoured pad.
The pistol shots had been a feint. The Space Marine was out of position as Thirianna spun past him, jumping up to lance the tip of her witchblade into the gap between helm and the power plant of the Space Marine’s backpack. Cables exploded with raw psychic power as the edge of Thirianna’s weapon swept through the psychic wiring.
The Librarian lashed out with his staff, catching Thirianna in the back, sending her face-first into the dirt.
She did not need to see her foe to strike.
She snatched up the Librarian’s thread of fate, now blazing and hot without the defences of his psychic hood. She sent a surge of power racing along its length, pouring all of her hatred and rage into the blast.
Rolling to her feet, Thirianna turned in time to see the Space Marine reeling back, his eyes burning through their lenses, staff and sword falling from his spasming hands. Thirianna could feel the iron shields of his mind closing down and knew she had only another moment to finish this.
She leapt, bringing down the witchblade with all of her force, infusing the weapon with the last of her mental strength, turning it into a diamond-hard blade that split the Librarian’s head from scalp to jaw.
Thirianna landed as the Space Marine’s body crashed to the ground, brains and blood spilling from the fatal wound.
Desperately Thirianna returned to the skein to see if the Space Marines had been pulled back to reserve, ready to thwart the eldar assault.
Relief flooded through her as she saw the Avatar striding into the heart of the humans’ defences, cutting down everything in its path. The Aspect Warriors tore into the Imperial army while aircraft raked them from above. The humans fled the assault, the Space Marines falling back to the edge of the dome, far from the infinity core.
Alaitoc’s rune wavered, balanced between salvation and death once more.
The hawks circle. The time to strike is nigh.
Thirianna knew the meaning of the words sent to her by Kelamith. She reached to her belt to cast another rune: the Wanderer. Exhausted, she had enough strength left to spare for a moment of worry. For her whole life she had striven for control. She had laboured hard to manage her own affairs and choose her own direction. Her stomach sank at the thought of what she had to do, but there was no option, it had been agreed by the council.
The skein rippled as she poured what little remained of her willpower into the Wanderer, sending the signal for the final phase of the battle to begin. The infinity circuit blazed with the single rune and the skein became a maelstrom of energy, swirling all about the sigil.
The fate of Alaitoc was cast and Thirianna had left it in the hands of the selfish, capricious Aradryan.
It was now up to the outcast to bring peace to Alaitoc.
Discover the fate of Alaitoc in book three of the Path of the Eldar series, Path of the Outcast.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gav Thorpe has been rampaging across the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 for many years as both an author and games developer. He hails from the den of scurvy outlaws called Nottingham and makes regular sorties to unleash bloodshed and mayhem. He shares his hideout with Dennis, a psychotic mechanical hamster currently planning the overthrow of a small South American country.
Gav’s previous novels include fan-favourite Angels of Darkness and the epic Sundering trilogy, amongst many others.
You can find his website at: mechanicalhamster.wordpress.com
For Marc. If you wish to experience this tale as the Farseer does, turn to the end, read backwards and plan all life accordingly.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2011 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK
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Cover illustration by Neil Roberts.
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ISBN 978-0-85787-167-1
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