All was well, he told himself, the rats were gone – there was nothing to fear.
He rose with a smile, suddenly remembering that it was to be a good day. He had commissioned Gepetto Montalban himself, the most famous architect in the province, to oversee the mansion’s renovations. The Guild of Miners had sent a dozen men to remove the strange glittering ore from beneath the cellar, and he had even started to put weight back on.
A smile crossed Hugo’s lips as he walked to the window, opening the shutters and looking out onto Talabheim. It wasn’t the most aesthetic of cities, it was certainly no Praag or Luccini, but it was still his city.
Glancing down he noticed the small black statuette that sat at his bedside, the first new piece of art Hugo had commissioned. It was in the shape of a hammer, in honour of Boris, and was crafted from the glittering black ore that had run beneath his house. Yes, Boris had warned him about it, and he had heeded that warning and had the glittering ore removed – but what harm could one little statuette do?
Taking a deep breath he turned, ready to break his fast heartily and sate the ravenous appetite he had recently developed, when the statuette suddenly fell from the table. Hugo stared down at it curiously. He was two feet away, how had he managed to knock it from the nightstand?
Then he saw it, just from the corner of his eye, something behind him, something long and sinuous.
He turned, looking down to see with horror that it was protruding from beneath his nightgown, twisting and writhing of its own accord, an appendage that had seemingly grown overnight – a long pink rat’s tail.
Hugo opened his mouth wide and squeaked in terror…
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
Published in 2010 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd., Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK
Cover illustration by Neil Roberts
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ISBN 978-0-85787-998-1
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Hammer and Bolter - Issue 2 Page 11