Something was moving at the periphery of his vision. A sound like cracked parchment and worn leather filled Dak'ir's senses. Twisting, he saw a shadow slithering low and fast through the dark alcoves that surrounded the temple. An impression pressed at the fringe of his mind… incarnadine scales, a long serpentine body.
Dak'ir spun, trying to follow the spectre's path. A barbed tail - huge, like that of some primordial lizard - disappeared from view.
A crackle of embers, the reek of burning from behind him made Dak'ir turn. A spit of flame died: a silhouette of something large and monstrous lurking in the alcoves faded with it.
'Stand with me…'
Kadai had to heave the breath into his lungs to speak. He had slumped to one knee, using his thunder hammer as support. Blood eked from the cuts in his armour, staining it an ugly dark red. Still he reached out for his battle-brother.
Dak'ir's gaze flicked back to the creature. He felt its malice like a tangible thing, tracked its position from the shifting shadows and the reek of its foul breath, like old blood and decay.
He cried out -
'You shall not have him!'
- and rushed in to face it.
Chainsword whirring, Dak'ir barrelled into the darkness, tracking the monster's forbidding shadow. It shifted slightly as he came at it. There was the suggestion of a maw, blade- long fangs, settling wings…
Then it was gone.
White heat flared in his mind and Dak'ir turned, knowing in his heart that he was already too late.
The monster was behind him, looming over Kadai who was still reaching, seemingly oblivious to the danger.
Red scales shimmered like blood, immense membranous wings unfolded like old, dark leather. A thickly muscled body squatted slovenly, its barrel-chest expanding with a wheezing, sucking breath. Thin plumes of smoke trickled upwards from a long snout, its maw filled with sharp and yellow fangs. Hot saliva dripped from the beast's mouth, a slowly widening crack as its jaws parted, splashing against the ground with an acidic hiss.
Dak'ir ran, desperate to put himself between this monster and his stricken captain.
The dragon opened its jaws fully and Kadai was engulfed by an inferno, a blazing wall of fire thrown up in Dak'ir's path.
Through the haze Kadai and the beast became rippling heat shadows, dark brown and indistinct. Slowly the silhouette of the dragon changed, becoming humanoid. It was now a vast armoured warrior, a fallen Angel of Death, a renegade, and the raging flame was the incandescent beam of a multi-melta.
Kadai roared in agony and Dak'ir's anguished cry joined it, merging into a unified bellow of pain.
'Nooooooo!'
Dak'ir ran on - at least he would claim his vengeance - but found he was encumbered by his armour, so slow and heavy that the ground gave way beneath his feet and he fell…
The temple bled away, replaced by darkness and the sensation of crippling heat against his face. His skin was burning, alive with fire. The pain was intense, tearing at the left side of Dak'ir's face. He tried to cry out but his tongue had become ash. He tried to move but his arms and legs were blackened bones. As the last vestiges of his mind gave in to agony, he realised he was on Kadai's pyre-slab with the fire raging around him. He was sinking into the river of lava. The pain was almost unbearable as Dak'ir was fully submerged below the surface. Utter blackness swallowed him.
Then nothing. No heat, or fire, or pain. Merely silence and the absence of being.
A slash of red, the rancid whiff of decay in his nostrils. Kadai's face flashed before him, bloody and gaunt, half destroyed by the melta's beam.
His ghastly eyes were shut; his ruined mouth pinched as if stapled.
Kadai's voice emanated from the gloom, assailing Dak'ir from everywhere at once, yet his ragged lips did not part.
'Abandon hope, all ye who enter…'
Then the dead captain's eyes flicked open, revealing hollow sockets. His jaw gaped, as if the muscles holding it shut had been abruptly cut.
'Why did you let me die?'
Dak'ir ierked awake
. Cold sweat veneered his face behind the hard plate of his battle-helm. Blinking, he caught fragments of his surroundings through his optical lenses.
Biological data, relayed from his power armour's internal systems and linked to his Space Marine physiology, materialised on his helmet display. Grainy crimson resolution revealed heightened breathing, accelerated blood pressure and a spiking heart rate. Myriad screens of diagnostic information flickered by between Dak'ir's slowing heartbeat, his ocular implant absorbing it all and storing it subconsciously.
Engaging a series of calming routines, hypno-conditioned for automatic and instinctive activation, Dak'ir fought his body back to equilibrium again. It was only then that he realised where he was.
The cool darkness of the Chamber Sanctuarine enveloped him. Re-scanning the battle-helm's data array, he accessed mission schemata and encoded briefings through a series of sub-vocal commands.
Dak'ir was aboard the
Fire- wyvern
on long-range reconnoitre in the Hadron Belt. The strike cruiser
Vulkan's Wrath
was several hours behind them in the gulf of realspace.
Engine noise of the gunship crashed back into being. Impelled by the on-board fusion reactor, the raucous din of turbofans assailed the Salamander's auditory canals. Dak'ir filtered out the worst of it via his Lyman's ear implant until he had readjusted a few seconds later. He was now fully aware. The dream-vision faded like dispersing smoke, though he caught fragments still - the dragon and Kadai's ruined face lingering like dirty splinters embedded in his subconscious.
Secured in a grav-harness, Dak'ir saw he was surrounded by his battle- brothers. Their eyes glowed faintly in the gloom like hot coals. Fully armed and armoured, the Salamanders' green armour shone dully. Bolters and blades were secured alongside them in reinforced steel racks. The heavier weapons - multi-meltas, flamers and heavy bolters - were stored in the Thunderhawk's armoury locker.
Nocturne was months away. Brother-Captain N'keln had assembled his sergeants, just as he told Dak'ir he would, and outlined his plan to return to the Hadron Belt. Librarian Pyriel had been present, explaining to the officers of 3rd Company that he had detected a faint but distinct psychic echo out amongst the debris and star clusters of the system. Brother-Captain N'keln conveyed his belief that this would lead them to Nihilan, the Dragon Warriors and a much needed victory.
Dak'ir remembered the look of disapproval on Tsu'gan's face as the mission was described. Though he kept his feelings well guarded from N'keln, Dak'ir knew that his fellow brother-sergeant
