Chapter I
Cloud Runner gazed on the
wreckage of his home and
felt like weeping. He closed
his eyes
and
took
three
breaths,
but when he looked again nothing
had
changed.
He turned
back towards
the
dropship
Deathwing.
Weasel-Fierce
had
just descended
from the
ramp. He gazed round
ferally at what once
had
been
Cloud Runner's
village
and brought
his
storm Bolter into attack position.
A grin split his
skull-White
face.
"Dark
Angels,
be
wary.
Death
has
walked
here,"
he
said. The sun
glistened
off
Weasel-Fierce's
black
Terminator
armour.
With
his
white
hair
and y-shaped scar-tattoos, he looked like the
Eater of Bones
come back to claim the
world.
Cloud
Runner
shook
his
head
in
disbelief.
For
two
hundred
years
he
had
held
the
memory
of
this
place
in
his
mind. Although
the
Chapter was his home and
the
Battle Brothers
were his
family,
he
had
always
felt
his
spirit
would
return here
when
the
Emperor
granted
him
rest.
He
glanced
in
the
direction of
the
burial
mounds.
They
had
been
broken open.
He
made
his
way
to
the
entrance.
He could
see
that
the
bones
had
been
broken
and
mangled.
It
was
a blasphemy
that
only the
bitterest
of foes
would perform. It marked the
ending
of his clan. "The
ghosts
of my
ancestors wander homeless."
he said. "They
will become drinkers of blood
and
eaters
of excrement. My clan is
dishonoured."
He felt
a
heavy, gauntleted
hand
on
his
shoulder
and
turned
to
see
Lame
Bear
gazing
down
on
him.
Two
centuries
ago Cloud Runner and
he had
belonged
to enemy clans.
Now the
clansmen who they
had
fought
alongside
were
dead,
and the
old rivalry had
long ago
become fast
friendship.
"The
Dark Angels
are your
people
now." said
Lame Bear in his soft
voice. 'If necessary
we will avenge
this
dishonour" Cloud
Runner
shook
his
head.
"That
is
not
the
Way.
The
Warriors
From
The
Sky
are
above
the
squabblings
of
the clans.
We
choose
only
the bravest
of
the
mains
People.
We
take
no sides."
"Your
words
do
honour
to
the
Chapter. Brother Captain,"
said
Lame Bear. stooping
to pick up something
that
lay in the
grass.
Cloud
Runner
saw
that
it
was
a metal axe-head. Sorrow warred with curiosity
and
won. "This
was not
the
homecoming
I
had
imagined."
Cloud
Runner said
softly.
"Where
are
children
gathering
flowers
for
the
Autumn
Feast?
Where
are
the young
bucks
racing
out
to count
coup
on
our
armour?
Where
are
the
spirit-talkers
who
wish
to
commune
with
us?
Dead.
All
dead."
Lame
Bear limped away leaving Cloud Runner alone with his grief.
* * *
Two Heads
Talking studied
the desiccated
bodies
within
the
lodge.
One
had
been
an
old
warrior.
His
shrivelled
hand still
clutched
a
stone
axe
inscribed with
the
thunderbird
rune.
The
other
had
been
a
squaw.
Between
her
skeletal fingers
was
the
neck
of
an
infant.
"She
strangled
the
child
rather
than
let
her
fall
into
the
hands
of
the
enemy."
said Bloody Moon.
The Librarian noticed
the
undercurrent
of horror in the
Marine's
voice. He took
a
deep
breath,
Cloud Runner gazed on the
wreckage of his home and
felt like weeping. He closed
his eyes
and
took
three
breaths,
but when he looked again nothing
had
changed.
He turned
back towards
the
dropship
Deathwing.
Weasel-Fierce
had
just descended
from the
ramp. He gazed round
ferally at what once
had
been
Cloud Runner's
village
and brought
his
storm Bolter into attack position.
A grin split his
skull-White
face.
"Dark
Angels,
be
wary.
Death
has
walked
here,"
he
said. The sun
glistened
off
Weasel-Fierce's
black
Terminator
armour.
With
his
white
hair
and y-shaped scar-tattoos, he looked like the
Eater of Bones
come back to claim the
world.
Cloud
Runner
shook
his
head
in
disbelief.
For
two
hundred
years
he
had
held
the
memory
of
this
place
in
his
mind. Although
the
Chapter was his home and
the
Battle Brothers
were his
family,
he
had
always
felt
his
spirit
would
return here
when
the
Emperor
granted
him
rest.
He
glanced
in
the
direction of
the
burial
mounds.
They
had
been
broken open.
He
made
his
way
to
the
entrance.
He could
see
that
the
bones
had
been
broken
and
mangled.
It
was
a blasphemy
that
only the
bitterest
of foes
would perform. It marked the
ending
of his clan. "The
ghosts
of my
ancestors wander homeless."
he said. "They
will become drinkers of blood
and
eaters
of excrement. My clan is
dishonoured."
He felt
a
heavy, gauntleted
hand
on
his
shoulder
and
turned
to
see
Lame
Bear
gazing
down
on
him.
Two
centuries
ago Cloud Runner and
he had
belonged
to enemy clans.
Now the
clansmen who they
had
fought
alongside
were
dead,
and the
old rivalry had
long ago
become fast
friendship.
"The
Dark Angels
are your
people
now." said
Lame Bear in his soft
voice. 'If necessary
we will avenge
this
dishonour" Cloud
Runner
shook
his
head.
"That
is
not
the
Way.
The
Warriors
From
The
Sky
are
above
the
squabblings
of
the clans.
We
choose
only
the bravest
of
the
mains
People.
We
take
no sides."
"Your
words
do
honour
to
the
Chapter. Brother Captain,"
said
Lame Bear. stooping
to pick up something
that
lay in the
grass.
Cloud
Runner
saw
that
it
was
a metal axe-head. Sorrow warred with curiosity
and
won. "This
was not
the
homecoming
I
had
imagined."
Cloud
Runner said
softly.
"Where
are
children
gathering
flowers
for
the
Autumn
Feast?
Where
are
the young
bucks
racing
out
to count
coup
on
our
armour?
Where
are
the
spirit-talkers
who
wish
to
commune
with
us?
Dead.
All
dead."
Lame
Bear limped away leaving Cloud Runner alone with his grief.
* * *
Two Heads
Talking studied
the desiccated
bodies
within
the
lodge.
One
had
been
an
old
warrior.
His
shrivelled
hand still
clutched
a
stone
axe
inscribed with
the
thunderbird
rune.
The
other
had
been
a
squaw.
Between
her
skeletal fingers
was
the
neck
of
an
infant.
"She
strangled
the
child
rather
than
let
her
fall
into
the
hands
of
the
enemy."
said Bloody Moon.
The Librarian noticed
the
undercurrent
of horror in the
Marine's
voice. He took
a
deep
breath,
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