The Horus Heresy: Horus Rising

THREE

During the voyage

Bad poetry

Secrets

DURING THE TWELVE-WEEK voyage between Sixty-Three Nineteen and One Forty Twenty, Loken had come to the conclusion that Sinderma

He finally located him in the endless stacks of Archive Chamber Three. The iterator was sitting in a stilt-chair, examining ancient texts secured on one of the high shelves of the archive's gloomiest back a

Sinderma

'Hello?' Loken hissed.

Sinderma

'Garviel.’ he whispered. 'One moment.' Sinderma

were piled up in the chair's basket rack. As he re-shelved the manuscript, Sinderma

Loken reached out to steady the iterator as he stepped out of the chair.

Thank you, Garviel.'

'What are you doing back here?' Loken asked.

'Oh, you know. Reading.’

'Reading what?'

Sinderma

'May I?' Loken asked, gesturing to the basket.

'Of course.’ said Sinderma

Loken sat down in the brass chair, which creaked under his weight, and took some of the old books out of the side basket to examine them. They were frayed and foxed, even though some of them had evidendy been rebound or sleeved from earlier bindings prior to archiving.

"The Golden Age ofSumaturan Poetry7.' Loken said. 'Folk Tales of Old Muscovy7 What's this? The Chronicles of Ursh7'

'Boisterous fictions and bloody histories, with the occasional smattering of fine lyric verse.’

Loken took out another, heavy book. 'Tyra

'It's raw-headed and robust, and quite bawdy in parts. The work of over-excited poets trying to turn the matter

of their own, wretched times into myth. I'm rather fond of it. I used to read such things as a child. Fairy tales from another time.’

'A better time?'

Sinderma

'But they comfort you?'

They remind me of my boyhood. That comforts me.’

'Do you need comforting?' Loken asked, putting the books back in the basket and looking up at the old man. 'I've barely seen you since-'

'Since the mountains.’ Sinderma

'Indeed. I've been to the school on several occasions to hear you brief the iterators, but always there's someone standing in for you. How are you?'

Sinderma

"Your injuries still-'

'I've healed in body, Garviel, but...' Sinderma

Loken stared at the old iterator. He seemed so frail, like a baby bird, pale and ski

'I wish I could-'

Sinderma

Loken got out of the chair and allowed Sinderma

'He keeps me close.’ Loken said.

mo does?'

The Warmaster. He brought me and the Tenth with him on this undertaking, just to keep me by him. So he could watch me.’

'Because?'

'Because I've seen what few have seen. Because I've seen what the warp can do if we're not careful.’

Then our beloved commander is very wise, Garviel. Not only has he given you something to occupy your mind with, he's offering you the chance to reforge your courage in battle. He still needs you.’

Sinderma

Loken waited for a moment. 'I should go.’ he said. 'I have duties to attend to.’

Sinderma

'I've enjoyed talking with you again.’ Loken said. 'It's been too long.’

'It has.’

'I'll come back soon. A day or two. Hear you brief, perhaps?'

'I might be up to that.’

Loken took a book out of the basket. These comfort you, you say?'

Yes.’

'May I borrow one?'

'If you bring it back. What have you there?' Sinderma

He took one of the other books out of the chair's rack. 'The Chronicles of Ursh. Forty chapters, detailing the savage reign of Kalaga

Loken sca

'Really?'

'One of the remembrancers-'

'Oh yes.’ Sinderma

'It was a favour, to a friend.’

'And by friend, you mean Mersadie Oliton?'

Loken laughed. You told me you'd kept your own company these last few months, yet you still know everything about everything.’

That's my job. The juniors keep me up to speed. I understand you've indulged her a little. As your own remembrancer.’

'Is that wrong?'

'Not at all!' Sinderma

'Karkasy was going to be sent away. I arranged probation, and part of that was for him to submit all his work to me. I can't make head nor tail of it. Poetry. I don't do poetry. Can I give it to you?'

'Of course.’

Loken turned to leave. What was the book you put back?' he asked. 'What?'

'When I arrived, you had volumes in your basket there, but you were also studying one, intently, it seemed to me. You put it back on the shelves. What was it?'

'Bad poetry.’ said Sinderma

THE FLEET HAD embarked for Murder less than a week after the Whisperheads incident. The transmitted requests for assistance had become so insistent that any debate as to what the 63rd Expedition undertook next became academic. The Warmaster had ordered the immediate departure of ten companies under his personal command, leaving Varvaras behind with the bulk of the fleet to oversee the general withdrawal from Sixty-Three Nineteen.