Chapter Two.
The Diurnal Vault, Arx Angelicum, Baal.
After the ceremony, Mephiston asked Dante and the others back to his and Mariah's private chambers. He took them to the Diurnal Vault, a vast physics-defying hall, containing thousands of the Librarius' most dangerous texts, suspended in the eaves by enormous plasma generators that made the air hum like the enginarium of a void ship. Mephiston led his gusts to a relatively quiet corner and seated them around a circular bronze table, well all of them except Mariah. He had rehearsed the meeting several times in his mind and asked them to sit in specific chairs and told Mariah to stand beside him so the scene could be played out exactly as he conceived it. The table was plucked from the abyssal by a brass lumen fluttering over its hammered surface. Blood thralls supplied goblets of wine, then back away into the shadows. Once everyone had drunk, Mephiston endured the necessary pleasantries before revealing his plan.
"The Prospero system?" Albinus, the Sanguinary priest, lent back in his chair, shaking his head, his expression grim. "Commander Dante, what do you say? The Chief Librarian cannot be indulged in this matter, surely?"
Dante raised an eyebrow. "No one is to be "indulged" Brother Albinus, but neither am I in the habit of dismissing my Chief Librarian out of hand."
Mephiston could see the aether-mantle around each of his guests and as Dante gently reprimanded Albinus, the Sanguinary Priest's aura boiled and sparked. Not with rage, though. Exasperation, perhaps, but Albinus was a good man. A friend. And too loyal to feel anger at his superior officers. It was doubt that made his soul shimmer. He did not believe that his Chief Librarian and Mariah could be risked. He had no idea how much Mephiston and Mariah had already risked under the knives of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Dante glanced at both Mephiston and Mariah, noting how they were studying Albinus.
"As always, Chief Librarian, you and Mariah both observe more than you are prepared to share. I may lack your powers of telepathy but we both know Albinus' objection is fair. You both have been remade, but your new form has still to be fully tested. And in a galaxy beset by horrors, the Prosperine Rift is a particularly suicidal destination. Is that really the place to test you mettle?"
"The whole galaxy is aflame," said Albinus. "Remember the briefings from Lord Commander Guilliman. Since the Great Rift surrounded us from the rest of the imperium, unsanctioned psychic activity has been growing at an unprecedented rate. And not just here but beyond the rift, in imperium sanctus. Even those worlds still normally under the aegis of Terra have been consumed by madness."
Dante nodded. "The Prospero System is a rife with heresy. I struggled to glean much from Lord Guilliman's attendants on the subject but they gave me the impression he's effectively ceded control of that whole region to the Archenemy. It is a hornet's nest. They mentioned Tzeentchian cults and even engagements with Traitor Marines." He shook his head. "We face war on all fronts but that sector seems to be a particularly sore point. There may be a connection with the cults in the Prospero System and conflicts on our side of the Great Rift, in the Stygius Sector."
Gaius Rhacelus lent across the table and summoned a hololith from its surface with a wave of his hand. A star chart whirled into view. It showed the galaxy bisected by a savage, purple scar. The Librarian pointed to a small point on the star chart, just to the galactic south of the purple tear. "The Prospero system. A nest of traitors even before the galaxy was ripped open."
"More so now," said Lucius Antros. "If the reports are true, Sortiarius is there, the so-called planet of the sorcerers, dragged from the immaterium to poison real space. A daemon world so warped by sorcery that it is more of a nightmare than a physical place." He cast a sideways glance at Rhacelus. "Which, to be honest, sounds like exactly the kind of place Mephiston and Mariah would take us."
Rhacelus did not reply, but his magisterial expression softened, amusement flickering in his eyes.
We are not the only ones who have changed over these last few months, thought Mephiston knowing Mariah could hear what he was thinking. Rhacelus had always been wary of Antros. Mephiston had long struggled to convince him of Antros' worth. Then, during the recent fight for Baal. Antros acquitted himself so well that Rhacelus had finally warmed to him, showing him respect he did not afford many in the Librarius.
Rhacelus may have been amused by Antros' comment, but such levity only increased Albinus' frustration. He stared at Mephiston and Mariah. Speaking quickly. "We have barely restored order in our own system. We've had augur returns from across the sector reporting residual xenos nests. Hive fleet Leviathan could still make a counter attack. To say nothing of the warp-spawn that attacked our ships." He waved at Dante. "Besides which, consider Commander Dante's new responsibilities. He is now regent and warden of everything this side of the Rift. He has been tasked with far more than simply rebuilding Baal. He has to build a safe capital for the whole of imperium Nihilus. He needs you both here, not counting catastrophe on the other side of the galaxy."
"Albinus is right." Said Dante. "I have been left to stand watch over the abyss. And you're both my best chance of seeing what's in there."
Mephiston and Mariah nodded. They had known Albinus for centuries and had predicted that he would voice exactly these concerns. They had foreseen the challenge so clearly they had guessed the precise words. It would be an easy matter for them to sway the Sanguinary Priest's mind by esoteric means, but it would be a cowardly way to treat a noble servant of the Chapter. He would convince his guests with irrefutable truth. A benefit of being universally feared was that people always paid attention to him. He waved for his winged servitor to approach and it fluttered through the incense-heavy gloom, struggling under the weight of the metal slaver.
Mephiston took the plate and placed it on the table beneath the slowly turning hololith. Lines and intersections shimmered across the metal as the galaxy turned above it. Everyone lent over to study the designs engraved into the metal.
Antros ran his fingers over the symbols, stroking it like a holy relic, his eyes wide. "The Ephemeris. It has changed so much since I gave it to you."
Mephiston and Mariah were as fascinated by the markings as anyone else. Mephiston had made many of them in a fugue state, in the dark days before Qvo-87 and the other tech-priests gave him control over his psychic powers. The images seemed to have emerged from a part of his mind that was utterly alien to him. It had taken them decades to rationalise his words and decipher connections between the phrases and diagrams. Parts, even now, eluded them. Most of the glyphs were intricately scored but others were crudely gouged and Mephiston had vague memories of clawing them with his own fingers, splitting his nails and writing in blood, too frenzied to stop. Which had worried Mariah no end of times.
Parts of the Ephemeris looked like an archaic version of the star chart shimmering above it, but interspersed between the gridlines and ventricles were columns of densely packed script. There were pieces of verse and mathematical equations, all linked by a network of intersecting lines.
He tapped one of the symbols, which looked like nine points arranged in a circle. "It has been the perfect focus for my thoughts. All mine and Mariah's years of study have pointed us to this location – to this moment." He traced a line from the nine points to a passage of text, written in an archaic language. The characters were ugly and serpentine and their origins lay in the madness of the warp. Mephiston knew only he and Mariah would be able to decipher them.
"Sabassus?" muttered Antros, frowning at the text.
Mephiston felt a flicker of annoyance but Mariah also felt it through the nexus link. He had not predicted this. He did not like being surprised.
Something flashed in Antros' eyes. Pride? Shame? Mephiston could not tell. He tried to gaze into the Librarian's thoughts and found, as on previous occasions, the way was barred. It would take an act of psychic violence to break through. The young Librarian had grown into something unexpected.
"I can only read the first word," replied Antros, but he looked awkward and Mephiston did not need seer-sight to know he was being lied to.
He wandered if he should remove the salver from the table, but he dismissed the idea. His plans for this conversation hinged on it. He decided to continue as planned. "A world right on the edge of the Prospero System that is still officially under the control of the imperial forces. It is not, like Sortiarius, in the thrall of warp-entities but it is on the verge of defeat." He glanced at Dante. "You are right about Lord Commander Guilliman – he is unable to focus on this region while dealing with so many other pressing matters. But every vision Mariah and I have had, every dream and augury, tells us that we cannot ignore what is happening there."
He tapped a different part of the salver that was engraved with the small, stylised image of a vulture. "In the moments we have not spent here, when we have been off on our..." He glanced at Albinus. "What did you call them? Personal quests?"
Albinus paled, no doubt concerned that he had offended Mephiston. Even proud old Blood Angels like Albinus were wary of Mephiston. They sensed the darkness he carried, even if they did not understand its purpose.
Mephiston liked Albinus and had no desire to cow him. He waved a dismissive hand. "We have been traversing different realities. We thought it was making us wiser – a more useful member of the Librarius." He hesitated, recalling the violence on the Dominance and the death of Codicer Peloris. "But we all now know how mistaken we were in that respect."
Dante was about to speak, probably to repeat his assertion that Mephiston was not to blame, but Mephiston did not want the conversation to head off on a tangent. He quickly continued speaking. "However," he placed his palm on the slaver, "our endeavours have not been fruitless. For a long time we have been studying intersections between events, identifying connections no one else has recognised – not even our predecessors in the Librarius. Our research let us to places we would be hard pressed to describe and we have spent long years unable to solve the mystery, but now, with the Emphemeris almost complete and our minds altered by the Martian priests. We have pieced together an idea of why I was reborn."
An expectant silence hung over the table, broken only by the distant hum of the generators. Mephiston had never so confidently about his past or his position in the Chapter. Not even to Dante. Everyone present knew the essential facts: through violent rebirths, a Blood Angel called Calistarius had escaped the Chapter's terrible flaw, surviving the death and insanity. But he had never before claimed to know why he had been reborn.
"I have two duties to preform," said Mephiston. "The first is still taking shape but the second is now clear enough to explain." It pained him to pin down facts in such an unequivocal fashion. He, more than anyone, knew that reality was a matter of prospective. But he also knew that vagaries and obfuscation would not be enough to convince Albinus.
+I know this will be hard for you Mephiston, but I know you can do this, you have to if you want Dante to clear our mission.+ Mariah said through the nexus link.
The change if ways is building a permanent foothold in the physical realm." Mephiston stared at the vulture device on the salver. "The Great Rift has bled Tzeentch's deceits into reality. I am not talking about a brief incursion or the possession of a few damned souls. I am talking about an empire of unreality and misrule, wrought here in the physical galaxy. We have long known that daemonkin crave domination over us, but until now they have been tied to their nightmarish other-realm."
Dante nodded gravely, having already gained an inkling of Mephiston and Mariah's plans, but Albinus shook his head in disbelief.
"Then what…?" He stumbled over his words. "What does this have to do with you and Mariah, Personally, Chief Librarian."
Mephiston felt a vague pang of sadness but so did Mariah. One piece of his rebirth was to be a pariah. The stench of death hung over him. He might once have counted Albinus as a friend, but he could hear the distrust in his battle-brother's voice. He shrugged off the thought, annoyed by his self-pity. This was another challenge he had predicted down to the exact wording and he knew how to respond. He knew the exact amount of information to share.
"My connection is this," he said. "For many years, with the full knowledge of Commander Dante and Mariah, I have pursued a daemon across the galaxy – a servant of Tzeentch called Zadkiel. My quest know only to the Commander, Mariah, and members of my own Librarius, but I have long been sure that my secrecy was necessary. My auguries revealed that this daemon is significant beyond merely the inherent danger of all warp entities. Zadkiel is a herald of the new Tzeentchian empire. Mariah and I have seen its face in our dreams. We have heard its dreadful oaths. Zadkiel is here," he tapped the metal, "on Sabassus. And it means to unite the final threads holding Tzeentch at bay by performing some kind of unholy rite." He waved his hand over the slaver. "Everything we have seen so far – the increased mutations, growth of unsanctioned warpcraft, wars like the ones in the Prosperine System and the Stygius Sector – will be a drop in the ocean if this daemon is allowed to complete its work."
As Mephiston's hand glided over the metal, the images swirled into life, as though he had disturbed the surface of a pool. The drawings and characters rotated and interlocked, forming a whirl of confusing shapes.
The shapes connected with such dreadful, inevitable logic that even Mephiston and Mariah found it hard to witness. The design was too complex to be fully understood but everyone felt the significance of what they were seeing. "This is the galaxy unmade," said Mephiston. "Entropy. The collapse of reason and physics. The ultimate aim of Tzeentch." He shook his head. "Whatever lies his followers may believe."
Albinus muttered and made the sign of the aquila and even Dante looked shocked.
Mephiston nodded. "Lord Commander Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade will come to nothing if Mariah and I do not reach Sabassus before this rite is complete. His fleet will be consumed."
Albinus shook his head. "Why must you both go to Sabassus? We can alert Guilliman's fleet. We should alert Guilliman's fleet. If he needs to fight on a different front then we are duty-bound to tell him."
"Tell him?" Mariah raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget where we are, Albinus? We are in the abyss." she waved at the purple scar across the star chart. ""The Cicatrix Maledictum is between us and Guilliman. There is no psychic choir powerful enough to pierce the Great Rift. we are alone."
"Then how would you intend to reach Sabassus?" demanded Albinus, looking at both Mephiston and Mariah.
Mephiston gestured at his Taticus pattern armour, newly forged and polished, its sculpted bulk testament to the second rebirth he had recently undergone. "I am changed. Reborn again. The afflictions that caused my failure on the Dominance have been overcome. The Priest's of Mars did not understand the true significance of their actions when the preformed their surgery on me. Mariah saw it, but they did not. Far more than my flesh has been altered. The process changed my very spirit. It made me a worthy conduit for Sanguinius' gifts. It gave me control." The word thrilled him. "Control I have never achieved before. I can find a way through the Great Rift. And, travelling with Mariah, we can move fast enough to reach Sabassus before it is too late. Think how long it would take to redirect an Imperial Fleet. Even if Mariah and I took Commander Dante with us and we managed to convince Lord Guilliman to base his strategies on this scratched plate, it would be years before his battleships reached Sabassus. The right would be complete. The daemon Mariah and I have worked so hard to find would be one point of madness in a galaxy of lunacy." He sipped his wine and shook his head. "Mariah and I must go and go quickly. Everything we have seen, everything I have written, points to this confluence of events. We must be on hand to stop the daemon. There is no doubt on the matter."
Albinus looked doubtful all the same but since the images on the Emphemeris had fitted together, everyone's gaze was on the repulsive design. Mephiston and Mariah could see from their expressions, as much as their psychic complexions, that they both had convinced them.
"We are the sons and Daughter of Sanguinius," said Dante, giving Albinus a pointed look, "not merely the Imperial Regent's subordinates. We have our own destiny to fulfil." He glanced at Mephiston and Mariah. "Our own burdens to carry." he lent closer to the salver, his eyes catching the reflections.
"Of course, my Lord," replied Albinus.
"Mephiston and Mariah see clearer than any of us," said Dante. "If they believe this nightmare will come to pass, then I believe it too. How would you find a way across the Great Rift?" he asked, looking at Mephiston and Mariah.
Mephiston waved his hand over the salver and the images regained their original shape. He gestured at their surroundings. "The details elude us but the answer is in here somewhere, in our own Librarium Sagrestia. I can see it in the edge of my vision. Now the last of these funerary rites has been preformed Mariah and I can devote ourselves fully to deciphering the meaning. I have..." His words faded as he realised he was about to share more than he intended, about to deviate from his planned explanation. The designs on the salver had shown him a starting point for their investigation. It was chamber deep in the Carceri Arcanum, the most heavily guarded reliquary in the Librarium, but it would be a mistake to explain that to his guests. Antros had thrown him off guard by unexpectedly reading the word Sabassus. He silenced himself.
Dante was about to ask him to continue when a blood thrall rushed across the hall with a message. Dante took the scroll and frowned as he read. "I must leave you, Brothers and Sister. I would appear that Albinus is right. I have unfinished work to do. Augur relays from the Avendum orbital are picking up a massive signal and we can get no word from Brother-Captain Olus." He finished his wine and dusted down his golden battleplate, re-reading the scroll with a troubled expression. "Excuse me," he said rising to go.
"Commander Dante," said Albinus as he and the other Blood Angels stood and saluted. "What of Mephiston's request?" He glanced back at the salver. "Do you grant him permission to pursue this errand?"
"Of course." Dante sounded distracted. Mephiston and Mariah both sensed he had not shared everything on the scroll. The task of forging and ruling a new empire, away from the light of the Emperor, was a daunting one, even for a soul as powerful and ancient as the Commander's.
Dante handed the message back to the blood thrall, then turned to Mephiston. "The Chief Librarian is uniquely powerful. Uniquely perhaps there was a time we could hold our mightiest weapons in reserve, waiting for the moment of direst need. But the time for caution is gone. The galaxy is divided and consumed. Mephiston and Mariah must deploy their gifts where they can have most impact." He placed his hand on Mephiston's shoulder. "it is always a comfort to have you and Mariah at my side, Mephiston, but I learned long ago to trust in both your judgement. If anyone else conjured visions from a plate I would dismiss them as raving. But, from you and Mariah, I take this as a dire warning. And I know you both will have thought through every possible eventuality. Do what you must, with my blessing. Go to the Prospero system. Find Sabassus. Face your daemon. Make sure these events do not come to pass."
Mephiston saluted. "I will not fail you this time, Commander Dante."
Dante gripped his shoulder. There were few in the Chapter that would treat the Chief Librarian with such familiarity and Mephiston felt an unexpected rush of pride. Perhaps, after all, he was more than just a spectre of dread.
"I do not profess to understand everything you do In our name," said Dante, "but ii know you have lifted a great weight on our behalf. A weight no one else could bear. Do not push yourself needlessly if you sometimes stagger under the load."
"I will not stagger," replied Mephiston, as Peloris' corpse flashed through his mind.
Dante stared at him. "None of us are omniscient, even you. Do not swear oaths you may not be able to keep."
Mephiston was about to protest but Dante continued. "Think on this instead. Your studies have lead you to a truth no one else except Mariah saw." He waved at the salver. "You have been single-minded and there have been terrible costs, but weigh those costs against what you have uncovered. All eyes have been on the Indomitus Crusade. Only you and Mariah have seen this subtler threat."
"You have my permission to go but there are two conditions. The first is that you both return to Baal as soon as you both are able. Albinus is right I have need of you both here. We can no longer see the Emperors light, but both your warp-sight is nearly a match for the Astronomican. My second condition is that you both do not go alone. I cannot spare a fleet but if speed is of the essence, my parsimony can be forgiven. Choose whomever you wish." He nodded at Rhacelus. "As long as you make room for Brother Rhacelus. You're both heading to the hornet's nest. However carefully you have both thought this through. You both may still be surprised by what you find out there. Even both your powers may need bolstering. And Rhacelus has proven himself a great friend to you both, even when others might have abandoned you both."
Rhacelus' expression remained fixed in a scowl, but Mephiston and Mariah could feel pride radiating from him. Mephiston nodded and saluted again. He had predicted this request and approved of Dante's logic.
Dante motioned for Albinus to accompany him as he left the chamber. "Our prayers are with you, Mephiston," he called as he marched across the hall.