Tales of the Amber Vipers Chapter 74
Saffor Teliday was worried. He paced up and down in his confinement, the small cave carved into the heart of a vast tree. Normally he would have paused to admire the elegant skill that had gone into making this place, the wood shaped without use of chisel or plane. The Rogue Trader knew of worlds where decadent nobles would pay a fortune for items crafted with such sublime skill, yet today his concerns were far more immediate. Saffor had been trapped in this prison for days, with no one to speak to and no idea how the war progressed. He hadn't seen anything since he had been shoved back into this place, save for the guards outside his door and the occasional bowl of fruit and nuts they left for him.
Saffor was in a messed state, his fine clothes were tattered and his boots were scuffed. The brooches on his attire were falling off and his beard had progressed past stubble. His hands played with a few rings on his fingers but his movements betrayed his nervousness. He was under no illusions of how precarious his situation was. The Eldar had promised him a fortune for his information but he knew the promises of a ruler wasn't worth the paper they were written on. He had seen too many Planetary Governors, Imperial potentates and merchant princes conveniently forget their munificent promises the second they felt their position secure. Whether for furthering their agenda, keeping their fortunes or simply because they knew there was nothing that could hold them to their word, the powerful were fickle allies. Saffor himself had broken his fair share of deals when it suited him, he hadn't gotten rich by spending money he didn't need to, and he was keenly aware his usefulness to his captors would be over the second the Space Marines were dead. No, Saffor fully expected the Eldar to kill him but he didn't intend to wait around that long.
Once more Saffor glanced at his guards, two Eldar warriors standing aloof outside his door. For days they had been lurking, always present when he slept or woke. He wasn't sure if they ever slept, some species didn't, but he was sure they were watching him keenly. One of them was tall even by their standards, dressed in leather and twine with a thorn-tipped spear. He was wary and hostile, probably waiting for the order to execute the prisoner. The other was a young female, wearing furs of some sleek animal. Normally a lithe body like hers would have caught Saffor's eye but there was a coldness in her eyes that set his hackles rising and her hands never drifted far from the Shuriken pistols tucked in her belt: Saffor's pistols. This one was more trouble than she was worth and Saffor wouldn't have gone near her if someone paid him.
Saffor had spent the last few days trying to figure out how to get past them but met no success. They were wary and on guard at all times, never slacking off. Even if he could get past them, he was in the middle of an alien village, hundreds of metres off the ground and surrounded by unknown forests. He had ways of getting around those problems but it would avail him nothing if he died in the process, a fate he dearly wished to avoid. Not for the first time he wished the Space Marines would come to rescue him but he knew that wasn't going to happen. The Amber Vipers had left him to rot. Selling them out had been a small and petty revenge but satisfying in its own way, they had made their allegiance clear and he owed them nothing. Still Saffor wasn't one to let things like betrayal and revenge define his actions, that was a quick way to get dead. So he chewed on his problems, as he toyed with the rings on his fingers and paced.
Saffor was distracted from his brooding as a scream tore through the air. His head snapped about and he saw a strange calamity unfolding. Beyond his guards the village of the Eldar held a few elderly and young souls, those too feeble to go forth and fight. They had been going about their activities as normal but amazingly all them were doubled over in pain, gripping their heads as if suffering terrible migraines. Even his guards had fallen to their knees, dropping to all fours with rictus grins of pain. Saffor had no idea what was causing this strange behaviour but he recognised an opportunity when it presented itself.
Instantly Saffor was in motion, sprinting through the open doorway. His guards barely reacted as he dashed through and his boot lashed out, catching the bigger guard in the side of the head. Saffor was no Astartes but he was in peak condition and trained extensively every day. His kick sent the Eldar sprawling with pink Eldar blood flowing from his temple where Saffor had cracked his skull. Another kick crushed his windpipe and the Eldar collapsed, suffocating to death. The Rogue Trader spun about and saw the other guard trying to lift a pistol at him, her pained expression betraying the pain she was enduring. Her grip was unsteady but a Shuriken Pistol could put out enough rounds in a second to fill the air with razor-sharp death. Yet Saffor wasn't about to let her fire, not when his captors had left him with a weapon. Saffor's right hand rose and the heavy ring on his finger glowed for a moment, then it shot forth a single burst of las-fire. It was a digital weapon, a micro las-weapon concealed in harmless jewellery. Saffor's shot caught the female square in the chest and punched through, charring her heart to cinders. She keeled over with a surprised expression and dropped the pistol.
Saffor wasted not a moment to run over and relieve her of her weapons, feeling the warm touch of Wraithbone in his palms. He grinned at the familiar sensation, for now he stood a real chance of escape. He lifted his eyes and saw the Eldar starting to recover, a few individuals regaining their feet. Yet they seemed to have no interest in his escape, in fact they were fleeing. Young and old were racing to the edges of their village, calling out for their winged beasts to come snatch them up. They gave no thought to Saffor, concerned only with escaping. Saffor didn't know what was going on but he wasn't about to let this chance slip by. His left hand twitched and triggered his other ring and it began to blink with a small light. It was a distress-beacon, a tiny vox transmitter that would summon aid wherever he was.
Saffor knew in moments a rescue shuttle would be dispatched from his ship in orbit. He hadn't dared use it earlier, knowing the Eldar would kill him the second they spied his crew approaching, but now they didn't have the means to stop him. Saffor looked about and saw a rising staircase beyond the dead female, leading to higher elevations. He made to step over the corpse but then spied a glittering jewel on the female's chest, one of those gems Eldar seemed to love. Saffor paused for a moment then decided he was owed compensation and relieved both bodies of their jewels. The warm stones pulsed in his grip and he felt an odd sense of confusion and fear run through him as he touched them, but only he shoved the gems into a pocket and forgot the odd shiver.
Saffor hastily ran up the stairs, boots gripping the textured wood of the branches as he passed several levels. Everywhere he looked Eldar were fleeing, running away from some horror he had not seen. He didn't know what was causing this but he was sure it was bad for his health and determined to get out as quickly as he could. He rose another level but then froze as he saw the opening to the ruler's chambers. He had only seen them from afar but surely there must be something of worth within. He glanced at the stairs rising before him then at the chambers, then at the stairs again. Indecision warred within him but after everything he had been through he wasn't about to go home empty-handed and hastily dove inside.
He didn't know what he had expected, some lavish chamber filled with opulence and grandeur probably. The reality was rather disappointing, a threadbare room not much different from his prison, save for the additional furniture. But in one corner squatted the chest of riches promised to him. Saffor eagerly raced over and knelt as he ran his hands over the lid and muttered, "This will do."
There was a soft cough behind him and he spun about to see an Eldar standing in the door. It was the Treesinger Laegwen and she looked furious as she spat, "You treacherous Mon-Keigh!"
Saffor stayed kneeling as he said, "Don't make a scene, I don't want to fight you."
Laegwen's voice was shrill as she cried, "Look at what you've done! Your avarice and short-sightedness have ruined everything. I can feel the Everforest dying, the souls of our ancestors scream in my ears and the laughter of thirsting Gods shakes my bones. But you apes understand nothing of that; you can't even see that which you have destroyed!"
Saffor didn't follow a word of that and barked, "I am taking what I am owed and leaving."
"Greed and hate," Laegwen spat, "That's all your kind understand. We should have killed you on sight, a situation I can still remedy."
Laegwen's arms arose and her hair streamed with eldritch winds. She was summoning her psychic power, preparing some deadly spell to end the Rogue Trader. Her power was mighty and irresistible, unfortunately it was also slow and Saffor's draw was faster. His hands twitched and his pistols were in his grip as he feathered the triggers. Razor-sharp discs thrummed from the barrels, spinning madly as they cut the air apart and sliced into Laegwen. A hail of death diced the Treesinger and she collapsed bonelessly, crumpling in upon herself as she sagged to the ground.
Saffor didn't bother to check she was dead, he knew what the pistols could do to a body. Instead he stowed his pistols and grabbed the chest, then heaved it under one arm. He hurried to the door and peered out but saw nobody around. Judging it was safe he paused and relieved Laegwen's corpse of another of those glowing jewels, stowing it next to the ones from earlier. As he stood up he felt an odd trembling through his boots, like the tree was swaying in a strong breeze. That was odd, since he had arrived the kilometre high boughs had been impervious to everything and he didn't like the implications of the change. Especially since the remaining Eldar hadn't wasted a moment to flee.
Saffor hurried grabbed his treasure chest and set off at a dead sprint, climbing the stairs higher and higher. With every step the shivering under his boots grew worse, the whole tree shaking like a wounded animal. The branches of the other trees that made up the village were groaning, swaying to and fro and starting to crack under the strain. Whatever was causing this was getting worse and he knew it would soon claim everything, so he redoubled his pace and ran for all he was worth. Suddenly he crested the final stair and found himself on a broad platform, one set above the treetop canopy. The sky was startlingly blue after the shadows of the village and the sun was aching bright in his eyes. Yet nothing compared to the beautiful sight of an Aquila lander dropping towards him, wings streaming heat from re-entry.
Saffor waved his free arm wildly, trying to get the pilot's attention while the platform bucked under his boots, trying to throw him from his feet. Thankfully the beacon in his ring guided the pilot straight to him and the shuttle turned to present its rear door as it stood on a column of vector thrust. The pilot couldn't land on the swaying platform but he got close, opening the rear door as he did so. Saffor held up his hand before his eyes as downdraft slammed into him but he forced his boots to move and pushed forward trying to get near enough to jump. A burly man was hanging out of the hatch, holding out his hand and Saffor grabbed it gratefully, feeling himself be heaved aboard just as the platform rocked madly.
Saffor stumbled inside his shuttle and said, "Bless you; I'll make you a rich man for this."
As the hatch whined closed the crewman replied, "We can't stay, the whole forest is falling apart."
"Don't stay on my account," Saffor retorted, "Tell the pilot to get out of here."
The man rushed to the cockpit as Saffor slumped into an acceleration couch. A moment later G-forces pressed him down as the shuttle rose, climbing away from the dying forest with increasing speed. Saffor kicked back and relaxed as they began the long slog back to orbit. He rested his feet on his treasure chest and grinned as he thought of the riches within, enough to pay off his debts and then some. Then a curious thought made him reach into a pocket and draw forth the three jewels he had stolen. They shimmered with an inner fire that moved like living things and entranced the eye with pleasing sparkles. Saffor held them up to his eye and examined their magnificent perfection as he mused, "Truly wondrous, I know three ladies who will love these. My concubines will be anxious but they will forgive everything when I set these in silver necklaces for them to wear."
So Saffor flew away, idly speculating about material concerns as screams he could not hear emanated from the jewels. He was utterly deaf to the pleas from the souls bound within, unable to sense them begging to be returned to their families and homes. The living essences of the Treesinger and the guards were being taken away, not to a place of eternal peace but condemned to be trophies worn around the necks of apes and primitives. Yet one more injury inflicted on the Eldar of Athelling by the Imperium of Man.