The Black Rift of Klaxus: The Gnawing Gate Page 4
‘Aye a million and more besides, mighty Skul’rath,’ Anhur shouted. He spun to face the blood-cloud. ‘We shall build our lord a throne of a million corpses, and cast the skulls of the fallen at his feet like pearls. We shall break the Realm of Fire, and make of it a conflagration unending, a cauldron of eternal war... but we can only do so together.’
Skul’rath’s roars faded. The bloodletters slowed. Steam rose from them and they began to come apart, crumbling even as they retreated. Anhur forced his voice to remain steady as he called out, ‘Our bargain holds, mighty Skul’rath. When the way has been opened, you will be free to wreak your vengeance on this realm, starting with Klaxus.’ He raised his axe. ‘By my axe, I swear it.’
‘And by my true name, I swear that if you make good on that oath, I will serve you until you choose to release me,’ the bloodthirster growled. ‘But do not seek to play me false, Scarlet One, or your skull shall be the first I take!’
Slowly, the heat faded. The corpses cooled, and the blood, now reduced to a fine ash, cascaded down. Pazak coughed and waved a hand. ‘Makes a strong impression, that one.’
‘Have you ever known a daemon to do otherwise?’ Anhur growled, as he turned. ‘I share his impatience. I would have this over and done with, sooner rather than later.’ He shook his head. ‘So many months. Years, even, of planning. Of preparing. The red road calls, and I have no choice but to follow it.’
‘There is no turning back, Anhur. Not for you,’ Volundr said.
Anhur gazed down at his axe. His reflection stared back at him, and for a moment, he saw himself as he had been, rather than as he was. He laughed. That man was dead, and something stronger had risen from his ashes. Just as something greater would rise from the ashes of Klaxus.
‘Victory or oblivion,’ the Scarlet Lord said.
About the Author
Josh Reynolds is the author of the Blood Angels novel Deathstorm and the Warhammer 40,000 novellas Hunter’s Snare and Dante’s Canyon, along with the audio drama Master of the Hunt, all three featuring the White Scars. In the Warhammer World, he has written The End Times novels The Return of Nagash and The Lord of the End Times, the Gotrek & Felix tales Charnel Congress, Road of Skulls and The Serpent Queen, and the novels Neferata, Master of Death and Knight of the Blazing Sun. He lives and works in Northampton.
The storm breaks as the Stormcast Eternals go into battle for the first time. Read the first book set in the Age of Sigmar.
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Published in 2015 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd, Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.
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ISBN: 978-1-78572-095-6
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