Celestine - Andy Clark by Warhammer 40K

Author:Warhammer 40K
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-24T09:32:56+00:00

Consciousness, a return to pain, to a quest unfulfilled. Celestine opened her eyes and saw Faith and Duty standing over her, their wings furled about their shoulders, their burning brands in hand. They looked down at her expectantly, and for a moment she felt nothing but exhaustion.

She knew now who and what she was and understood something of the eternal task she was sworn to. Yet still she didn’t know precisely where she was, why or how she found herself in this place. Her only certainties were that she had to follow the Emperor’s light onwards, and that whatever forces were arrayed against her in this place, they surely weren’t done testing her. The thought of struggling on just made her feel so tired that for a moment she almost let her eyes close again. Then she thought of how far she had come already, the dangers she had overcome, and the face of a little girl who was lost somewhere in this hellish realm.

It was that last thought that drove Celestine to her feet.

‘How long?’ she asked Faith and Duty.

‘Time has little meaning here,’ said Faith.

‘Long enough to recover some strength, at least,’ added Duty.

Celestine nodded. She gathered her blade up from where it lay near the Executioner’s mangled remains. Part of her had hoped that her wings might have been restored through rest, but a flex of her shoulders told her this was not the case. There was nothing there but a deep ache, the sharp soreness of wounds freshly closed. Every joint in her body ached, every tendon and muscle felt stretched past its tolerances, and she could feel every bruise and abrasion from her battles with the daemonic entities of this realm.

Celestine squared her shoulders and shut it all away, deep in her mind. She inspected her blade, as much to give herself a moment to find her centre as to ensure the weapon was in good condition. She’d already known it would be clean, shining, without nick or notch. She knew that the weapon was a gift from the Emperor and that meant it was impervious to the corruption of this place. She hoped that the same was true of her.

‘The cave, then?’ It wasn’t really a question. She could see the glimmer of the Emperor’s light, impossibly high above, but without wings there was no way that she could continue the ascent up the mountain’s face. Her limbs hurt at the mere thought.

‘It seems the only route forward,’ said Faith. ‘And where there is a path to follow, you can be sure that the Emperor has placed it before your feet.’

‘Before we move, Duty, the girl…’ Duty shook her head. Celestine noticed she looked younger now, her hair darker, her features a harder facsimile of Faith’s.

‘I am sorry, Saint, but I know no more of the child than you do yourself,’ Duty said. ‘If you do not yet remember who or what she is, or why you care for her so, then I can no more tell you than you can tell yourself.

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