Phantom: A Dark, Dystopian Science Fantasy Novel (Hiveworlds Book 4) by Rory Surtain

Author:Rory Surtain [Surtain, Rory]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bad Flannel Divergent
Published: 2023-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Foreplay

“Inquisitor, what is your measure of Lizzy Allebrand?”

“She is a seer and a weaver at the edges of our reality. As a potential gatekeeper into the Sea of Souls, she is the rarest of psykers and will be guided carefully until she fully matures. By Imperial law, the Aegea system has the right to claim her, and I highly doubt they’ll ignore the talent she wields.”

“Has she visited Schola Psykana?”

“At her request, Lizzy accompanied me on a brief tour of the main campus. She met several sanctionites and proctors in between classes.”

“Was it a shock?”

“To me, yes, but as dark as Psykana might be, I got the distinct impression that Lizzy’s seen far worse.”

“She has. The blood cult on Aegea dissected her father and left him to rot on the altar in the High Temple of Gall Tertius. For months, he was her only company.” I raised my left hand. “Lizzy gave me her mark, the number six. In doing so, she claimed me as her friend. She is my protector, and I am hers.”

“Then that is part of your path, but not now. She is six years old and in experienced hands. Do you doubt us?”

“No, nor do I doubt Lizzy and the path she weaves.”

Dinner my first night at Hab Balagem was an event. Word of who I was had finally gotten around. Nobody sat until I sat, and the pyros were having a heated discussion over the selection process for my new arc. Clan Balagem was always tightly knit, but the idea of joining a young primaris that was also a psyker lord piqued everyone’s interest.

Whisper sat on my right with Starfire on display in between us. Her hair had darkened over the past few years, going from blondish to sandy brown, and her neonate uniform hung loosely upon a slender, raptor-like frame. The child was long gone. The familiar green eyes and electric white aura were still the same.

Whisper’s time at Psykana had been a test of wills offset by the proctors and interrogators that debated her continued existence. Rated as a Gamma Prime, her flow of dark energy was an order of magnitude greater than mine and always bubbling near the surface of her mind.

To my left sat Lieutenant Alexis Milan while across the dining table sat Breonna Fife and the five leading pyro candidates. Each of the five was Delta rated—safe and solid. None could match Whisper for raw power but that wasn’t necessary when paired with a competent funnel and a full arc.

I needed a reliable source to back me up and told them so. With Imperial Guard channelers embedded in their skulls, they would be positioned safely to the rear during most battles. Only I would be stepping over the line. They would feel the surges of dark energy, while I would face the enemy’s fury.

The lesson was heard by everyone in the dining hall, but I made it a point of finding the sanctionite funnels, Lancet and Beak, and making eye contact with each.

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