Shadowsun by Phil Kelly

Author:Phil Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Library
Published: 2023-02-17T10:12:37+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Palace Mosaical, Linat Primau, Pekun

Dawnchaser was at her side, eyes wide and staring. ‘What in all the septs is that thing?’

‘I have no idea,’ said Shadowsun. ‘I’ve never seen the likes of it. Not even in the Silent Zone.’

She scanned those few t’au left around the palace, still fighting with everything they had to hold back the half-mad, sleepwalking humans that poured towards them.

‘Just outdistance it for now,’ she said, looking with a growing sense of unease at the lumbering, monstrous thing lurching after them. ‘When we get to the space port we will make a proper counter-attack from an airborne vector, where their ground assets cannot–’

The creature ripped a tall tree from the ground with nonchalant ease, the massive trunk withering, curling and turning black, leaves and bark sloughing off to leave only an evil, gnarled crutch. With a ground-shaking shout it hurled the tree at them, spinning end over end.

‘Brace!’ shouted Shadowsun.

Shimmersky veered hard, but the tree had been thrown with terrific force, slamming into the back of the Orca to rip away its rear right engine in a spray of fire. Alerts blared from the Orca’s command suite as the ship lurched hard. Tak fell sideways. Dawnchaser, readying her gun, staggered left until Oe-ken-yon veered under her outstretched hand to steady her.

‘Shut the rear doors!’ shouted Calmstone.

‘We can’t,’ replied Shimmersky. ‘Those systems are unresponsive.’

The creature was accelerating, now, its former slothful lumber turning into a full charge. With the Orca veering around in a wide circle, it was gaining on them. It was mutter­ing something, too, iridescent slop waterfalling from its mouth. Two rheumy eyes the size of Shadowsun’s head fixed on her, its gaze so full of ancient hatred it made her want to vomit with fear.

You do not belong here, in the dark half of the spiral.

She felt its contempt rather than heard it, the words forcing their way into her mind like a wave of rotten driftwood speared into a golden beach.

But do not fear. It pointed up at the silvered hex-ring in the sky, the distant form of the Startide Nexus glinting high above. We will deliver such riotous gifts to your true home.

The monstrosity reached out a hand as if to grab her, despite it being a hundred metres distant. It closed its digits, twisting its wrist as it did so. Sand spilled from between its fat fingers, conjured from nowhere. A rash of discolouration spread across the rear of the Claimant, the craft’s extremities crumbling with rust and mould. In a matter of microdecs, they fell away in clumps of rotten alloy and melting hyperplastics. The Orca, stricken, began to trail a thick pall of smoke.

‘Get us out of here!’

‘I’m doing my best,’ said Shimmersky, his tone still admirably calm. ‘But we won’t make it to the space port with these damage readings. We might not even make it to a viable landing zone.’ The Orca sped forwards, shuddering as it did so, and the monstrosity dwindled behind them.

‘Into the suits,’ said Shadowsun.

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