[Warhammer 40K - The Horus Heresy 06] - Descent of Angels by Mitchel Scanlon

Author:Mitchel Scanlon [Mitchel Scanlon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Military Fiction, Science Fiction, Warhammer 40K
ISBN: 9781844165087
Publisher: The Black Library
Published: 2007-09-26T22:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

HALF A DOZEN beasts still fought, though many were clearly on their last legs, the Order’s knights darting in with long spears and pistols to administer the coup de grace to twisted freaks of mutant evolution. The Knights of Lupus had retreated within their keep, content to leave the beasts to do their work for them, and Zahariel felt a twist of hatred for the knights who had fallen so far from the ideals of honour and virtue that they would stoop to such a base tactic.

However, not all the beasts were struggling against the tide of knights. In the centre of the courtyard, a monstrous lizard-like creature at least three metres long and half again as wide stampeded through the knights like an unstoppable juggernaut. Its huge head was filled with grotesque, warped fangs that prevented its mouth from closing, and its eyes were horrific, distended orbs of milky blue that wept filmy mucus.

Its limbs were bulging with muscle, and its long tail was scabbed with growths, and ended in vicious spines that were covered in the blood of fallen knights.

Warriors with spears surrounded it, but its hide appeared to be proof against such weapons, the steel tips bouncing from its thick skin. Sar Luther fought to get close enough to reach its underbelly, but despite its massive size, the beast was agile and able to use its low centre of gravity to face any threat with unnatural swiftness.

‘Think we can lend a hand?’ asked Nemiel, hefting his sword over his shoulder.

‘I think we have to,’ said Zahariel. ‘We can’t get any further until it’s dead.’

Zahariel turned to the rest of their sword line and pointed to one of the warriors. ‘Go check on Sar Hadariel, make sure he’s alive. The rest of you, with me.’

As one knight went to check on their leader, Zahariel led the rest towards the rampaging beast. As he watched, a knight rashly attempted to get beneath its snapping, twisted fangs to stab at its throat and was snatched up and bitten clean in two.

The beast swallowed one half with a quick gulp and tossed away the knight’s lower body. Zahariel was horrified by the casual swiftness of the knight’s death, and his grip on his sword tightened.

Another knight fell, bludgeoned from his feet by the monster’s tail, and yet another was crushed beneath a stomping foot. More knights rushed over to fight the last beast, but Zahariel could see they were throwing lives away in fighting this monster, for surely nothing born of Caliban could defeat such a terrible creature.

No sooner had he formed the thought than he saw the Lion lead a host of bloodied knights into the central ring courtyard of the keep.

The Lion had been a magnificent warrior, resplendent in his armour and glorious in his martial bearing, but the times Zahariel had seen him, he had been at peace.

Never before had he seen the Grand Master of the Order roused to war.

Zahariel had always known the Lion was taller

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.