Chương 16: We Found Something

Una breezed into Dr. Suarez' office like she'd never heard of bone spurs. She was on a roll. Robin was eating well. He complained a bit about headaches, but who didn't? He was sleeping through the night, and his color had improved. It felt like he was himself again. Robin was excited to go to the game club today and chattered about his battle plan the whole way over. Una couldn't understand a tenth of what he said, but the important thing was, he was happy, and so was she. There were new tires on the Falcon.

Just yesterday, Father Domingo had said her birds were the best he'd ever seen. She was excited to share all the good news with Dr. Suarez. The look on Cassandra Suarez's face stopped Una cold. A folder of X-rays was spread on her desk. Una wished she could turn right around and run. She straightened up and stood before the desk with her hands balled at her sides.

"Please, sit down," Dr. Suarez requested.

"What happened?"

"We found something." *"NOOOOOO!" The ragged scream tore through the chapel. Burbak muscled through the others gathered at the entrance while Runagir and Duandan followed close behind. Madness cracked in the Master Halberdier's howl. Gunnag Doreson had broken.

"It's all undone! The weave has warped, the thread has frayed! The Emperor has fallen! There's no one left, no one can stitch the world back together!" Gunnag swept his hands about the ruined chapel as he raved. Every inch of the Imperial Soulforge had been utterly defiled. Vandals had beheaded the statues of the Eight Immaculate Saints. They'd swapped their heads and repositioned the figures to suggest profane acts. The walls were subverted with chiseled blasphemies and filth was rubbed into the gouges.

Blood and shreds of soiled vestments were everywhere. No one here had died clean. There was a distant roar in Burbak's ears, like thunder over the mountain. The rage would come soon. He needed a foe. The burned bodies were all tangled together in a great sacrificial pyre raised before the Icon of the Emperor. A ring of scorched skulls was set around the blackened bones. Burbak's gorge rose as he realized the skulls were too small to have been adults. Above the ashes, the huge icon of the Emperor loomed.

His golden skin was smeared with dung. Only the sapphires of his eyes were untainted, the better to witness this horror. The High Hammer Priest was chained to the Icon upside down. He'd been slit open and his innards were stuffed with pages ripped from the Imperial Script. Everything crawled with rot. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Where is their shepherd? What God would allow this?" Gunnag wailed.

"Sir." Captain Wemble approached Gunnag, palms raised. Two stout lieutenants were close at hand. Their expressions were bitter and resigned. This place had not seen the end of horror.

"I am not a sir! I am not a man! None of you are! We should have prevented this! We failed them! We failed them because the Emperor failed us!"

"Sir, control yourself," Wemble pleaded.

"I will not! My eyes are open! Hear me now, all of you! We followed a lie! The Emperor is a powerless fraud! Chaos reigns supreeee—!" Captain Wemble could take no more. His mailed fists wrapped around Gunnag's throat and choked his blasphemy short. Gunnag made no move to defend. Instead, he locked his hands around Wemble's neck and matched him, strength for strength. The two lieutenants rushed in to peel his arms off, but Gunnag was a man possessed. They could not overcome him.

"Help!" the right lieutenant cried. Burbak surged forward and wrenched at Gunnag's wrists until the bones gave out. Captain Wemble slipped from Gunnag's grip and fell into the ashes, senseless. Gunnag did not cry when his bones broke. Through his swollen throat he croaked:"I CURSE THIS PLACE! MAY THE VOID RISE AND SWALLOW YOU ALL!" Gasps raced around the room. The air seemed to chill as the Devourer was invoked.

"You first," Burbak growled. Burbak grabbed the Master Halberdier by his hair and wrenched him from the arms of the two lieutenants. Gunnag's forehead banged against the filthy flags and split open. He tried to rise but Burbak's boot came down on the back of his skull. That was all. No one would ever forget the sound. There was great disquiet among the Imperials after.

"Justice should have come from us, not a Dwarf," the left Lieutenant growled. A few grumbled in agreement. Most stayed silent. All were afraid of the wild-eyed Berserker.

"You had your chance. If any of you lose your spine and start spewing that chaos blather, you'll get the same." Burbak kicked the Master Halberdier's limp remains.

"Don't like it? Step outside with me." Burbak's eyes blazed around the profaned chapel. There were no takers.

"That's right. Now, let's clear out of here before—hold." Burbak stopped mid-sentence and held up a fist. The Dwarves heard it first, then the elves, then the men. Prescote was last. He looked about in confusion, too old to hear the drone. Young Bobbert grabbed his master by the arm and led him outside.

"What is it?" Prescote asked.

"There's a strange sound. It's very low," Bobbert explained. Prescote squinted hopelessly about the jagged hills. Far away, a war horn sounded and then others joined it. The low sound grew louder, the ground began to vibrate, then tremors began. Young Bobbert braced Prescote to keep him on his feet.

"Oh my," Prescote gulped. A moment later the quake brought them both to their knees.

"FORM UP!" Burbak howled, barely audible above the roar. The ground rippled and rolled, fluid as the sea. All around the ragtag army, the earth split into fissures and broke. Disaster was upon them.