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Fireheart – Extract

A Black Library Publication

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Fireheart

Gav Thorpe

The Clan Council took place amongst the inverted forest of the Sighing Winds Dome. Extruded from the underside of Saim Hann Craftworld, the habitat was named well, for its hundreds of ancient trees grew downwards towards the glimmer of stars below from the fertile substrate of the craftworld’s foundation, while a constant breeze stirred the dark blue needle-leaves of the Skypines, white-blossomed Snowgiants and grey-barked Silver Queens. Every hillock and vale had its own voice, so that as the semi-random gusts flowed across the dome a chorus of tree-song filled the air. The Saim Hann eldar could navigate from one side to the other by sound alone, and indeed one of the greatest festivals of the Saim Hann calendar was the Race of the Night-shrouded in which blindfolded competitors sped upon their jetbikes along a treacherously winding course.

That cycle’s activity was more sedate though no less devoid of motion. Among the spreading branches floated elegant rafts upon which the delegations of the Clan Council assembled, each clan to its own platform. They drifted slowly among the upside-down boles, the root-scrawled ground seemingly above them, an endless gulf of stars below. Gaily coloured gonfalons and pennants fluttered around the rim of each cloud-barque, bearing the runes and motifs of the clan and the individual members of its entourage. The attendees were as brightly turned out as the anti-grav platforms, displaying all the finery of their position like extravagant show birds trying to attract their mates.

Allies gathered closer together where they could converse without need for artificial amplification, forming an instantly recognisable picture of changing allegiances, factions and sentiment. Ribbon-tailed messenger doves flitted from one platform to another to take greetings, promises and reminders of past oaths between attending parties further afield. It was not simply tradition that necessitated the use of such antiquated means of communication; the location of the dome placed it on the periphery of Saim Hann’s infinity circuit. With only the most residual background psychic activity to link them, the council members were required to use eloquence and presence to make their arguments rather than relying on the shared-mind empathy of the craftworld’s crystalline nervous system.

It was also, very deliberately, a means to curtail the influence of the seers, who were only one of the many factions represented at the Clan Council. Here their voice was no greater than any other – and in the regard of many present, somewhat less important, judging by the dearth of other cloud-rafts in their vicinity.

At the centre of the drifting constellation of delegates, one eldar stood alone upon an unadorned platform. The Saim Hann were noted among others of the Asuryani for their extravagance, but in the manner of her garb the visitor being scrutinised by the clan chiefs outdid all others present. Alone of those in the dome, Druthkhala Shadowspite was unarmed – the chieftains and their aids all proudly bore heirloom weapons even though some had not seen battle for a generation and more. Even so, her warrior nature was evident from the bladed, serrated armour she wore. It was of Commorraghan craft, the highly decorative pieces laced together with threads of alien sinew, the plates themselves covered in dark red lacquer shaped to accentuate her lean body as much as to protect her vital organs.

Much of her flesh was visible but the pale skin itself was obscured by bright tattoos that covered her arms, thighs and midriff, composed of hundreds of tiny vignettes of bloodshed – decapitations and eviscerations contorted as she bent a tautly muscled arm, while graphic depictions of even more brutal murders stretched across her stomach when she drew herself up to her full height. Her hair was the equal of any banner on display, a heaping crest of red and black that cascaded in complex braids almost to her ankles. Her face had not been spared ornamentation, marked by scarlet ink with an arachnid design across her cheeks and brow, her features bounded by a tiara of alternating spikes and skull-shaped gems.

Also uniquely she bore no spirit stone, for she had been raised among the drukhari of Commorragh, though of late the former Bloodbride’s mistress passed by another name – Yvraine of the Ynnari.

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A Black Library Publication

Published in Great Britain in 2017 by Black Library, Games Workshop Ltd, Willow Road, Nottingham, NG7 2WS, UK.

Produced by Games Workshop in Nottingham.

Fireheart © Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2017. Fireheart, GW, Games Workshop, Black Library, The Horus Heresy, The Horus Heresy Eye logo, Space Marine, 40K, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, the ‘Aquila’ Double-headed Eagle logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world.
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ISBN: 978-1-78572-861-7

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