The clouds were thin, like tapestries woven from some kind of smoke. Behind them rose mountains that towered into the sky. Dark ridgelines were capped with white snow, and from afar, they looked like a curtain.
Standing inside the cabin, Mephisto, Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels, admitted something to himself.
This planet's environment was harsh beyond belief, and yet it still possessed magnificent natural scenery.
The power of nature was fully proven in the raging blizzard. Even the Thunderhawk Gunship swayed in such winds, its metal skin creaking. He did not worry that this sacred creation would fail. It bore the Emperor's blessing, and had also been fitted with a Glyph Array.
It was only a blizzard. Hardly worth mentioning.
And inside the cabin, there were also subtle currents stirring.
Bjorn—the Wolf who shared both the name and even the title of the legendary Bjorn the Fell-Handed—sat in another corner of the hold, a hint of a smile on his face.
Mephisto did not know why he was smiling, but he did not much like it. Still, he did not point it out. For one thing, it would not be polite. For another, he had already done something impolite once before.
It had to do with Saul Tarvitz, who sat opposite Bjorn. The Emperor's Child sat perfectly upright, his expression solemn.
"A true Emperor's Child," Mephisto had called him the moment they boarded.
If asked, the Librarian would admit he had done it deliberately, for the purpose of probing him. The emotions caught by his psionic tendrils had been irritation, shame, and humiliation. They confirmed his thoughts all the more.
He felt sorry for what he had done, but Saul Tarvitz had forgiven him before he could apologize.
And now, Mephisto stood at the rear of the cabin, both