"Brutus?"
Comius repeated the name, his tone level and unreadable, as though he were merely confirming a fact.
His dusky eyes looked especially deep beneath the tactical lights. He withdrew his gaze from the Word Bearers training before him and turned to Loken, who stood at his side.
The Servo System of his Power Armour gave an exceedingly faint, almost inaudible hum as he subtly adjusted his stance, shifting from a mere observer to an attentive listener and participant in the conversation.
Loken nodded, his pearl-white pauldrons reflecting a cold gleam with the movement.
"Yes," he confirmed, his voice carrying distinctly across the spacious training ground. "First Company Captain Abaddon was badly wounded, and his recovery will take time. The Ullanor Crusade is imminent. The First Company and the Justaerin Terminators cannot be left without a clear central commander. Father has decided that Brutus will assume Abaddon's duties until he returns, including his seat on the Four Kings Council."
He stated it objectively, without embellishment, as though reporting a routine reassignment.
But Comius could hear the unusual implications behind those simple words. Acting command of the First Company and a temporary seat on the Four Kings Council were far more than an ordinary interim appointment.
It meant trust, a substantial transfer of power, and a potential signal, now brought into the open, regarding the order of succession.
Although Loken had called it "temporary," with no definite date for Abaddon's recovery and return, no one could know how long that word might hold or what far-reaching effects it might bring.
"I see..."
Comius replied softly, lowering his gaze slightly to his armoured fingers, as though examining the patterns on them.
It was not a question, but a murmur to himself as he slipped into brief contemplation.
He was, of course, familiar