"I've already persuaded Konrad. The rebels don't know he has returned to the Imperium. As long as we use a fragment of the Crimson King's soul as bait, along with some maneuvering from Curze, Magnus is bound to take the hook."
Lox laid out his plan to Malcador. He had not told the primarchs because he feared whatever brotherly affection remained between them might cause trouble at a critical moment.
Personal bonds often ruined things when it mattered most. Lox only hoped Leman Russ would not.
Jaghatai Khan had once been close to Magnus. Though their differing views on the Warp had driven them apart, if he learned that Lox intended to scheme against Magnus and drag him back to serve as fuel for the Golden Throne, that primarch would inevitably harbor resentment.
No one could fathom the Khan's thoughts. No one.
Leman Russ was even more of a concern. He was now immersed in remorse over wounding Magnus by mistake, as well as anguish over Magnus's betrayal of the Imperium. If he found out, it would likely create more complications.
But Malcador was different. As the Emperor's close comrade, he and Lox were now in the same boat. From the moment he ascended the Golden Throne to meet the Emperor, the three of them had been irrevocably bound together.
One sat upon the Golden Throne, desperately holding back the Warp. Another exhausted himself to prolong the Imperium's life. And Lox was doing everything he could to break this deadlock.
Lox even bore the mission of a final escape. Before the Golden Throne, the Emperor had confessed to the plans he had laid for Lox over the millennia, though that option would only be activated at the very end.
No one wanted the situation to truly deteriorate to that point.