The daemon used a seemingly foolish spell, trying to create an opening for the Inquisitor.
An illusion spread out. This was no crude spell that acted on the mind, but a curtain of light conjured around them with psyker power, much like a Hololithic Projection.
Beneath Evan's feet lay the dull steel of the command room. A few dozen paces farther out, light flickered and colors blended, revealing an elegant, magnificent governor's garden.
It was like a river flowing through the history of flowers. Blooms from across the galaxy gathered here, varieties long lost to history blossoming proudly. Color was the least remarkable of its wonders.
Other rare and extraordinary plants formed a spectacular cliff-like wall. It was impossible to tell whether skilled gardeners had planted them on the wall or someone had madly folded the entire patch of ground up ninety degrees.
A winding stream encircled Evan, its water a crimson amber, crystalline and dreamily lustrous.
The Blood God would have spat on this place, because that was red wine.
The daemon sat in a beautiful little pavilion with pointed Gothic spires, elegantly holding a cup of coffee.
Its body gradually assumed the appearance of the beautiful Inquisitor from earlier, though its clothing better suited these surroundings: a pale pink court gown, gold-trimmed silk gloves, and an exquisite jeweled pendant hanging from a flower-adorned waist ribbon.
The daemon's strength fluctuated wildly. Its surroundings had an enormous effect on its combat power. Here, it was a Greater Daemon, but inside a cold, gray steel cage, it was no stronger than an ordinary daemon.
The daemon raised its coffee cup and took a sip, regarding Evan with an ambiguous smile.
"You remind me of someone I once knew," Evan said, his strides growing longer and faster.
He advanced with magnificent, imposing