Harodiah steadied herself against the wall, palms flat against the ornate runes of the hexagrammic wards that covered the walls of the chamber. Her head was throbbing in time with her accelerated heartbeat, sweat drenching her habit such that it clung to her frail body. Breath coming in gasps, she blinked rapidly to clear her vision, then immediately regretted it…
Before her Gaius stood shirtless, wearing only a pair of black slacks and his boots. His body was slick with a sheen of sweat, short blond curls soaked against his scalp. He was facing away from her, toward the three tables arranged in the center of the room. Upon the stainless steel tables the three corpses of Eldar Farseers writhed against the restraints that chained them down. Their flesh moved in unnatural ways, as though something within was pressing outward, trying to escape the prison of flesh it had been entombed in. The bodies distended and stretched sickeningly, and the bile rose in Harodiah's throat.
The psychic struggled to keep from vomiting as she watched, unable to tear her eyes away. In her mind she could hear the seductive whispers of the daemons locked inside the Eldar corpses, their spectral voices just too quiet to comprehend. Shivers ran through her body as Gaius reached out and stroked the face of Nyerëlindë, once called "Molly", her flesh rippling under his fingertips grotesquely.
Just as it seemed Harodiah couldn't hold down her gorge, she felt a crushing psychic silence settle over them like a blanket. She looked up at the ceiling, as if she could see through it to the source of the strange stillness. Her eyes fell to the Inquisitor who was also looking up. "The Shadow in the Warp." He said simply.
A few seconds later, the vox-caster at his belt beeped and he answered it. "Janus?"
"Your grace, the Astropaths have lost all contact with the Warp…"
"I know," Gaius ran his fingers through his sodden hair, shaking off the sweat. "The Tyranids are here. The psychic interference of the Hive Mind blots out any other attempts at psychic communication. Inform Lazarus that the Bugs have arrived. Tell Trajanus to have the Legions ready." He pondered for a moment then added, "And have Trajanus send up a few sorties of all trans-atmospheric fighters he has to take out a few of their biovessels. There may be too many to stop entirely, but that doesn't mean we should let them approach completely unopposed."
"Yes, your grace."
"Also order the Emperor's Eye out of orbit immediately. They are to retreat to Kali VII and await there for further instructions. I won't risk losing our ride home to their Hive Fleet. The rest of the Imperial Navy is to make a fighting withdrawal, taking out as many of their vessels as possible then joining the Emperor's Eye."
"By your command, your grace."
Gaius closed the communicator and looked down at their handiwork. The corpse of Nyerëlindë suddenly bucked against the chains that bound her, muscles strained, back arched. Her eyes shot open, entirely blood red, her mouth open in silent scream. She seemed to look directly at Harodiah, and her mouth twisted into an evil grin, her body relaxing. Harodiah gagged as her stomach heaved, using all her strength to swallow it down.
Nyerëlindë's corpse lay still except her head, which turned toward Gaius, batting her eyelashes like some lascivious strumpet. A voice, feminine and sultry with a ghastly, hollow reverberation of something not of this world purred, "Enommentamme, melindo."("We meet again, lover.")
Harodiah began to tremble uncontrollably as the other two Eldar corpses turned their blood red gazes upon her. She felt their horrible, unnatural power caressing her mind with whispered yet wordless promises of agony and ecstasy. Her knees went weak and her head swooned, then Harodiah found herself kneeling on the floor. Shaking as though palsied she vomited blood and bile upon the tiles.
