Part 20

The rest of the journey to the Marallah tribe camp was uneventful. I made sure of it.

My sword was constantly in my hand, shimmering with my own repressed fury. How dare these fools bicker and squabble amongst themselves like children, unable to see that they are on the same side? That all of us ultimately were? The Nine were beacons to guide the rest of humanity to safety and peace in the arms of the only eternal gods. We had no foes save those who denied the truth, and sought to silence it, or guide others astray.

Many are the blades held ready to fight your words. Make sure none are at your back.

I pondered the clergy deeply embedded in my own tribe, and in those across Laitivia IV. I suppose we had quite a few enemies after all. It had been some time since Treachery spoke to me.

Still, excitement filled my heart more than trepidation as the curling smoke from my home’s tents became visible. I had left terrified and sorrowful, but returned triumphant. I was so much more now than that uncertain, cowering girl who had left this place only days before. I was brimming with not just power, but with truth and passion, a drive to share Chaos with all.

All who welcome you, you welcome as family. All who reject you have sadly declared you their foe.

Foe. It held a meaning for me far deeper than it had before. Previously, a foe had been anyone who meant me harm. Now, now a foe was anyone who stood in the way of salvation for mankind. Humanity stood on the brink of understanding, of a leap to a higher existence. Damnation and death faced us if we failed. I knew not just how many people there were, all of them desperate to be free, but I knew my calling lay among the stars. The Amorok had come down from them after all, and though it would be difficult, fate called me to the heavens.

Fate, destiny, honor, duty, all are calls you can ignore. The consequences of some are greater than others. All of them call you now.

A paradise awaited us all. Eternity indulging ourselves as we see fit, enjoying the company of those we love, pursuing all of our passions. Such marvels shone in the oily light of the warp! And I was the bridge to making them a reality. Not just for myself, but for everyone.

Pleasure. So often reduced to something carnal. And while that pleasure is great, is there not pleasure in achievement? In success intellectual, athletic, artistic? Joy is pleasure. Love is pleasure. Embrace it or all shall fall to sorrow.

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So much waited for us once humanity stopped warring amongst itself, stopped preaching false words for false gods. The persecution of psykers when one could not even control their nature, it was abominable, made doubly so since I had participated in it myself for so long. My cheeks flushed at the thought. I hadn’t turned from such sin until I myself was threatened by it. Selfish. And there was one way to repent. My hand tightened upon the hilt of my blade, for I knew already that my path to salvation would be paved with blood.

It is inevitable. Bring the willing into our house, but the blood of the wicked must be shed. Those who stand between you and those who need you deserve no mercy! Rip the life from them without hesitation, for what you bring is worth any sacrifice.

The first calls sounded from the sentries around the camp. They’d spotted us at last, though they didn’t seem to recognize me. To be fair, I doubted I looked the same. Not that the blessings bestowed upon me changed my appearance, but I carried myself with new confidence, new certainty.

Attitude could change the perception of others a great deal.

The first challenges were shouted, and I hesitated to respond. What was I to say? Should I identify myself to the sentries that remained hidden behind the tall grass? They would attack. Should I state my mission? That too would instigate violence. I knew blood would be shed eventually, but these were my people, however I’d been forced to flee from them. I did not want them to die. I did not want to kill them. What then, should I say?

There is but one answer.

For there is but one purpose.

You are our one voice.

One from four.

Each a facet.

Each a reflection.

Each a revelation.

Each false.

For of that you must speak, there is but one.

The last those voices spoke in unison. And I knew.

“My name is Katherine, former priestess of the Imperial Faith. I have come to denounce the Amorok and their creed, to bring the light of truth to our people.” I declared, feeling power winding through my words. Horror filled me initially, the memory of how I’d enslaved Marcus burning, but this felt different. As promised, my words would never again shackle. Instead, they would set the listener free. “I mean no harm to those who will listen, even those who reject my word. I ask only that I be given the chance to speak, and that those who hear me and rejoice be allowed to follow when I leave.”

My words wound around them, I could feel it, and slipped into their souls, turning like a key in a lock, for I spoke the truth.

And in a moment, they were unbound.