Ragnar hurled himself backwards, smashing the genestealer against one of the walls. He heard chitin crack, but the creature refused to let go.
There was another hissing screech across the chamber as the last of the monsters fell before Hogun's axe. Then the Wolf Guard loomed in front of Ragnar, his dripping axe ready to strike. His yellow-gold eyes shone in the faint light.
Ragnar felt the genestealer's razor-sharp claws dig into his neck. Trusting to the Fates, he turned his back to Hogun.
Hogun's power axe hissed through the air, and steel rang against chitin. The genestealer let out a shriek and fell heavily to the deck.
By the time Ragnar had turned around again, Hogun was racing down a passageway on the far side of the room. 'Wait!' he called after the Wolf Guard. 'Remember your oaths to me, Hogun, and stand fast!'
Years of training took over, stopping the fleeing warrior in his tracks. Hogun turned like a wolf at bay, his teeth bared and his shoulders heaving. 'No oaths bind me now, my lord,' he said in a ragged voice. 'I've slain my packmates in a fit of madness. I'm wolf bitten, and damned for all time.'
'Not true,' Ragnar said, edging slowly towards Hogun. 'Did you not just save me from certain death? What is that, if not fealty to one's lord?'
'All I wanted was to kill something,' Hogun snarled. 'If I had not run I would have tried to kill you next.'
'Is that what you think?' Ragnar said. 'Do you hold yourself in so little regard that you think you could raise your hand to your sworn lord?' He bolstered his pistol and sheathed his sword. 'Very well,' the Wolf Lord said, taking another step forward. 'Strike me down, if you can.'
Hogun's eyes widened. 'What madness is this?' he said, taking a step back.
'Stand your ground!' Ragnar roared. He took another step closer. 'I said strike me, Hogun. Slay me with your axe if you can.'
The Wolf Guard snarled in fury. His hands tightened on the haft of his axe, but he made no move to attack. 'I cannot,' he said through clenched teeth. 'I cannot!'
'That's right,' the Wolf Lord said. 'The wolf does not rule you, Hogun. Fight it! Master the beast and make its strength your own! That is what we do. That is who we are.'
Hogun wavered, torn by shame and rage. 'Slay me then, lord,' he cried. 'I spilled the blood of my pack-mates. My life is forfeit.'
'So it is,' the Wolf Lord said. 'You have killed my liegemen, and so your life belongs to me, as tradition demands. Do you agree?'
The Wolf Guard straightened, accepting his fate. 'That is so, lord. Do as you will.'
'Then hear me: you are a part of my company until the Fates deem otherwise, and you will fight alongside me until there is no life left in you. You are wolf bitten, and you have lost your honour by spilling the blood of your packmates, so from this moment forward you will fight to win it back. Do you understand?'
Hogun stared at Ragnar. 'Is such a thing possible?'
'That, and more besides,' the Wolf Lord said. 'Follow me, and serve the Allfather, Hogun. That is all I ask. Will you do this?'
The Wolf Guard fell to his knees. 'I will, my lord,' he said. 'I will follow you into Morkai's jaws if I must.'
Ragnar clapped Hogun on the shoulder. 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves,' he said with a faint smile. 'Right now, we've got to get the company back together and fight our way to the ship's reactors. Now get on your feet.'
The Wolf Lord headed back the way he'd come with Hogun following close on his heels. As they emerged into the chamber where they'd fought the genestealers, they found the Wolf Priest waiting for them.
'Petur's found Einar's pack off Jotun Three and is leading them to us,' the priest said. 'The rest of the packs are assembled back at the junction and are awaiting orders. Jurgen has checked his data-slates and believes he's found an accessway nearby that should take us right to the reactor deck.'
Ragnar took in the news with a curt nod. 'Well done,' he said, and then indicated Hogun. 'I commend this warrior into your keeping, priest. Whatever else he may be, he is still a member of my warband, and he will fight alongside us as any other warrior.'
The Wolf Priest studied Hogun for a moment, and then reached up with one hand and disengaged the clasps on his wolf skull helm. Sigurd lifted the helmet away and smiled grimly at the Wolf Guard. They fell into step behind Ragnar as the Wolf Lord rushed back to the junction, his mind already working on the tactics he would need to defeat the genestealer threat.
Behind him, the jarl's son spoke to Hogun in quiet tones. 'Listen closely, Hogun, and mark me well. I've a story to tell you of the Wulfen, and of the heroes they can become.'
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lee Lightner is the penname for two authors who live in Baltimore, USA. Lifelong friends, they are both avid Space Wolf fans.
A BLACK LIBRARY PUBLICATION
First published in Great Britain in 2008 by BL Publishing, Games Workshop Ltd. Willow Road Nottingham NG7 2WS UK.
10 98765432 1
Cover illustration by Geoff Taylor.
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