Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm
by Lea von Löwenstein
Chapter 60: Silence in the Morning
The morning broke cold and gray, the usual warmth of dawn muted by an eerie stillness that settled over the camp. Rae and her team stirred from their restless sleep, their movements sluggish as the weight of the previous night lingered.
Soren, the first to emerge from his tent, froze mid-step. His sharp intake of breath drew the others’ attention.
“They’re dead,” he said, his voice low but heavy with disbelief.
Rae and the rest of the team scrambled to their feet, rushing toward the spot where the captives had been bound the night before. What they found chilled them to the core.
The Scene
The prisoners lay lifeless, their bodies slumped against the same tree they had been secured to. Their faces were pale, their expressions locked in twisted agony. There were no visible wounds, no signs of struggle—just the unmistakable stillness of death.
“What…?” Celestine whispered, her voice trailing off as she stared at the gruesome sight. She crouched beside the nearest body, the hooded leader, and examined the bindings. “They didn’t even try to escape. They were still tied up.”
Tyren’s cogitator beeped faintly as he scanned the area. “No movement logged. Nothing crossed the perimeter all night.”
“Impossible,” Marcus growled, his hammer gripped tightly in his hands. “They didn’t just drop dead. Someone did this.”
“But how?” Soren asked, his voice tight. “We would’ve heard something.”
Rae stepped forward, her expression cold and calculating. She knelt beside one of the bodies, her sharp eyes scanning for clues. A faint, acrid smell lingered in the air around the corpses, like burnt circuitry.
“Poison?” she murmured, glancing at Tyren.
Tyren adjusted his cogitator’s sensors, scanning the area. “It’s not biological. There’s a trace of… something, but it’s faint. It’s like…” He hesitated. “Like residual energy. Psyker energy.”
A Dark Possibility
Celestine stood abruptly, her knives still in her hands. “You’re saying this was… psychic? Someone killed them with their mind?”
“It’s possible,” Tyren said reluctantly. “Psykers can manipulate the Warp in ways we barely understand. This could be their work.”
Rae’s jaw tightened. “But why? Why kill them now, after everything?”
“To silence them,” Marcus said grimly. “Whoever’s behind this doesn’t want us knowing the truth.”
Soren nodded, his expression dark. “And they’re close. Whoever did this was here, right under our noses.”
The Inquisitor’s Wrath
Moments later, the roar of engines signaled the arrival of another transport. This time, it wasn’t just the Commissar. Inquisitor Kael descended from the shuttle, her black cloak billowing around her like a storm. Her sharp eyes took in the scene with one sweeping glance.
“Explain,” she demanded, her voice as cold as the morning air.
Rae stepped forward, her voice steady despite the tension. “The captives are dead. No signs of struggle. We suspect psychic interference.”
Kael’s gaze flicked to the bodies, then back to Rae. “You didn’t see or hear anything?”
“No, Inquisitor,” Rae admitted. “We kept watch, monitored the perimeter. Whoever did this, they didn’t leave a trace.”
Kael’s lips thinned, her anger barely contained. “This is not a coincidence. The timing is too perfect. Someone wanted to erase these traitors before they could speak.”
She turned to her retinue, her tone sharp. “Secure the area. Conduct a full scan. I want every molecule examined.”
A Private Warning
As Kael’s agents began their work, the Inquisitor pulled Rae aside. Her tone softened, but her words carried a heavy weight.
“Van Daleon, you’ve proven yourself capable, but this is bigger than you realize. If there’s a psyker involved, this isn’t just treachery—it’s heresy. And heresy spreads like a plague.”
Rae nodded, her expression grim. “What do you want us to do?”
Kael studied her for a moment. “Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay vigilant. Watch the shadows. And if you see anything—anything at all—you report it immediately.”
“Yes, Inquisitor.”
Kael’s gaze lingered. “This is no longer a training exercise, Rae. This is war. Act accordingly.”
Unsettling Theories
As the day wore on, the team regrouped at their camp, the weight of the morning’s events pressing heavily on them.
“This changes everything,” Marcus said, his voice low. “If they can kill without even being here, how do we fight that?”
“We don’t,” Tyren said bluntly. “We outsmart them. Psykers might be powerful, but they’re not infallible.”
Celestine leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. “And what if it’s not just a psyker? What if there’s more? A group? A cult?”
The word hung in the air, unspoken fears given voice. Rae exhaled slowly, her mind racing. “We stick to the plan. We keep moving, keep uncovering the truth. But we’re not alone anymore. Kael’s here. She won’t let this go.”
“For Talia,” Soren said quietly, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
“For Talia,” Rae echoed. “And for the Emperor.”
The Path Ahead
That night, the camp felt heavier, the silence more oppressive. The team kept watch in shifts, their weapons close and their senses sharp. Whatever had killed the prisoners was still out there, lurking in the shadows.
As Rae sat by the fire, her blade resting across her knees, she felt the weight of Kael’s warning pressing down on her. The Scola was no longer a place of learning. It was a battlefield, and the war had only just begun.
The shadows were deeper than ever, and the enemy was closer than they knew. But Rae and her team would not falter. They would face the darkness head-on, no matter the cost. For the Emperor. For the Imperium. For Talia.
