Extracting Asurmen
Asurmen: Hand of Asuryan is now available to order in paperback (physical copies in-store on Saturday). If you’re undecided whether to buy the book, have a read of this extract to see if it whets your appetite.
You might also find the following blog posts interesting:
* Asurmen – Author’s Notes
* Asurmen – Music Playlist
* Asurmen – Interview With Cover Artist
Asurmen felt his immortal gaze drawn further and further into the globe, until he was utterly lost within it. He saw the skein for a moment as the farseers witness it – a terrifying, impossible mesh of interlocking and overlapping fates. He saw his own thread, sapphire and vibrant, unbroken for an age. For a moment he saw the lives of the others branching out from the node of the shrine, but they fell away as the rest of the skein faded, leaving only a golden trail that drew Asurmen along until it plunged him into a living nightmare.
“All is red, of fire and blood.
Screams tear the air and planets burn.
Two craftworlds, tendrils of darkness linking them together, dragging each other to destruction.
The sharp laughter of a thirsting god as it sups from the slaughter.
Ancient talons of stone, piercing a bleeding heart.
Ebon claws that break as a white flame of salvation erupts from that heart.”
The shrine was dim when Asurmen was released from the vision, lit only by the ambience that had existed when he had arrived. The other Phoenix Lords were still in their places. The globe and runes were dull and lifeless. Asurmen lifted his hand from the pedestal and the others followed his lead. He felt a moment of disconnection, of spirits parting, leaving him feeling incredibly isolated. It was his usual state of mind and Asurmen was quick to master the sensation.
‘We have seen what must be done, each to their destiny. We speak not of what the visions show us, for it is unwise to cross the threads of fate. Our spirits depart, to return to the world of mortals, at such times and in such places as we left, and in the mortal sphere our lives will meet again. Khaine is sundered once more.’
In the distance he heard fierce cries and closer at hand threatening whispers.
‘Our daemonic besiegers draw fresh strength and so we must leave before they grow bold enough to dare our wrath.’
The Phoenix Lords departed, their armoured forms swiftly swallowed by the shadows outside the sanctum archways, footfalls dwindling into silence within moments as they passed from the First Shrine back through its hidden webway connections.
Karandras paused at the threshold and looked back, raising his claw in salute. Asurmen accepted the gesture of respect with a single nod.
And then Karandras was gone and Asurmen was alone. The baying of flesh hounds was becoming louder, the thunder of brass-shod juggernauts growing. The noise of whetstones shrieked in the darkness.
It was not wise to remain any longer, even for a Phoenix Lord. In the real universe he was functionally immortal, but the First Shrine was far from the real universe.
Asuryan had shown him his purpose. A wrong to be avenged. There was a war to end.
Blade at the ready, Asurmen stepped back into the darkness and the daemons attacked.
You can read the full extract over at Black Library.
**To make sure you don’t miss out on any blog posts, you can keep up-to-date with everything Gav by signing up to my monthly newsletter. As a bonus, every other month I randomly pick a newsletter subscriber to receive a free signed copy of one of my books.**
