The Black God's War (62 page)

The Ipsissimus lifted his hand and Shader knelt to kiss his ring. A glint of gold caught his eye: a pendant hanging from a heavy chain. The Monas, the symbol of Ain the Infinitely Concealed. It was comprised of a horned circle surmounting a cruciform body. Two conjoined curves formed the legs, and an amber stone glinted within the head—a single all-seeing eye.

‘You accept the Sword of the Archon?’ The Ipsissimus’s voice was thin and rasping. He gave a delicate cough, the merest hint of a wince.

‘If that is your will, Divinity.’

The Ipsissimus nodded to Exemptus Cane who wagged his stick at the two Exempti standing to the right of the throne. They held a velvet cushion between them, upon which was a covering of white silk. They bowed and held out the cushion to the Ipsissimus, who whisked away the cloth to reveal a dull blade: a double-edged shortsword with a tapered tip for thrusting, a knobbed hilt and ridges for the grip. The Ipsissimus passed the sword to Shader, etchings on the blade shimmering in the sun’s rays. Hands shaking, Shader mouthed the words as he read them: ‘
Vade in pace
?’ He glanced at the Ipsissimus.

‘
Go in peace
. Beautiful irony, don’t you think?’ He gave a little wave of his hand and Shader backed away. ‘Vade in pace!’ Shader could almost hear Adeptus Ludo’s voice drilling the point home:
Imperative sense. A command not a noun
. Some things you never forget, no matter how dull and pointless. Maybe it had all been in preparation for understanding the Ipsissimus’s jokes.

‘Show the crowd,’ Ignatius whispered in his ear.

Walking back to the centre of the arena, Shader held the sword aloft, the cheers deafening like cascading water. The sword seemed to like it, odd as it sounded. He shifted his grip on the handle, momentarily shocked. He was certain the thing had trembled. No, more than that: the sword was purring.