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The Devine Adoratrice (Short Story)

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The Devine Adoratrice
The-Devine-Adoratrice.jpg
Author Graham McNeill
Publisher Black Library
Series Horus Heresy series
Released May 2014
Collected in The Imperial Truth
War Without End
Editions ISBN 9781782513063


The Devine Adoratrice is a short story by Graham McNeill. Originally published in the anthology The Imperial Truth, it was re-published online in May 2014.


Cover Description[1]

Decades before Horus's civil war sunders the Imperium, Raeven Devine, ruler-in-waiting of the world of Molech, prepares for his Becoming, the rite that will elevate him to the rank of Knight and bond him with the mighty war machine that will be his steed for years to come. But traitors within the Sacristans have other ideas and a shocking act of betrayal sets the stage for one of the bloodiest battles of the Horus Heresy...

Synopsis

Spoiler!
This page contains spoilers for: The Devine Adoratrice (Short Story)

Raeven Devine, the younger son of Lord Cyprian Devine, spends a langorous evening in bed with his mistress, Lyx, who just happens to be his elder half-brother Albard's wife. While they are naked, he notices a small tattoo of the Serpent Cult on her body, and chides her that she could get in a lot of trouble if anyone besides him saw it.

The next day is his Rite of Becoming, and on the morning, his mother, Lady Cebella, bustles into his chambers, orders Lyx out through the servants' entrance, and proceeds to make sure her son is presentable for his great day.

In a hidden corner of the palace, Lyx meets with one of her ardent admirers, a Sacristan named Nadezhda, and sweetly asks him for a special favor to prove his devotion to her...

Albard and Raeven are conveyed together to the dais where their father is already mounted atop his Knight. Just as they dismount from their carriage, a wild-eyed Sacristan bursts out of the crowd and runs onto the dais with a bomb strapped to his chest - not a conventional bomb, but rather an electromagnetic pulse device, which disables Albard's antiquated suit of power armour (which he insisted on wearing to adhere to tradition), and, calamitously, the neural implants pacifying the beasts drawing the carriage. They go berserk, goring and trampling several of House Devine's retainers, impervious to las-rifle and stubber fire. Raeven is about to flee, but when his path is blocked by one of the animals, he grabs his brother's power sword - which, since it relies on its now-disabled power field, is not even sharpened.

Lord Devine, whose Knight was at the edge of the blast and only temporarily disabled, moves into action, killing the beasts with his weapons but suffering two near-fatal wounds in the process. Barely conscious, he orders both his sons to proceed to the Sanctuary to complete their bonding with their Knights immediately. As Raeven struggles to help his brother, he is surprised to hear the crowd cheering his name - from where they stood, they did not see Lord Devine attack the beasts, they only saw Raeven standing over his defenceless brother with a non-powered sword.

As the Sacristans bind Albard and Raeven into the mechanical harnesses that will bond them with their Knights, one bends over and whispers into Albard's ear, "the Serpent Gods live..."

The next day, Lyx reports to Lady Cebella that things worked out almost exactly as they had planned, maybe even better: Albard was so traumatized that he failed to bond properly with his Knight, while Raeven did so perfectly. Lady Cebella grouses that she expected Lord Devine to die in the attack, yet he is stubbornly holding on to life, meaning Raeven's ascension as the new Lord will have to wait for another day. Lyx reminds her that, by accident, Raeven has become a popular hero, and it will serve him well in the months to come. Like all wives of the heir-presumptive to House Devine, Lyx has been groomed as an Adoratrice, a priestess with a limited gift of divination. She confides to Cebella that she has foreseen a great battle coming to Molech, in which Raeven will play a pivotal role.

Cebella and Lyx agree that, despite their differences, they both love Raeven and want him to rise as high as he can - and their conversation reveals that they are actually mother and daughter, and Raeven is unaware that his mistress is actually his own twin sister.

Setting


Trivia

  • This story acts as a prequel to McNeill's novel Vengeful Spirit.
  • The title of the story may reference the "Divine Adoratrice", a title given to high-ranking women in Ancient Egypt (typically the Pharaoh's wife or daughter) who served as the high priestess of the cult of Amun.


See also

Related articles

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Sources


Horus Heresy Series
Novels I Horus RisingII False GodsIII Galaxy in FlamesIV The Flight of the EisensteinV FulgrimVI Descent of AngelsVII LegionVIII Battle for the AbyssIX MechanicumX Tales of HeresyXI Fallen AngelsXII A Thousand SonsXIII NemesisXIV The First HereticXV Prospero BurnsXVI Age of DarknessXVII The Outcast DeadXVIII Deliverance LostXIX Know No FearXX The PrimarchsXXI Fear to TreadXXII Shadows of TreacheryXXIII Angel ExterminatusXXIV BetrayerXXV Mark of CalthXXVI Vulkan LivesXXVII The Unremembered EmpireXXVIII ScarsXXIX Vengeful SpiritXXX The Damnation of PythosXXXI Legacies of BetrayalXXXII DeathfireXXXIII War Without EndXXXIV PharosXXXV Eye of TerraXXXVI The Path of HeavenXXXVII The Silent WarXXXVIII Angels of CalibanXXXIX Praetorian of DornXL CoraxXLI The Master of MankindXLII GarroXLIII Shattered LegionsXLIV The Crimson KingXLV TallarnXLVI RuinstormXLVII Old EarthXLVIII The Burden of LoyaltyXLIX WolfsbaneL Born of FlameLI Slaves to DarknessLII Heralds of the SiegeLIII TitandeathLIV The Buried Dagger
Siege of Terra I The Solar WarII The Lost and the DamnedIII The First WallSons of the SelenarIV SaturnineFury of MagnusV MortisVI WarhawkVII Echoes of EternityGarro: Knight of GreyVIII The End and the Death (Volume IVolume IIVolume III)
The Primarchs Roboute Guilliman: Lord of UltramarLeman Russ: The Great WolfMagnus the Red: Master of ProsperoPerturabo: The Hammer of OlympiaLorgar: Bearer of the WordFulgrim: The Palatine PhoenixFerrus Manus: Gorgon of MedusaGrandfather's GiftPerturabo: Stone and IronMalcador: First Lord of the ImperiumKonrad Curze: A Lesson in DarknessJaghatai Khan: Warhawk of ChogorisVulkan: Lord of DrakesSons of the EmperorCorax: Lord of ShadowsAngron: Slave of NuceriaScions of the Emperor Konrad Curze: The Night HaunterGhost of NuceriaThe Passing of AngelsThe Abyssal EdgeMercy of the DragonLion El'Jonson: Lord of the FirstIllyriumThe Revelation of the WordMorningstarWill of the LegionEmbers of ExtinctionAlpharius: Head of the HydraBlood of the EmperorLoyal SonsMortarion: The Pale KingRogal Dorn: The Emperor's CrusaderSanguinius: The Great AngelHeirs of The Emperor
Horus Heresy Characters Valdor: Birth of the ImperiumLuther: First of the FallenSigismund: The Eternal CrusaderEidolon: The Auric Hammer
Novellas Promethean SunAurelianBrotherhood of the StormThe Reflection Crack'dFeat of IronThe LionThe Serpent BeneathCorax: SoulforgeScorched EarthTallarn: ExecutionerPrince of CrowsThe Crimson FistThe PurgeRavenlordThe Seventh SerpentTallarn: IroncladCyberneticaWolf KingThe HonouredThe UnburdenedGarro: Vow of FaithSons of the ForgeDreadwingSpear of Ultramar
Collections AngronThe Imperial TruthSedition's GateEchoes of RuinDeath and DefianceBlades of the TraitorMedusonBetrayal at CalthEchoes of the ImperiumVirtues of the Sons/Sins of the FatherEchoes of RevelationLupercal's WarCthonia's Reckoning
Short Stories The Lightning TowerThe Dark KingArmy of OneKryptosDistant Echoes of Old NightLost SonsDeath of a SilversmithThe Divine WordThe Kaban ProjectThe Gates of TerraLord of the Red SandsSerpentLuna MendaxRivenBjorn: Lone WolfThe Wolf of Ash and FireHeart of the ConquerorChild of NightThe ShadowmastersThe Devine AdoratriceDaemonologySins of the FatherThe Final Compliance of Sixty-Three FourteenVoraxThe Value of FearBrotherhood of the MoonVirtues of the SonsImperfectHowl of the HearthworldA Safe and Shadowed PlaceGunsightBlack OculusWolf MotherTwistedChirurgeonTallarn: WitnessIronfireHands of the EmperorBy the Lion's CommandAll That RemainsThe PhoenicianArtefactsGhosts Speak NotPatienceInheritorTallarn: SirenBlackshieldMyriadInto ExileThe Grey RavenThe Painted CountExocytosisThe Last Son of ProsperoOrdo SinisterThe Ember WolvesRestorerThe Laurel of DefianceImmortal DutyDuty WaitsMagisteriumNow Peals MidnightDreams of UnityThe Board is SetThe Atonement of FireA Lesson in IronMassacreTwo Metaphysical BladesPrologue to NikaeaOld Wounds, New ScarsAbyssalThe Last CouncilA Rose Watered with BloodBringer of SorrowLantern's LightThe Serpent's DanceThe Lightning HallEater of DreamsBloodhowlAmor FatiThe Fields of AbundanceThe Shel'tain AffairPrimacyThe NineVisageThe Last Loyalist
Audio Dramas Raven's FlightGarro: Oath of MomentGarro: Legion of OneButcher's NailsGrey AngelBurden of DutyGarro: Sword of TruthWarmasterStrike and FadeVeritas FerrumThe SigilliteHonour to the DeadWolf HuntCensureThief of RevelationsKhârn: The Eightfold PathLucius: The Eternal BlademasterCypher: Guardian of OrderHunter's MoonWolf's ClawTemplarGarro: Shield of LiesMaster of the FirstThe Long NightStratagemHerald of SanguiniusThe WatcherThe Eagle's TalonIron CorpsesGarro: Ashes of FealtyRaptorGrey TalonRed-MarkedThe EitherThe Heart of the PharosThe Thirteenth WolfChildren of SicarusPerpetualThe Soul, SeveredValeriusThe Binary SuccessionDark ComplianceBlackshields: The False WarBlackshields: The Red FiefHubris of MonarchiaNightfaneBlackshields: The Broken Chain
Artbooks Visions of Heresy (2013)Visions of Heresy (2018)Art of the Horus Heresy
Script Books Horus Heresy: The Scripts: Volume IHorus Heresy: The Scripts: Volume II
Graphic Novels Macragge's Honour