'A Rose Watered With Blood' – Aaron Dembski-Bowden (Black Library)



I've got a feeling that this week isn't going to hang around and it's going to be a bit of a nightmare trying to keep up... It's a good job then that I have a couple of short stories in reserve that I'll chat about this week (while I try and keep the demands of work and two young children in check, wish me luck and pray that I don't end up having to teach fractions again...)
The past week, or so, has seen me reading a few of the Black Library short stories, filling in gaps in the 'Horus Heresy' storyline that I didn't even know were there until I started reading these short stories. It used to be that I'd have a right old moan about the Horus Heresy series and its uncanny ability to dig deep into my wallet and bleed it dry. These strange days though, I'm just grateful for some extra stuff to read, especially when it's by Aaron Dembski-Bowden and it's about the World Eaters Legion. I love those angry guys and I love anything written by Dembski-Bowden so 'A Rose Watered With Blood' looked like a safe bet for half an hour's reading. And you know what? Of course it was...

The Conquerer, flagship of the World Eaters Space Marine Legion, has changed. As it makes the long journey to Terra, the vagaries of the warp – and the infernal nature of the beast chained in the bowels of the warship – are altering the very fabric of the vessel. For Lotara Sarrin, long-serving shipmaster of the once-proud craft, and her human crew, the ship has become dangerous. Some think it's trying to kill them. Sarrin has another theory… and it's one she likes even less.

I re-read 'Betrayer', not too long ago, and reminded myself that my favourite character in that book is Lotara Sarrin, proud captain of 'The Conqueror' and the only baseline human I've come across who has shot a fully pissed off World Eater in the face and lived to tell the tale. Sarrin is ultimately loyal to the Legion, over the Imperium, and that pushes her down a path where she is captaining a spaceship with a demon in the hold and that's full of Space Marines that need to kill something to make their journey more tolerable. So, what happened next?

Well, the answer is exactly what you'd think but that's not the point of this story. What we're about here is finding out just how far Sarrin can be pushed mentally, in the face of order breaking down on board 'The Conqueror' and the ship itself undergoing some fundamental changes as the Warp (and the presence of the demon Primarch Angron) takes hold. The relationship between a captain and her vessel takes on a whole new meaning here and Dembski-Bowden is as good as ever at keeping your attention focussed by teasing out details and adding a human element to something that is inherently inhuman.

'A Rose Watered with Blood' is an infuriating story to really go into in depth as the second I do, you'll immediately guess how it ends... It's a great twist, well delivered, and I don't want to ruin it, so I won't. Lets just say that fans of 'Betrayer', and the World Eaters in general, will get a lot out of this compact little tale that delivers far more than its brevity would suggest. I'm glad I picked it up.

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