Chapter Seven: Part One

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At first, all Gwen heard were muffled voices, garbled as though they were under water. Warm, comfortable numbness washed over her. Random images flitted through her mind, far too quickly for her to catch more than a vague impression. Sometimes the briefest glimpse of a face, other times a specific location, though none were the least bit familiar. It was because of this strange sense of disconnection that she instinctively knew she was dreaming. Or rather, had been dreaming, until the voices pierced through the veil between sleep and consciousness.

"The caduceus should be—"

"—Thessaly? This could prove much more challenging."

"—with it being such a populated area? It would be a miracle if we managed."

"What about—did the council...?"

"It was him, just like I said it would be. Listen, there's something I have to tell you."

The voices grew sharper, though Gwen still couldn't make any more sense of them than she could from the start. Who was talking, and where was she, anyway?

"Now is not the time to be reckless."

Was that Forneus?

"For the love of Mythos, listen to reason! This is the perfect time to take Reeves out of the equation, once and for all!" Strange, that sounded a lot like Phenex. "We might never get another chance like this! Please, don't try to stop me. Not from doing what we both know needs to be done."

Now she was absolutely certain it was Forneus and Phenex talking.

"Tell me, is it 'Phenex, elite solo operative', or 'Phenex, the harbinger of vengeance' doing the talking?"

An exhalation of breath followed this question, no doubt one of them sighing in frustration—that one more than likely being Phenex.

As the last traces of sleep cleared from her mind, Gwen opened her eyes, seeing only the fuzzy, soft hues of cerulean and lavender dancing across the ceiling until her vision cleared. Peering first to her right, where the bathroom was located, and then to her left, where a tray of food had been left at her bedside, she sat up with a groan. Rubbing the crust from her eyes, she turned her focus toward the two figures standing on the other side of the room, just in front of the marbled door.

When neither looked up, continuing their argument in hushed tones, she cleared her throat. "Who is Reeves, and more importantly, why are you guys holding a conference in my room?"

They looked up simultaneously, surprised. It didn't last long. Phenex averted his molten gaze, leaning back against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. Everything about him just screamed moodiness, and it seemed to Gwen that he'd been like this ever since they'd returned from Rome. Why, she didn't know, and nor was she inclined to find out.

Especially not when he looked like a bomb about to go off at any moment.

Forneus glanced at him as though trying to relay a silent message, the look in his eyes almost pleading. When Phenex refused to meet his gaze, Forneus heaved a sigh, and settled into the folding chair next to the bed, offering Gwen a smile as he did. There was something undeniably sad about his expression, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"My apologies for waking you," he said, grabbing the crystal pitcher from the tray next to him and filling the empty glass with water. He handed it to Gwen, and she took it with a grateful nod. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I have for the last couple of days." Gwen took a long gulp from her glass, and set it back down on the tray. "So, what did I miss? It sounded like you guys were having a serious discussion." Seeing the flicker of tension that crossed his face, she hastened to add, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was asleep, but then I heard you guys talking..."

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