Whispers of Nowhere

Chapter Nine: Part Three

Forneus stared at Phenex for a long moment, contemplating him over the top of steepled fingers. He had just materialized his latest frock coat into existence—identical to the previous one, only sturdier—when a knock had come at the door, announcing the other's arrival. From there, he had settled into his favourite armchair, clothed in nothing more than his trousers and dress shirt, and listened to his friend launch into a full account of all that he'd learned from his visit with Apollo.

The part about Gwen's soul—long before Gwen had in fact been Gwen—didn't surprise him in the slightest. It was common knowledge to all of the operatives who had ever served as guardian over the ages, a tale he'd heard many times before—and one that made him smile whenever he thought of the little girl who had fallen asleep in his arms years ago.

Even now he could remember four-year-old Gwen confiding in him about her nightmare; the one about a large, grey serpent squeezing her in its coils. There had been something strange in the way she'd explained it, something that struck him as unusual for a small child. Whatever it was, he could no longer remember. Though hadn't there been something significant about the snake, itself?

"Hey. Are you still with me, Forneus?"

Forneus glanced up, bewildered when he saw that Phenex was still sitting in front of him, a slight frown tilting the corners of his mouth.

"My apologies," Forneus said, running a hand along his jaw. "I was just pondering your information. At least we know for certain that what occurred in Wiesbaden was no coincidence. I still wonder, though...what other gifts has Gwen received? We've collected three artifacts, yet we've only seen her ability to command low-level entities, and even that has been limited."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Phenex shrugged. "He may have played a pretty big hand in it, but even Apollo couldn't tell me exactly how her powers would manifest. From what I've been able to gather, it boils down to whatever choice she made over a thousand years ago. Or the choice her soul made, rather."

Forneus nodded and settled further back in his chair, the fingers of his right hand drumming idly against the armrest. "I suppose you're right. We'll just have to keep our eyes open, and hope for the best. In the meantime," he went on, unable to keep the exhaustion from his voice, "I'm more concerned about this rumour going around about Apophis. Last I recall, the archives have him listed as deceased, and if I'm not mistaken, Horus signed the document himself. So, he was either very premature in reaching that conclusion, or..." He trailed off, uncertain.

Gwen's dream about a giant snake. Apophis, the serpent-god...

No, it can't be.

Forneus jolted upright in his seat, his chair scraping across the polished feldspar tiles, emitting a loud squeak in the process.

"What's wrong?"

Forneus didn't have a chance to answer. A knock came at the door, and a vaguely familiar face peered into the room. Recognizing the midnight blue eyes, Forneus bid the figure enter.

"Kamish, isn't it? Please, take a seat." When the operative remained standing, he added carefully, "Or stand, if you prefer."

He exchanged a look with Phenex, the other shrugging his shoulders.

Kamish hastened to apologize, his short, silver hair reflecting the pulsating hues of lavender from the room's walls as he swept into a bow. "Begging your pardon, I hope I didn't offend," he said, anxiously glancing between them. "A summons has been sent out to all Regulations Force personnel. I was sent by Hermes of the Third Echelon to retrieve you personally."