Whispers of Nowhere

Chapter Twenty-Three: Part Two

Twenty minutes later they were gathered in Gwen's quarters. When Asclepius had declared they fight, Gwen could hardly contain her bewilderment. But when he'd said she would need more combat-appropriate attire, she had openly stared at him.

"Don't look so surprised," he'd gently admonished, handing her a set of dark, form-fitting clothes with a set of holstered blades balanced on top. "Even with the ethereal armour, you need to be ready. What if the armour vanishes again, and we're unable to come to your aid?"

Both Lyka and Forneus had agreed, the latter putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He's right, Gwen. I know you're scared, but there's a reason you were given combat training. Without it, who knows what could happen to you while we're busy fighting our own battles?"

"At the very least, you should be able to fend off an attack just long enough for one of us to get to you," Lyka had insisted, tucking a strand of Gwen's hair behind her ear. "Remember what we taught you. It could save your life."

Gwen had nodded, and without another word, had slipped into the bathroom to change from her casual clothes into the ones Asclepius had given to her. Now that she was done, she cast one last, long look at her reflection in the mirror. Running her fingers through her hair, she squared her shoulders, and returned to the main room.

She entered to see all three operatives deep in discussion. Lyka stood with her arms folded across her chest, gaze flicking back and forth between Forneus and Asclepius as the two debated how best to proceed with their plan.

"Since handing Gwen over to them is clearly out of the question, we should—"

Gwen cleared her throat, stopping Asclepius mid-sentence. "But Iris said anything other than handing me over was out of the question. If she doesn't get me and the artifacts, Phenex will die." Her voice shook, but she stood firm. "And what about my world? I can't let all of those people suffer. They have nothing to do with any of this!"

"Iris will destroy everything regardless of the choice we make," Lyka pointed out. "It's in her nature to double-cross others. Otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament."

Despite the sense of urgency creeping over her, Gwen couldn't help asking, "What do you mean?"

Lyka exchanged a look with Asclepius, her expression one of discomfort. Flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder, she sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt to fill you in on the basics..."

Lyka explained everything she knew about Iris: How she was a half-breed born from the union of siren and water demon; how she had then been orphaned when the very clans she'd come from executed her parents—for their union had been of a forbidden nature—and how, having taken pity on her, Hera had adopted Iris as her own, grooming her as her personal messenger.

"But then, one day about a century ago, Iris went missing—just up and vanished. No one knew what had become of her. Some theorized she'd been killed during one of the many battles raging at the time, while others believed that she'd had a falling-out with Hera, and had defected to the other side." Lyka's eyes narrowed at this, just the barest glimmer of periwinkle poking out from between her eyelashes. "I think it's fair to say we know which theory holds true, now."

"None of that matters anymore," Forneus sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. "Iris will answer for her crimes, both past and present. What we need to focus on right now is coming up with a plan. There are less than three hours before she starts making good on her threats. So, how do we go about fighting Iris and Reeves without consigning Phenex and all of humanity to death?"

All eyes were on Asclepius now, Gwen having unconsciously glanced in the Fifth Unit commander's direction the same time Forneus and Lyka did. From the way he chewed his lip, it was clear Asclepius could feel the weight of their gazes on him. Even so, he remained unperturbed, sapphire eyes taking on a faraway look as he mulled the question over.