Whispers of Nowhere

Epilogue

"So, it was him, then."

"Yes."

Forneus rested his head in both of his hands, settling into one of the armchairs. "How did Reeves know the artifacts were there, though? According to our reports, Iris wasn't aware of Gwen's power. The gathering of the artifacts in her home was pure happenstance, not to mention there was no time between the artifacts' and Reeves' arrivals for him and Iris to have communicated."

"We don't know for sure, but the general consensus is that after spending so many decades in Nowhere, deprived of magical energy, he was practically starving for it. So when the gateway opened, he was drawn toward the energy source responsible for setting him free. There's a good chance he didn't even realize what that energy was," Apollo explained. "Just that it was powerful, and that he would have given anything to have it for himself."

There was a pause, and then Forneus asked, "What of Apophis? Has his involvement been confirmed, as well?"

"Yes, it would seem so."

"And what of the human witnesses? Have they been dealt with?"

"Between Prague and the battle in London, many of them slipped through our nets," Apollo admitted. "The Second Unit's doing everything they can to rectify the situation, even going so far as to enlist outside help in the mass memory-mod. However, it will be some time before we can tend to them all."

Gwen was only half listening to their conversation, her gaze fixed on the far left-hand corner of the room. The past seven days had been the hardest she'd ever endured, though she hardly remembered anything that had happened between the events in London and now.

After she'd learned that Phenex's sacrifice had taken out only about half of Iris's forces, and that both she and Reeves had managed to escape—to where, no one seemed to know—her sense of loss had become all-encompassing.

To make matters worse, Forneus had confided—in the depths of his own grief—that a phoenix who dies in an act of self-sacrifice can never be reborn again. From that moment on, Gwen doubted she would ever know happiness again.

And why should she? How could she know happiness, when one of the bravest, most loyal beings she'd ever had the good fortune of knowing had died—in order to save her? Who was she to know joy, when Phenex would never see another sunrise again?

"Gwen?" Forneus had approached without her noticing, dropping to one knee to look at her. Concern melted into a look of understanding, silver eyes luminous and bright.

Apollo came to stand at her other side, laying a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. When she averted her gaze, her cheeks warming with embarrassment, he said, "There's nothing to be ashamed of. We miss him, too."

Gwen nodded. "I know. I'm fine, really. I'm just...a little tired."

Apollo patted her shoulder, then made his way to the other side of the room, one hand resting on the doorknob as he turned to look at her. "After everything you've been through, I'm not surprised. We'll let you get some rest, then."

She tried to thank him, but the words wouldn't come. He seemed to understand just the same, offering her a sad smile before stepping out into the corridor.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Forneus told him. Once the door had fully shut behind Apollo, he turned to Gwen, cupping her face in both of his hands. "Whenever you have need of me, know that I am always here for you, Gwen. Always."

What control she had managed to gain over herself was quickly fading, tears flowing down her cheeks before Forneus smoothed them away.

"I know," she whispered, reaching up to wrap her fingers around his. They stayed like that for a moment longer, neither saying a word; simply finding comfort in the other's presence.

All too soon, Forneus pulled away—but not before he planted a kiss on her forehead. He gave her shoulders one final squeeze, then silently stole from the room.

Gwen held her fingers against the place he'd kissed for what felt like an agonized eternity, the tears he'd wiped away replaced with new ones. There was no way he could have known how much that one, simple act of compassion would hurt her—couldn't possibly have known that it was the exact same thing Phenex had done before he'd left that day, in the exact same spot.

Getting to her feet, Gwen made her way from the sitting area over to her bed, flopping down on its edge with a shaky breath. When she saw something stir out of the corner of her eye, she looked up, her gaze falling on the golden feather sitting on the nightstand.

Gingerly picking it up so as not to ruffle its edges, she laid down on her side, curling into herself with the feather held close to her chest, directly over her heart. It was faint, but if she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could feel just the slightest trace of Phenex's warmth coming from it.

The warmth filled her with a bittersweet ache, and for not the first time, she wished more than anything that it was Phenex with her, instead of the part of him he had left behind.

Another tear slid down her face, disappearing into the fabric of her pillow. Within minutes, Gwen had fallen asleep, her heartache temporarily forgotten as sweet, merciful slumber took her in its arms...

***

Well, that's all for Book One, folks! If you enjoyed Whispers of Nowhere, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads. Reviews help authors get their names out there, and help readers find books they might enjoy. ^^ If you can, you can buy a copy via Amazon too (links on my profile).

As an aside, it should be stated that Whispers of Nowhere is merely the first book in a trilogy; an early draft of the second book, Fall of the Spectrum, is also available to read on Wattpad.

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed this story, and look forward to hearing your thoughts.