Fall of the Spectrum

Chapter Twenty, Part One

"The council agreed?" Gwen asked, sweeping her hair up into a ponytail. "You're sure about this?"

Once her hair was securely in place, she picked up the diamond-encased phoenix feather from her nightstand, draping it around her neck and tucking it beneath her long-sleeved shirt. It had become something of a ritualistic habit, and Gwen vaguely wondered if in putting it on, she was helping herself enter the frame of mind needed for things to come, maybe even giving herself an extra boost of confidence.

Just like Dumbo's magic feather, she thought wryly.

Forneus cast an appraising look at her gear and nodded. "Yes, albeit reluctantly. Their agreement was conditional." He absently began to fiddle with the sapphire ring on his middle finger, brow creasing in thought. "Their first condition was that your hand not be forced on the matter. If you should decide against the mission, then counter proposals would be made by all available unit commanders and their seconds—in which the council would choose a more suitable, secure plan from those suggested."

"And their second condition?"

"That—"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by an urgent knocking at Gwen's door, both of them giving a start before Forneus strode across the room to answer it.

As soon as he opened the door, revealing Lonali on the other side, Gwen knew something was wrong. "Lonali? What is it?"

"There was an incident," Lonali said, turning anxious eyes on Forneus. "The council has called an emergency meeting. Please, hurry. I'll tell you all about it on the way there."

There was a moment's hesitation as Gwen exchanged a worried look with Forneus, then the two of them followed Lonali into the corridor.

"As you probably know, the Fifth Unit was sent to recover the artifacts Hermes had hidden away," Lonali explained, glancing over her shoulder at them as they descended the long, winding staircase at the end of the pyrite corridor. "Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped."

"As they seldom do," said Forneus. Gwen could see a flicker of unease cross his face, tightening the corners of his eyes. "What happened?"

Gwen nearly tripped down the last couple of steps as she turned to look at Lonali, curious and worried in equal measure over what she had to say.

"We were ambushed by a detachment of Apophis's army. Sitri's elite." Lonali reached out a steadying hand to keep Gwen from falling, and went on. "So Asclepius had us split into two groups: one to go after the artifacts, the other to draw off our pursuers."

Gwen vaguely recalled hearing Sitri by name before, but couldn't remember when. Before she could ask, Lonali continued with her story, her voice low and urgent as they made their way past the Central Junction and toward the council chamber.

"I was with the group that stayed behind, while Asclepius and Lyka led the others away. Our battle was hard fought, but in the end, Sitri and his forces retreated—just vanished into thin air like smoke. We looked, but never found them. So, we made for the rendezvous point in Drevni Misteros, but when we got there..."

"Asclepius wasn't there," Forneus finished for her, his hand resting against the large, obsidian door.

Lonali nodded, and Gwen could see her throat working in an effort to keep her voice steady. "None of the gods we were to meet with had seen them. Not Cybele, not Thoth, not even The Inari! And when we tried to contact Asclepius through the unit link, nothing."

She looked close to tears, her lower lip trembling as she stared up at Forneus, helpless. Gwen was seized with the sudden urge to wrap her arms around Lonali and tell her everything would be all right, just as she had often done for Gwen back when Phenex had been thought dead. Forneus rested a hand on Lonali's shoulder, beating her to it.