Whispers of Nowhere

Chapter Nineteen: Part Two

Forneus slowed his pace, putting a hand out when Gwen nearly stumbled into him. On the opposite side of the courtyard, past the tall, thin obelisk to the right, stood a host of enemies—and in the centre of them all, Phenex. He couldn't see him, but he knew he was there. No one else had quite the energy output that Phenex did.

Gently taking Gwen by the hand, he led the way toward St. Vitus Cathedral's entryway, sweeping his gaze from the red-tiled apartments directly behind them, to where Reeves' forces had gathered in the centre.

Good, he thought, breathing a sigh once it was clear there weren't any shadows lurking at the far side of the courtyard. It looks like Reeves has his forces entirely concentrated in that one area, after all. This should make things easier.

A thick haze rolled across the castle grounds, blanketing everything it touched in black fog. It was only when the group of demons closest to the obelisk parted that he finally caught sight of Phenex, his tousled auburn hair standing out against the dark shapes surrounding him.

There were about fifty shadows, maybe more, all binding Phenex from the shoulders down and forcing him to his knees. Reeves loomed over him like a crime lord, which, Forneus thought grimly, he essentially was. Even with the distance separating them, he could hear Phenex's struggles, see the flashes of firelight before the shadows snuffed them out, traces of orange leaching into their gauzy forms as they drained his energy.

He must have been fighting long and hard.

Forneus frowned. It wasn't like Phenex to be overcome by such weak enemies, least of all Reeves' shadows. From what little he knew of the Shade, it was likely he'd had his forces chip away at Phenex's strength bit by bit. Then, when he was either too preoccupied or too tired to notice, had swooped in to claim the final blow for himself.

Fortunately, it looked like it hadn't quite come to that. Yet. With Reeves' back to them, Forneus couldn't see his face—but he could hear snippets of what he was saying, the taunting drawl of his voice punctuated by Phenex's growled replies. He saw the defiant flash in Phenex's eyes, the way he bared his teeth when Reeves grabbed him by the chin. There was the faint echo of Reeves' voice again, the words too quiet for Forneus to make out.

Whatever he'd said made Phenex angrier, for he shouted, "Never!"

This was met with laughter, Reeves' low, rumbling chuckles drowned out by the shrill cackling of his underlings; the assorted wyvern, harpies, and chimera standing in a semicircle around Phenex, their eyes glowing with malicious light. Standing behind Reeves in two, identical rows were the rest of his forces, with the three Akuma flanking him like his personal honour guard.

If he hadn't heard her gasp, Forneus might not have caught Gwen before she bolted past him, his fingers tingling as they closed around the armour encircling her wrist.

Drawing her back into the relative safety of the cathedral's entrance, he looked at her sternly. "We can't afford to just rush in," he said, keeping his voice low. "Without the Fifth Unit, we're outnumbered. We must come up with a plan, first."

Gwen glared at him, the ethereal armour's light reflected in her eyes. "We'd be outnumbered even with the Fifth Unit," she pointed out, attempting to free herself from his grasp. "We don't have time to plan anything. Reeves will kill Phenex before we even get the chance!"

"What good will it do him if we get caught, too?" Forneus argued. "The fact that we are outnumbered is all the more reason for us to err on the side of caution."

Letting out one last, frustrated growl, Gwen stopped struggling. "But what about Reeves? He—"

"—is more likely to toy with Phenex before going in for the kill," Forneus said, cutting her off. He released her wrist, placing both hands on her shoulders. "Have a little more faith in Phenex. I promise you, he will not be so easily overcome. Not by Reeves, nor by anyone else."