Fall of the Spectrum

Chapter Thirty-Four

Gwen faded in and out of consciousness.

Sometimes the images around her were a blur of colour. Other times they were sharper, yet no less confusing. Faces came in and out of focus. A familiar pair of tawny eyes here, a lock of curly dark hair there; the flash of an earring, a dark blue cuff, a familiar golden pin with a purple serpent twining around it...

Voices too surrounded her, complemented by other sounds in the background. The velvety, feminine purr she knew so well from combat training with Lyka; the varying baritones of Phenex and Forneus, the latter's voice deeper; the distinctive rustle of leaves as a cool breeze caressed her face.

Gwen didn't know how much time had passed when she finally came to, her gaze darting from one concerned face to the other. "What h—" The question died on her lips before she could ask, memories slowly filtering back to her.

Arriving in the Spectrum only to see that it was too late, that Reeves and Apophis's forces were already there. The confusion as battles raged around her. Her attempt to put a stop to Reeves' rite, only for Apophis to attack her from above. Forneus and Phenex coming to her rescue. Iris snatching her from Forneus's grasp. The shadows restraining her as Reeves thrust Misa's sword through her chest... It all came back to her, Gwen frantically grasping her chest for the wound that should have been there, her breaths coming in laboured gasps.

"Easy, you're all right now," Phenex said, putting a restraining hand on top of hers. "Asclepius and I were able to heal you after the evacuation."

"What about the artifacts?" Gwen glanced around, her throat constricting with dread.

"Don't worry," Asclepius answered from her right, the blue of his eyes seeming unnaturally bright in the shade of the surrounding trees. "Lyka and I were able to grab them before..." He tapered off, exchanging a look with Forneus.

Gwen would have pressed him to say more, if she hadn't already suspected the outcome. "So the Spectrum," she began, a wave of nausea roiling in the pit of her stomach, "is it...?"

"No, not completely." Lyka frowned, dark brows drawing together pensively. "There was a lot of damage, but thanks to you, we managed to keep it from collapsing entirely."

"Sadly, our enemies more or less got what they wanted." Asclepius sighed. "Whether it was Apophis or Set's plan all along, I cannot say—but it no longer matters. The Spectrum has fallen, just as they wanted. Completely cut off from the other realms, every last portal rendered useless." He paused, averting his gaze. "Not everyone made it out. My father, the entire council..."

He didn't need to say more. Gwen understood. In spite of the mental fog still tugging at her mind, making her every thought sluggish, one fact remained painfully clear.

They had lost.

It was slow-going, but over the next few minutes, the others took it in turns to fill Gwen in on what had happened. How aside from the council, much of the Regulations Force had likewise been trapped within the Spectrum, though Lyka swore that at least a handful of them had managed to escape through the remaining portals just as she had. No one brought up casualties, but Gwen knew from a glance at Asclepius that they must have suffered more than a few, her heart stuttering in her chest at the thought that Lonali, Chester, or any of the other Fifth Unit operatives might be among them.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she'd gotten to her feet, her shoes squelching against the moss-covered earth. "We have to go back," she said, bringing a hand to her head when pain flared through her right temple. "There has to be a way to fix it. We can't just—"

"We've already tried, sweetheart." Forneus put a steadying hand on her elbow, gently guiding her toward a nearby fallen tree so that she could sit down. "We have no way to return to the Spectrum, and even if we did... Well, given its current state, there's no guarantee we'd make it back out again."

"What about the telepathic links between commanders and their operatives?" Gwen turned to Asclepius, palms clammy as she grasped her knees.

He shook his head, coppery locks brushing the shoulders of his white uniform. "I have made several attempts, all ending in failure."

Gwen fell silent, shoulders slumping as a sense of hopelessness washed over her. In the silence that followed, she finally took stock of her surroundings, realizing she didn't recognize the dense forestry enveloping them. The trees didn't look like anything from back home, the rest of the foliage equally as bizarre: Green flowers with purple centres and stocks of red and yellow, the tree leaves a pale grey-blue and diamond-patterned. She caught movement in the ivory branches, a blur of brown and grey followed by a warbling sound, not unlike a cardinal's call, only higher.

"Where are we?" she asked, interrupting the quiet discussion that had started between her four companions.

"Geminus," said Forneus, gesturing toward a vine-covered outcropping beyond the tree line, where the unmistakable white glow of a portal could be seen. "It was the closest portal we could access before the Spectrum collapsed."

"Geminus?" Gwen got to her feet, slower this time, dusting dry bark from the back of her pants. "Wait, is this the twin realm that split from Earth after Chronos—?"

"Precisely," Asclepius replied, nodding. "If Lyka is correct that others have made it out as well, there's a good chance they've wound up in one of the realms parallel to this one."

Phenex started to say something, but Gwen didn't catch it. A gust of wind had moved the branches overhead, giving her a clear glimpse of a familiar profusion of colour. Before Forneus could get off more than a word of protest, Gwen made for the tree line, stumbling as she ran over slick, uneven ground.

Once out from beneath the shelter of the trees, she blinked against the bright, coloured light washing over her face, eyes wide with shock. Running footsteps followed her, Phenex, Forneus, Lyka, and Asclepius coming to a stop on either side of where she stood.

A massive, multi-coloured sphere hung in the sky; as big as the illusionary planets Gwen had seen in the Spectrum's Training Facility, and closer than Earth's moon. "Is...is that...?"

"Yes," Forneus said quietly. "The Spectrum."

Gwen had only a moment to marvel at its beauty before the soft, undulating colours began to change; the blues, greens, reds, and purples transforming into muddy browns and greys.

"No," she choked, covering her mouth with both hands. "What's happening to it?" She turned to look at Forneus, her gaze darting toward the others.

Despair lined their faces: Lyka chewed her lower lip, eyes filling with unshed tears. Phenex clenched his fists at his sides, flames sputtering to life across his knuckles and disappearing again. It was a long moment before anyone answered her, none seeming able in the wake of what was happening.

Even before Asclepius stepped forward, Gwen knew. "It seems Reeves' ritual has finally concluded," he said, subdued. "The Spectrum is no more—and in its place, the new prison realm has risen."

Gwen didn't want to believe it, but she knew Asclepius's words were true. The last vestiges of colour vanished, plunging Geminus into shadow. Silent tears trailed down her cheeks unchecked, her chest constricting with a sorrow she couldn't give voice to. Forneus squeezed her shoulder, and another hand came to rest on the opposite side, radiating warmth.

"It's not over." Golden-amber eyes met hers, glowing with a fierce inner light. "We may have lost the battle, but the war has just begun..."

*

Well lovelies, this concludes Whispers of Nowhere, Book Two: Fall of the Spectrum. Though it's undergone a handful of changes from the previous draft, this will not be the publication version (this may change in the foreseeable future). Hopefully this version is enjoyable enough for the time being, and I thank everyone who has read, rated and commented on this story and the first book, Whispers of Nowhere. 

Fall of the Spectrum is now available on Amazon in ebook, hardcover and paperback; links to Books 1 and 2 are on my profile. If you enjoyed Fall of the Spectrum (or even if you didn't), please consider leaving a review on Goodreads. Reviews help other readers take notice of books they might have otherwise missed, and even if you personally didn't enjoy the story, it might just be what someone else is looking for. ^^ 

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