The Mythos Trials

Chapter Fifteen, Part One

"Really, Phenex..."

Phenex groaned, rolling his eyes heavenward. Here we go.

"Barging in unannounced, scaring poor Senas...threatening to burn my palace down." Eurus shook his head reprovingly. Amusement glinted in his blue-green eyes, belying the stern set of his jaw. "My palace! And just what do you imagine would have happened if you had, eh?"

For the love of Apollo... "Eurus, would you please just listen?" Phenex cut in. "I wouldn't have barged in here at all if it weren't urgent."

The Governor looked down at him from his throne, the high-backed chair elevated on a circular platform made of the same marbled tiles as the rest of the grand hall. The humour had vanished from his eyes, his mouth curving into a somber frown.

"Fair enough. We'll come back to your unorthodox methods later." He sat forward, hands gripping the curved armrests of the chair. "Tell me what's happened."

Relieved, Phenex darted a glance to where Forneus and Gwen were standing a little ways behind him, Senas between them. Then with a steadying breath, he told Eurus everything that had transpired since leaving Horus's cavern: The misunderstanding with the centaur scouts who had escorted them to Chief Adras's encampment, his offer of hospitality—and then the eventual attack they had fallen under.

"I'll explain everything else later," Phenex said, "but right now you need to send out whatever tactical units you have. I know Reeves, and I know what he's capable of. If the centaur are left to fend for themselves, he'll slaughter them all."

Eurus's gaze flickered toward Forneus, as if seeking a second opinion. Forneus nodded, his expression unwavering. "It's as Phenex says. Reeves and cruelty go hand in hand. The fact that he's won over some of the Silvestrian clans only complicates matters further. With allies who know the lay of the land, it won't be long before he seeks to conquer it for himself—and every inhabitant along with it."

This was all the prompting Eurus needed. Rising from his throne, the black feathers of his Pegasus down cloak fluttering behind him, he turned toward one of doorways on either side of the dais, hidden from sight thanks to the assortment of Corinthian columns and the lone marble fountain on the right-hand side.

"East Wind Battalion!" His voice echoed around the room, sharp and clear. "Form up!"

Phenex watched as fifty soldiers or more entered the room, the sound of their pounding feet and clanking armour almost deafening due to the grand hall's vaulted ceiling. Fortunately the noise didn't last long, the soldiers forming up in three even rows before Eurus; forcing Forneus, Gwen, and Phenex to retreat off to the side.

"Your orders, Governor Eurus?" one of the soldiers in the first row asked, his voice deep and filled with a natural-born authority.

"Terra Ventus is currently under attack, primarily centred in the Centaurian Glade," Eurus replied, moving so that he stood directly in front of the soldier in question. "Chief Adras and his clan require your assistance against a band of rogue Silvestria. They're led by a Shade, and whatever else you know of Shades, I urge you not to underestimate this one. Now go, and send a scout back to report as soon as you're able. Do not disappoint me, Captain."

"Yes, sir!" The captain saluted him, and with yet another cacophony of stomping feet and ringing armour, he and his company departed through the doorways they had originally emerged from, his voice the last thing Phenex heard as he barked orders.

Once they were gone, Eurus turned back to Phenex, his gaze flickering to encompass Forneus and Gwen, as well. "Now, I believe you promised me a proper explanation."