**THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT PREVIEW ONLY.** (Prequel to and part of The Spectrum Chronicles, a companion series to the Whispers of Nowhere trilogy) Espionage. That's the task Phenex is charged with by the High Council of Deities, despite his wishes being to the contrary. But when he learns of the atrocities being committed by a newly emerged criminal organization-with the powerful Shade, Reeves, serving as its figure head-he has no choice but to accept the duty set before him. Just who is Reeves, and more importantly, who is behind the scenes, pulling his strings? For if there is one thing the gods all agree on, it's this: the organization is too big for one demon alone, the nature of their crimes too insidious in nature. The council is convinced they're seeing a familiar pattern from times passed, with the string of human abductions and experiments resulting in death too numerous to ignore-but when their suspicions hit a brick wall, it is up to Phenex to put the rest of the pieces together. In an investigation spanning the course of ten years, and with a kinship forming between Phenex and Reeves over their mutual hatred of humans, Phenex stands to lose more than just himself in this mad bid for power between the forces of evil and righteousness...