Whispers of Nowhere

Chapter Fifteen: Part One

The enemy forces wouldn't show them the same mercy the Fifth Unit had, and she said as much to Asclepius.

"Even so, whatever help you can lend them will be more than you could before, and that will go a long way toward keeping them safe," Asclepius had said. "Don't forget—your powers will get stronger. You just need time and practice."

In spite of his assurances, Gwen remained skeptical, but said nothing else on the matter. When her training day had come to an end, she'd been all too happy to climb into the warm, feather bed in her quarters, exhaustion claiming her within seconds of her head hitting the pillow. She hadn't bothered telling Phenex or Forneus just how discouraged she had felt, seeing them forced into helplessness just so she could sharpen skills she didn't understand.

I'm not worth them getting hurt over, she'd thought to herself before climbing under the covers. But I don't want them to worry about protecting me all the time, either.

And so she'd kept it to herself, rising from her bed with false cheeriness the following morning when they'd come to call on her, and heading down to the Training Facility. When it was decided she would continue with her combat training, she'd offered no resistance, simply following the orders given to her as the Fifth Unit split into two teams.

The Training Facility, as she had come to learn over the past few days, could change in appearance depending on what was expected of it. Today Asclepius had chosen a thick, wooded area for them to train in. Originally Gwen had thought this advantageous, since it provided a great deal of cover. She quickly learned that her first impression was wrong.

The forestry proved to be a double-edged knife. Not only did it provide cover for her team, it provided it for the 'enemy' as well. To top it off, moving freely about was nearly impossible. Gwen had already found herself spitting out dirt on more than one occasion—tripping over tree roots, brambles, and whatever else was hidden in the underbrush—and they'd only been at it for an hour.

"Do you see anything?"

Dragged from her brooding at the sound of Phenex's voice, she glanced over at him, realizing his question had been aimed not at her, but Forneus. The guardian was hunkered down beside her, silver eyes scanning the forest as the three of them hid behind a group of sycamore trees.

"No, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there," said Forneus, chancing a backward glance. "How about you, Lyka? Have your wolves pinpointed their location?"

Gwen could hear the rustle of leaves as the Okami shifted, hidden behind a row of blackberry bushes a short distance behind them.

"They can smell them, but Asclepius must be using one of his concealment spells," she whispered in reply. "They can't tell what direction the scent is coming from."

Pressing her shoulder against the tree trunk in front of her, Gwen poked her head out as far as she dared, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that might indicate where the other operatives were hiding.

Light filtered down from the canopy of leaves overhead, casting their checkered patterns across the ground and leaving the rest of the forest deep in shadow. It was impossible to discern one shape from the next. What looked like a head poking out from between the branches of a large maple tree several feet away turned out to be a bird's nest; the slightly round silhouette sitting at the base of the tree nothing but a boulder.

Sighing, Gwen was just about to retreat behind the sycamore when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.

"What's that?" she asked, tilting her head back to stare at the shimmering trail snaking between the tree branches. Its serpentine pattern stretched a short distance behind them and continued on, far beyond the reaches of the illusionary forest.