The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 31 - ORION

Tritteon lowered his gaze when Pharro left, the black fading from his eyes. I wondered if his emotions were human enough opening up my mind and every thought about what had happened would give him at least a small ounce of pause about what he'd done. I doubted it, though.

I cleared my throat. "Umm, I guess we should get started."

He finally met my eyes, his gaze solid and sincere. "Orion, what I did was disgraceful, and I apologize. I allowed my fear and uncertainty to overpower my judgment and I do not deserve your forgiveness."

A strange satisfaction filled me, and I could stop my grin. "Something else we can agree on."

He motioned to his bed. "Do you mind?"

My smile slipped into a scowl. "Yes, I do."

He nodded like he understood and leaned toward me, his elbows resting on his knees. "What happened at breakfast, then?"

"You weren't listening in?" I thought to him.

"The Korbell Room is out of my range from here."

"What about Pharro?"

Tritteon shifted, like the topic made him uneasy. "I have never been able to hear his thoughts."

"Not at all? Like mine?"

"Yes. Now what happened at the Breakfast?"

"I can show him," Lexicon said. "I am slightly more detail oriented than you are."

"You can do that?" I asked, uneasy with the thought of how that might work.

"The more detailed the better," Tritteon said.

I sighed. "Fine. Go ahead, Lexicon."

The room blurred out of my focus, replaced by a full, sped up, play by play of the Breakfast.

"Can you freeze it right there?" Tritteon asked as the three FengDohrn leapt for us.

The image froze.

He folded his arms and pressed his fist to his lips. "I do not understand. Why would... but Callen, Aeryn and Vialla are...why would they do this?" He sighed. "Go ahead, Lexicon. But slow it down a bit."

In slow motion, the three charged at me, my hand shot out and the boy, Callen, burst into ash.

Tritteon jumped to his feet, swearing. "That really happened? You did that?"

I scowled. "I already told you I didn't. And if I had, we wouldn't be sitting here right now. Pay attention."

He sank back onto the bed. "Sorry. You said Daniel was responsible."

"Replay it from when they first jumped over the table, Lexicon. Slow motion."

The memory played.

"Freeze it," Tritteon said. "Can you zoom in on Onra?"

"Of course I can," Lexicon said.

The image blew up until Daniel was the only one we could see. He was still seated, but his hands were both above the table, palms facing the FengDohrn. His face was scrunched into a look of deep concentration and there was a slight glow in his eyes.

"It was him," Tritteon said quietly, rubbing his eyelids, like he really hadn't believed it before. "Go ahead, Lexicon. Play the rest."

The image refocused back to my perspective.