The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 58 - ORION

A bloodied envelope sat on a glass covered bed, my name scrawled across it in more blood.

"Where did they find it?" I asked, my stomach churning, threatening to relieve me of its contents.

"On the body of a Carnac at the front doors," Pharro said, looking as green as I felt.

"These Vek are psychotic pieces of work," Desraeon snarled. "After all these years dealing with them, I shouldn't be so surprised."

"Can Colleena identify the blood?" I asked, my voice losing its strength.

The door to her office opened and she stepped out, looking stricken.

"Did you identify it?" Pharro asked.

She nodded. "It's his," she whispered. "It's Rilyin's."

Pharro and Desraeon swore.

I sank onto the bed, ignoring the beads of glass digging into my legs. "I...I should open it then," I said, more to convince myself to do it.

"Were there any other substances on it?" Pharro asked.

She shook her head, watching me. "Not that I could detect."

Desraeon nodded to me. "Go ahead. Just...shield your hands."

I did. I had to peel the envelope open, and then the ends of the thick paper apart, a deliberate line of sticky blood sealing both shut, and I was even more grateful for Desraeon's suggestion as it smeared across my shield's surface. I'd expected more writing in blood, but the only writing was shimmering coordinates on the bottom. But the center of the page was a screen and it flickered on when I brought my face close to inspect it.

Cort appeared, blood splattered across his face. He smiled, the expression the most sadistic thing I'd ever seen. And I'd met Daniel.

"Bring me Orion and my brother in exchange for..." he chuckled, "...Dugana's body. You have one hour. Flux coordinates are at the bottom of the page." He winked. "If a single guard is involved, you will never see his body again."

And then the screen panned away from him, halting on an unmoving form on the ground, his throat ripped open, his eyes staring, and I dropped the paper and vomited over the side of the bed.

Pharro snatched up the page and Colleena rushed to his side to see it around his shoulder. When it panned to Rilyin's body, she screamed and Pharro swore and Desraeon grabbed it out of his hand before he could crush or burn it.

The Oria looked at me over the top of it. "This doesn't mean he figured it out. It is likely only the first time."

I vomited again. When I was done, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand and curled over my knees, cradling my head between my hands, trying to take deep breaths.

Colleena's feet appeared below my face. She rubbed my back. "You better come up with a plan more imaginative than handing yourself over."

I looked up at her, at her kind but unyielding face. "What other options are there?"

"That isn't one of them," Desraeon growled. "You know what you are capable of. Can you imagine all they might do with access to that?"

I closed my eyes. I honestly hadn't. "What are flux coordinates?"

Desraeon muttered under his breath before answering. "It means when we arrive at the location indicated, the coordinates will change. They could do it multiple times until Cort decides to give us the real ones. It's to make sure we don't send out a team in our place."

Colleena opened her mouth—and froze, her eyes darting to the door that led to the shower Tritteon was still recovering in. And she bolted.

I tore after her, terror flooding my body. "What's going on?" I yelled, halfway through the door when she grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room faster.