The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 9 (PART 2) - UNKNOWN

"Where is it?" Tritteon asked the moment the door shut.

Pharro shook his head. "You are too eager, FengDohrn," he said, lifting the shiny, black weapon off the glass table behind him. I blinked. The table hadn't been there a second ago.

"Why—why does he need a gun?" I asked, my voice rising in alarm.

"It's only a tranquilizer."

"Okay, why does he need a tranquilizer gun?"

"It will only be used if you fail one of the tests," Tritteon said, teeth flashing. He was way too eager.

"You will be fine," Pharro said, taking a bottle off the clear table. There was a thin line of white liquid at the bottom of it.

"The more you all repeat that, the less I believe you," I said, unable to slow my pounding heart or the relentless shaking in my hands.

He ignored me. "Take this. It will keep your stomach calm." He twisted the lid off the bottle and handed it to me.

I smelled it. It was odorless. "I'm pretty sure there isn't a drop of food left in my stomach. I threw it all up after I ate not twenty minutes ago."

"All the more reason. A weak stomach always finds something to get rid of."

"Why would I throw up?"

"Colleena made us all aware of your Asoiri bath incident the other day," he said. "I can't have a repeat in this room."

"Could that happen again?"

"I'm not risking it."

I hesitated.

"Go on," he commanded.

I tilted it back, downing it in half a gulp. It was flavorless and had the same consistency as water. And it eased the nauseated feeling in my stomach, making me hiccup and burp simultaneously.

"Manners or—my dear," he said firmly, scanning whatever was in that leather folder.

I shifted in my seat. "What were you going to call me?"

He rubbed his forehead. "Forgive me. I am a little distracted today."

I glanced back at Tritteon who was looking at the old man curiously. "You heard that, right?"

"You have forgotten your manners," Pharro said, looking down at me over the top of the folder. "You say, excuse me."

I glared, knowing subject avoiding when I heard it. "Excuse me," I muttered.

"Thank you." He waved his hand in the direction of the ceiling.

The copper plating separated, and a thin, black pole extended out, straight down toward me. I was about ready to bolt when it stopped, two feet above me. Two clear cubes dropped out next, halting on either side of me, each an arm's length away.

I started as the chair tilted back some more and armrests slid out, lengthening toward the boxes.

"Do not move," Pharro said as I was about to do just that. "It is calculating your body mass right now. You must be very still so it can be accurate."

I flinched away as he tried to lay my arms down on the arm rests.

He rested his hand on my shoulder and I almost moved to hit it away. But the ice prickles never came. "Relax," he said, looking at me with a fierce sort of sincerity that sent a shiver through me. "You have a million questions buzzing through your mind. This test will answer a couple of them. Trust me. You want this."

I breathed deeply to suppress the shiver and nodded. "Will it hurt?"

"Only a slight jolt. Close your eyes and it will be over sooner." He touched something on the chair and metal slid out, securing my forearms and ankles.