The Relic: Deadly Liaisons at Sea

Chapter XII: Revelation of a Lost One

Out of focus, she ran into one of the brothers as she rounded the corner. "I am so sorry!" Her brain felt that something was out of order, but she nonetheless apologized. If it was Aden she ran into, that would have been mortifying for her and her nerves. But for some reason, she felt that no one should have been in front of her. She did recall passing by the group briefly.

Turning her eyes up to the male, she immediately recognized that it was definitely not Aden. "'Ello, Poppet."

"What's a wee lass like yourself doing in these parts?"

"Is that a robot dog?"

"Looks to me like we found our stragglers," another replied with a sneer.

"Oh, goodie, we have ourselves some more specimens," the one farthest away from the group of ten men merely uttered and motioned the men by Charlotte to capture her.

It had to be a hoard of men with drawn swords, daggers, and rifles. Some were wearing the state's uniform, and oddly enough, some were wearing what the pirates normally wore.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Charlotte replied with exasperation. Rowing, losing a robot dog, getting exhausted and injured to the point of breaking down, and now this.

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The accommodations that were given to her were just about as bad as she thought they were going to be. She was placed in a tiny cell with a creaky cage door that locked on the outside using an old bolted lock. The other three guys were indicated in their own cells just like Charlotte's. Xavier was placed in the cell right beside Charlotte while Damien was placed directly in front of her. The cell in front of Xavier's belonged to Aden who had taken this time to pass out on the cot their captives graciously provided.

"Why were those state officials and pirates working together?" Damien spoke aloud to the group, hoping his inquiry would get more of a response.

It was an eerie feeling that they were captured by both parties working for the same side.

"I think everything flip-flopped after the Cheric estate incident with the revealing of Charie being Charlotte," Xavier replied sullenly before a clanking sound was heard from his cell. "Damn, this door won't even budge."

"Wait, you guys know about Charie? Here I thought she was still in storage! Why didn't you stop me from explaining earlier?" Charlotte asked before frowning. "Wait, why did she reveal herself as me?" The girl became concerned, and a long silence filled the prison block. "Was that why Olivia's home was attacked? Because Charie said she was me?"

"Not exactly—" Damien muttered from his cell.

"Not exactly what, Damien?" the girl countered just as fast, and this allowed Xavier to see how left out the girl had been from everything that had happened.

No one told her of how they received the three stones from Olivia, how they maintained their powers, how the attack was a ruse to smoke out the rats within the state. No one told her that Zaine killed Charie, thinking it was her. No one told her that someone higher up wanted her dead.

"What happened to Charie? Why isn't she with Olivia anyway? What happened?"

Xavier interrupted quickly, "It'd probably be best to save such talk for when we're safe."

Damien caught Charlotte's eyes as she made contact with him. Ashamed, he averted his gaze to the floor. "The state has people higher up who would like to see us all dead, Lionsheart. Please know that we're not trying to withhold information from you. There just wasn't enough time."

"Dead . . ." she whispered turning so that her profile was the only thing Damien could see. "My uncle really did have those Relic stones then? But how did Olivia wind up with them?"