Missing Piece

Chapter 18

"Take me to Vhils." Charlotte had ordered as soon as they disembarked.

"Vhils? Why would you want to go there? There are only criminals who's been exiled there." He didn't even know where she heard about the secret town for exiles.

She grinned at his words. "Exactly."

Lyas glanced over his shoulder back towards the lackadaisical huntress. He wasn't sure if he should be frustrated at her or not. They were heading towards the outskirt village he had mentioned to her earlier. She said that the thief was likely there. They were the only people who knew of how Zāles operated and had motive to do something like this.

"What happens to these exiles during The Change? Don't they get sick too or need to use the Remedial Core?" Charlotte had prompted then.

"It's their punishment. Should they get sick, they are left to die." Lyas said with a shrug. It was a dark and drastic measure, but it was how the system worked at Zāles. He wasn't expecting her to burst out into laughter then.

Slipping her mask off to wipe at a loose tear, Charlotte straightened. "Don't tell me you haven't connected the dots yet. Your thief is in Vhils."

"What makes you think that?" He frowned. "Criminals are banned from entering Zāles. That was the rule."

"Oh, cute." She mocked, patting his head, and messing up his hair. "You think criminals who broke the laws will abide by rules." He lifted his head to glare at her when she finally moved her hand. His retort never came as he watched her stare off into the distance, eyes alight and proud smile on her face. "Let me tell you something, kid, people will do anything when there are lives on the line."

And as if to prove her point, she bent over until they were at eye level, a sneeringly proud smile on her face. "Tell me, is there anything you won't do to save your cousin right now?"

His gaze dropped to the snow. The thought ruminating in his mind. Would he break the rules if it meant saving his cousin? His hands clenched into fists. Yeah, he would. If it meant saving his family, he'd do anything.

Remotivated, he turned back to the huntress to give his response. She trudged a few steps behind him, kicking snow around. He felt his patience thin when she paused to see how far she could dig under the snow before the top layer would collapse over the tunnel she made. "Can you stop playing around? We don't have a lot of time!" He knew she said seven hours were plenty, but they shouldn't be wasting time like this either!

She lifted her gaze and the snowball she had just made still in her hands. "Then lead the way faster." She responded, ushering the male forward. Sweat building between her brows. She ran the back of her hand against her chin, her breath coming in harder. She pressed the mound of snow against her neck, the clump melting too quickly. Something was wrong.

Shachi woke to a blurry bright world. He groaned, raising an arm to cover his eyes. His head felt like it was going to split into two. "P-Penguin... can you... pass me some water?" He croaked. His other arm flopped out blindly in anticipation. "...Penguin?" He asked again when he heard nothing.

Silence.

"Penguin, are you there?" He groaned, tilting his head towards the side opposite of the wall. He peeked out from under the shadow of his arm, squinting into the light and willing the world to focus. A shrill scream left his mouth, and he scrambled back, falling off the metal bed in horror.

A severed head floated next to him. The simple printed text on the hat stared mockingly back at him. "PENGUUIIIINNN!!!"

Law peeked out from the long cabinet at the noise. "Shachi-ya, you're awake." Law said easily, not at all perturbed by the near cardiac arrest state his friend was in. "How are you feeling? Any symptoms?"