The Relic: Deadly Liaisons at Sea

Chapter II: Bloody Reigns of Fire

The next morning arrived quickly for the exhausted crew. The fires that had remained strong over the night had finally died down, and Xavier's crew had just finished their investigations. Unfortunately, they had found no survivors in the area, and what made it worse were their own small casualties. There was a small fight between the two crews at first, but when Zaine and Claire boarded their ship, they disappeared without a trace. His ship remained elusive, and it easily outflanked the Division even on the best of sailing days. They set camp up for the time being. The people of the Division were searching for any supplies left. The one who issued the command was Xavier. He was resting on a burned seat while trying to figure out why they were two steps behind their target, and he was still fuming at the thought of not being able to help.

"Damn it all!" he replied, whacking the chair he was sitting under. His strength was enough to turn the charred chair into just a mess of ash, easily dropping the commander to the ground.

Sarah stood right beside him as if to make sure he didn't do anything rash. Gesturing with her hand, she offered her assistance, but he measly waved her concern elsewhere. Pretending to brush off some dust, Xavier had pulled himself off his bottom. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

Sarah became angry at the snap comment and let him have it instead. "How dare you! That's the last time I'll be helpful to you!"

He just crossed his arms and let one of his hands touch the hilt of his sword. "Who cares, Sarah? Give it a rest."

This time, Sarah could feel the vein popping from her temple as she clenched her fists. "Oh, you jerk! This is one of the many reasons why I hate men!"

Something stirred behind Xavier. Leaping in front of the girl beside him, he tried to sense what was there. Was it a foe? A friend? As if expecting Zaine himself to pop up, Sarah clung to Xavier's sleeve as he drew his sword.

"Who's there? Come out!"

The thing that had been caught decided to throw something at the man. It bounced right off his forehead and onto the ground.

"Ow! What the hell was that?" Sarah saw it as just a wooden box and nothing more.

"It's a wooden box. If it was a pirate lingering around, wouldn't it have thrown a real dagger?" Xavier, who had been rubbing his forehead, crouched down and picked up the thing.

"Who's there?" Sarah said as she looked into the bushes.

From behind them, a young sixteen-to-seventeen-year-old male came out. His face was disheveled, and he had a small frame. His glasses were cracked, and his sandy blond hair was caked with dirt and blood. He looked like he had seen better days.

"A kid?"

The male looked scared as Xavier looked him up.

"I'm . . . Tyler Marklin," the male said with a stutter.

Before Xavier and Sarah could ask the boy what exactly happened, there was rustling coming from the south. Turning to their new guest, they noticed that it was their water-drenched captain and a mysterious young lady. The two crewmen that were assisting him had started making their rounds on the land to help salvage.

"Friend or foe?" Aden asked while he closed the distance in four quick strides to them. He easily kept an even pace, even with a waterlogged auburn beauty slung over his shoulder. There, he knelt on the ground and carefully laid out the woman. She was indeed quite a beauty.

"It's a friend, Captain," Sarah replied with a flick of her manicured hand.

Glaring at the girl, Xavier gave a retort, "He chucked a box at my head. How is that a friend?" Continuing to complain, he rubbed his aforementioned head.