The Relic: Deadly Liaisons at Sea

Chapter XI: Desperate Situations

                   

The setting sun had begun its trajectory over the horizon as the drifter finally caught a breeze to carry it southwest. The wind had been travelling to the northeast, making it difficult to sail faster than four knots, but with each stroke, they slowly made their way. They were rounding the peninsula of an unmarked territory guarded by ferocious but unseen whirlpools and could see storm clouds from both the southwest and northeast areas.

Charlotte was resting her sore and tired arms from all the work it took to steer the drifter throughout the day. While Aden, Damien, and Xavier weren't breaking a sweat in their duties, she on the other hand had started feeling blisters forming on the pads of her fingers and thumbs as well as numbness running up and down her forearms. She could not lift her arms above her head, and what was worse was that she felt slightly nauseous.

"You all right there, Char? You look a little green around the gills."

The group had decided to take a fifteen-minute break to prepare a light snack and replenish their thirst before preparing another three- to four-hour rowing fest again.

"I'm okay," she replied with a smile, keeping her hands in her lap. The girl would have normally waved them up and down, but she didn't want to alarm them with her slightly red, inflamed blisters.

"When was the last time you had water?" Damien asked, coming up from behind the girl with a canteen of fresh water. "Even though we're surrounded by the sea, you should be sure you're drinking some. You will be surprised by the amount of people who faint from dehydration."

She looked at the offered canteen but shook her head. "I had some water five minutes ago. I just felt worse after drinking it."

"That's because you guzzled the thing," a fourth voice popped up at the rear. He still had an oar in his hand, steering them in the direction of Spiro. They realized the ship would steer itself off course if no one had been at the rear acting like a rutter.

"I did not guzzle!" she retorted with flushed cheeks. "Look, I am fine. Can we continue on please? Spiro is just around these rocks!"

It was nearing the end of their time limit anyways, but no one moved to their spots. Charlotte had waved her arms and hands up like she normally would have and immediately saw what they were staring at. Snatching her hands back into her lap, she looked down at the floorboards.

"Those looked painful. Are you sure you're all right?" Damien finally replied before taking a seat next to the girl and carefully taking her wrist into his hand. "You should have told us. These abrasions and blisters are from the undercurrent and controlling the oar." He lifted his own hand to show her his gloves. "Did Olivia not give you gloves to use?"

The blond looked at the brunette before she laughed nervously. Aden in the rear only sighed out, "I can't wait to hear this."

"Olivia gave me gloves, but I somehow lost them when I was running around the ship. Jakob, Leo, and I were cleaning the cannons. But we decided to play a prank on Sarah who had come out with snacks. I think Leo took my gloves, filled them with sand, then tied a rope to one before hanging it off the netting," the girl explained while Xavier heartily laughed.

"Ghost hands, that's brilliant!" the older man of the group said between his chuckles while Aden glared at him.

"The best course would be to pop those blisters, clean them with some antiseptic, and wrap them in gauze," Aden relayed out the orders while Damien pulled out the medical kit from underneath the bench they were sitting at. "It's only our first day out, and you're already causing trouble."

Charlotte pouted. "Sorry for being a nuisance."

Damien grabbed her hands and turned them over, palms up, and while his head was slightly down, he looked at her through his lashes. "This will hurt a bit." Damien began popping the first blister near her index finger and her thumb. While he was doing this, the girl winced in pain, whimpering every now and again. After five agonizing minutes of pinching, prodding, and shedding skin off her hand, Damien then pulled out a bottle of antiseptic that was in the first-aid kit. Charlotte hissed out a quick curse as he poured the antiseptic on her open wounds and then let them air out.