Everyone looks around at the other men's faces, all eye flash with fear and worry as well as wonderment. Who could the traitor be? It must be one of the new men that joined when we were in port, thought some as nobody who had worked under Kit would dare betray her. They had all seen her in action, and did not want to fall to such a fate. It wasn't that she was cruel, that is unless it was deserved. That was the reason no one dared cross her, they did not want to be deserving of her anger and wrath.
Once on deck, the men form a single line, standing side by side. Carlix noticed that they did not stand at attention as the men would on one of his ships, nor did they stand quite shoulder to shoulder. He tried his best to mimic their stance, shoulders down slightly slouched, eyes glancing from the crew to the captain, then to his feet. Everyone was fidgeting nervously, but Carlix didn't need to fake his nervousness, he was racking his brain trying to figure out when and how he gave himself away. He thought he had been careful. He also said a silent prayer that he die a swift death. He glanced at the captain; she was standing at the railing with her back to them. Her hands were resting on the rail; her dagger was standing up, the point stuck in the wood. Everything turns silent for a moment, so quiet that Carlix can hear the waves lapping against the ship, the flag blowing in the wind and the loud thumping of his own heart.
"One of you has betrayed me." she says still not turning to face the men. Her long strong fingers wrap around the hilt of the dagger pulling it from the railing quickly and effortlessly; turning around to face them, the sharp point of her dagger pressing against her index finger. "You all know what happens to traitors."
The men look straight at her, not meeting her eyes, but looking at her as she walks down the line of men. She doesn't show any emotion but is satisfied when each man holds his breath in turn, only letting it out when she walks past. Carlix watches her come closer and closer to him, he can feel the sweat rolling down his face, and the little hairs on his neck stand up. Even in the heat of the day he gets a chill. This was not how he wanted to die, and even if he fought back he would be killed by the crew, he was too outnumbered. She stops in front of Carlix, he swallows hard, so hard he swears she heard it.
"I shouldn't have allowed you on my ship, but we needed the extra hands to get out of port. Since we are now at sea, you are no longer needed." Her cold tone was enough to give the whole crew chills. Carlix considered begging for his life, but no he was a naval officer and was above such things, no matter how strong the impulse. He must make his majesty proud. He stood a little straighter; his eyes closed tight, waiting for death to come.
A few moments passed and Carlix wondered if he was dead but then he heard a loud thump and moan. He opened his eyes and saw the man to his left was pinned against the mast and Kit had her dagger inside him.
"This is the fate of a traitor, the rest of you get back to work." Every man scrambles back to their posts or to the belly of the ship not wanting to even look at the scene in case they angered the captain. From his post Carlix sees the man who was the traitor being dragged by the quartermaster to the captain's quarters, he wasn't sure if the man was still alive or not. Nor would he dare ask such a question.
That night, the crew seems to have gone on with life as normal, not even talking about what has happened. Then the ship's cook comes to them and says he is delighted to tell them that the feast was ready, and the shark is delicious.
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Carlix is the last one to arrive to the feast; the men are already eating their portions hungrily. Some are talking to each other of tall tales and conquests others eat silently concentrating on their food. The sight almost makes him sick, how can these men eat this food knowing exactly how it came to be on their plates. He did not want to stand out from the crowd, especially now, so he walks up to get his meal but is stopped by a hand on his chest. He looks up the arm to see who is stopping him from eating, the hand belongs to Will.
"The captain wants to see you in her quarters" he says, a serious look on his face. "It seems she has plans for you."
Carlix can feel his heart skip a beat, his breath caught in his throat. After a moment he nods then turns back walking to the captain's quarters. He wondered what her plans may involve; all the scenarios he could think of did not bode well for him so he tried to push those thoughts out of his mind. The walk to the captain's door never seemed so long, every step was harder to take than the last. His feet seemed to be becoming heavier each time he picked them up to move them forward. It took what felt like an eternity to reach the door, but he finally did; he knocked not daring to even reach for the handle until he heard her respond.
"Enter."
