Panther's Last Plunder

Chapter 2: Breaking Rules

Panther shifted her gaze down the long, mined out corridor. A young boy with dark hair and eyes was coming down the tunnel toward her. His name was Kit. No one else was here. In his hand he held two large pieces of bread. On Panther's back were the marks of a whip. Kit handed her the bread, which she eagerly took. The punishment of the whip she had taken almost as eagerly. It was a deal that she had made with the young boy with clever hands. She would take his punishment with the whip, if he stole extra rations for her. It had been this way for nearly three years. In truth, she likely would have taken the beating for him anyway. He had been sent here for stealing from a noble for his family. Kit also came from Nerezza. He did not deserve to be here, unlike her.
Kit ran around to her back while she was eating, and said, "Your wounds have stopped bleeding."
Panther merely nodded as she ate. The blood from her wounds had been that way since she had arrived at the mine. No matter how large the wound, it usually never took long to stop bleeding. The only reason that they were even visible was because the whips had torn her clothing. Panther slowly got to her feet after finishing the bread.
"We had better leave before the taskmasters realize we are missing," Panther said, and she began to walk to the long corridor. Kit rushed to follow her.
Slowly, they approached a more populated sector of the mine. Men murmured while they swung pick axes at the rock and taskmasters held the constant threat of the whip over their heads. Many of the criminals here glowered at Panther, but they did nothing more. They knew she was getting extra rations because while she had lost weight, she was not nearly as thin as them. However, her reputation, which had been grossly over exaggerated, made them too scared to confront her on it. She and Kit soon joined in the hard work. She attempted to lose herself and the pain of her back by drowning herself in the rhythmic sounds created when her pick ax struck the rock.
Even so, her work was soon interrupted when a guard, dressed in full armor, entered the mining area and spoke with the head taskmaster. He gestured energetically at Panther while speaking in low tones. The taskmaster nodded, giving permission to whatever the guard had asked. Quickly, if somewhat apprehensively, he seized Panther's arm and began drag her from the work site. Confused, Panther allowed herself to be pulled down several mined out tunnels and proceeded to exit the mine altogether. The sudden exposure to sunlight blinded her. Slowly, her vision returned to her. Panther had rarely been to the surface since she had gotten here. They usually only let the workers come up if they were being beaten or if they were going to watch a beating.
Panther notice a small shape ducking behind one of the large rocks that were at the entrance to the mines. Kit! The stupid boy was going to get the beating of a life time if he was caught. Panther masked her surprise at seeing Kit quickly so she would not let the guards catch on. Her face remained stoic even as they approached more guards and the captain of the guards that were waiting for her.
"Ah," said the captain, "Panther."
Panther raised an eyebrow. Most men were not calm around her when they knew her identity. This one might be a problem.
Panther smirked, "You know my name, captain, but I do not know yours. Would you care to enlighten me?"
"Perhaps in time. Someone I know has a job for you, mercenary."
"I don't go anywhere with anyone who I do not know the name or intent of."
The captain sighed. He was growing tired of her games already? It would be a long journey for him surely.
"Hartman," said the captain in exasperation.
"That's better," purred Panther.
"The King has a very important job for you, mercenary. You will come back to the castle with us."
Panthers mind whirled. Why would the King feel the need to send his best men to collect her for a job? It did not make sense for him to do any such thing. But what an opportunity for her! She might win the King's favor and earn her freedom away from this desolate, cruel place. As she thought through this, a face flashed before her eyes. What would happen to Kit if she left him here? After Panther's mind had thought through the situation, she know exactly what she wanted. But she needed to persuade the king, or more importantly, his guards.
"I have a condition," Panther began.
"I do not believe that you are in the place to be making demands," said Hartman.
"I believe I am."
"Please, enlighten me."
"See the King needs me, but I do not need him. He will have to come here himself with a legion of his finest men before he manages to drag me away without giving into my demands. Then, he will have to beat me into submission so that I will work for him. If it is freedom you offer to pay me, I can earn it just as well here. That is how I am in position to make demands, Captain," Panther stated. By the time she had finished with her talk, Captain Hartman's face had turned red. He was mad, not with her, but with her argument, because he knew it was true.
"What are your demands, Mercenary?" growled Hartman.
"There is boy here, hiding behind that rock at the entrance to the mine. The wrong he did to get in this place was done out of necessity. If I leave this place, he must come with us."
"Very well," said Captain Hartman with a sigh after considering it for a moment, and then to his guards, he said, "Bring the boy here."
The guards found Kit. He started to run away, but the guards caught him and began to drag him toward Panther. Kit struggled the entire time. When the guards managed to get him there, Panther gave him a reassuring gaze. Kit settled, but still looked on edge.
Kit had not understood any of the conversation that had occurred between Panther and the Captain. He spoke the language of the poor of Nerezza. Very few people there could speak the language of the upper class. It was the largest social barrier that kept poor people poor. It warmed Panther's heart that he trusted her so much.
Hartman spoke to a couple guards behind him quietly. They nodded and went to one of the taskmaster's house and came out with two identical and familiar blades. Hartman turned to Panther and gave her a warning look.
"You can have them back when we get to the castle and you are given your work," said the Captain. Panther thought he could enjoy his arrogance for today. She would steal her blades back tomorrow.
Captain Hartman waved her forward and she followed him and Kit followed her. They manage to shuffle, due to chains on her legs, all the way to the old, bumpy path that served as a road to the mine before Panther saw the carriage that was designed to transport prisoners. She stopped, and so did Kit. Panther would not travel in one of those ever again. Hartman turned to see what was wrong.
Panther held out her wrists. They were shackled with a chain just loose enough for her to do her work at the mine. Kit mimicked her movement, knowing exactly what she wanted and intended to get.
Hartman sighed and said, "You really think that I will unshackle you?
"No, I expect you to unshackle us both and that we will be able to walk freely with you."
He considered this for a moment. Hartman likely debated how able she would be to escape if he unlocked both her feet and her hands. He then looked toward the carriage, which had more guards surrounding it, as if judging how hard it would be to force her in there.
"I'll unlock your feet, but you must have the chains on your hands."
"Fine," Panther said, relieved to be out of at least the shackles on her feet.
So the captain of the guard released her and Kit's feet. Panther thought he was exceptionally easy to persuade, but what would she know? She usually "persuaded" men with her blades, not her words.
They traveled until the sun, which had only just begun to rise when the guards had taken them from the mines, set. As they walked, Panther explained to Kit as best she could what had taken place as he gazed at the jungle with wide, watchful eyes. He was afraid of the jungle, or rather what was in it. It likely did not smooth his fears to have chained hands and be unable to defend himself. Panther did not worry. The guards would not let them die.
That night, Panther watched the jungle vigilantly as many of the traveling guards ate and seemed unconcerned with her for the moment. Kit sat quietly next to her. Panther looked over at Hartman and noticed that he wore the keys to her handcuffs.
"Tonight," she began to say to Kit, "you will steal the keys from Hartman, while I take back my blades."
"We're escaping?" asked the young boy.
"No," Panther replied, "we are making a point."
Later that evening, about midnight, Hartman and many of the guards were asleep. Instead of guarding the small, barred carriage that Hartman made the two of the ex-prisoners sleep in, the guards watched the perimeter. They were more concerned about keeping them from getting out than from stopping her causing mischief inside the perimeter.
Panther watched Kit's nearly invisible frame as he stealthily crept toward the sleeping frame. It hadn't taken much to open the door on the carriage. She had been trained to open more difficult locks with a small wire in her boot. Panther had managed to keep it while in the mine. Now, she watched as Kit gently took the key of the captains belt and quietly came back to her. Kit unlocked her handcuffs. Panther flexed her wrists. Now it was time for her to have some fun.
Carefully, Panther crept to one of the horses, the one that Hartman had ridden here. On it were her twin blades nicely secured in their sheaths to the horses saddle. She fiddled with the leather knots that kept them there. She kept her ears open and listened for the men that watched the perimeter's steps and Hartman's breathing. Panther managed to get several of the knots untied, but heard Hartman rolled over and muttering something and her eyes darted over to him. She only had one more left. Slowly, Panther managed to undo the knot. Grabbing both sheathed blades, she darted back to the carriage that she was supposed to be sleeping in as quietly as she could. This, however, did not stop the jangling noise the weapon made as she moved. How had the guards not noticed?! If these men were the best the king had then she would hate to see the worst. There was no fun in stealing if the guards let her get away with it easily.
Once she was back in the carriage, Kit, whose hands were now free, closed the door behind her. This was when Captain Hartman finally decided to wake up. Panther watched through the barred doors as his first thought was to make sure the keys he had had were still there. Panic rose to his face as he realized they weren't. Quickly, Panther strapped the twin blades she had taken on her back and watched as the captain went toward his horse to check if the blades were still there. Another panicked face. He marched over to the carriage and swung open the door roughly. Poor Kit was so startled that he ducked behind Panther, who immediately drew her blades and held one to his throat.
"You're not tired, Captain?" Panther asked, coolly.
"Give them back," he demanded.
"They were never yours. You can't have them," she said.
"Give them back!" he demanded yet again.
"You're not my master! These are the only remnants of my time with my father and you can't take them away!" Panther growled. He seemed to be surprised by that revelation. Panther was almost as equally shocked. She did not like Captain Hartman, not one bit, making it all the more surprising that she had even mentioned her father.
Her father had left when she was very young to find work. Back then, there had been three mouths to feed on just the small amount of money her mother had made by cleaning the houses of richer men. Both Panther and her brother had been too young to get a job, so her father, unable to find work in Nerezza, left to find a job. She had not seen him since. They had received regular amounts of money, which meant he had found work. Soon her brother had left to join him in his work. Only my mother and I had remained at Nerezza.
Hartman sighed. Some of the fire in his eyes had died out and he said, "If one of my men end up dead, nothing can stop me from bringing you down. Not even the kings orders. I trust my men to do the same if I end up dead."
Panther merely nodded. She lowered her blade. Kit looked much more relieved now that the confrontation was over. He would likely be more relieved traveling tomorrow as well, now that I have weapons to protect the two of us, thought Panther. Captain Hartman left and returned to his place by the fire. Panther closed the carriage door, ready to get a few hours of sleep. Kit had beaten her to it, already curled in a corner. He was not quite asleep yet, but was close. Panther settled in the other corner, ready for sleep to take her away from the awkward confrontation. But sleep was a long time coming that night.