Panther's Last Plunder

Chapter 5: Missing Friends and Secrets Revealed

Panther thought that being the prince's body guard was overrated. He had few attacks in the time that she had come to his aid. He and Calev liked to joke that it was because of her fearsome reputation. She usually shrugged and said something along the lines of killing him must not be worth much. Calev and Panther usually laughed. Kit joined her during his free time, when he wasn't learning a new language and delivering messages. Athalie was as irritating as ever, constantly trying to do her hair in the popular styles or putting her in dresses.
Like most days, Panther and Alagan had joined Calev in the garden. Instead of letting Alagan get the bench, Panther flopped on it next to Calev. She received a look from Alagan that would make a grown man nervous. Panther grinned.
"Oh, come on Panther," Alagan complained.
"You get the bench every time!" came her reply.
"My castle. My bench."
"Technically, it is your father's castle and bench," Panther said. Calev snickered. It had become a routine for them to snipe at one another. She enjoyed it.
Alagan sighed in an exasperated manner. He began to play with a small wicker ball that Kit enjoyed. Panther watched coolly from the bench, which was in the shade and out of the sun.
"I can't watch this. It's just pathetic," Calev said while returning to his book.
"What are you reading?"
Panther didn't hear his reply. A flash of light had caught her eye and she was trying to find where it came from. She scanned the shrubbery. As hard as Panther tried, she could not see anything. She was distracted from her search when Kit came up the path from the castle. Today was one of the days he had off. Three days a week he was with the tutor, and three days he delivered messages.
Noticing the game Alagan played by himself, Kit soon joined in. Panther watched with amusement as Kit's smaller, more nimble legs, managed to keep the ball away from Alagan. Calev watched and laughed. He also shouted out things along the line of "get him, Kit!"
Panther heard a branch snap. Following the sound, her eyes found a dark brown, curved stick aimed at Alagan. In the light, she could see a thin strand used to pull back an arrow. Panther stood quickly. The bowman released his arrow.
Quickly, Panther moved Alagan out of the way. She never saw where the arrow hit. Panther moved to where the bowman had been, but she saw nothing. On the ground where Kit and Alagan were playing, she saw a black wood, poison tipped arrow. Calev had gone over to Alagan, but Panther saw neither hide nor tale of Kit.
She recognized the arrow. It was the same type of arrow used by another of the Master's workers. It was Venom's. The Master liked to have many stooges who had different specializations. Panther's had been fighting. Venom's had been poisons. He mastered many different fatal poisons as well as poisons that could put a target in a coma. The Master made sure that his students were well-rounded, so Panther had a fair knowledge of poisons, but it was nothing like his. Venom and Panther had often gotten along while they trained; she might've even considered him a friend if anyone under the Master's care could actually have friends.
As she picked up the arrow, she realized that it was coated in blood. Panther let out such a savage growl that anyone sane would have run away screaming. She knew it was coated in Kit's blood. Without thinking, Panther ran off into the woods. In this state of mind she did not know what she was going to do. She was furious and grieving for her lost comrade. If she came across Venom, she would likely kill him.
Panther's eyes were vigilant, looking for any sign of Venom. Unfortunately, she ran off so irrationally that she could have very well ended up running in the wrong direction. Also, Venom had lesser fighting skills than most, due to his focus on poison. Because of this, he had learned more stealth than she had. The Master made sure that none of his "pets" could become more powerful than him.
"Venom!" Panther shouted, "Give me Kit now! Venom!" Panther continued to shout until her throat was raw. She searched incessantly for any sign of Kit. Panther likely wouldn't have stopped if not for the rain. With thunder and lightning, it began to poor over her, blocking her vision. With every drop that fell upon her, Panther's mind cleared. Grief and rage seemed to wash away and tears began to meld with the rain.
Kit was dead and it was her fault. Panther looked at the arrow that she was still clutching. She hated this weapon, this cruel instrument of death. Did everyone she care about have to die because of the Master? Panther wanted to snap it in half, to discard it and forget about the pain it had caused. Before she did, Panther noticed an inscription on the arrow. In the Master's cruel writing, it read:
"Stay out of the way Meri or I will take another."
Panther heard a bush rustle behind her. She whipped around, ready to kill Venom. But it was not Venom. It was Alagan. Glaring, she hoped to convey the idea that he should've stayed behind and safe from harm. If he was killed, she would likely be beheaded. He ignored her glare and gave her a look that she had not seen in a long time: pity.
"Panther...," he began.
"I do not want whatever sappy sentiment is going to come out of your mouth right now."
"It's not your fault Panther. There was no way you could've prevented this," he said anyway.
It was my fault, Panther thought looking at the inscription on the arrow, He knew I was here, protecting Alagan.
"What's that?" asked Alagan, who had moved behind her without her noticing. He grabbed the arrow and forced it out of her clenched fist. In the process, he cut her hand. Alagan began to read the inscription.
"Meri? But she isn't here. Unless..." Alagan looked at Panther, whose eyes had gone wide. She didn't even notice that the Master had used her name. Meri waited for him to say something and expose her for who she was.
"Maybe whoever took Kit took Meri too," he pondered. Meri temporarily forgot her grief in admiration of this boy's stupidity. He continued, saying, "But why send an arrow with Meri's name unless Meri received it? Why threaten her?"
Panther began to bandage her hand with a piece of cloth she ripped off her tunic while Alagan began to pace. If it is going to take you so long to figure out what happened to Meri, you could at least get out of the rain and back to the castle, she thought.
"Meri?" he said, looking at her expectantly.
"Not anymore. Can we go back to the castle so that your father does not hunt us down and can behead me in person?"
Meri began to walk back toward the castle, keeping her thoughts away from Kit and ignoring the following prince who would not shut up. With the constant rain and endless questions, Meri was growing into a worsening mood, not that she was in a good one to begin with.
As they came back to the castle, Panther noticed a figure waiting out side the garden's gate. It was Calev; she knew this without seeing his face. The way he stood nervously and somewhat impatiently gave him away. He noticed them and ran out to meet them. Alagan immediately filled him in on what he discovered about Panther. Now Meri had two problems to deal with.
Finally, Calev asked, "How?"
"A man killed my mother and kidnapped me," she replied.
"That is hardly an explanation," Alagan interjected.
"It's the only one you're getting."