Thanks to any reviewers who looked at my last piece. PLEASE review, I'm
desperate to get the story finished, but if I haven't got an audience...
~
Matti drove her axe into the soft rock, spilling fast avalanches of loose stone down the face of the mine. The slavemaster watched with obvious approval. Difficult and short tempered though she was, Matti could outwork any other squirrel in the mine, holding her own against much larger beasts such as otters and even the odd hare caught by the guards.
Perri, on the other hand, was sweating and shivering beside her. She watched him with sympathy, but she couldn't help him. The short chains on her wrists were stretched tight enough as it was. There was no possible way she could stretch the extra couple of feet.
The slavemaster, Scarhide, came to stand behind, his pungent breath smoking in her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose delicately, turning her head away slightly to escape the smell. He leered at her, leaning in closer so she couldn't escape. There were pieces of fish and fruit caught between his blackened teeth.
'Not so cocky now, are we? Now we're chained back to the wall.'
She averted her gaze, concentrating on the rock in front of her. She longed with all her heart and soul to drive the axe into his stupid, ugly head. He obviously realized what she was thinking, for his grin widened.
'Getting mutinous, my love? Don't lash out, else we'll do more than brand you.'
She gritted her teeth and swung the axe into the rock, sending another chunk of rock spiralling into the darkness. He laughed again, a cold, growling laugh.
'Don't get so angry, my love. What did the wall ever do to you?'
She could feel Perri's eyes on her, begging her not to rise to the bait, not to react. Her heart was pounding insistently inside her chest, and her paws were trembling on the haft of the axe. Fixing her eyes on the rock wall again, she continued to crash the metal against the rock, and more and more stone went down in the darkness.
The slavemaster grunted, seeing that she could not be bullied. He glanced around, then his eyes settled on Perri. A slow leer wandered across his face and he took just the one step he needed to be next to the smaller squirrel. His paws played with the leather whip.
'You're falling behind, my lad. Do you want me to speed you up?'
Perri struggled with the heavy axe, attempting to drive it again into the rock face. His tired muscles could lift the axe no higher than his waist. Scarhide was delighted. He rubbed his paws together around the whip, talking all the time to Perri.
'Dear oh dear, we can't have this, can we? Can't have slacking in the mines.'
Perri was panicking. Matti could feel his fear, and the sweat running off his forehead glistened in the light of the torches. She clenched her fists over the axe. Don't rise to the bait, she thought, don't let him get you.
Scarhide flicked the whip threateningly, so that it snaked around Perri's shoulders like a serpent.
'This might sting a bit, lad. But it's for your own good.'
The whip hissed through the air and hit the young squirrel's back, leaving a shining dark streak in his fur. He screamed with pain, sobbing as the whip rose and fell.
And Matti cracked.
Aiming neatly, she raised the axe and stuck the piece of rock she was chained to. The sharp axe cut through the chain like a knife through butter. With her free paw, she wrenched the second chain from the soft rock and stood panting, her eyes wide and wild as she stared at the free manacles.
Scarhide turned triumphantly, his blackened teeth showing clearly in the torchlight.
'Oh, now you've done it. Pulling the chains out. You'll get more than a whipping for that.'
She backed away, keeping eye contact, trying to stare him out. It only seemed to annoy him.
'Staring is rude, my love.'
My love. How dare he. Her eyes flashed over the glowing torches and the leering slavemaster, past her sobbing brother and around the lines of the slaves in the mines. Her fierce temper rose inside her like ice on fire. She raised the axe and swung it, hearing its powerful whistle as it spun through the air.
Straight into Scarhide.
He fell like a stone, a patch of blood on his furry temple, his black teeth still leering at her. There was an expression of surprise in his eyes. Matti stood, her chest heaving as she stared at him. She felt huge and powerful. And angry.
'I'm not your love,' she whispered to the dead ferret. 'Never your love.'
Her blood was tingling in her veins, but at the same time a new, creeping fear fed through. She had killed a guard. She had done the unthinkable and rebelled. What were they going to do to her in return?
Perri was obviously thinking the same thing. He heaved himself up, wincing as the blood ran off his back. She turned to him, and there was terror in her voice.
'What do I do now?'
The otter on the far side of them laughed harshly, but there was a note of respect in his eyes as he looked at her.
'Do? I'll tell you what you have to do, young Matti. You have to run, through the mines and as fast and far as you can. You have to get out of this hell hole.'
She stared at him. To her amazement, his eyes were beaded with tears as he watched her.
'I wish I could go, Matti. If I had my way, I'd follow you as long as I lived. But we're weak, me and your brother, and your strong. Your not meant to die down here.'
As if remembering something, he began to hunt through his dirty slave's uniform. With a small sigh, he pulled out a woven pendant, and handed it to her.
'A map of the mines – or at least, how they used to be. Follow it out, and take the river road. Head for Noonvale, Matti. It's the only place that can save you now.'
She blinked, and then nodded, gripping his paw in thanks. Then she turned to her brother. His eyes too were full of tears.
Matti tried to think of something to say, but there was nothing. Perri's eyes just stared at her, all his pain and hope reaching out to her. She touched his face gently.
'Goodbye, my brother.'
And she ran, skipping over the fallen stones and out into the passageway. A deep sadness was throbbing in her heart, and she knew that if she didn't run, she would cry, and if she cried she would never leave. She didn't look back at the old otter and the young squirrel that were watching her leave.
Perri pulled a hand over his eyes, rubbing away the moisture. The old otter smiled at him, and there was compassion in his smile.
'Don't' fret, lad. Your sister's free, and now she's free, there's hope for us all.'
~
Matti drove her axe into the soft rock, spilling fast avalanches of loose stone down the face of the mine. The slavemaster watched with obvious approval. Difficult and short tempered though she was, Matti could outwork any other squirrel in the mine, holding her own against much larger beasts such as otters and even the odd hare caught by the guards.
Perri, on the other hand, was sweating and shivering beside her. She watched him with sympathy, but she couldn't help him. The short chains on her wrists were stretched tight enough as it was. There was no possible way she could stretch the extra couple of feet.
The slavemaster, Scarhide, came to stand behind, his pungent breath smoking in her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose delicately, turning her head away slightly to escape the smell. He leered at her, leaning in closer so she couldn't escape. There were pieces of fish and fruit caught between his blackened teeth.
'Not so cocky now, are we? Now we're chained back to the wall.'
She averted her gaze, concentrating on the rock in front of her. She longed with all her heart and soul to drive the axe into his stupid, ugly head. He obviously realized what she was thinking, for his grin widened.
'Getting mutinous, my love? Don't lash out, else we'll do more than brand you.'
She gritted her teeth and swung the axe into the rock, sending another chunk of rock spiralling into the darkness. He laughed again, a cold, growling laugh.
'Don't get so angry, my love. What did the wall ever do to you?'
She could feel Perri's eyes on her, begging her not to rise to the bait, not to react. Her heart was pounding insistently inside her chest, and her paws were trembling on the haft of the axe. Fixing her eyes on the rock wall again, she continued to crash the metal against the rock, and more and more stone went down in the darkness.
The slavemaster grunted, seeing that she could not be bullied. He glanced around, then his eyes settled on Perri. A slow leer wandered across his face and he took just the one step he needed to be next to the smaller squirrel. His paws played with the leather whip.
'You're falling behind, my lad. Do you want me to speed you up?'
Perri struggled with the heavy axe, attempting to drive it again into the rock face. His tired muscles could lift the axe no higher than his waist. Scarhide was delighted. He rubbed his paws together around the whip, talking all the time to Perri.
'Dear oh dear, we can't have this, can we? Can't have slacking in the mines.'
Perri was panicking. Matti could feel his fear, and the sweat running off his forehead glistened in the light of the torches. She clenched her fists over the axe. Don't rise to the bait, she thought, don't let him get you.
Scarhide flicked the whip threateningly, so that it snaked around Perri's shoulders like a serpent.
'This might sting a bit, lad. But it's for your own good.'
The whip hissed through the air and hit the young squirrel's back, leaving a shining dark streak in his fur. He screamed with pain, sobbing as the whip rose and fell.
And Matti cracked.
Aiming neatly, she raised the axe and stuck the piece of rock she was chained to. The sharp axe cut through the chain like a knife through butter. With her free paw, she wrenched the second chain from the soft rock and stood panting, her eyes wide and wild as she stared at the free manacles.
Scarhide turned triumphantly, his blackened teeth showing clearly in the torchlight.
'Oh, now you've done it. Pulling the chains out. You'll get more than a whipping for that.'
She backed away, keeping eye contact, trying to stare him out. It only seemed to annoy him.
'Staring is rude, my love.'
My love. How dare he. Her eyes flashed over the glowing torches and the leering slavemaster, past her sobbing brother and around the lines of the slaves in the mines. Her fierce temper rose inside her like ice on fire. She raised the axe and swung it, hearing its powerful whistle as it spun through the air.
Straight into Scarhide.
He fell like a stone, a patch of blood on his furry temple, his black teeth still leering at her. There was an expression of surprise in his eyes. Matti stood, her chest heaving as she stared at him. She felt huge and powerful. And angry.
'I'm not your love,' she whispered to the dead ferret. 'Never your love.'
Her blood was tingling in her veins, but at the same time a new, creeping fear fed through. She had killed a guard. She had done the unthinkable and rebelled. What were they going to do to her in return?
Perri was obviously thinking the same thing. He heaved himself up, wincing as the blood ran off his back. She turned to him, and there was terror in her voice.
'What do I do now?'
The otter on the far side of them laughed harshly, but there was a note of respect in his eyes as he looked at her.
'Do? I'll tell you what you have to do, young Matti. You have to run, through the mines and as fast and far as you can. You have to get out of this hell hole.'
She stared at him. To her amazement, his eyes were beaded with tears as he watched her.
'I wish I could go, Matti. If I had my way, I'd follow you as long as I lived. But we're weak, me and your brother, and your strong. Your not meant to die down here.'
As if remembering something, he began to hunt through his dirty slave's uniform. With a small sigh, he pulled out a woven pendant, and handed it to her.
'A map of the mines – or at least, how they used to be. Follow it out, and take the river road. Head for Noonvale, Matti. It's the only place that can save you now.'
She blinked, and then nodded, gripping his paw in thanks. Then she turned to her brother. His eyes too were full of tears.
Matti tried to think of something to say, but there was nothing. Perri's eyes just stared at her, all his pain and hope reaching out to her. She touched his face gently.
'Goodbye, my brother.'
And she ran, skipping over the fallen stones and out into the passageway. A deep sadness was throbbing in her heart, and she knew that if she didn't run, she would cry, and if she cried she would never leave. She didn't look back at the old otter and the young squirrel that were watching her leave.
Perri pulled a hand over his eyes, rubbing away the moisture. The old otter smiled at him, and there was compassion in his smile.
'Don't' fret, lad. Your sister's free, and now she's free, there's hope for us all.'
