Another drabble for Friday Flash! The photo is from wiki commons.

She gasped, running, fist wrapped around a hair-thin, ebony-bladed knife. She wasn’t going to let the damned count take her masterwork.

The thief-takers’ lamps bobbed behind her. They went slowly because the tunnel scared them.

Her boots splashed in water. The sound drew their attention and the lamps bobbed faster. Knee-deep now, she climbed over a hump of rock and jumped into waist-deep water.

The knife sliced the rope easily and she pushed the boat into the deep water. Clambering on, she slipped the knife into her waist-pouch and rowed fast.

Once she reached the ocean, she was free. Free!