Night Thoughts

Still, her thinking seemed to help. If the evil thought-pattern within her could hold to current course, she would not have to fight it until it was necessary--until, perhaps, she could get help.

Meanwhile, Astra picked up Andrea and gently moved her to where she'd made camp. She watched Astra intently as the Aquilarian warrior gathered brushwood, kept watch for company. Andrea had picked up a fair amount from books, but no practical knowledge, having spent most of her life inside a castle. Astra had no doubt been trained in wilderness survival skills from a young age. Andrea felt a twinge of jealousy--and an echo of the hateful thing within that wanted to destroy her.

In time, Astra had kindled the fire and Andrea felt warmth returning to her body. "Are you all right?" said Astra.

Andrea nodded. "I'm alive," she whispered.

"Are you well enough to eat?"

"I can try." Astra gave her some of the fruits she'd gathered and a little meat from a deer she'd hunted. After her time in Hell, it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever tasted. They sat beside the fire, listening to the roaring of the flames.

"So," said Astra. "How are you here? I thought I saw you die."

"That's what they wanted you to think," said Andrea. "A spell of illusion." The lie came so easily. "They took me away--tortured me, healed my wounds so they could do it again. They wanted to break my will... I got out. Barely."

"I'm sorry," said Astra, reaching out and taking her hand. Under her breath, she muttered--"I'll kill them."

Then she held up Andrea's hand and looked at the mark branded on it. She shuddered. "Where did that come from?"

"The Dragon's men, of course." Andrea laughed.

"It looks... evil," said Astra, holding up her hand and looking at it closely. Andrea winced when she touched the mark. "Are you sure it's not cursed?"

"It could be."

"Well, if it is, then... I'm afraid we have something in common. What with the moon waxing full soon... Maybe I should tell you a bit more about how I got here."

So she told Andrea the story of her journey--how she set out to the Northern Caves, as her people knew it, and got lost because of a shoddy map; how she was captured by the Dragon and rescued by a knight called Frederigo D'Honaire--the legendary dragonslayer himself; how they'd killed a wyrm called Velus only to find that it was the servant of a greater dragonmage, Minestus, who exiled them to the wildlands of the Calamari desert; how they'd run across the tower of the alchemist Dr. Vincent and his strange purple machine-ape; how the creature had wounded Frederigo and Vincent had saved him at the cost of turning him into a monstrosity himself; how his attempt to save Fred with magic had failed, sending Astra off into a labyrinth, where Minestus caught up with her; how he'd given her a curse based on "astronomical alignments..."

"I don't know what he meant by that," said Astra, "but I think I can guess. I may well be as great a danger to you as the Dragon's men when the full moon comes."

Andrea saw her opening and took it. "I've heard tell of a mage called Belboz the Fell, who lives to the North. He's... not what you'd call good, but he has no love for the Dragon. Perhaps he could help you."

"This Belboz the Fell doesn't sound like pleasant company, but he may well be our best hope," said Astra. "He can see if you have a curse, as well."

Andrea had nothing more she wished to say. So Astra told her a little about her own life, in Aqualaria--her training, her family--she had two sisters, one of whom was around Andrea's age; her own first mission against a chimera when she was only seventeen, giving her a scar on her right thigh which had still not healed. Astra was a skilled storyteller, and it sounded wonderful in her telling--but Andrea didn't know if she had the strength to endure such a life as Astra's.

In time, Astra went to sleep. Andrea would watch over her and wake her if anything came nearby. The warrior princess, as it happened, snored like a thunderstorm. Andrea reached out and ran her fingers through Astra's radiant red hair.

Then she felt the hateful presence rise within her, and found herself drawing the dagger Astra had given her when they were on the run.

She held the dagger over the fitfully sleeping princess's neck. Astra could wake up at any moment, she told herself. Time to get it over with. She'd taken lives already--killed at least six of the Dragon's men. Though Astra had taken most of the lives in their battle, Andrea, spurred on by desperation, had done her part. But...

For all that, she couldn't do it. It still felt unnatural to her. If she had been a knight, someone who was trained to kill and follow orders, it might have been different. Perhaps she would have given in to the curse immediately. But she was not. For once, she was thankful for her weakness.

She wondered how long it would last.

A few hours later, Astra woke up and thanked Andrea for her service. She watched over Andrea as the young lady dreamed of wandering around the corridors of Hell. In the morning, the two of them set out.

1. They made their way north with little incident, reaching the house of Belboz just on the cusp of the full moon
2. They set out, but were soon accosted by the Dragon's men again.
3. Before long, Astra realized that someone or something was following them.

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