Fred's Life Takes Several Turns for the Worse
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 15905
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Astra led the way into the next chamber,which bore two large wooden
shelves which rested against the left and right walls, loaded with several
large glass jars that appeared to be filled with copper coins. Just ahead
was a pit, which upon closer inspection was filled with
snakes. "Poisonous," Astra said, recognizing their kind. The poison was
not fatal, but rather paralyed its victim, allowing the serpents to devour
their prey alive. "It's too far to leap across," Carola mused, while Fred
stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at the "great peril" the old
man Qundarian had probably been talking about. He pulled the charm from
his pocket, wondering if it would somehow-
Fred's momentary obsession with the purpose of the charm was
interrupted abruptly as he was shoved from behind! Unable to keep his
balance, Fred fell straight forward into the deadly snakepit, and before
he had the chance to react he felt himself being bitten all over his
body. He struggled to his feet, and realizing he had dropped the charm
somewhere into the mass number of snakes surrounding him, resolved just to
get out of the pit alive if at all possible!
"Fred!!!" he heard the panicked shout above him. He leaped as high as
he could, grabbing onto the edge of the floor above, struggling to pull
himself up and away from the poisonous snakes. Astra, Belinda, and Carola
all helped him the rest of the way out, as Fred realized that his strength
was fast failing him.
"He's going to live through this," Astra said to Belinda and Carola,
but also partly to Fred. "After he fell in he was bitten by quite a few
of them, but the serpents' poison isn't lethal. He may be paralyzed for
quite some time...probably two days at the least."
"Qundarian's little ring is going to have to wait then," Carola
said. "There's no way we can go on with Fred like this, and we certainly
can't leave him here."
"He knew those snakes were poisonous...why wasn't he more careful?"
Belinda sighed.
Fred was listening intently. They believed that he had fallen into the
pit out of carelessness! But he had been pushed, he remembered all too
well. There had only been three people behind him, and there were only
three possible suspects.
Astra, Belinda, and Carola.
They were trying to take care of him now, so obviously all of them were
not to blame...but Fred's mind recalled the old man's warning, and
realized grimly that his enemy was indeed closer than he had known. One
of the three had to be a traitor. But why?
As Fred laid there, unable to move or to speak, he dwelled in his
thoughts as the three picked him up and moved him back out of the room
down the secret passage from which they had came. They set up camp for
the time being, and resolved to sleep in shifts. It wasn't much longer
before a terrible thought occurred to Fred: if one of them was indeed a
traitor, they would not want their presence revealed...and thus would try
to finish him off within the next two days, before the poison wore off.
"Fred?" came a voice, startling him and sending a chill up his
spine. "I know you know..." As he laid there helpless and paralyzed, he
was aware of someone sitting beside him, looming over him.
"And that's why I can't allow you to tell my sisters. Don't worry,
they won't wake up...I drugged them both; they'll be out for some time.
Nothing personal, Fred, but I AM a servant of the Dragon, after all." To
Fred's horror, Soft hands closed over his mouth, one on top of the other,
and his nose was pinched shut. "You're probably wondering why I serve the
dragon?" she prompted. "I'll tell you...in the minutes you have left to
live, so listen carefully." Fred's mind was reeling, both from the sudden
lack of oxygen and from realizing the identity of his tormenter.
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Ink
5/30/2001 3:43:47 AM
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