Imprisoned

Astra slowly came round, feeling rather groggy. What had happened? The last thing she could remember was having a meal with her sisters whilst they waited for Fred to recover from his snake bite. Opening her eyes, she saw that she, Carola and Fred were lying on piles of straw on the floor of a cell. Carola appeared to be asleep, Fred was clearly still paralysed, and there was no sign of Belinda. Her sword and dagger were missing, and so was Fred's sword.

Just enough light for her to see all this was provided by a burning torch fixed to the opposite wall of the passage to their cell. Its light came through a barred window inset in the top of the cell door. The cell was about twelve feet by eight. A pitcher of water and a loaf of bread had been placed on the floor.

Astra recognised the cell. Forced to serve as the general of the Dragon's forces because he had been holding her sisters hostage, her duties had naturally included interviewing the occasional prisoner who had been held in this very cell. The fate of those prisoners had rarely been pleasant, but Astra knew that her own fate was likely to be even worse, for she had attempted to deceive the Dragon.

How had his forces captured the three of them? And how had she slept through it? The only explanation was that she had been drugged. Clearly neither Fred nor Carola had been responsible, and that only left Belinda. But surely her own sister could not have done such a thing?

Her thoughts were interrupted by:

1. A groan from Carola, who was coming round.
2. The arrival of Belinda outside the cell, come to gloat.

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