Astra's Idea

Her first act was to test the strength of the shackles that imprisoned her wrists. There was clearly no chance that she could break them apart, but perhaps they were insufficiently fastened to the wall? She soon disabused herself of that notion. Plenty of cement had been applied to ensure that the chains could not be tugged free.

She wondered whether her captors had imprisoned Fred as well. It seemed likely, given that he had gone missing well before she herself was captured. For all she knew, he could be in the next cell. If they were both chained up then it seemed that their only hope was Velus. But what could he do?

Having decided that escape was impossible for the moment, Astra decided to make her presence known. If her jailer came in, she might find out a little more about what was going on. And if Fred was in the next cell, then depending on just how soundproof the walls were they might be able to talk to one another. "Hello! Is anybody there?" she called.

After only a few seconds, she heard the door being unlocked. It seemed that someone must have been waiting outside for her to regain consciousness. A burly, sour-faced man, with a dagger at his belt, came in. "So you're awake, I see," he said.

Astra suddenly had an idea that might give her a chance of escape. "I badly need to visit the privy," she said.

1. "I'll unlock your shackles and escort you there. No tricks, though. Remember that I'm armed."
2. "I'll fetch the other guard and we'll escort you there. They've told us there must always be at least two of us guarding you if you leave the cell."
3. "Tough. You'll just have to do it in your pants."

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