Astra Takes Charge

Each intent on the other rather than Astra, neither Henri nor Fred was able to avoid her lightning-fast strike. The side of her left hand hit Henri's wrist at the same instant that the side of her right hand hit Fred's wrist. Both men's hands were numbed, and they had to drop their weapons.

"Now then," Astra said. "Fred, Henri is a friend. He rescued me last night when I was held captive, at great risk to himself. Henri, you've heard my story. [44318] Well, Fred and Velus are the two that I spent the year on the island with. I trust them totally. I take it that you managed to get here through the portal, Fred?"

"Yes. After you'd gone through, it cycled through a lot of other places, but eventually it came back to showing the original spot. Looking through it, we could see no sign of you, so we decided to come through and search for you. Even if we couldn't find you, it had to be better than being marooned on the island."

"So how did you find me? It must have been far harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

1. "Pure luck."
2. "It was like this..."
3. "Explanations can wait," Henri said. "We should return to the fort. I dare say that you two," nodding to Fred and Velus, "would welcome some new clothing to replace your rags."

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