Good News, Bad News

Apparently the being had come to the same conclusion. Or maybe it could read his mind. He experienced a moment's dizziness, before he found himself looking at himself - or rather at Carola's body, he corrected himself. He now occupied Astra's body.

Carola's face understandably showed shock and confusion for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. "Astra, what's going on?" she said. "Won't you release me?"

Fred, in Astra's body, was about to do just that, when it occurred to him that he could not be sure whether, now that he had vacated Carola's body, it was truly she who had reclaimed it. Supposing it was Astra? She was quick-witted enough to guess what had happened, and to try to deceive him.

Astra had apparently had some way of telling that he was occupying first Belinda's body and then Carola's, and now perhaps that he was occupying her own. But he had no idea of how she had done it, and could not think of how to determine who now occupied Carola's body. If it was Carola, then he should free her and try to get her to safety. But if it was Astra, he would like to leave her where she was. It would surely be poetic justice for her to be executed by her former allies, unaware of her true identity and disbelieving her if she should claim to be Astra.

1. Fred thinks of a way to determine who occupies Carola's body.
2. Fred cannot think of anything.
3. Just then, someone else enters the cavern.

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