A Minute of Mischief

"Damnation!" Astra said. She had a tinderbox in her pack, containing a flint, a small sheet of steel, and some straw, with which she could in theory produce a flame and relight her torch. But that was quite a fiddly procedure even in daylight, and would be extremely difficult if done using only the sense of touch. Still, she would have to try. She currently had the torch in one hand and her sword in the other, so she sheathed the sword so that she would have a free hand.

"Are you there, Princess?" Fred asked. As he spoke, his searching hands made contact with her.

"Of course I'm here. And I'll thank you not to grope my breast."

"Oh, sorry."

Just then Astra's torch relit itself as mysteriously as it had gone out. In the brief time that they had been in darkness the pup had vanished. And that wasn't all that had changed.

"I've heard rumours that the dragon is a shapechanger and a powerful magic user, and also that he has a keen but malicious sense of humour," Astra remarked.

"You think that the dog was really the dragon?"

"How else to explain what has happened? Unless the dog was Belboz, I suppose, about whom similar stories are told. Anyway...

1. "My sword has vanished from its scabbard, yet I never felt it being removed."
2. "Your right ankle has somwhow been shackled to my left ankle. And my sword has vanished, so I can't do anything about it."
3. "Perhaps you haven't noticed, but I'm now as naked as you are." "Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?"
4. "I was about the same height as you before the torch went out. Now my eyes are at about the level of your belly button. At least my armour and sword have shrunk to match."

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