Patience is Needed

Astra continued hewing away at the rockface, as she said: "I have to keep working, which prevents me from letting go of the pickaxe."

"I could knock you out and carry you away from here."

"With me unconscious, you'd have no hope of reaching the spot where the chain is attached to the wall, so you couldn't carry me away."

"There must be some way of freeing you."

"I have no way of keeping track of time accurately, but in an hour or two it should be the end of my shift. Two armed guards will come and unlock the bracelet on my ankle. That will undo the compulsion that I'm under. Before they can escort me back to my cell, you can emerge from hiding and - with my help - overpower them."

"I suppose that's the best chance," Fred conceded. He sat on a nearby rock, which he could hide behind if he heard the guards approaching, and waited.

After a while, he asked: "If the dragon is as powerful a magic user as he appears to be, why couldn't he use magic to get at the diamonds?"

"He probably could if he wanted to. I think this is more in the nature of a punishment for me. He seemed to get rather annoyed when I came to the caves and attempted to kill him. I suppose that's understandable."

"So if I fail in freeing you and then killing the dragon..."

"Yes, you'll probably find yourself on mining duty too."

Eventually they ran out of things to say. Astra continued working, whilst Fred - finding himself getting a little drowsy - concentrated on staying awake.

1. At last Fred hears the sound of someone approaching. Presumably it is the guards.
2. Fred nods off. Astra, facing the rockface she is working on, doesn't notice. When Fred wakes, he discovers that...

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