Astra 2 Has Deja Vu

"Are you sure that you will be safe?" Fred asked.

"Look at her. She's no threat to anyone right now. And she killed the Dragon, didn't she? 'My enemy's enemy is my friend', they say."

"In my own experience that's not always true," Fred said.

Before they could argue the point any further, the earth shook around them, and a cold and alien but recognizably female voice spoke. "You have destroyed my loyal disciple! Now you shall pay!"

"Not again!" Astra 2 said, [232] putting her hands over her ears. Not that it did any good, as she and the others heard the voice inside their heads rather than through their ears.

Suddenly Fred (still in his armour but without his pack) and the three naked women found themselves transported to the middle of a vast desert waste. "What in the world...?" Fred said.

At least it was not too unbearably hot. From the sun's low elevation it seemed to be either early morning or late evening.

"This is the Calamari Desert," Astra 2 said in a resigned voice. "I can't believe that it's happening all over again - though it was a male voice last time." She seemed calmer now, as though she was resigned to being the plaything of the fates.

"How do you know that it's the Calamari and not some other desert?" Exotica asked.

"Because that's where I was sent the last time. Our only hope of survival is if we can find Vincent's tower. But that is a very long shot. One bit of desert looks much like another."

"The last time?" Astra 1 said. "If you feel up to it I should like to hear your story."

So Astra 2 briefly told her strange tale. When she had finished, Exotica said: "Now things make some sort of sense. When Vincent's spell went wrong, you must have been transported not just in space but to an alternate reality - this one. And it occurs to me that if it was the Dragon's magic that turned you into a wolf then you probably weren't a true werewolf. So your changing back to human probably had nothing to do with the moon. Instead it was his spell on you dissipating as a result of his death, and you need not fear the next rising of the moon."

Comprehension dawned on Astra 2's face as Exotica spoke, and the haunted look left it. "So I haven't gone insane," she said, "and these" - she turned to Fred and Astra 1 - "are Fred's and my counterparts in this reality."

"Yes, and I am Princess Exotica of Allaria."

"I am pleased to meet all three of you. In my uwn reality your counterpart exists, Exotica, but she is called Eryn."

"I'm not sure what my parents could have been thinking of when they named me 'Exotica'. I like 'Eryn' much better, but it's far too late to change now."

"We had better get moving," Fred said, ever practical. "It looks as though the sun is getting higher, and in a few hours time it may become too hot for travelling."

"You had better take your armour off," Exotica said. "Otherwise you are going to cook, possibly quite literally. Don't be shy. You'll still be wearing more than we will."

A little reluctantly, Fred took off his armour, leaving him in his long-sleeved and ankle-length grey woollen undergarments, plus his boots. As a gentleman, he naturally offered his clothing to the ladies, but none of the three would have felt comfortable being clothed when the other two were naked and they politely declined. Besides the thought of wearing undergarments that Fred had probably been wearing for the last couple of weeks without their being washed was uninviting to say the least. Since carrying his armour would obviously be impractical, even more reluctantly he left it behind when they moved on.

1. After a few hours walking, they rest during the heat of the afternoon. Resuming walking as the sun lowers, they see an oasis on the horizon. Or is it only a mirage?
2. They don't find Dr Vincent's tower. But he has a long-range magical sensor which detects them, and he has them brought to him.
3. They are rescued by a nomadic desert tribe.

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