Waiting for the Barbarians

The town, having been pillaged, is without leadership. The Magistrate steps into his former role, although this time he is not a representative of the Empire. With the harshness of winter fast approaching, the Magistrate directs the remaining residents to do what they all can to prepare. Their only line of defense against an invasion is trickery; they have placed soldier helmets on pikes on one of the fort’s ramparts with the hopes of convincing attackers that soldiers are still on guard of the town.

One night, the Magistrate is awakened by a pounding at his door. A scared and panicking soldier is there demanding to know where Mandel is. Outside, the Magistrate recognizes Joll’s carriage. He is able to see Joll inside, and for the first time, Joll does not have on his sunglasses. Joll’s soldier, meanwhile, searches quickly the town only to discover that there is nothing of use left for his unit to steal for their journey back to the capital, other than some bread. As this is occurring, Joll’s carriage is pelted with rocks by the townspeople. The Magistrate demands from the panicked soldier an explanation of what happened to the army. It turns out, they were tricked.