Interlude
The place was called “Magdeburg,” and, even before the cannonade on the walls ended, the Q’riln, via her cube, could feel the terror of the townsfolk.
You really can’t beat this area they call “Europe” for first class ambrosia, thought the Q’riln. Not only is it varied but the servings are just too much. Well, not too much for me.
The Q’riln had, some considerable time earlier, attached herself to the army that had now become the army of Graf Pappenheim. Feeding had been so-so, at best, since then. Indeed, so much so that she and her cube had occasionally had recourse to tampering with the minds of groups of soldiery, convincing them to desert in particular directions, then informing the authorities where to look for the deserters.
The hangings, even the mass ones, hadn’t been much; it was all over too quickly. But a girl has to keep her hand in, she thought, as the cannon ceased their bombardment and blocks of Pappenheim’s foot began their ponderous march to the breaches in the walls.
Now, after all those cycles of poor rations, here, at the city of Magdeburg, the Q’riln was finally going to be able to . . .
“Mistress,” the cube announced, “there’s been a new gate opened, and the pattern is not one of the people.”
“Who?” she asked.
“It is consistent with portal technology from several of the law enforcement agencies of the Authority.”
“Those meddling busybodies?” the Q’riln sneered. “How many?”
“Just two, plus some kind of artificial life form. I surmise from the power patterns that they’re at best lightly equipped.”
“Where did they emerge?”
“Behind us, near that place where all those people were impaled, when we first arrived.”
The Q’riln thought about that for a moment, before saying, “The coincidence is too great. It’s me they’re after.”
“So I would surmise, Mistress. Well, you and me, most likely.”
“What’s the distance on foot and horse to get to me, here, and how long should it take them to travel?”
The cube buzzed slightly for a moment, consulting its onboard maps and what it knew of transportation, here and now. Finally, it answered, “No less than three of the local moons, even assuming they can connect you to this. But here and now, there is no shortage of anguish anywhere. Neither do I sense that the instances we have feasted on are anything too very special. I think you can continue to graze here, in the area they call ‘Germany,’ for at least five moons before they show up. And then, perhaps you should go to the islands to the northwest for a while.”
“All right, Cube, I agree. And now, I see that the troops are at the first breach. Let us follow them in.”