Epilogue - 011

Turns since TBfGK: 1

Only four of the Transylvitian warlords were actually headed back to the capital: Caesar, Vinny, Dewy Tulips and Leather Valese. A few hexes west of the pass, the rest of the gap fight survivors split off on other orders. Some had cities to manage, two were headed southwest to take back Carport from the Carpudlians.

"That is a turf fight we are never gonna settle. Until Don King decides to go fer Carpool itself," said Leather, wagging his finger at the air and looking to Caesar for affirmation.

Caesar flew along, stone-faced, staring at the alpine meadow ahead. "Bring it up with him," Caesar challenged. "And I'll tell you what he'll say. 'Benjamin tells me it's too expensive.'" His airy-voiced impression of their sovereign was just barely on the respectful side. "Don King'll tell ya to go out and bring him back a quarter million Shmuckers from someplace and you can lead the fight yourself. Me, I've stopped asking."

They entered the meadow hex. Clear.

"We do make a lotta money off Carport," said Dewy. She was flying beside Caesar, sticking very close to him except for occasional one-hex scouting hops. These had very little tactical use to the group, but they meant that Caesar got to watch her wiggle her butt, so they had tactical value to Dewy. "What'd they pay us to pull out and not sack it last time? Forty grand? Easy money. No risk." Transylvito had been taking Carport and sacking or ransoming it every dozen turns for as long as most of them had been alive.

Vinny was of the opinion that "no risk" was optimistic. One of these days, Carpool was gonna load up that city with something nasty and veiled, and bite their faces off. But he kept his mouth shut. It was just good to listen to home politics again.

They flew in a single stack. No need to discuss why. Their guest would have to break stack before breaking alliance if she wanted to bolt, and that would at least give them warning.

Not that she was showing any signs of it. She'd spoken three words, of one syllable each, during the entire trip so far. Her eyes and cheeks had gone sunken, hollow. Too deep inside her own head to be looking for an opportunity to break free.

Vinny hoped.