Chapter 11

  The Imperial spies could not boast an interrogation base as well-equipped as the one from which their captain had been rescued. Instead of an entire farmstead, it was a lonely, rickety hut in the middle of nowhere. Probably hunters and foresters slept here in winter, and they kept the dilapidated hut from turning into a pile of rotting logs. .

  Leaving lizard-corporal and Sergeant Dallan to guard outside, the rest of the group piled into the hut. Donna Minerva was also missing, but she was to arrive later, having hidden the dragon in a secluded place.

  - Let's get started, - Captain Valria said, rubbing her hands together. - I've been in an interrogation before, but not from the side I wanted to be on. It's time to make up for it.

  The still awake alien was seated on a splintery bench against the wall, and Lady Maria threw a piece of old cloth over his thighs. Bound hand and foot, the naked stranger looked pitiful and did not seem like a monster from another world, bringing death and destruction. And he didn't even seem dangerous - flabby muscles, a saggy belly, the kind that comes not from gluttony but from sedentary work, the face of a life-worn scribe from the town hall. However, Armando had been in criminal circles long enough not to be deceived by such things. The same Messire Snake, the boss of the capital's smugglers, looked more like a fat, grey-haired cook from some lord's kitchen. He even wore an apron, though not for protection from flour and oil splashes.

  - Wake up, sire. A new day has dawned! - The elfess slapped aliens cheeks a couple of times with the palm of her gloved hand. Then she clamped his nose with two fingers. The stranger inhaled convulsively through his mouth and opened his eyes. Blinking, he looked around, not yet realising where he was. Master Carlon practically forced some water from a flask down his throat:

  - Drink, or you won't be able to talk.

  The stranger coughed, asked in a cracked voice:

  - Where am I? Who are you?

  - Eh, sire, is a lady supposed to introduce herself first? - The captain said in a friendly tone. Retreating to the centre of the room, she folded her arms across her chest and smiled charmingly. - Say your name first.

  - Giovanni Firenze.

  - No, sire. My real name.

  - It's... real.

  - So be it, sire Giovanni. - The elfess shrugged her shoulders. - You may have guessed who we are and why we are talking to you now. We know who you are and where you come from, sire, so you can call us whatever you want.

  - And... who do you think I am? - The prisoner's voice strengthened, and he examined the interior of the hut more closely, squinting blindly.

  - A stranger. An alien from another world, where magic does not exist and technology is advanced, - Master Carlon continued instead of the elf. - An accomplice to assassinations, assassination attempts, palace coups.

  - This is... nonsense. - The captive finally pulled himself together, tried even to sit up straighter. - I am a simple notary from Iolia. I was invited to…

  - Messire Giovanni, we know a great deal about the machinations of your comrades - Valria said in a tired tone and stopped smiling. - About entering our world through the portal. The alliance with the local forces. The murder of the Daert King, the failed assassination of the Duchess of Elvart, the participation in conspiracies... We only need details. And it's interesting to learn more about your home world. Nothing to keep you alive if you get stubborn. Become a source of useful information for us and you'll live.

  - Damn it, I don't know what you're talking about! - The stranger pressed his lips together. The blush that had appeared on his cheeks disappeared. - What portal? What other world?

  - Lady, perhaps you'd like to go outside? - Gotech said, his back propped against the doorjamb. The low ceiling of the hut made the black-skinned giant hunch his head back, making him look even more sinister than usual. - My friend and I have experience with this kind of conversation. Give us an hour.

  - Don't be in a hurry, Don, - Master Carlon stopped him. - We have our own methods, more effective.

  The imperial mage pulled a thin silver hoop adorned with a transparent stone from a bag on the floor:

  - It's a very nasty contraption, enchanted specifically for our mission at the Imperial Academy. Briefly, the hoop transfers one person's memories into another person's head. It transfers, not copies - the owner of the first set of memories turns into a mooing, drooling animal.

  - Isn't it dangerous... for you? - De Gorazzo asked doubtfully.

  - No, I've been trained. The recovered memories don't layer on top of my own, but sort of lie in a separate room inside my head. I would have suggested it right away, but sorting through other people's memories can take a long time. The transfer is not selective, and we only need certain facts.

  - The Messire smiles viciously, - Captain Valria remarked, looking at the prisoner.

  - Yes, he thinks magic shouldn't affect him, - the mage nodded. He walked over to Giovanni and slipped the hoop over his head. He took a few steps away. - Except he's wrong. Messire, how long have you been in this world? A long time, I suppose?

  - I still don't know what you mean. - Giovanni shook his head, trying to shake off the unwanted jewellery, but it was firmly in place.

  - You see, sire, the longer you live in our world, the deeper you become imbued with it, - the black-bearded imperial mage eagerly explained. - The streams of magic stop enveloping your body and your soul. You become part of our reality. And the magic begins to affect you. Not coarse magic at first, but the most subtle. The magic in this hoop is the subtlest magic possible. If you passed through the portal even three months ago, your memory will soon be mine.

  The prisoner turned white as a sheet, but did not utter a word. The magician continued in the tone of a university lecturer:

  - The process of memory retrieval is not a quick one. Do you feel drowsy? Are you dizzy, sire? Do you feel nauseous? If so, everything is going well. When your eyelids begin to droop by themselves, it's minutes. Once you're asleep, you'll never wake up. Or rather, you'll wake up a drooling fool with a mind as clear as the first snow. And I'll have the trouble of sorting out your memories. If you do decide to save me time and yourself sanity, tell me. Or nod if your tongue fails you.

  There was silence in the only room of the forest hut. Everyone was looking at the prisoner - the bailiffs and the mage with undisguised curiosity, the elf with a mocking smile, and Lady Maria... strangely enough, with sincere sympathy. Although the alien was indirectly responsible for the death of her sisters, everything that was happening clearly disgusted the girl-guardian. But for some reason she did not hurry to join the guards outside. The stranger, on the other hand, was apparently listening to his inner feelings. Suddenly he pecked his nose. He jumped up and shook his head, but dropped it back to his chest. He tried to say something, but only mumbled.

  - What, have you changed your mind, sire? - The elfess raised her golden eyebrows.

  - Y... ye...- the stranger squeezed out.

  - You'll do the talking yourself?

  - Y... a... a... a... a...

  - Carlon. - The girl nodded to the bearded man. The mage immediately pulled the hoop off his head and uncorked one of the many leather flasks on his belt:

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  - Drink this. It'll take the edge off and give you strength.

  It took the stranger more than a quarter of an hour to recover. He looked at master Carlon with a mixture of horror and disgust. Finally, Valria decided it was time to ask questions.

  - Tell me about yourself, Messire Giovanni, - the knife-eared girl asked, sitting down on the wooden block opposite the prisoner. - You are really something like a notary, aren't you? An accountant, rather?

  - Yes, - the stranger nodded. - I... keep track of shipments and transports.

  - Through the portal?

  - Yes. And by territory... continent.

  - What kind of restrictions do your supplies have?

  - Size... the portal is big, but not too big. And the weight. The portal discharges based on the weight that passes through it, and then you have to power it up again. That's a long time. And the supply goes both ways.

  - It's just like with normal portals, - Master Carlon nodded.

  - Here you supply weapons and people, but on your side? - The pixie lifted the tips of her ears slightly.

  - Materials... artefacts, magical. They don't work for us, but our scientists want to study them. More valuables. Precious metals, stones, things like that. In exchange for weapons and equipment, specialist services.

  - Messire, tell me, do you represent individuals or... the state? A particular gentleman or a certain... community?

  - All of it at once. - The captive swallowed his saliva. - The portal is controlled by a government. The one of the largest and most powerful in my world. It has attracted to its work... some collectives... corporations... something like your merchant guilds, but not quite... Some of them are state-run, some are not. I'm an employee of one of the corporations. But I report to the state, too.

  - These corporations of yours have a monetary interest in our world, I suppose, - Valria nodded. - And the government?

  - Magic, - Giovanni replied, shivering. The elfess made a sign to Lady Maria without looking, and she threw another cloth over the stranger's shoulders. - Study her capabilities, especially medical ones. Resources. Some resources, almost unused on your world, are much needed on ours. Oil, for example. If the portal capacity problem could be solved.....

  - Can't it be solved? - Armando saw the elfess tense up.

  - No, - the stranger waggled his chin. - The magicians who co-operate with us say that the opening of the passage to our world was accidental. Their attempts to repeat it, to recreate the same conditions, have failed many times. The portal is still the only one, and somehow the mages are afraid to strengthen it, to expand it.

  The elfess glanced over to the Carlon. De Gorazzo remembered - the Imperials claimed that the successful attempt to open the portal was the last one made. The stranger's words said otherwise.

  - How many people have travelled from your world to ours? - Valria turned to the prisoner again.

  - A few dozen. But some came back. Some died.

  - Oh, we know that. How many of you are here now?

  - About thirty. Most of them operatives. Well, scouts, assassins, soldiers.

  - Not much, considering the portal had been open for years. - Master Carlon stroked his short, bushy beard. - Most of the time it was used for cargo, and heavy cargo, right?

  - Right.

  - Weapons?

  - Yeah.

  - How many of your multishot guns were imported?

  - Not so much. - Giovanni swallowed again. He hesitated, but in the end he came out: - Few small arms were supplied, only for our guards and a few obsolete ones for your feudal lords. Most of the portal tonnage went to... strategic weapons. With which you can... change the course of an entire war. We brought two dozen atomic bombs to your world. Old, underpowered, but enough for your continent.

  - Two dozen bombs on the continent? - The mage stretched incredulously.

  - Well, the major cities for sure. - The stranger was silent for a full minute. He seemed to think he had said too much. But suddenly he broke through, and the man hurriedly continued, stammering: - These weapons are scarier than any of your magic. One atomic bomb could make a crater bigger than your capital. And infect, poison the land around it. For centuries. You can't even plough there for hundreds of years.

  - We had something like that in the war, - the master d' hummed.

  - That's scarier. I hear your mages can scorch and contaminate the earth too, but there are countermeasures... shields, counterspells, stuff like that... and bombs from our world can't be stopped by magic. Not even detectable. And only your strongest sorcerers can create comparable magic, and there are only a handful of them on the continent, and a bomb is just enough to get it to the target, that's all. There's nothing you can do to stop it.

  - Why the hell did you bring them here?! - Armando exclaimed, oblivious. He didn't care that the Imperials had their own interrogation plan.

  - To get control of the resources, we need control of the territory, - Giovanni said. He was shaking a little, whether from excitement or fear, or both. - We... plan to put our proxies on thrones in the Coalition. People who will be indebted to us, who will rely on our support, who will become dependent on our help. But there is still an Empire to the east of the continent. We haven't been able to infiltrate it reliably. And the Empire owns half the continent and threatens the Coalition...

  - And that's why you decided to destroy the Empire, - the elfess said slowly, touching her chin with her fingers.

  - Yes. I don't know the details, but the plan is to unite the Coalition under our proxies, help them start a war with the Empire, quickly crush it, and unite the continent. It'll strengthen our people's position, too. They'll be victors, heroes in the west. And the use of atomic weapons will be blamed on a new type of magic. - The stranger added hastily, - There's nothing you can do. Nothing. It's all worked out to the last detail.

  - We'll see, - Captain Valria said with a smirk. She was not as calm as Armando, but it was her ears that gave her away. Their tips twitched convulsively, rising and falling. - The key power of the Coalition is the Kingdom of Iderling. The others are just a frame for a diamond. Duke Auguste the Strong is your man. Queen Octavia is not. And you can't hope to bribe her, she's an idealist. The rebellion of the barons against the queen is not just an intrigue by a pretender duke, is it? It's your plan, too. You want the Queen gone. How exactly?

  - A trap on the battlefield. - The prisoner hesitated. His nervousness had passed, and now he was visibly regretting what he had said earlier. But he did not forget about the imperial mage's silver hoop. - We were told that your queen is a fairy-tale knight and will lead the army herself. Where the barons' squads will meet the royal army, our experts will lay mines from our world. Remote-controlled bombs to detonate at just the right moment. The vanguard of the army will be blown to dust, and the queen must be there. Even if she survives, Duke Auguste has promised to back her up. He won't be in any danger, he'll stay in the rear of the army....

  - Is the place already chosen? - The elven woman specified in a businesslike manner. - Have the mines been laid?

  - No. They're still in storage. I was just coming to report on the readiness.....

  Half an hour later, the inquest was over. Valria was still asking some questions, clarifying the last details, but the others preferred to get some fresh air. The cabin stank of sweat, and not only of sweat.

  - He switched to his native tongue several times, - master Carlon noted as they moved farther away from the threshold. - Maria, was there something important?

  - No, Carlon. - The white-skinned girl inhaled deeply, squeezed her eyes shut, rubbed her cheeks with her fingers. It made a sort of blush appear on her face. - Mostly swear words, I realised.

  - Do you know the language of the aliens, lady? - Gotech wondered.

  - A little, - the Guardswoman smiled faintly. - We once had a field agent with a printed phrasebook for communicating with the locals. The agent himself died, but his accomplice from our world explained the alphabet. And then I figured it out on my own.

  - This whole story sounds more unbelievable than any tale of vampires and unicorns, - Armando sighed, throwing back his head. The breeze swayed the crowns of the trees above them. - We must notify Queen Octavia immediately, and show her the prisoner. Her life is in danger.

  - I think saving the queen's life is more important than gaining her trust, - the black-bearded mage replied. - I'll bet a hundred gold coins, which I don't have, against a copper penny that Valria will decide to break into the warehouse with the mines and foil the outsiders' plan. You, noble dons, may, of course, not come with us, and return home....

  - Oh, no. - Gotech grinned, revealing large white teeth. Armando thought, out of place, that the giant was better friends with toothpowder than he was. - Minerva will be here soon, we'll tell her everything and send her back on the dragon to give Her Majesty a general outline. Without the most unbelievable details. And we'll go about our duties - defence of the throne and the king's laws. Wouldn't you agree, Armando?

  - Eh... - de Gorazzo scratched the back of his head. Not that he fully shared his friend's enthusiasm, but... it was safer to stay in the company of imperial spies than to go to Daert alone and look for the royal army on the march. And if it was possible to save Octavia once more... - I agree. By the way, master, that's a nightmare thing to think up in your empire. I've never heard of our interrogators using anything like your hoop.

  - Don Armando..., - the magician snorted suddenly, as if suppressing a laugh. - You mean that thing I put on the head of our prisoner? It's perfectly safe. It's just... a toy for adults, quite expensive. If you put a hoop on your head and a second hoop on your partner's head, the sensations of intimacy are heightened. Of course, it had no effect on the alien.

  - I mean, your theory about living in our world for a long time... - Armando did not ask why the magician carried such "toys" with him. He only mentally rejoiced for him and the beautiful, kind-hearted Lady Maria.

  - Pure bluff. Made it up yesterday.

  - What about his sleepiness?

  - A precisely calibrated dose of sleeping potion and a properly timed conversation. Remember I gave him a drink right after he woke up? And the second flask contained an elixir to neutralise the effects of the sleeping potion. And... if truth be told, something else to loosen his tongue faster. No magic, pure alchemy.

  - You're quite a rogue, master, - Armando said respectfully.

  - There was someone to learn from, Don. - For some reason, the mage looked back at the cabin, where only the captain remained besides the alien...