Waiting for the Barbarians

In the unforgiving expanse of an unnamed Empire's desert frontier, The Magistrate presides over a tenuous peace, carefully cultivated through years of diplomatic finesse. The delicate balance is disrupted by the arrival of Colonel Joll (character name), who embodies a mysterious and ominous presence, driven by a calculated agenda orchestrated from the Empire's distant center. As tensions escalate, The Magistrate's efforts to placate Colonel Joll prove futile, as the latter remains resolute in his brutal pursuit of truth through torture, targeting an innocent man and his nephew on trumped-up charges of sheep rustling.

The Magistrate is bewildered by Colonel Joll's unyielding methods and objectives, which culminate in the forced escort of a tortured nephew to his tribe. The consequences are dire: numerous women and elderly men are taken into custody as "prisoners of war." Colonel Joll's departure leaves The Magistrate with no choice but to promptly release the captives and send them back to their people.

Months later, a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed arrives in the form of a former prisoner, now reduced to panhandling on the streets. Her injuries are a testament to the cruelty she has endured: two broken ankles and an unspoken trauma that lingers like an open wound. The Magistrate's act of kindness, providing her with food, shelter, and medical attention, is misconstrued by some soldiers as a lustful intent, convinced that he intends to keep her as a concubine. As the truth becomes clear, The Magistrate learns of the girl's harrowing experiences, including the loss of her father.

Despite this revelation, she chooses to return to her people, and The Magistrate honors his promise. He embarks on a perilous journey through the desert mountains, seeking to mend relations with the nomads who have been wronged by Colonel Joll's actions. Though the tribesmen are initially hostile, The Magistrate's reputation and his act of kindness towards one of their own ultimately spare him from brutal retribution.

Upon his return, he finds that Officer Mandel, Colonel Joll's trusted underling, has taken control of the fort, and The Magistrate is abruptly arrested for treason. Stripped of his office, he is left to confront the devastating consequences of Colonel Joll's machinations and the Empire's complicity in their perpetuation.

As the Magistrate (character) emerges from his ordeal, he finds himself met with brutality when attempting to aid those suffering at the hands of Mandel's soldiers. Despite his efforts to intervene, the soldiers mercilessly pummel and degrade him, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. Subsequently, the Magistrate is hauled in for interrogation, where he is accused of treasonous collusion with the enemy - a notion far removed from reality - due to his involvement with the nomadic girl. This affront culminates in a devastating public shaming, as the Magistrate's home and possessions are seized by the authorities. Meanwhile, Colonel Joll departs with a formidable force, bent on exterminating the mountain nomads.

In the aftermath of this travesty, the once-respected Magistrate finds himself reduced to a state of disarray: his appearance is disheveled, his resources are depleted, and he has been cast out by his own people. It is at this juncture that one of his former servants takes pity on him, providing sustenance and shelter from the storm.

Colonel Joll's military campaign, however, has yielded a far more profound consequence: the disparate nomadic tribes have coalesced into a formidable "barbarian" army, united against their oppressors. A somber procession then unfolds as a horse bears the mutilated corpse of one of Colonel Joll's men into the fort, prompting Officer Mandel to hastily depart with a contingent of his troops. Those remaining soon decide to flee, but not before committing unspeakable atrocities: pillage, rape, and murder are perpetrated against the townfolk.

Later, Colonel Joll returns with a mere handful of survivors in tow. The Magistrate, now a shadow of his former self, encounters him sitting listlessly in his coach, detached from reality's harsh realities. Lacking supplies or horses, they depart under a hail of rocks.

As the Magistrate navigates the desolate town, he is met with an eerie tableau: boys engage in mock sentry duty alongside scarecrow soldiers, stationed at the gates of the fort. Meanwhile, his mind wanders to the nomad girl, who now resides in the desert's vast expanse. The silence is shattered by the approach of a shadowy figure, followed by a cloud of dust rising from the horizon - an omen heralding the arrival of an immense army of nomadic warriors, poised to engulf the town.