'If it is a trap ... what can we do?'
'Play it by ear, Crispin.'
'Is that another military term?'
'Yes. It means we cope with problems as they arise.'
Crispin returned his attention to the screen. The fire was spreading and confusion reigned as trolls rushed in to fight the flames and people rushed out. Patches of green were everywhere. He guessed they marked the places where the carnival people were camped.
The park for the coal trucks was one of them. He flicked over it with his baton and moved to the other green spots. One was beside a warehouse for beer and cider. Another was next to a cold store for frozen fish. It wasn't difficult to guess that brewers and fisherfolk were clambering into their carnival trucks, desperate to flee with everyone else.
So long as the carnival trucks remained green the trolls would give them maximum protection. That meant they could enter areas controlled by trolls. Trolls weren't programmed to think. Trolls were programmed to obey orders.
***
Liala could scarcely believe her eyes. The trolls were stopping the traffic to let them through. All the carnival trucks were getting the same treatment. Everyone else was being stopped. Even the smart cars of senior staff at the chemical factory were being held back.
Their occupants weren't used to that sort of treatment and were furious. One was silly enough to protest. Liala watched as a smartly dressed man argued with a big troll. No one in their right senses argued with trolls unless their hair was dyed blue or green, with special dyes, that showed they really were a guardian or a member of the royal family.
The man soon learnt the error of his ways. A big troll hand plunged through his car window and dragged him out. A big troll arm raised him up and smashed him down. Then a big troll boot stomped on his head and his brains spattered out.
The performance received a mixed reception from the Liala lookalikes. The guy was a traitor and got what he deserved. But, it was sobering to see what trolls could do when you antagonised them. They didn't need to vaporise you with their ray guns ... they could tear you apart with their bare hands.
Other drivers got the message. They stopped looking aggressive and halted their cars in line as the trolls waved the carnival trucks through. People burnt to death at the rear as the flames advanced. It made no difference. The trolls stuck to what they were programmed to do.
Liala had seen them at work in the palace. They were obsessive. When they got an idea into their heads nothing would shift it. For some reason, carnival vehicles had precedence over all else. Crispin must have planted it in their minds. Her brother was ordering the trolls around like the kids did when they played at being guardians ... but this was for real.