Arguing with trolls could be fatal. Going round the barrier would land him in a ditch. Allain didn't disappoint her. He didn't try either. There was no discussion and no difficult move. His truck kept going.
Some of the trolls jumped clear. Others were crushed under his wheels. Allain smashed through the barrier and the rest of the convoy followed. None of the trolls made the slightest attempt to retaliate. Instead, they retreated to the side of the road and stood with heads bowed as if they were being punished for doing something wrong.
Liala decided she had been worrying unnecessarily. Crispin was in control. Her brother knew what he was doing. She should have trusted him to get things right.
***
Crispin breathed a sigh of relief. His attempts to get the trolls to remove the barrier had been unsuccessful. Fortunately, it hadn't mattered. Someone had crashed through. The resistance fighters were back on track and heading towards the prison. Under normal circumstances, the trolls would have blasted them away ... but they hadn't.
The colour green was the key to it. When trolls saw green they thought royal and the royals could do no wrong. So smashing through your barrier and killing your colleagues meant you were in the wrong.
Crispin wished he could take the credit. But colouring the carnival participants green wasn't his idea. They were already green when he brought them up on the screen. Tom was quick to make the point.
'That was a bit of luck.'
'Let's hope we stay lucky, Professor.'
'Commanders who rely on luck are ultimately defeated.' Tom fixed Crispin with a penetrating stare. 'Who said that?'
'I don't know, Professor.'
'Napoleon Bonaparte. He made the point that you can't rely on luck.'
'I don't know anything about him, Professor.'
'There's no reason why you should, Crispin. If you did I would want to know why ... like I want to know why that little man, Balduur, calls me Thomas. There are too many things ...'
A cry from Peter caused him to break off.
'Death troll!'
Tom grabbed his ray gun and made for the door. Crispin went to the window and looked out. Footsteps in the snow showed where someone or something had climbed over a wall and gone into one of the buildings.
***
All the carnival trucks were being let through the barrier. The fisherfolk were there together with a contingent of farmers who grew elongated onions that were prized for their medicinal properties.
Liala didn't care if the health giving claims of the onions were real. The more people in carnival gear the better. They could be wearing onions around their necks for all she cared. It didn't matter. When Plaid Koerno stormed the prison they would add to the confusion.