“What’s that behind the camels?” asks Sabre.
Colonel Victorine walks to the monitors. “Magnify the telescopic camera.”
The guard zooms into a mass of moving pixels that look to me like blobs racing through the desert. It looks like a crowd is chasing these newcomers.
He sighs and taps some commands into the monitor at the end. “This is the largest hoard of wild men we’ve had in months.”
“I expect you’ll activate short-range missiles,” says Ingrid. “If enough people approach the Great Wall, they might damage its integrity and attack the Oasis.”
“But what about the people trying to reach the Great Wall?” I ask.
Ingrid sniffs. “I’m sure everybody will agree that the safety of Phanglorians takes priority over Foundlings.”
I glance at the Amstraadi girls, who don’t react, then I cast my gaze to the guards standing around the room. Either they agree with Ingrid, or they don’t care. “Those people running after the camels might not even be wild men.”
Colonel Victorine folds his arms across his chest. “If you’re so sure that rabble is a group of Foundlings, you may take an armored vehicle and escort them through the wall.”
My stomach drops. “What?”
His eyes harden. “Consider it a challenge for the Princess Trials.”
Chapter 14
Colonel Victorine waves at one of his sergeants, a dark-skinned woman with a long braid. “Travis, take Miss Calico to the gate and allow her to choose a vehicle.”
An attack of vertigo seizes my perceptions, and the watchtower’s white walls bend at strange angles. I glance from the nodding sergeant to the colonel. “What’s happening?”
He folds his arms across his broad chest and fixes me with eyes as cold and pale as Ryce Wintergreen’s. “Since you so rightfully pointed out our obligation to help all those who approach the Great Wall for refuge, you’re going to lead the team to ensure that those on camelback reach the wall.”
“Sir?” I ask, my mind going blank.
He holds up a thick finger. “But they must discard their animals before they reach the gates. We won’t risk the contamination of our breeds.”
My throat dries. “But I don’t have any experience.”
“I see.” Colonel Victorine turns a knowing look to the camerawoman. “Calico wants me to risk my staff to hold off the wild men for her foundlings, while she and her Echelon rest easy behind secure walls?”
I turn my gaze back to the monitor, which displays the men on camelback. The hoard remains several feet behind them and shows no signs of slowing.
“How typical.” Ingrid shakes her head.
Constance nods. “It’s easy to run your mouth when your entire life centers around picking sweetcorn.”
Sabre, who stands at my side, leans into Katana and whispers something that makes the other girl snort.
Annoyance prickles across my skin. These people seem to care more about keeping their wall nice and clean than for the approaching Foundlings. “I wasn’t saying anyone should go out there and risk their lives, but can’t you fire a few shots to scare away the wild men?”
We’ve seen this scenario a hundred times.” The colonel stifles a yawn. “Wild men might be human-looking animals, but they’re not stupid. They’re herding people to the Great Wall, hoping that one of their number can sneak inside.”
“There might even be a few of them hiding in that car,” Travis dusts off an imaginary speck of dirt from her lapel.
My lips form a tight line. If wild men are sophisticated enough to drive, maybe they deserve a place in Phangloria. I can’t say that in front of the camera in case someone twists my words.
Colonel Victorine looms so close that the heat of his body radiates against my skin, and my nostrils fill with his cheesy body odor. “Are you going to save those Foundlings?” he snarls. “Or will you stay quiet while we go to the bastion and launch those missiles?”
Rage burns through my chest. I step backward and clench my jaw. These people trekked through the desert, and now they’re minutes away from safety. I can’t let their journey end in death. If it wasn’t for someone letting in Mom’s parents, I might never have even been born.
Swallowing back a bellyful of bitterness, I tamp down my animosity and meet the colonel’s hard gaze. “I’ll do it but with the help of a driver.”
“Us.” Sabre hooks a thumb at the other two Amstraadi girls. “If you can lend us a vehicle with weapons, Katana and Tizona can operate the guns.”
Colonel Victorine flicks his head at Sergeant Travis.
“This way, ladies.” Travis walks to the door.
The trio of Amstraadi girls perform an about-turn and march behind the sergeant. I walk behind them, not daring to ask Sabre why she volunteered.
“You’re leaving us out.” Behind us, Constance shoots out of her seat.
Dread fills my insides like a pile of boulders. The Nobles are more likely to sabotage this mission than help it. I pause at the door, with the others standing in the small hallway between the watchtower control room and the elevator, waiting to see if the colonel will allow them to join us.
Colonel Victorine inclines his head and gives the Nobles an oily smile. “You and Mistress Strab can join me at the bastion, where you can fire on the wild men when they approach.”
My nostrils flare. This was exactly what I was suggesting for the people on camelback, but I didn’t know how to describe it. Now that I’ve agreed to rescue the riders from the approaching wild men, it’s too late to back out. I join Sergeant Travis and the three Amstraadi girls in the elevator. Cassiope steps in after me, and the other assistant stays behind with the Nobles.
When we reach the bottom, the doors open and let out a blast of light and heat and grainy wind. It’s overwhelming,
