"How come? Why can't I stay?"
"The City of Wiener faces armed attack if you remain here. Therefore, you must leave."
Very logical, Kesley thought coldly. "Armed attack from whom?"
A section of the wall near him rolled away, revealing a mammoth screen that showed the outside desert with startling clarity. Kesley saw figures huddled along the horizon, marching forward. An army. Duke Winslow's army.
"They're from the Duke, aren't they?"
"Yes. They've come to get you."
"And you're just going to turn me over to them?" Kesley asked horror-stricken.
"We simply are requesting that you leave. We do not wish to risk an armed attack upon ourself."
"You can defend yourself, can't you?"
"We are not afraid of the Duke. We simply wish to avoid any conflict as unnecessary expenditure of material and effort. You now have three minutes, plus or minus one, in which to leave freely."