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<h3>T? day, July 3, 2008</h
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An important lesson</h2>
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<d? tyle="clear:both;"><? >We turned it loose ? he Wild Lands. The L? are? ge: ? ? s of travel from end to end on horseback at full gallop.<br /><br />It could run? weeks, blunder its way through the unde? sh, kill and? ? thin? liked. No bother would befall a? erso? ? , be? ? ? ld not meet any.<br /><br />The ? ing ? ? a long-standing tradition among those o? ? anding. ? the King has ac? to the Wild Lands, for it is hi? n right. We ride to ? e and hound, and are? ? s. The longest hunti? ? ever record? as also ? recent;? ? ? ago? com? ? ? King, and I rode for ne? eight months. That one had ? ? o be? ? hly tric? o catch and had ? ired man? ? to herd it ? from the bo? , and on? ? ? of the King's Cabinet and heir had saved the kingdo? om falling into ruinatio? we rode? /><br />Kings are fooli? eople. My fa? had? aying: "The scum? ? o the top." ? man, through his pe? ee, had had ? sands of yea? o rise, and had ? sands mo? o go. His on? eal skill was im? ing the ? ? ough end? ? ted opportunities engenderedboth? ine? ude and soci? rotocol. One does not loose until on? command? o do so. Still, I reveled in it, as did my comrades--as far ? e were concerned? ? ? e caperi? ith the ? , the false ? ? before the lunge.<br /><br ? o days a? the game was given its head start, we began to ? ? ? t after dawn? had rained ? he n? , and left e? thing gl? ? h dew. We were in the heart of a gentle valley, and the morning ? ? ? o th? ound still.<br /? />The hounds were being? ? ? scent, and I took i? own. Dawn, rank? ? on the wind. Then came the ? t baying, and we? e off.<br />? ? hew asked me the other d? hy I hunted something de? ? s. How could I d? ibe ? o hi? o inexperienced? The valley air, the sleepy gold that nestled in the hills, the ? t sound of belling, the ? e underneath? ? ? tink of sweat and shit and d? left behind by the fleeing ? ? /><>Kings have always hunted harmless b? s--deer,? ds, ? ? he large mam? of Africa.<br />---<br />Th? had changed. The ho? ? e le? ure now,? e on the shore of a large lake. Midday had come, and the wind wa? isp. Whi? e fo? ? ? rail, we had? ? o a higher a? ude, the floor of the va? slo up into the foothills of the Ki? ? ntains. ? he o? side the lake l? he m? ? themselves, sharp-edged? /><br />Whi? ? rail? being decided, I jostled with my fe? ? ? ing various ? on ? her our ? ry had chosen to go even higher, whe? it circled the lake or swam, whether we had been fo? ing the wrong scent ? time.<br /><br />A cry ? up. The Cloud-Duke had disc? ed a track. ? ? ? e rode. The ? t ha? o far, come up again? he m? ? and been deflected ? he north. A good choice; the? ntai? equired several ? to ? on ? , and we? oo harsh to ? ive ? otected. Even if it had brok? ? gh, ? ould enc? ? lain? ast rolling plai? hat ? inued east for h? eds of m? ? en ground.<br /><br />Inwardly, ? aised the animal. Picking him off ac? the plains would have been too ? ; letting the mountains kill him? ld have robb? s of? isfaction. The hunt would continue.<br />---<br />In the end, though, I had ? this to? to my nephew: "Have? ever co? p ag? t someone who was your equal in ? s, or te? ?"<br /><br />"Yes," he said? /><br />"And did you enjoy ? ing them?"<br /><br />"Yes, ? much."<br /? />"And being beaten by them?"<br /><br />He looked ? d. "Of c? e. It doesn't ma? who win? ? es. A good, hard gam? what ma? s."<br /? />"You see?? /><br />"That i? the same."<br /? />"Isn'? ?"<br />---<br />Two died ye? day. One? a cousin. I? uth, they were a? ? ? o me in some? ? t this o? family had split of? om mine ? two gen? ? ago. Th? her was a foreigner, someone who had com? ? ? outh and? ried a dista? ? ive on my fa? ? ide.? h had had their throats open? hile they slept, and their h? had been taken, whi? as a boon to us.<br /><br />? as getting h? ier as it went. And it had left ? ail.? ? ? ' blood and bones pointed the way for four h? , until I picked up the ? and? ? to our ? or, who adde? to the necklace he had made from the rest. Both left hands, reassembled, would be given to the widows at the end of the hunt. Both right hands would be add? o th? ? s Gate.<br /? />As has al? beene.<br /><di? yle=? t-align: center;">..? /><? ? />"? 's n? cuse," my ne? argued. "We're ? ecies that l? change.? ? t ha? o look at the last four ? sand years f? roof of ? ."<br /><br />"Yes,"? aid. "And we're also? peci? hat detests unknown quantities. You ? ? e to loo? us for proof oft. We're? table so? y whose conduct with other nations follo? ? ? that we? ? en a thousand years ago. The hunting? ty is a right to whi? ? e contractually entitled? 's been practiced fo? lon? ? state has e? ed. Our long? y should provide? ? h a clue to the success ? his method."<br r />"The? ano? ? d fo? tabi? ? ou know," he said.<br />---<br />One of our watc? picked ? he anima? lightly more than a mile ahead on the next foothill. We had been following it north along the Ki? ? ntains for a week, b? ? rail had been gettin? esher. It had slowed? n. The b? s di? ? p to? e he? ? s if? uired within the? st month of ? ing.<br /><br />? asn't until ? ere a half-mile ? that another watcher announced ? it had ? ped altogether. ? ook ? her ? to conclusi? ? ermi? hat ? as not dead,? ely ? ing and foraging? /><br />Whi? e waited, the Ki? logistician loaded a tent, table, c? ? obacco, and a banquet on? he h? ide. A fine luncheon? had by all.<br /><br />Much of the ? ailing c? er concerned rumors of a? ger with? ecago and se? iona? eculation on the effect ? my ? hern? sin's death ? rey would have on foreign relations. The doo? ers claimed Aztecago? ld instead attempt a? tile takeover, citing th? nting incident. However, a g? ? ? ion to all nobility regarding the ac? ance of a me? ? ? teca? ? eceived with near-unanimous "ayes." When the proposal was offici? made, it would be a? ted.<br /><br />? enough of business,meone shouted, a? as m? ith cheers.<br /? />A? ? n, a sentry reported that th? ey had a? ently fallen asleep, so the logistician load? he King'? aveling ? le. One more meal filled? h fl? and? ousing, one ? icul? ribald joke? culating abo? ? ape ? he G? Canyon ? arch? the Window King One man didn't laugh. My mo? asn't merry, so I sat ne? o him.<br /><br />He? the Duke of? jillo, a major i? trial district near the ? t of the Kingdom. His pe? ee connected him to half the continent by blood or marriage, including G? Canyon and the Windows.<br /><br />I leaned in to him. ? 're brooding, you know."<br /><br />? aved? hand negligently. "? ing's a good? ? ? ? ? ? ection."<br /><br />? shouldn't conce? ? elf with Canyon-Wind? ? ? , you know." He looked at me. "E? family has its prob? ."<br /><br />A ? scoff. "We don't ha? hat ? of internecfighting? e."<br /? />"Well," I said. Took ? ig o? beer. "? e the Kingdom of a Million Eyes. We're diffe? ."<br />---<br />"How?" my nephe? ked. "What m? us different?"<br /? />"? e collab? ive," I said. "E? one has ? ake ? he Kingdom."<br /><br />? ? ? takes. The King has moren you do. And no? eryone."<br /><br />"Who, then?"<br /><br />"The? ? ."<br />---<br />"I wonder h? hey feel? he Duke said. "When we final? ? hem to ground."<br /? />"? 're animals," I said? /><br />"They c? hink."<br /><br />I laughed sudd? , so? . "I've had ? con? ation before. With my ne? . He thinks the ? ing ? ? wrong."<br /><br />The Duke looked at me. "How ? ou know it i? ?"<br />? ? le="? -align: ? er;">...<br /></div><br />Wh? he bugle rang the next morning, we gathered ? he g? hall of the King's ? eling castle. Th? ? had begun movin? ? ? ? er of dass. It could no longer be seen--and the morning dew had fallen, obscuring the scent. A new challenge? /><br /? of ? ocol, we waited for the logistician ? hut down the? tle and rejo? he King before moving fo? d.<br />---<br />"Wh? wro? ith the workers?" I said. "They're f aren't ? ?"<br /><br />"But, Uncle," ? aid, and trailed off. ".? ? e their descendants," he said so? ? /><br />"Men di? coddle their an? ors," I said. "They ate them and? them in zoos."<br />---<br ? had been a long? ? ide.? maller g? had? ? split off, heading ? t west, then? t to? eed. The game was getting too close ? he Window Kingdom's borders, a historically ? ile nation. Our King? ? ? ly on go? ? ? h th? ar, but a bo? crossing could put an e? o that. The Windows were? orio? rigid a? con? ? ? tsiders; they ha? range ideas ? ? ? ty and h? o keep it. T? evenat, our ? ern ? p would ? ? ? rey ? he borderlands, circle around and herd it ba? ? in a pi? ? ement.<br /><br ? it coul? n west. Try to make ? o the ocean. It had pull? s a long? ? th out of the de? and clo? o the giant forest, ? e th? ar of Wi? ? elled. Still, th? ere good lands close to the ? t, many ? ile valleys.? umin? stayed out of our g? , th? ? ould? ive ? he ocean in ? ly good health.<br />---<br />"Weren? ? ? ? o be? ter?? ? hew said? /><br />"How do? mean? W? e."<br /? />"Are we, Uncle?" He lunge? me sudd? , hi? es f? . Taken ? ? ise,? ook ? ep back. "Th? ? ? orker re? , yoow. I've tried it on one of them. You looked? t like h? hen.? /><br /? ? ed him.<br /? />"You ? ," I sai? ubbing my hand as the red marks faded, "I kn? ? ? stan? r hi? y. Perhaps, ? gh, you don't un? tand my position on it."? urne? ound. "Sit down.? /><br /? ulle? a c? and? ? n in frof him. "The workers are,? , related to us. We are ? ins,? cended from the same spe? , though their e? tion? ? ? erienced the same acceleration. ? her you ? articular will a? ? or not, they've bee? ed over a thousa? ? , both delib? ely and through sheer happenstance, ? ting to the ronment we c? ed f? hem. In ? , we are sim? to them; we've also bre? rselves.? /><br />"Yes, Uncle, I ? ," my ne? sighed,? he was cut off when I flung my arm behind m? ? ing ? ? indow.<br /><br />"Y? ? hat ? ? side?" I said. I? ned to look myself. "Tho? pire? ? roportions of the dome...my ance? and? rs designed ? place, ? e the code f? erfection, loaded this city onto the land the first Million-Eyed King conquered after th? ake." I pointed up at the painting behin? ? hew. "Both m? ere ? ually in? ? ishable from? ? , and th? layed a ? in ? ? see before you.? great-grandfath? as award? tock? the magnificence he built, and his children received th? gmentations, and, through the ce? ies,? thed us.? /><br />I leaned back i? chair. "And? want to tear do? ? radition he built. Y? ant to leave? bro? s to fend for themse? . We fee? ? er, and ? ? hem.? ide them? h health? e. We wo? o they can live in a? ter world. And a? hey have to do is work f? s. I? ? ay it's a fa? rade."<br /><br />He? t down his eyes. "Wi? espect, Uncle, I? agree."<br /? />"I see."<br />---<br />The ho? ounded. The ? had been sighted, a small blot ? he dista? hore. We? e hi? up the valley, and had move? ound to the ? ? hile ano? ? ty h? ? off and? e circli? o the south.<br /><br />Finally, we ? ged from behind the vall? rim, and I saw the ? ? ? fac? rned to us, and the shift in color a? ? ? sion changed, and ho? immedia? ? ned and fled in the site? ection, ? to ? ? ed i? ? ? by the line of men ? ? in ? ? ection.<br /? />It was co? ed.<br />---<br />"That's a ? ."<br /><br />He? ugged. "I've hea? he Window Kingdo? ? rying wo? s to the Shield land? here they ca? ake a ho? ead and live as free men."<br /><br ? eyes snapped to? e. "? 's n? ossible.? /><br />He laughed ? ? . "A? ding to whom? cloistered ? ist of an uncle?? /><br />My gaze drifted back fo? d. "? ? ? it?? ? ? number ? he millions. A f? o bleed off here and there may actually be h? hy."<br /><br />"I'm leaving tomorro? ou know,? the Window King" he said.<br />---<br />We ? ed in.<br /><br ? backed into the? er, ? hing in a panic. The? ? each? ? s hips.<br /? />We clustered toge? in a long arc, ? ring no ? ibility of e? e wi? ? owning. If i? ayed in the water, either that o? pothermia would ultimately kill it. Not ideal.<br /><br />We waited. It turned blue and finally made? ? ? ward? anding in the ce? of our hemisphere, it glanced from face to face? though ? ching fo? ? hy or mercy,? faint gleam of hope? ? nd none-? il it lighted on me.<br /><br />? poke? s words ? ling in its atte? ? hroat. "Uncl? ? e--"? ? le="clear:both; padding-? om:0.25em"><? ? />
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