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Tension perainst me like an overfilled water-skin about to burst A er, concern and contemplation crossed the Generals’ faces General Rasmussen of MD–7 whispered into his adviser’s ear, the General’s cheeks turning as red as his hair and le to keep his face neutral as delight tweaked at his features
Instead of erupting, the tension siinning theItems related to MD–1 were the first order of business, to be followed by each district in order As a bottle of General Kitvivan’s special white brandy slid around the table, the Generals discussed snow cats and h about the cats Just feed them up on the pack ice like we do, and they won’t bother you," General Chenzo of MD–2 said in exasperation, running a h his ainst his tanned skin
"Feed the like rabbits? We’ll go broke supplying the s waxed and waned depending on the subject After a while I began to feel light-headed and warm as the brandy influencedfor the Commander
The Generals voted on various topics, but the Commander held the final vote Mostly he ruled in favor of the majority No one ventured a complaint when he didn’t
Coer existence with his family in the foothills of the Soul Mountains Nestled between the mountains and the ice pack, his home was atop a vast dia had claimed the diamonds, and "allowed" the Commander’s family to live there and work in the mines He lost many family members to cave-ins, and to the da at the injustices of theabout reforained hi when the Generals reached issues regarding MD–5 General Brazell caused a considerable stir Instead of sliding around his best brandy, he sent a silver tray containing what looked like small brown stones Valek handed one to me It was a round drop of Brazell’s Criollo
Before protests about ignoring tradition could escalate, Brazell rose and invited everyone to take a bite After a brief ht filled the war rooave the Con so I could savor the rest of my morsel The combination of the sweet, nutty taste of the Criollo mixed with the smooth texture of the brandy was divine Rand would be upset that he hadn’t thought ofsorry for Rand as I envisioned his deceitful face
After the praise died down, Brazell made the announcement that the construction of his new factory was complete Then he went on to more mundane matters of how much wool had been sheared and the expected output of the cotton plantations
Military District 5 produced and dyed all the thread for Ixia, and then sent it to General Franis’s MD–3 to be woven into fabric Franis nodded his head in concern as he wrote down the figures Brazell quoted He was the youngest of the Generals, and had the habit of tracing the purple diaer whenever he was concentrating
I dozed on athered like store dreams about brandy, border patrols and perht and sharp as a picture of a young wo furs snapped into h in the air in celebration A dead snow cat lay at her feet She slammed the tip of her weapon into the pack ice and drew a knife Cutting a slash in the cat’s fur, she used a cup to collect the blood that spilled out
She exalted as she drank, scarlet rivulets spilling down her chin I heard her thoughts clearly in ht "No one but I!" she shouted over the snow Her exhilaration filledhunter Proof that my manhood was taken froer," she cried "Become the snow cat to live with snow cats, become a man to live with men"
The hunter turned her face At first, I took her to be the Commander’s sister They shared the same thin delicate features and black hair She wore power and confidence like a cloak Peering at h nition that she was the Commander jerked me awake My heart pounded and kan’s searing gaze He s lass He was a she, but with the utter conviction that she should have been born a man That cruel fate had chosen to burden him with a mutation that he had to overcoht pull this secret fro my head to dismiss the whole crazy notion Just because I had dreamed about a woman didn’t mean that the Com lanced around to see if anyone else had noticed that I had fallen asleep The Commander stared off into the distance, and Valek sat stiff and alert, scanning the roo or someone General Tesso had the floor