Chapter 15

Three days later, Barrent received a visit from a tall, dignified man who stood as rigidly erect as the ceremonial sword that hung by his side. The old man wore a high-collared coat, black pants, and gleaming black boots. From his clothing, Barrent knew he was a high government official.

“The government of Omega sends you greetings,” said the official. “I am Norins Jay, Sub-Minister of Games. I am here, as required by law, to inform you personally of your good fortune.”

Barrent nodded warily and invited the old man into his apartment. But Jay, erect and proper, preferred to stay in the store.

“The yearly Lottery drawing was held last night,” Jay said. “You, Citizen Barrent, are one of the prize winners. I congratulate you.”

“What is the prize?” Barrent asked. He had heard of the yearly Lottery, but had only a vague idea of its significance.

“The prize,” Jay said, “is honor and fame. Your name inscribed on the civic rolls. Your record of kills preserved for posterity. More concretely, you will receive a new government-issue needlebeam and, afterwards, you will be awarded posthumously the silver sunburst decoration.”

“Posthumously?”

“Of course,” Jay said. “The silver sunburst is always awarded after death. It is no less an honor for that.”

“I’m sure it isn’t,” Barrent said. “Is there anything else?”

“Just one other thing,” Jay said. “As a Lottery winner, you will take part in the symbolic ceremony of the Hunt, which marks the beginning of the yearly Games. The Hunt, as you may know, personifies our Omegan way of life. In the Hunt we see all the complex factors of the dramatic rise and fall from grace, combined with the thrill of the duel and the excitement of the chase. Even peons are allowed to participate in the Hunt, for this is the one holiday open to all, and the one holiday that symbolizes the common man’s ability to rise above the restraints of his status.”

“If I understand correctly,” Barrent said, “I’m one of the people who have been chosen to be hunted.”

“Yes,” Jay said.

“But you said the ceremony is symbolic. Doesn’t that mean no one gets killed?”

“Not at all!” Jay said. “On Omega, the symbol and the thing symbolized are usually one and the same. When we say a Hunt, we mean a true hunt. Otherwise the thing would be mere pageantry.”

Barrent stopped a moment to consider the situation. It was not a pleasing prospect. In a man-to-man duel he had an excellent chance of survival. But the yearly Hunt, in which the entire population of Tetrahyde took part, gave him no chance at all. He should have been ready for a possibility like this.

“How was I picked?” he asked.

“By random selection,” said Norins Jay. “No other method would be fair to the Hunteds, who give up their lives for Omega’s greater glory.”

“I can’t believe I was picked purely by chance.”

“The selection was random,” Jay said. “It was made, of course, from a list of suitable victims. Not everyone can be a Quarry in a Hunt. A man must have demonstrated a considerable degree of tenacity and skill before the Games Committee would think of considering him for selection. Being Hunted is an honor; it is not one which we confer lightly.”

“I don’t believe it,” Barrent said. “You people in the government were out to get me. Now, it seems, you’ve succeeded. It’s as simple as that.”

“Not at all. I can assure you that none of us in the government bear you the slightest ill will. You may have heard foolish stories about vindictive officials, but they simply aren’t true. You have broken the law, but that is no longer the government’s concern. Now it is entirely a matter between you and the law.”

Jay’s frosty blue eyes flashed when he spoke of the law. His back stiffened, and his mouth grew firm.

“The law,” he said, “is above the criminal and the judge, and rules them both. The law is inescapable, for an action is either lawful or unlawful. The law, indeed, may be said to have a life of its own, an existence quite apart from the finite lives of the beings who administer it. The law governs every aspect of human behavior; therefore, to the same extent that humans are lawful beings, the law is human. And being human, the law has its idiosyncrasies, just as a man has his. For a citizen who abides by the law, the law is distant and difficult to find. For those who reject and violate it, the law emerges from its musty sepulchers and goes in search of the transgressor.”