Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1) - Orson Scott Card Page 0,60

multitudes. Together, arm in arm, he and Valentine walked down the stairs. Tears filled his eyes, tears of relief that at last he had broken free of the room at the End of the World. And because of the tears, he didn’t notice that every member of the multitude wore Peter’s face. He only knew that wherever he went in this world, Valentine was with him.

Valentine opened the letter that Dr. Lineberry had given her. “Dear Valentine,” it said, “We thank you and commend you for your efforts on behalf of the war effort. You are hereby notified that you have been awarded the Star of the Order of the League of Humanity, First Class, which is the highest military award that can be give to a civilian. Unfortunately, I.F. security forbids us to make this award public until after the successful conclusion of current operations, but we want you to know that your efforts resulted in complete success. Sincerely, General Shimon Levy, Strategos.”

When she had read it twice, Dr. Lineberry took it from her hands. “I was instructed to let you read it, and then destroy it.” She took a cigarette lighter from a drawer and set the paper afire. It burned brightly in the ashtray. “Was it good or bad news?” she asked.

“I sold my brother,” Valentine said, “and they paid me for it.”

“That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it, Valentine?”

Valentine went back to class without answering. That night Demosthenes published a scathing denunciation of the population limitation laws. People should be allowed to have as many children as they like, and the surplus population should be sent to other worlds, to spread mankind so far across the galaxy that no disaster, no invasion could ever threaten the human race with annihilation. “The most noble title any child can have,” Demosthenes wrote, “is Third.”

For you, Ender, she said to herself as she wrote.

Peter laughed in delight when he read it. “That’ll make them sit up and take notice. Third! A noble title! Oh, you have a wicked streak.”

10

DRAGON

“Now?”

“I suppose so.”

“It has to be an order, Colonel Graff. Armies don’t move because a commander says ‘I suppose it’s time to attack.’ ”

“I’m not a commander. I’m a teacher of little children.”

“Colonel, sir, I admit I was on you, I admit I was a pain in the ass, but it worked, everything worked just like you wanted it to. The last few weeks Ender’s even been, been—”

“Happy.”

“Content. He’s doing well. His mind is keen, his play is excellent. Young as he is, we’ve never had a boy better prepared for command. Usually they go at eleven, but at nine and a half he’s top flight.”

“Well, yes. For a few minutes there, it actually occurred to me to wonder what kind of a man would heal a broken child of some of his hurt, just so he could throw him back into battle again. A little private moral dilemma. Please overlook it. I was tired.”

“Saving the world, remember?”

“Call him in.”

“We’re doing what must be done, Colonel Graff.”

“Come on, Anderson, you’re just dying to see how he handles all those rigged games I had you work out.”

“That’s a pretty low thing to—”

“So I’m a low kind of guy. Come on, Major. We’re both the scum of the earth. I’m dying to see how he handles them, too. After all, our lives depend on him doing real well. Neh?”

“You’re not starting to use the boys’ slang, are you?”

“Call him in, Major. I’ll dump the rosters into his files and give him his security system. What we’re doing to him isn’t all bad, you know. He gets his privacy again.”

“Isolation, you mean.”

“The loneliness of power. Go call him in.”

“Yes sir. I’ll be back with him in fifteen minutes.”

“Good-bye. Yes sir yessir yezzir. I hope you had fun, I hope you had a nice, nice time being happy, Ender. It might be the last time in your life. Welcome, little boy. Your dear Uncle Graff has plans for you.”

Ender knew what was happening from the moment they brought him in. Everyone expected him to go commander early. Perhaps not this early, but he had topped the standings almost continuously for three years, no one else was remotely close to him, and his evening practices had become the most prestigious group in the school. There were some who wondered why the teachers had waited this long.

He wondered which army they’d give him. Three commanders were graduating soon, including Petra, but it was beyond hope for them to