fleas on a single dog. What was Anvhar after all? An ice-locked planet, inhabited by a few million human fleas, unknown and unconsidered by the rest of the galaxy. There was nothing here worth fighting for, the wars after the Breakdown had left them untouched. The Anvharian had always taken pride in this—as if being so unimportant that no one else even wanted to come near you, could possibly be a source of pride. All the worlds of man grew, fought, won, lost, changed. Only on Anvhar did life repeat its sameness endlessly, like a loop of tape in a player.... Brion's eyes were moist, he blinked. Tears!! Realization of this incredible fact wiped the maudlin pity from his mind and replaced it with fear. Had his mind snapped in the strain of the last match? These thoughts weren't his. Self-pity hadn't made him a Winner—why was he feeling [Pg 19]it now? Anvhar was his universe—how could he even imagine it as a tag-end planet at the outer limb of creation? What had come over him and induced this inverse thinking. [Pg 19] As he thought the question, the answer appeared at the same instant. Winner Ihjel. The fat man with the strange pronouncements and probing questions. Had he cast a spell like some sorcerer—or the devil in "Faust"? No, that was pure nonsense. But he had done something. Perhaps planted a suggestion when Brion's resistance was low. Or used subliminal vocalization like the villain in "Cerebrus Chained." Brion could find no adequate reason on which to base his suspicions. But he knew that Ihjel was responsible. He whistled at the sound-switch next to his pillow and the repaired communicator came to life. The duty nurse appeared in the small screen. "The man who was here today," Brion said, "Winner Ihjel, do you know where he is? I must contact him." For some reason this flustered her professional calm. The nurse started to answer, excused herself, and blanked the screen. When it lit again a man in Guard's uniform had taken her place. "You made an inquiry," the Guard said, "about Winner Ihjel. We are holding him here in the hospital following the disgraceful way in which he broke into your room." "I have no charges to make. Will you ask him to come and see me at once?" The Guard controlled his shock. "I'm sorry, Winner—I don't see
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