I Thank You For Calling Them Off,

Irri And Jhiqui Argued About Rakharo. “you Are Too Skinny For Him,” Jhiqui Was Saying. “you Are Almost A Boy. Rakharo Does Not Bed With Boys. This Is Known.” Irri Bristled Back. “it Is Known That You Are Almost A Cow. Rakharo Does Not Bed With Cows.

You've Got A Bold Tongue, Little Man. One Day, Someone Is Like To Cut It Out And Make You Eat It.

Only The Soldier Pines And Sentinels Still Showed Green; The Broadleaf Trees Had Donned Mantles Of Russet And Gold, Or Else Uncloaked Themselves To Scratch Against The Sky With Branches Brown And Bare.

A Great Many Of The Epic Fantasies, From The Lord Of The Rings Onward, Are About War, But To My Mind, A Lot Of It Doesn't Really Deal Honestly With The Consequences Of War, What War Does To Us, As A Society, What War Does To Us, As Individuals, And The Struggle For Power, In The Same Way, And What We're Fighting For.

The Strongest Trees Are Rooted In The Dark Places Of The Earth. Darkness Will Be Your Cloak, Your Shield, Your Mother's Milk. Darkness Will Make You Strong.