eard 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."

"And that," Barrent said, "is why I was chosen for the Hunt?"

"Of course," Jay said. "If you had not been chosen in that way, the
zealous and never-sleeping law would have selected another means, using
whatever instruments were at its disposal."

"Thanks for telling me," Barrent said. "How long do I have before the
Hunt begins?"

"Until dawn. The Hunt begins then, and ends at dawn of the following
day."

"What happens if I'm not killed?"

Norins Jay smiled faintly. "That doesn't happen often, Citizen Barrent.
I'm sure it need not worry you."

"It happens, doesn't it?"

"Yes. Those who survive the Hunt are automatically enrolled in the
Games."

"And if I survive the Games?"

"Forget it," Jay said in a friendly manner.

"But what if I do?"

"Believe me, Citizen, you won't."

"I still would like to know what happens if I do."

"Those who live through the Games are beyond the law."

"That sounds promising," Barrent said.

"It isn't. The law, even at its most threatening, is still your
guardian. Your rights may be few, but the law guarantees their
observance. It is because of the law that I do not kill you here and
now." Jay opened his hand, and Barrent saw a tiny single-charge weapon.
"The law sets limits, and acts as a modifier upon the behavior of the
lawbreaker and the law enforcer. To be sure, the law now states that you
must die. But all men must die. The law, by its ponderous and
introspective nature, gives you time in w