Mort - Wars

Her father had tried to change things, she knew. But only because he was, well, quite frankly, a bit soppy.

He'd been made a duke by Queen Keli of Sto Lat. Susan knew what the title meant - duke meant 'war leader'. But her father never fought anyone. He seemed to spend all his time travelling from one wretched city state to another, all over the Sto Plains, just talking to people and trying to get them to talk to other people. He'd never killed anyone, as far as Susan knew, although he may have talked a few politicians to death. That didn't seem to be much of a job for a war leader. Admittedly there didn't seem to be all the little wars there used to be, but it was . . . not a proud kind of life.

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Soul Music p124