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Leto felt that he had stumbled into this place to free hie that he and Ghaniaze kept returning with fascination to the oncoht
That thought reduced the sureness of his knowledge, and he ran faster
You Bene Gesserit call your activity of the Panoplia Prophetica a "Science of Religion" Very well I, a seeker after another kind of scientist, find this an appropriate definition You do, indeed, build your own myths, but so do all societies You I uided scientists have behaved Your actions reveal that you wish to take so out of [away from] life It is time you were reminded of that which you so often profess: One cannot have a single thing without its opposite -The Preacher at Arrakeen: A Message to the Sisterhood
In the hour before dawn, Jessica sat i of spice-cloth Around her were the bare rocks of an old and poor sietch, one of the original settlements It lay below the rim of Red Chasm, sheltered from the westerlies of the desert Al-Fali and his brothers had brought her here; now they awaited word froar The Fedaykin had moved cautiously in the ar was not to know their location
The Fedaykin already knew they were under a proces-verbal, an official report of cri the tack that her h the Sisterhood had not yet been nah-handed, tyrannical nature of Alia&039;s poas out in the open, however, and her belief that because she controlled the Priesthood she controlled the Frear had been direct and sihter is possessed and h, and it already was known that some Fremen would prefer not to believe this accusation Their atteht on two battles during the night, but the ornithopters al-Fali&039;s people had stolen had brought the fugitives to this precarious safety: Red Chas out to the Fedaykin from here, but fewer than two hundred of thehout the E upon these facts, Jessica wondered if she had come to the place of her death Some of the Fedaykin believed it, but the death corinned at her when so men voiced their fears
"When God hath ordained a creature to die in a particular place He causeth that creature&039;s wants to direct him to that place," the old Naib had said
The patched curtains at her doorway rustled; al-Fali entered The old man&039;s narroindburned face appeared drawn, his eyes feverish Obviously he had not rested
"Soar?"
"Perhaps" He lowered his eyes, glanced leftward in the ht bad news
"What is it?" Jessica derandchildren are not there" He spoke without looking at her
"Alia"
"She has ordered that the twins be given over to her custody, but Sietch Tabr reports that the children are not there That is all we know"
"Stilgar&039;s sent them into the desert," Jessica said
"Possibly, but it is known that he was searching for theht Perhaps it was a trick on his part"
"That&039;s not Stilgar&039;s way," she said, and thought: Unless the twins put hiht either She wondered at herself: no sensations of panic to suppress, and her fears for the tere tempered by what Ghani her with pity in his eyes She said: "They&039;ve gone into the desert by themselves"
"Alone? Those two children!"
She did not bother to explain that "those two children" probably knew hts were fixed, instead, on Leto&039;s odd behavior when he&039;d insisted that she allow herself to be abducted She&039;d put the memory aside, but this moment demanded it He&039;d said she would know the er should be in the sietch by now," al-Fali said "I will bring hih the patched curtain
Jessica stared at the curtain It was red cloth of spice-fiber, but the patches were blue The story was that this sietch had refused to profit fro the enmity of Alia&039;s Priesthood The people here reportedly had put their capital into a scheence as guardians of children The dogs had all died Some said it was poison and the Priests were blamed
She shook her head to drive out these reflections, recognizing theadfly distraction
Where had those children gone? To Jacurutu? They had a plan They tried to enlighten ht I&039;d accept, she remembered And when they&039;d reached the limits as they saw them, Leto had commanded her to obey
He&039;d co; that much was obvious Both twins had spoken of their aunt&039;s "affliction," even when defending her Alia was gaency De custody of the twins confir her own breast The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohia this particular error to her student, Jessica "If you focus your awareness only upon your own rightness, then you invite the forces of opposition to overwhelm you This is a common error Even I, your teacher, have made it"
"And even I, your student, have made it," Jessica whispered to herself
She heard fabrics whispering in the passage beyond the curtain Two young Free they&039;d picked up during the night The tere obviously awed at being in the presence of Muad&039;Dib&039;s mother Jessica had read the theave them Without a reflection froerous
"We were sent ahead by al-Fali to prepare you," one of the young Frehtness in her breast, but her voice rear has sent Duncan Idaho as his er"
Jessica pulled her aba hood up over her hair, an unconscious gesture Duncan? But he was Alia&039;s tool
The Fremen who&039;d spoken took a half step forward "Idaho says he has come to take you to safety, but al-Fali does not see how this can be"
"It seee, indeed," Jessica said "But there are stranger things in our universe Bring hiether with such a rush that they tore another rent in the worn curtain
Presently Idaho stepped through the curtain, followed by the two Fre up the rear, hand on his crysknife Idaho appeared composed He wore the dress casuals of an Atreides House Guard, a unifored little in old-handled plasteel blade with a crysknife, but that was minor
"I&039;m told you wish to help me," Jessica said
"As odd as that may seem," he said
"But didn&039;t Alia send you to abductof his black eyebroas the only mark of surprise The littering intensity "Those were her orders," he said
Al-Fali&039;s knuckles hite on his crysknife, but he did not draw
"I&039;ve spent hter," she said
"There were reed, "and I shared in most of the
"It was easy to listen to the arguments which led us astray," Jessica said "I wanted to leave this place You you wanted a girl you saw as a younger version of randchildren?" she dear believes they have gone into the desert - hiding Perhaps they saw this crisis conition that she had anticipated this
"What is Alia doing?" Jessica asked
"She risks civil war," he said
"Do you believe it&039;ll coed "Probably not These are softer tiurandchildren?"
"Stilgar will find them - if"
"Yes, I see" It was really up to Gurney Halleck then She turned to look at the rock wall on her left "Alia grasps the power firmly now" She looked back at Idaho "You understand? One uses power by grasping it lightly To grasp too strongly is to be taken over by power, and thus to become its victim"
"As my Duke always told me," Idaho said
Somehow Jessica knew he meant the older Leto, not Paul She asked: "Where am I to be taken in this abduction?"
Idaho peered down at her as though trying to see into the shadows created by the hood
Al-Fali stepped forward: "My Lady, you are not seriously thinking"
"Is it not ht to decide my own fate?" Jessica asked
"But this" Al-Fali&039;s head nodded toward Idaho
"This was uardian before Alia was born," Jessica said "Before he died saving my son&039;s life and ations"
"Then you will go with me?" Idaho asked
"Where would you take her?" al-Fali asked
"Best that you don&039;t know," Jessica said
Al-Fali scowled but re of the wisdom in her words but an unresolved doubt of Idaho&039;s trustworthiness
"What of the Fedaykin who helped ar&039;s countenance if they can get to Tabr," Idaho said Jessica faced al-Fali: "I coar can use Fedaykin in the search for aze "As Muad&039;Dib&039;s ht
"We should be out of here quickly," Idaho said "The search is certain to include this place, and that early"
Jessica rocked forward and arose with that fluid grace which never quite left the Bene Gesserit, even when they felt the pangs of age And she felt old now after her night of flight Even as she randson What was he really doing? She shook her head, covered theher hood It was too easy to fall into the trap of underesti Leto Life with ordinary children conditioned one to a false view of the inheritance which the twins enjoyed
Her attention was caught by Idaho&039;s pose He stood in the relaxed preparedness for violence, one foot ahead of the other, a stance which she herself had taught hi Fremen, at al-Fali Doubts still assailed the old Fre men felt this
"I trust thisherself to al-Fali "And it is not the first tilared at Idaho "He&039;s the husband of the Coan-Teen!"