Harishka nodded reluctantly. “Go ahead.”
The other Reverend Mother pushed her round glasses against the bridge of her nose, shook her hair loose, and cupped her palms against the papery skin on the old woman’s temples. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down and touched her forehead against Lethea’s.
Terta’s worried expression smoothed as she concentrated, extending her thoughts in an attempt to draw out the old woman’s vault of memories.
Mohiam watched, absorbing details.
“I’m getting something,” Terta whispered, her eyes closed behind her glasses. Her voice grew excited. “Yes, I’ve broken through. Oh, incredible! This is fantastic!”
The other women in the room seemed to be holding their breaths.
Then Terta whimpered and shook. She tried to pull away from Lethea, but was unable to do so, as if her brow had fused to the old woman’s forehead. The medical Sister grimaced, struggled, gasped.
Mohiam and Harishka grabbed her arms, pulled her away, and broke the physical contact, but Terta screamed, staggered backward, and wailed. “The voices! Voices overwhelming me!” she howled. “I’m drowning in them!”
The other medical Sisters rushed forward to help her, but she pushed them away and ran blindly, still screaming. With unexpected strength, Terta knocked the other women down, tore herself away, and bolted toward a balcony door.
Seeing her intent, Mohiam shouted, using Voice in an attempt to stop Terta with a command. But even that had no effect.
Reverend Mother Terta crashed open the balcony door, vaulted over the railing, and dove out into the cold winter air. She screamed all the way down.
On the bed, old Lethea fell back into her catatonic state, a cruel smile on her face.…
As a doctor and a scientist, I have studied the intricacies of nature and the mechanisms of the human body. Yet sometimes I wish I did not know the answers.
—DR. WELLINGTON YUEH, private journals
He walked a fine line between being the Duke and being Paul’s father.
As Leto considered the tensions on Caladan, he grew more worried about the depth of corruption implied by the illicit distribution of the now-deadly ailar drug. The ferns were supposedly wild, but this new subspecies was considerably more potent. And the increasing use of “the Caladan drug” implied a lack of leadership and responsibility on his part, which he could not allow.
At home, Leto still felt a reticence from Paul, which came from the boy’s inner turmoil after his father’s brush with death and learning that he had been offered up—at least provisionally—for a political marriage.
Leto wanted to strengthen the relationship, but could not help who he was. He had been raised in a similar fashion, taught to wall off his emotions when he observed Paulus and Helena in their cold and loveless marriage. Neither of his own parents had shown much warmth toward their only child but Leto had not treated Paul like that. In wistful moments, he imagined he could be a father like some of those dockside fishermen who would take their boys out to the boats, let them play with the fishing lines, and help unload the wriggling catch.
As a father—and a Duke—Leto rarely spent such casual, carefree moments with his son, although each year, they did take several days to go on a rugged wilderness retreat, father and son. Otherwise, he and Paul did not laugh or play games. As the head of a House Major, Leto was expected to be formal, serious, and political, and Paul was not allowed to be a rambunctious boy. He had too much to study and practice in preparation for his noble responsibilities. There were other teenagers in Cala City, but the Atreides heir was sheltered. He did not stay out late with friends, didn’t get in trouble with other boys. While Paul devoted hours each day to education that would make him a respected Landsraad leader, he had little chance to experience life.
It was time for them to go away again on an adventure, to make them remember some of their favorite times. Leto needed this, too. He could fulfill two roles, as father and Duke, and do it well.
An hour after dinner, as sea mists rose beneath the cliffs, Leto approached Paul’s quarters, but paused when he heard laughter ahead.
“That move is not allowed, Gurney!”
“Gods below, it certainly is allowed! Who taught you to play cheops?”
“My father did, and he is not a man to be loose with the rules.”
Halleck laughed. “You’ll get no argument from me there, young pup. The Duke is a man who lives within a fortress of rules.”
Paul chuckled. “And in Castle Caladan, my father’s rules are law—even his rules on pyramid chess.”
“Then take my piece, damn you, boy, and I will still win the game.”
Leto stepped through the door and saw Paul and the troubadour warrior seated at a table, facing their game of pyramid chess. The young man’s hand wavered on the third level, hesitating over a game piece.
Startled, Halleck was on his feet in a flash, one hand reaching for the blade at his side, but when he recognized the Duke, he straightened, abashed. “Sorry, my Lord. I did not mean to be so jumpy.”
“It is reassuring, Gurney,” Leto said. “You make me confident that not even a biting fly would get close enough to bother my son.”
Paul rose to his feet in stiff formality. Leto could see the boy wanted to bound toward him, but he held himself back. “Good evening, sir.”
The restraint was exactly what Leto had taught, but now it made him sad—such a formal response even in his private quarters in a relaxed moment. Leto sighed. Was this how he wanted his son to treat him? He softened his voice. “I came to see you. We do not spend enough time together in informal settings.”
Halleck picked up his nine-stringed baliset from the side of the table and prepared to go. “I will leave you two together, my Lord.”
“Stay, Gurney. This concerns you as well. I think you’ll like the invitation.”
Paul brightened. “Are we having a banquet? I will represent House Atreides to the best of my abilities.” Then he tensed. “Or is it a reception to introduce me to marriage prospects?”
Leto again felt the heaviness in his heart. “No, it is a bit more relaxed than that, something you’ll enjoy. It’s time for us to go out on another wilderness expedition. You always like our retreats.”
Paul did smile. “I didn’t expect to go for several months yet. The weather will still be rainy.”
“We’ll bring warm gear,” Leto said. “But I think we could use some time away from being a Duke and the Duke’s heir. Don’t you agree?”
“I would like that,” Paul said. He almost added “sir,” but caught himself. “Where are we going this time?”
Wearing a more serious expression, Leto said, “To the northern wilderness beyond the pundi rice fields and the Arondi Cliffs.” The words raised immediate questions, and he added, “Our little expedition can serve an additional purpose, if we keep our eyes open.”
Gurney was instantly alert. “I will arrange a full security escort, Sire, as well as porters and support staff. What is the purpose of this expedition?”
“Not a full escort. We’ll remain in contact, but the purpose is for us to get away from all this—as Paul and I have done before. But you’ll accompany us, Gurney. And Dr. Yueh.”