[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

presence of the Vernius children. Lady Helena would claim this was a righteous
punishment from God, because Leto had dared to take in the refugees from a
sacrilegious House.
Life-support systems and power packs kept Rhombur alive, trapping his tormented
soul inside this scrap of body that still clung to his existence.
"Why?" Leto said to himself. "Why did this happen? Who did this to him? To
Victor? To me?"
He looked up and saw Tessia's stony expression. She must be using all of her
Bene Gesserit training just to contain her own anguish.
Although she'd been an arranged concubine, Rhombur had genuinely loved her. The
two had allowed their match to blossom into what it could be -- unlike Leto's
relationship with Kailea, and unlike his parents, whose marriage had never
engendered true affection.
"Thufir Hawat and Gurney Halleck have been at the crash site for days," Tessia
said. "They are investigating the wreckage to determine the responsible party.
You are aware of the bomb?"
Leto nodded. "Thufir will find the answers. He always does." He forced the
words from his mouth, driving himself to ask the question he dreaded most. "And
Victor's body -- ?"
Tessia looked away. "Your son was . . . found. The guard captain, Swain Goire,
immediately preserved as much as possible . . . though I can't think what
purpose that might serve. Goire . . . loved the boy, too."
"I know he did," Leto said.
He stared down at the strange red-and-pink shape inside the life-support pod,
unable to recognize his friend. So closely did the chamber resemble a coffin
that Leto could almost envision pulling away the wires, sealing the top, and
burying it. Maybe that would be best.
"Is there anything we can do for him -- or is this just a futile exercise?"
He could see the muscles bunch in Tessia's cheeks, and her sepia eyes hardened,
blazing with cold fire. Her voice dropped to a breathless whisper. "I can
never give up hope."
"My Lord Duke!" The night nurse's alarmed voice carried a scolding tone as he
entered the room. "You must not be up, sir. You must recover your strength.
You are grievously injured, and I cannot permit you --"
Leto lifted a hand. "Don't speak to me of grievous injuries as I stand here
beside the life-support pod of my friend."
The nurse's gaunt face flushed, and he nodded jerkily on a long thin neck, like
a wading bird's. But he touched Leto's sleeve with a delicate, scrubbed hand.
"Please, my Lord. I am not here to compare wounds. My aim is to see that the
Duke of House Atreides heals as quickly as possible. That is your duty, too."
Tessia touched the life-support pod, and her gaze met Leto's. "Yes, Leto. You
have responsibilities still. Rhombur would never permit you to throw everything
away because of his condition."
Leto allowed himself to be guided out of the room, taking careful steps as the
night nurse led him back to his bed. He knew intellectually that he must regain
his strength, if only to enable him to understand the disaster.
My son, my son! Who has done this thing?
LOCKED IN HER CHAMBERS, Kailea wailed for hours. Refusing to speak to anyone,
she did not come out to see the Duke, her brother, or anyone else. But in
truth, she could not face herself, the monstrous guilt, the unredeemable shame.
It would be only a matter of time before Thufir Hawat and his relentless
investigation uncovered her culpability. For now, no one had expressed any
suspicions against her . . . but soon the gossip would begin, whispered along
the cool stone halls of Castle Caladan. People would wonder why she was
avoiding Duke Leto.
And so, after learning the schedule of medications -- and determining when Leto
would be least likely to detect the murderous guilt in her eyes -- Kailea
unbolted the door of her chambers and walked unsteadily toward the infirmary
rooms. At dusk, the light visible through stone-framed windows had turned the
cloud banks coppery in the sky, like her hair. But she saw no beauty in the
sunset, only shadows inside the walls.
Medical technicians and the doctor bustled about, making way for her, backing
out of the room to give her privacy with the Duke. The sympathy on their faces
tore at her heart.
"He has suffered a relapse, Lady Kailea," the doctor said. "We've had to
administer more drugs for his pain, and now he may be too sleepy to say much."
Kailea stood with forced hauteur. Her puffy red eyes dried as she steeled
herself. "Nevertheless, I will see him. I shall stand by Leto Atreides as long
as I am able, trusting that he knows I am there."
The doctor courteously found something else to do outside the room.
Her footsteps leaden, one hesitant pace at a time, Kailea moved closer to the
bedside. The room smelled of injuries and pain, of medicines and despair. She
looked down at Leto's bruised, burned face and tried to recall her anger toward
him. She thought again of the terrible things Chiara had told her, the myriad
ways Leto Atreides had betrayed all of her hopes, destroying her dreams.
Still, she remembered vividly the first time they had actually made love,
practically by accident after the Duke had been drinking too much Caladan ale
with Goire and the guards. Laughing, Leto had spilled a mug on himself, and
then ambled out into the hall. There he encountered Kailea, who'd been unable
to sleep and had been prowling the Castle. Noting his condition, she'd scolded
him gently and led him into his private chambers.
She had intended to help him into bed and then leave. Nothing more, though she
had fantasized about it many times. His own attraction for her had been so
plain, for so long. . . .
After all they'd been through, how could she possibly have convinced herself to
hate him?
As she stared at him now, lying injured and motionless, she recalled how he had
loved to play with his son. She had refused to see how much he'd adored the
boy, because she hadn't wanted to believe it.
Victor! She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her hands against her face.
Tears flowed over her palms.
Leto stirred and half awoke, focusing on her with groggy, red-rimmed eyes. It [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]