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Gurney said. "You have powerful enemies out there, but I won't let you come to
harm. It's what Dominic would have wanted."
"Please be more specific." Another man emerged from a side entrance on Gurney's
right, tall and lean, with dark hair and gray eyes.
He wore a black military jacket with a red hawk crest on the lapel. "We want
the full story, no matter how painful it is."
"Gurney Halleck, this is Duke Leto Atreides," Rhombur said dully, after wiping
the tears from his eyes. "He knew my father, too."
Leto received a hesitant handshake from the scarred, sullen-looking visitor.
"I'm sorry to bring such terrible tidings," Gurney said. He gazed at Rhombur
and Kailea. "Recently, Dominic infiltrated Ix again, after receiving some
disturbing news. And what he witnessed there . . . horrified him so much that
he came back a broken man."
"There were many ways to get back in," Rhombur said. "Emergency access points
that only the Vernius family knew. I remember them myself." He turned back to
Gurney. "But what was he trying to do?"
"As near as I can tell, he was making preparations to attack Kaitain with the
Vernius family atomics. But the Emperor's Sardaukar learned of the plan, and
they ambushed our base first. Dominic set off a stone burner and destroyed them
all."
"Our father's been alive all this time," Rhombur said, then looked at Leto. His
gaze searched the arched entrances, the long Castle halls, as if he hoped to see
Tessia. "He's been alive, but he never told us. I wish I could have fought at
his side, just once. I should have been there."
"Prince Rhombur -- if I may call you that," Gurney said, "everyone who was there
is now dead."
THE SAME TRANSPORT that delivered Gurney Halleck also brought a formal
diplomatic Courier from Archduke Armand Ecaz. The woman had close-cropped
maroon hair and wore the respected, age-old uniform trimmed with braids and
decked with dozens of pockets.
She tracked down Leto where he stood in the banquet hall, chatting with some of
the household staff who polished the expensive wall of blue obsidian to a warm
luster. Thanks to Gurney Halleck, Leto now knew the blue obsidian came not from
Hagal, but from Harkonnen slave pits. Even so, Gurney had asked him not to tear
it down.
Leto turned and greeted the Courier, but in a brisk series of businesslike
moves, she presented identification, delivered a sealed message cylinder, then
waited while the Duke processed a thumbprint receipt. She spoke very little.
Fearing more bad news -- when had a Courier brought anything else? -- both
Thufir Hawat and Rhombur came into Leto's presence from opposite doorways. Leto
met their questioning looks with the unopened cylinder.
Duke Leto yanked out one of the heavy side chairs from the dining table,
scraping the feet across the stone floor. Workers continued to polish the
obsidian wall. With a sigh, Leto slumped into the seat and cracked open the
cylinder. His gray eyes scanned the words while the Prince and the Mentat
waited in silence.
Finished, Leto looked up at the portrait of the Old Duke hanging on one wall,
facing the stuffed head of the Salusan bull that had killed him in the Plaza de
Toros. "Well, this is something to consider." He did not explain further, as
if he'd rather have advice from long-dead Paulus.
Rhombur fidgeted. "What is it, Leto?" His eyes were still red around the
edges.
Setting the cylinder on the table, the Duke caught it before it could roll off.
"House Ecaz has formally suggested a marriage alliance with Atreides. Archduke
Armand offers the hand of his second daughter Ilesa." He tapped the cylinder
with the finger that bore the ducal signet ring. The Archduke's eldest daughter
had been killed by Moritani's Grummans. "He's also included a list of Ecazi
assets and a suggested dowry."
"But no image of the daughter," Rhombur said.
"I've already seen her. Ilesa is beautiful enough." He spoke in a distracted
tone, as if such matters would not affect his decision.
Two of the household servants paused in their polishing, astonished to hear the
news, then returned to their labors with increased vigor.
Hawat's brow furrowed. "No doubt the Archduke is also concerned about the
renewed hostilities. An Atreides alliance would make Ecaz far less vulnerable
to Moritani aggression. The Viscount would think twice about sending in Grumman
troops."
Rhombur shook his head. "Uh, I told you the Emperor's simple fix would never
solve the problem between those two Houses."
Leto stared off into the distance, his thoughts spinning. "Nobody ever
disagreed with you, Rhombur. At the moment, though, I think the Grummans are
more upset with the Ginaz School. Last I heard, the academy publicly provoked
Viscount Moritani in the Landsraad by calling him a coward and a mad dog."
Hawat looked grave. "My Duke, shouldn't we distance ourselves from this? The
dispute has gone on for years -- who knows what they will do next?"
"We're too far in it, Thufir, not just by our friendship with Ecaz, but now
Ginaz as well. I can no longer remain neutral. Having examined records of the
Grumman atrocities, I've added my voice to a Landsraad vote calling for
censure." He allowed himself a personal smile. "Besides, I was thinking of
Duncan at the time."
"We must study the marriage offer carefully," the Mentat said.
"My sister's not going to like this," Rhombur muttered.
Leto sighed. "Kailea hasn't liked anything I've done for years. I am Duke. I
must think about what's best for House Atreides."
LETO INVITED GURNEY HALLECK to dine with them that evening.
For hours in the afternoon, the brash smuggler refugee had challenged and
brawled with several of the best Atreides fighters -- and had actually beaten
most of them.
Now, in the quieter hours, Gurney proved to be a master storyteller, reciting
tale after tale of Dominic Vernius's exploits to eager listeners. At the long
table in the banquet hall, he was seated between the mounted Salusan bull's-head
and the painting of the Old Duke dressed as a matador.
In a somber voice, the scarred smuggler told of his bone-deep hatred of the
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