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Book Two: Muad‘dib
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Prophecyandprescience—Howcantheybeputtothetestinthefaceoftheunansweredquestion?
Consider:Howmuchisactualpredictionofthe“waveform”(asMuad‘Dibreferredtohisvision-image)andhowmuchistheprophetshapingthefuturetofittheprophecy?Whatoftheharmonicsinherentintheactofprophecy?Doestheprophetseethefutureordoesheseealineofweakness,afaultorcleavagethathemayshatterwithwordsordecisionsasadiamond-cuttershattershisgemwithablowofaknife?
—“PrivateReflectionsonMuad’Dib”bythePrincessIrulan
“GETTHEIRwater,”themancallingoutofthenighthadsaid.AndPaulfoughtdownhisfear,glancedathismother.Histrainedeyessawherreadinessforbattle,thewaitingwhipsnapofhermuscles.
“Itwouldberegrettableshouldwehavetodestroyyououtofhand,”thevoiceabovethemsaid.
That’stheonewhospoketousfirst,Jessicathought.Thereareatleasttwoofthem—onetoourrightandoneonourleft.
“Cignorohrobosasukareshinmangelapchagavasdoimekamavasnabeslaslelepalhrobas!”
Itwasthemantotheirrightcallingoutacrossthebasin.
ToPaul,thewordsweregibberish,butoutofherBeneGesserittraining,Jessicarecognizedthespeech.ItwasChakobsa,oneoftheancienthuntinglanguages,andthemanabovethemwassayingthatperhapsthesewerethestrangerstheysought.
Inthesuddensilencethatfollowedthecallingvoice,thehoopwheelfaceofthesecondmoon—faintlyivoryblue—rolledovertherocksacrossthebasin,brightandpeering.
