Дюна
Book Two: Muad‘dib
IntheBaron’sblue-walledkeep,therewasfearfulperfection,buttheCountandhisladysawthepricebeingpaid—guardseverywhereandweaponswiththatspecialsheenthattoldatrainedeyetheywereinregularuse.Therewerecheckpointsforroutinepassagefromareatoareaevenwithinthekeep.Theservantsrevealedtheirmilitarytraininginthewaytheywalked,inthesetoftheirshoulders...inthewaytheireyeswatchedandwatchedandwatched.
“Thepressure’son,”theCounthummedtohisladyintheirsecretlanguage.
“TheBaronisjustbeginningtoseethepricehereallypaidtoridhimselfoftheDukeLeto.”
“SometimeImustrecountforyouthelegendofthephoenix,”shesaid.
Theywereinthereceptionhallofthekeepwaitingtogotothefamilygames.Itwasnotalargehall—perhapsfortymeterslongandhalfthatinwidth
—butfalsepillarsalongthesideshadbeenshapedwithanabrupttaper,andtheceilinghadasubtlearch,allgivingtheillusionofmuchgreaterspace.
“Ah-h-h,herecomestheBaron,”theCountsaid.
TheBaronmoveddownthelengthofthehallwiththatpeculiarwaddling-glideimpartedbythenecessitiesofguidingsuspensor-hungweight.Hisjowlsbobbedupanddown;thesuspensorsjiggledandshiftedbeneathhisorangerobe.
Ringsglitteredonhishandsandopafiresshonewheretheyhadbeenwovenintotherobe.
AttheBaron’selbowwalkedFeyd-Rautha.Hisdarkhairwasdressedincloseringletsthatseemedincongruouslygayabovesulleneyes.Heworeatight-fittingblacktunicandsnugtrouserswithasuggestionofbellatthebottom.
