Dune_ House Atreides - Brian Herbert [257]
It was early evening, and the two of them had left the Palace to go to Fenring’s private penthouse for a few moments of peace. Now Shaddam paced the perimeter of the spacious room, with furtive Fenring following the other like a shadow. Shaddam, though not yet formally crowned, settled onto a massive balcony chair as if it were a throne. With royal reserve, the Crown Prince eyed his friend. “So, Hasimir, how do you suppose my cousin learned about the Tleilaxu? What evidence does he have?”
“Hm-m-m-m, he may simply be bluffing. . . .”
“Such a guess can’t be pure coincidence. We don’t dare call his bluff—if it is one. We can’t risk letting the truth come out in Landsraad court.” Shaddam groaned. “I don’t approve of this Trial by Forfeiture business at all. Never did. It shifts responsibility for the allocation of a Great House’s assets away from the Imperial throne, away from me. I think it’s very bad form.”
“But there’s nothing you can do about it, Sire. It’s an established law, dating back to Butlerian times when House Corrino was appointed to rule the civilizations of mankind. Take heart that in the thousands of years since, this is only the fourth time forfeiture has ever been invoked, mm-m-m-m? It seems the all-or-nothing gambit is not very popular.”
Shaddam continued to scowl, looking across the evening skies at the prismatic domes of the faraway Palace, his gaze distant. “But how could he possibly know? Who talked? What did we miss? This is a disaster!”
Fenring stopped at the edge of the balcony, looking out at the stars with his close-set, glittering eyes. He dropped his voice to an ominous whisper. “Maybe I should pay Leto Atreides a little visit in his cell, hm-m-m-m-ah? To find out exactly what he knows and how he learned of it. It’s the most obvious solution to our little dilemma.”
Shaddam slouched low in the balcony chair, but it felt too hard against his back. “The Duke won’t tell you anything. He’s got too much to lose. He may be grasping at straws, but I’ve no doubt he’ll carry out his threat.”
The huge eyes darkened. “When I ask questions, Shaddam, I get answers.” Fenring clenched his fists. “You should know that by now, after all I’ve done for you.”
“That Mentat Thufir Hawat won’t leave Leto’s side, and he is a formidable adversary. He’s called the Master of Assassins.”
“My talent, too, Shaddam. We can find a way to separate them. You command it, and I shall see that it is done.” He revealed eagerness at the prospect of killing, with his pleasure heightened by the challenge at hand. Fenring’s eyes shone, but Shaddam cut him off.
“If he’s as smart as he seems, Hasimir, he’ll have established many guarantees for himself. Ah, yes. The moment Leto suspects a threat, he could announce whatever he knows—and there’s no telling what sort of insurance he’s set up for himself, especially if this has been his plan all along.”
. . . full disclosure of your relationship with the Tleilaxu . . .
A cool breeze drifted across the balcony, but he did not go back inside. “If word of our . . . project . . . comes out, the Great Houses could block me from the throne and a Landsraad attack force would be dispatched against Ix.”
“They’ve named it Xuttah now, Sire,” Fenring muttered.
“Whatever they call it.”
The Crown Prince ran a hand through his pomaded reddish hair. The Atreides prisoner’s single line of text had shaken him more than the overthrow of a hundred worlds. He wondered how much this would have disturbed old Elrood. More than the huge revolt in the Ecaz sector early in his reign?
Watch, and learn.
Oh, shut up, you old vulture!
Shaddam’s brow furrowed. “Think on it, Hasimir—it seems almost too obvious. Is there any chance at all that Duke Leto didn’t destroy the Tleilaxu ships?”
Fenring ran a finger along his pointed chin. “I doubt that very much, Sire. The Atreides ship was there, as confirmed by witnesses. The weapons had been fired, and Leto has made no secret of his anger toward