Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

An hour before dawn, Jessica sat quietly on an old spice rug.She was surrounded by the exposed rock of an ancient, poor cavern interior.This is one of the oldest settlements.It lies below the edge of the Red Valley, and is kept out of the westerly winds of the desert.Al Farley and his brethren had brought her here, and now they were waiting to hear from Stilgar.Of course, the Expendables were very cautious in their correspondence, and Stilgar didn't know where they were. The Expendables know that they are wanted and have become enemies of the Empire. Aria claims that her mother was instigated by the enemies of the Empire, but she does not mention the name of the Sisterhood.However, the high-handedness and brutality of Aria's rule are fully exposed.She had always believed that controlling the Church meant controlling the Fremen.But now, that belief is about to be challenged.

Jessica's message to Stilgar was short and direct: My daughter has fallen to evil, and she must stand trial. Fear can destroy values.Some Freemen chose to refuse to believe her accusations, wanting to use the opportunity as a ladder for themselves.This attempt had already sparked two fights during the night, but Al Farley's men had stolen orthopters and taken the fugitives to this fairly safe place: Red Valley Cave.From here they sent a message to all the daredevils, but there were less than two hundred daredevils left on Arrakis.Other kamikaze guards elsewhere in the empire. Facing these facts, Jessica couldn't help wondering if she was in a desperate situation.Some of the daredevils have similar thoughts, but they still accept their fate casually.When some lads poured out their fears to Al Farley, he just smiled at her.

"When God commands a creature to die in a certain place, he directs that creature to that place," said Nab Sr. The curtain on her door was thrown back and Al Farley entered.The old man's thin and air-dried face looked haggard, but his eyes were on fire.Apparently he hasn't been resting. "Someone's coming," he said. "Stilgar's people?" "Perhaps:" He lowered his eyes and glanced to the left in the manner of a Fremen with bad news. "What happened?" she asked. "Words are coming from Taibu Cave that your grandchildren are not there." He said, looking away.

"Alia..." "She ordered the twins to be locked up, but Burrow reported that the twins were gone. That's all we know." "Stilgar sent them into the desert," Jessica said. "Possibly, but it was reported that he was looking for the twins all night, maybe he was acting..." "That's not Stilgar's style," she thought: unless the twins made him do it.But she still didn't feel right.She thought: don't panic.Her worries about the twins had been largely allayed by her earlier conversation with Ghanima.She looked up at Al Farley, who was studying her expression, sympathy in his eyes.

"They walked into the desert by themselves," she said. "Just me? They're still kids!" She didn't bother to explain that the "two children" probably knew better than any living Fremen how to survive in the desert, but instead focused on Leto's strange behavior.He insisted that she cooperate with his kidnapping.She had let go of that memory, but now was the time to pick it up.He also said that she would know when to listen to him. "The courier should be at the burrow," Al Farley said. "I'll bring him to you." He turned and opened the broken curtain.

Jessica stared at the curtain.It was a piece of red spice fabric, but the patch was blue.Legend has it that this cave rejected the benefits of Muad'di's religion, thus arousing the hostility of Alia's church.It is said that the people here invest their assets in raising dogs, and the dogs they raise are as big as foals, and through crossbreeding, the dogs have a certain degree of intelligence and can serve as children's guards.The dogs are all dead.Some people say that the dog died of poisoning, and the poisoner was the church. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the fragments, knowing they were fragments of internal memories, gadfly-hating memories.

Where did those two children go?Jia Kelutu?They have a plan.They wanted to inspire me as much as possible and push me to the limit of my abilities.She remembered that, when she had reached these limits, Leto had given her orders to obey. He has given her orders! It's clear that Leto has seen what Aria wants to do.Both children spoke of their aunt's "pain" and even defended her.Alia insisted on her regency, arguing that it was undisputed.The order to lock up the twins is the best proof.Jessica couldn't help letting out a chuckle.Our Lady Keith Helen Mohiam used to love explaining the fallacy of this to her student Jessica. "If you believe you're right and focus all your attention on being right, you open the door to your opponent and let the other side swallow you up. It's a common mistake. Even me, you Teacher, also committed a crime."

"Even I, your student, made this mistake." Jessica murmured. There were whispers from outside the curtain.In came two young Freemen, the entourage chosen from last night.In the presence of Muad'di's mother, the two were visibly restrained.Jessica saw through them at a glance: they were mindless, attached to whatever power organization gave them an identity.If they can't get something out of Jessica, they're nothing and therefore dangerous. "Al Farley sent us to help you prepare," said one of the young men. Jessica only felt a sudden tightness in her chest, but her tone remained calm.

"what to prepare?" "Stilgar has sent Duncan Idaho as his messenger." Jessica pulled the hood of her robe over her head.A subconscious action.Duncan?But he is Alia's tool. The Fremen who spoke took a small step forward. "Idaho said he came to take you to safety, but Al Farley thought there was something wrong." "It's kind of weird," Jessica said, "but weird things happen in our universe. Bring him in." They looked at each other, obeyed her order, and turned away in such a hurry that they left two more holes in the old carpet. Idaho opened the door curtain and walked in, followed by the two young Freemans.Al Farley was at the end of the line, his hand on the Screaming Blade.Idaho looked very calm.He wore the uniform of the Atreides bodyguard, a uniform that had hardly changed in fourteen centuries.In the era of Arakis, the plastic steel sword with a golden handle was replaced by a howling blade, but this was only a slight change.

"Someone said you wanted to help me," Jessica said. "Although it sounds unbelievable," he said. "Didn't Alia send you to kidnap me?" she asked. He slightly raised his black eyebrows, which was his only surprise.Trealax's compound eyes still stared at her, burning. "It was her order," he said. Al Farley's knuckles were whitening on the Howling Blade, but he didn't draw it. "I spent most of tonight thinking about the mistakes that happened between me and my daughter," she said. "There were many mistakes," agreed Idaho, "and I was responsible for most of them."

She saw the muscles in his jaw quivering. "It's easy to listen to words that can lead us astray," Jessica said. "In the past, I wanted to leave Arrakis. And you... you want a girl like I was when I was young." He silently approved her words. "Where are my grandchildren?" she asked, her tone becoming stern.He blinked, then said, "Stilgar thinks they're in the desert—hiding. Maybe they saw the crisis coming." Jessica glanced at Al Farley.The latter nodded, indicating that she guessed right in advance. "What's Alia doing?" Jessica asked. "What she's doing is starting a civil war," he said. "Do you really think you'll get there?" Idaho shrugged. "Probably not. These are hedonistic times, and people are more willing to listen to flattering opinions than to go to war." "I agree:" she said, "well, what about my grandchildren?" "Stilgar will find them—if..." "Yes, I understand." It seemed that it was all up to Gurney Halleck.She turned and looked at the rock on the wall to the left, "Alia holds the power firmly." She turned her head to look at Idaho, "Do you understand? The way to use power is to hold it lightly." Hold it. Hold it too hard and you will be caught by power and become a victim of power." "As my duke always taught me," said Idaho. For some reason, Jessica knew he meant old Leto, not Paul."Where am I going to be kidnapped...?" she asked. Idaho stared at her as if to see through the shadows under the hood. Al Farley stepped forward. "My lady, you don't really want to..." "Don't I have the right to decide my own destiny?" Jessica asked. "But this..." Al Farley shook his head at Idaho. "Before Arya was born, he was my loyal bodyguard," Jessica said. "He saved my son's life and mine before he died. We, the Atreides family, will always remember this kindness." "So, will you come with me?" Idaho asked. "Where are you taking her?" Al Farley asked. "You better not know," Jessica said.Al Farley scowled, but he remained silent.The look on his face betrayed his indecision: he understood the wisdom of Jessica's words, but still doubted Idaho's credibility. "What about the Expendables who helped me?" Jessica asked. "They will have Stilgar's support if they can go to Teb's Cave," said Idaho. Jessica looked at Al Farley. "I order you to go there, my friend. Stilgar has the death squads involved in the search for my grandchildren." Old Nab lowered his eyes. "Obey the orders of Muad'di's mother." It was still Paul he obeyed, she thought. "We should get out of here immediately," said Idaho. "They'll definitely find it, and soon." Jessica leaned forward and stood up with a grace that Bee Geist never forgot.After the night flight last night, she felt more and more old.She started to move, but her mind was still on the conversation with her grandson.What the hell is he doing?She shook her head, and immediately pretended to adjust her hood to conceal the movement.It's easy to mistakenly underestimate Leto, and observing the concepts formed by ordinary children often leads to misjudgments about the life memories the twins have inherited. She noticed the way Idaho stood.He stood there relaxed, ready.He stood with one foot in front of the other, a position she had taught him. She glanced quickly at the two young Fremen, then at Al Farley.The faces of old Nab and the two young men were still full of doubts. "I can entrust my life to this man," she told Al Farley, pointing to herself, "and it's not the first time." "My lady," protested Al Farley, "but..." he stared at Ed, "he's Cudin's husband." "He was trained by the Duke and I," she said. "But he's a ghoul!" Al Farley said hoarsely. "My son's necromancer," she reminded. For the death fighters who once swore to give their lives to Muad'di, that answer was enough.He sighed, moved away, and motioned for the two young men to open the door curtain. Jessica walked out, Idaho following her.She turned and said to Al Farley in the porch, "You go to Stilgar. He's trustworthy." "Yes..." But she still heard the doubts in the old man's voice. Idaho touched her arm. "We must leave at once. Do you have anything to take?" "Just use my normal judgment," she said. "Why? Are you worried you've made a mistake?" She looked up at him. "You're the best orthopter pilot we have, Duncan." He wasn't amused.He passed her and hurried off the way he had come. Al Farley walked up to Jessica and said, "How do you know he's coming in a thopter?" "He's not wearing a still suit," Jessica said. Al Farley seemed a little embarrassed that he had missed this obvious feature, but he had no intention of staying silent. "Our couriers brought him here directly from Stilgar. They may be on target." "Are you being targeted, Duncan?" Jessica asked Idaho's back. "You should be well aware," he said, "that we fly lower than the dunes." They turned into a path that led down a spiral ladder to an empty room, brightly lit by spherical lights hanging high on the brown rock walls.An orthoplane stood facing the wall, lying like an insect waiting for spring.There are organs on the wall, and the whole wall is actually a door, and the desert is outside the door.As poor as this cavern is, it still preserves some secret maneuvering facilities. Idaho opened the hatch of the orthopter for her, and helped her sit on the right-hand seat.Her eyes flicked to him and saw that his brow was sweating, and his hair, like black wool, was matted.Jessica couldn't help thinking of the scene where the head was bleeding out in the noisy cave in the past.However, the cold eyes of Treylax brought her out of her memory.It will never be the same again.She put on her seat belt. "It's been a long time since you flew me, Duncan," she said. "It's been a long time," he said, checking the controls. Al Farley and two young men stood by the machine, ready to open the entire wall. "Do you think I have doubts about you?" Jessica asked softly. Focusing on the engine, Idaho fired up the thrusters and watched the needle jump.A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and it was fleeting on his three-dimensional face, just as quickly as it came. "I'm still an Atreides," Jessica said. "Aria isn't anymore." "Don't worry," he said through gritted teeth, "I remain loyal to Atreides." "Aria is no longer Atreides," Jessica repeated. "You don't have to remind me!" he growled. "Now shut up and let me drive this guy." The desperation in his words was beyond Jessica's expectation, it was not like the Idaho she was familiar with.Overcoming a renewed fear, she asked, "Where are we going, Duncan? You can tell me now." He nodded to Al Farley, and the hangar door opened, exposing them to bright daylight. The orthopter jumped forward and began to climb.Its wings flapped powerfully, jet engines roared, and they burst into the open sky.Idaho set a course to the southwest, headed for the Sahaya Ridge.From here, the place looks like a black line across the desert. He said: "Don't think too badly of me, my lady." "I haven't thought bad of you since the day you drank too much spice beer and yelled in our Arakon hall," she said.But in fact, his words did arouse her suspicions.She relaxed her body, readying herself for defense. "I remember that night too," he said, "I was so young . . . without experience." "But you are already the best swordsman under the Duke." "Not quite, my lady. Gurney beats me six times out of ten." He glanced at her. "Where's Gurney?" "Working for me." He shook his head. "Do you know where we're going?" she asked. "Yes, ma'am." "tell me." "Very well. I promised that I would fake a conspiracy against the Atreides in such a way that no one else would see it. There is only one way to do it." He pressed a button on the control panel, and a The cocoon restraint device bounced out of Jessica's chair, wrapping her whole body with an unbreakable soft belt, only her head was exposed, "I'm going to take you to the planet Salusa Secundus," He said, "Go to Farrakon." In a rare panic, Jessica tried to break the straps, but the straps tightened and only loosened a little when she relaxed.As she struggled, she felt the deadly custard vine hidden in the protective sheath on the belt. "The Sakyamuni's trigger device has been disarmed." His eyes looked away, "Also, don't plan to use the magic sound method on me. The era when you can control me with your voice is long gone." He looked at her, "Trealax equipped me with a mechanism to counter the magic sound." "You take orders from Alia," Jessica said, "she..." "Not Alia," he said. "We're doing things for missionaries. He wants you to teach Farrakon the way you used to teach Paul." Jessica's body froze.She remembered Leto's words, and it turned out that was the interesting student she was going to have.She said, "That missionary—is he my son?" Idaho's voice seemed to come from far away: "I want to know too."