"Frank Herbert - Dune 5 - Heretics of Dune (2)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Herbert Brian & Frank)

mouth in a soft smile, passing her gaze across the rooftop opposite them.

A uniformed man armed with a heavy-duty lasgun appeared there, looked once at
the two Reverend Mothers and then focused on the child below them.

"Who is that?" Lucilla asked

"Patrin, the Bashar's most trusted aide. Says he's only the Bashar's batman but
you'd have to be blind and a fool to believe that. "

Lucilla examined the man across from them with care. So that was Patrin. A
native of Gammu, Taraza had said. Chosen for this task by the Bashar himself.
Thin and blond, much too old now to be soldiering, but then the Bashar had been
called back from retirement and had insisted Patrin must share this duty.

Schwangyu noted the way Lucilla shifted her attention from Patrin to the ghola
with real concern. Yes, if the Bashar had been called back to guard this Keep,
then the ghola was in extreme peril.

Lucilla started in sudden surprise. "Why . . . he's . . ."

"Miles Teg's orders," Schwangyu said, naming the Bashar. "All of the ghola's
play is training play. Muscles are to be prepared for the day when he is
restored to his original self."

"But that's no simple exercise he's doing down there," Lucilla said. She felt
her own muscles respond sympathetically to the remembered training.

"We hold back only the Sisterhood's arcana from this ghola," Schwangyu said.
"Almost anything else in our storehouse of knowledge can be his." Her tone said
she found this extremely objectionable.
"Surely, no one believes this ghola could become another Kwisatz Haderach,"
Lucilla objected.

Schwangyu merely shrugged.

Lucilla held herself quite still, thinking. Was it possible the ghola could be
transformed into a male version of a Reverend Mother? Could this Duncan Idaho
learn to look inward where no Reverend Mother dared?

Schwangyu began to speak, her voice almost a growling mutter: "The design of
this project . . . they have a dangerous plan. They could make the same mistake
. . ." She broke off.

They, Lucilla thought. Their ghola.

"I would give anything to know for sure the position of Ix and the Fish Speakers
in this," Lucilla said.

"Fish Speakers!" Schwangyu shook her head at the very thought of the remnant