![]() The ocean spread out like a blue-green prairie, curving off to the distant horizon. THE NEXT DAY, a calm and sunny morning, Leto stood next to Rhombur at an open window, admiring the quays at the base of the promontory. Additional modules stored on shore could be installed to change the functions of the craft: adding more cabin space or converting one or both cargo holds to additional sleeping or habitation areas. Aft of the cabin were two decks, at midship and aftship, with cargo holds below: a nice setup for fishing or motor cruising. With a wide, beamy hull, it featured a spacious cutty cabin in the front and sleeping quarters beneath, reached via a spiral staircase. The Duke had several boats tied up at the dock, and Leto chose his favorite coracle, a white motorcraft around fifteen meters in length. The two of them descended the narrow cliffside path and staircase, holding on to rails and vaulting weathered steps, avoiding the slippery moss and the white encrustations of salty spray. "Just keeping you out of trouble is, uh, effort enough," Rhombur countered. "Remember your rock collection? You and I are going to dive for coral gems." As the mariner assistants cast off the lines, one asked, "You can handle this yourself, m'Lord?"įinally, as Rhombur looked on with curiosity and trepidation, Leto clapped him on the shoulder. An Atreides burgee flew from the stern, snapping in the breeze. GROOVE RING FREE"I feel so alone and so free out here."Īfter all preparations were completed, he and Rhombur boarded the wickerwood coracle. Rhombur soaked up the experience of water and wind and sun, smiling. The Prince of Ix stood at the bow while Leto worked the controls. That choice will cost you and our House dearly." "You're the one who has made a choice here, Paulus. She lashed out at him with such vehemence that Leto took a silent step backward in surprise out in the shadowy hall. If you've never had paradan fresh from the sea, you're in for a taste treat.though the fruit's a bit salty for me." "If you want one, just reach over the side and take it. Looking overboard, Rhombur saw rafts of leathery-leafed seaweed and round gourdlike fruits that held up the plants like air bladders. They are what they are, and I can't hate them for it." Do you think they've ever held the Orange Catholic Bible? It's not their fault. "The children can't help who they are, Paulus - they didn't ask to be born there, raised there, exposed to anything but proper teachings. Don't worry, we won't go far, just to the reefs." The seas are calm, and we have a shore-com aboard. "Jerrik, you know I've been handling these boats for years now. "See those crannies and tiny caves? That's where you'll find the coral gems." "Look at this," he said, letting his friend view the screen. Isolated black ridges of rock barely poked above the waves like the spine of a sleeping leviathan.Īfter the coracle was secured on its anchor cord, Leto pointed a scanner overboard to map out the contours of the reefs below. GROOVE RING PATCHHe handed Rhombur a set of binoculars and indicated a frothy, tumultuous patch on the sea. Leto sailed the coracle for about an hour, consulting satellite maps and charts, making for a knot of outlying reefs. ![]() Unsettled, Leto crept away, his question forgotten, without waiting to see how soon they extinguished the lights. ![]()
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