SON OF DUNE

Chapter 34: Destiny



Deep in the North of Arrakis, Paul crash-landed with his mother in tow. The Ornithopter made a huge sound as it came crashing down. Paul, using the controls, found control, and he maneuvered it into rocky terrain so as not to crash into the dune and bring a maker to them.

The bird's tail was in smoke; the harsh sands in the storm had eaten at it. They couldn't use shields because the pellets were like bullets to the shield, which would cause an atomic explosion.

"We have water; our still suits are in good condition. Mother comes; we need to go." Paul did not know how, but he felt he had known these dunes and had been here before. At first, he thought it to be prescience, but no, this was more—something more interesting yet mysterious.

Jessica trailed behind her son. She was about to walk in the normal sense; however, Paul stopped her. They were going down a slope, a rocky terrain. They would have to walk as the Fremen do when they hit the sand, glide on the sand, and hop. Left, left, right, left, right. This was the way. "Do as I do," he commanded. Jessica was surprised by her son's way of speaking.

She wanted to Mourn her husband, her Leto, and her son; she remembered the day she lost him, her boy. And now she had feared the same. When they touched the sand, she followed behind Paul. On her back was a container of water.

She could not think of that at the moment; they needed the Fremen's help, their coverage; she would use the voice if she had to. The protective missionary was for such occasions. When a Bene Gesserit was in a troublesome situation, they used the paths left behind.

They walked for a long time, miles on their heads, and behind them, they heard an explosion. The Ornithopter exploded, bringing them to a halt. Looking back, throwing their glasses, they saw the flames in the dust-covered winds. And from the right came a Maker bigger than the ones by Arrakeen.

It swallowed the whole hill and the bird in one go, fire and all. "Your brother said they were bigger in the South. But this makes me question how big they can get," Jessica said. Paul did not respond; his mouth was shut and moist. Speaking makes waist of your water. He was thinking like a Fremen.

 Her Ankles ached In pain, but she persisted; they walked further, and she had no idea where she was going. She trusted Paul; there was a confidence in him, one that said I know the way and that he did. In the Dunes, he walked and saw an old Fremen woman wearing her Stillsuit. She grabbed at the sand and held it like a babe. He looked at her for a long while, walking. She never left his sight. The woman could be seen as an old woman; however, she spoke of danger. Her eyes are blue within blue and wrinkled.

She stretched out her hand, pointing to where Paul needed to go. "She pointed further north. And it was at that moment he heard a woman's hmm. The sun was now going down, the bats were going to come out pretty soon, the creatures of Arrakis were coming out, and the hawks overlooked them in the sky. Waiting for them to drop dead.

When he looked back to where the woman was, she was gone. He felt as if he knew her. "Mother." The word came to him like a memory. Jessica responded. "What is it, Paul?"

His mother thought he was calling her, "We need to go that way, further north; we will reach a basin along this way; I am sure we will find help." Jessica knew that Time was precious; she did not question Paul. She followed. She could not lie to herself; she was afraid, 'what would happen when we get them? How would the Fremen React? Would they kill us and take our water? Or would they leave us for the desert? No, they would drain us of the water."

"I get your worries, Mother, but I think, no, I know they won't touch us. Some will see this as a way to get a favor from the red sietch." And Paul was right in saying that many Naibs would pounce at the chance to gain the favor of the red Sietch; news had spread in Arrakis of the death of Blood worm, but many of the Fremen and Fedykin did not believe it; they knew bloodworm, and this was something bigger.

Eighty miles from the city of Arrakeen.

In the middle of the desert, an ornithopter flew In the air, a Harkonnen ship, inside was a beaten and bruised Leit Kynes, the Planeteoligist was given no stillsuit, all he wore was a robe, inside of it he was naked as a babe. The ornithopter landed on the ground, and they threw Leit out.

"The emperor would have your head for this," Leit said, threatening the three men who looked at him from a vantage point higher than his, making his eyes pained from the sunlight. "The emperor would never know," they said, and they took off.

The sand burned his feet, making them blister and cook. So much pain traveled up and down his legs that it took twenty minutes for him to fall to the ground. He tried to stand up again, but his muscles did not allow it. His lips blistered, and his skin became hot like a fever. He thought of his beautiful Chani, his daughter and wife. And finally, his father, the man who taught him all he knew.

In his last moments, he came to him like a phantom. Collapsing on the ground, He looked left, and he saw feet. "You were always a troublemaker, ah Liet, always so rebellious." That voice—his father's voice—he knew it. " You're not real; you're a construct of my mind, trying to will me to stand up, but I can't; I am too weak," Kynes said.

" I am your father, Leit, not this construct you speak off, hey you remember when I used to chase you in the sietch? Always laughing, nothing to worry about." His father said. Leit tried to look the man In the eyes, but the sun beamed down on them, making him look away. "Poor Leit, this was not supposed to be the end, but you have made your choice." His father mocked him. Anger surged in Leit. Willing him to crawl the hot sand. Groaning as he did so, he heard the Hawks, three of them flying above him, waiting to taste flesh.

"You died, left me and mother alone, you're not here, you're not real." As he said that, he stood up and walked a few paces forward. He collapsed again; he tried to stand up but could not, so he turned to his back. "Chani, I am sorry to leave you alone in this world. I should have been there when you were born; perhaps I could have shown a father's love." As he was about to close his eyes for the last time. A shadow came to him. A man in a red Stillsuit, with the hawk of the Atreides in black. It adorned his chest proudly.

"And you still can, old friend." The man said. Leit opened his eyes and looked carefully at the man's mask, big red eyes around him. There were others who wore the same, except their mask goggles were blue. "We thought you were dead." Liet's voice came out horse, his throat dying of thirst. "Death can have me when it has earned me," Damon said.

"What now, king of Arrakis?" Leit asked, with a smile on his face. "Now we kill every Harkonnen and every Sardukar. Now we become the leaders of our own destiny."

 


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.