Dune: The Duke of Caladan

by Brian Herbert

  Shaddam leaned closer, watched a replay of the sandworm images. “And how do I know this poor woman is not just a sacrificial lamb? Someone given up so that we would stop searching for the real culprit?” He rubbed his fingertips on the bridge of his nose. “Oh! Is she pregnant?”

  “Yes, Sire. She is the wife of Esmar Tuek, an influential smuggler leader, and she is indeed pregnant.” He drew a deep breath, making certain he could present the information in the most convincing manner possible. He was glad the Truthsayer Mohiam had not joined them. “Tuek gave up his own wife in order to prove his compliance with our instructions. And the child.” Fenring didn’t add any other details. “She is not a mere throwaway sacrifice to distract us, Sire. Tuek is obviously sincere in his contrition, and I require this man for my own work on Arrakis, hmmm? The fact that he was willing to make such a painful decision, to relinquish someone so dear to him, proves it is not a sham.”

  When Shaddam’s penetrating gaze continued, Fenring added, “I, ahhhhhh, witnessed the execution myself. Tuek was profoundly shaken by it. From now on, he will be firmly under our thumb.”

  Fenring still did not know the real connection between spice smugglers on Arrakis and a possible secondary group of pirates and other black markets. Given time, perhaps Grix Dardik would figure it out … once Fenring got back to Arrakis and without the Emperor so frantic for an answer.

  Shaddam watched in silence for a long moment, viewing alternately the sandworm attack and the Sardaukar assault on Duke Verdun’s city. His face brightened with good cheer. “We shall have breakfast together tomorrow, Hasimir, to discuss this further. Bring your lovely wife.”

  “I will join you as well.” Empress Aricatha entered the office, glided up to Shaddam’s side, and turned to look at the horrific images. The Emperor did not stop her, and together, they watched the loops again. Aricatha seemed disturbed at first, but her eyes glittered with fascination.

  The Emperor rose. “Count Fenring and Colonel Bashar Kolona, you have both done superb work. I expected no less.”

  Both men bowed slightly, in unison. Then, looking at the Sardaukar officer, the Emperor frowned. “You do not seem pleased, Colonel Bashar.”

  Kolona remained rigid for a moment, then confessed, “To be perfectly honest, I … questioned certain aspects of the mission, Sire. But I completed the objective, as ordered.”

  Shaddam stared at him long and hard, as if searching for some sign of disloyalty, some measure of opposition to his orders.

  For his own sake, Kolona added, “I understand it was necessary. May I be dismissed, Sire?”

  “Yes, Colonel Bashar. Take a day of furlough.” He seemed happy and magnanimous.

  Fenring promised himself he would reward Margot later for getting the damned Truthsayer out of the way.

  Shaddam said, “We will continue to investigate this Noble Commonwealth conspiracy. Soon, I expect to have more work for you and all your troops. There will be even more Landsraad seats to fill after I have cleaned house.”

  There are casualties beyond number on the battlefields of the human heart.

  —The Songs of Gurney Halleck

  Before leaving for Kaitain, focused on his ambitious new purpose, Duke Leto Atreides met with his most important advisers. He’d already had his servants pack a variety of fine clothing for his trip to the Imperial capital: jeweled belts, formal capes, tunics, trousers, and boots, all in green and black, all bearing the Atreides hawk crest.

  His purpose now was different from when he had gone to Otorio. His primary focus was to draw attention to himself in the Landsraad, like the other nobles always did, and finally claim the political power that was his right. By necessity, he would show himself as a different Leto from this day forward, although his heart and honor would remain the same.

  Did anyone in the Imperial Court care whether the people of Caladan loved their Duke? No. Would he earn any respect among the backstabbing nobles because his subjects called him Leto the Just? Highly unlikely. They saw only wealth and holdings.

  No, he had to do more. To be more.

  Though it did not fit with his nature, Leto intended to play politics by their rules. The first responsibility of a noble is to the Landsraad and to the Imperium. His entire perspective had changed. He recognized how many opportunities he had ignored, and now he would make up for it. Paul and future Atreides generations would benefit.

  He had not spoken a word to Jessica since their last conversation, when she announced she had been summoned to Wallach IX, implicitly confirming that she was more loyal to the Bene Gesserit than to him. She had left a black scar on his heart, and in defense, he had built a wall around his emotions. He didn’t know if she would actually go. If so, did she intend to arrange her own transit to the Guild Heighliner when it arrived? She would not be aboard the Atreides frigate.

  Years ago, he had developed a hardened heart as a protective measure, first as a defense against Kailea’s coldness when she turned against him, and then as the only way to endure the grief of Victor’s death. Now he was as much stone as the gigantic colossus of his father that stood as the lighthouse at the edge of Caladan Harbor.

  Hawat, Idaho, and Halleck met him in the dining hall rather than his private study. Cutting an impressive figure in a merh-silk cape and an embroidered vest over a flowing green shirt, Leto stood beneath the painting of the Old Duke, looking equally resplendent. Paul, silent, formal, and obviously uneasy, took a seat beside his father.

  The three retainers stood at attention on the other side of the dining table, as if they knew this was not a casual conversation among friends. Thus far, Leto had provided no explanations of his intent, but they were aware of the serious undercurrent in the castle for the past week. They all knew the Duke was departing for Kaitain, and they waited to receive their orders for the time when he was away.

  “I charge you three with a most important mission. While I am at the Imperial Court, you must not—” His voice cracked. He had meant to be firm and unwavering, but suddenly, emotions clawed at his throat. “You must not let anything happen to my son. Promise me that.” He glanced at Paul.

  The loyal Atreides men overlapped their voices and reassurances. Gurney Halleck said it best. “You should not even need to ask that, my Lord!”

  Paul looked up at his father. “I am your presumed heir, sir, and while I remain here on Caladan, I will represent House Atreides with honor and diligence. You can count on me to do that.”

  “Yes, Paul—yes, I can. I’ll depart knowing my world is in good hands.” He squeezed the young man’s shoulder. “You know that I am doing this to make a better future for you and our family holdings.”

  “I know you are, but…” Paul looked away, his body tense. “Why is my mother not going with you?”

  Leto felt ice surround his heart like a kind of body shield. “Your mother has made her choices.”

  He had spent the past several nights in his own chamber. For the most part, Jessica had left him alone, giving him space to reflect, but they both knew the distance between them was widening by the moment. With both of them departing, there would be no way to resolve the matter quickly, and the emotional wound would only fester.

  Yet maybe, given time …

  The night before, Jessica had encountered him in a corridor of Castle Caladan—not by accident, he was sure. She looked at him, her clear green eyes revealing love and an unexpected hint of desperation. “Leto, please, I … This could be the last time I see you! There’s something you don’t know.”

  She had kept far too many secrets from him already, though. He had continued walking past. Jessica had gone back to her own rooms, where he assumed she packed for her separate departure.

  Now Leto turned to Paul and said in a cold voice, “Your mother is leaving us, too.”

  * * *

  THE SISTERHOOD HAD placed Lady Jessica in an untenable situation, posing a conundrum for which none of the outcomes were acceptable. She had been assigned to Caladan since s
he was a young woman, fresh-faced, bright-eyed, glad to be offered to a handsome and ultimately kind man like Leto.

  But the Sisterhood was in her core. It was not merely a choice on her part. She could defy them, yes, but the Bene Gesserit had ways of ensuring compliance that Leto could never guess. She knew what they could do, how vindictive they could be.

  If she did not go to Wallach IX, they would disgrace and ruin Leto, out of spite. For a man with such a solid code of honor, destroying his good name and reputation would be far more painful than killing him.

  She had to go.

  Jessica packed, stuffing her garments resolutely into a travel case. She had made arrangements to ride in a common passenger shuttle in plain attire. She would make her own way back to the Mother School, a place that resounded with her earliest childhood memories. She’d been born and raised there, living in a crèche with other parentless girls, none of whom knew their heritage.

  If you defy us, we will destroy not only you but Leto and everyone around him.

  Jessica felt caged, unable to escape the Sisterhood. She had been born into the order and would die a member of it.

  * * *

  THE HULL OF the Atreides frigate had been painted in dazzling colors. Leto had arranged for cheering crowds, waving green-and-black banners in a grand send-off. It was like part of a new costume he had to wear. Even Archvicar Torono made his appearance.

  Leto did not smile as he marched across the armor-paved surface of the Cala City Spaceport with a much larger entourage than he had ever taken with him before. Much more than his smiling pilot Arko and the wide-eyed retinue he had taken with him to Otorio.…

  As they all marched aboard the frigate, he put those thoughts behind him. Leto sealed himself into his private stateroom without a word. He could not wait to be on his way.

  For appearances, he could have brought his Mentat along as a mark of status, but Leto had left Hawat behind to protect Paul and to monitor Caladan security, and to continue his investigations into any remnants of the ailar distribution network. That was what mattered most to Leto.

  His decision was made, although he took no joy in it. The Duke would go to the Imperial Court and go through whatever formalities were necessary to raise the status of House Atreides.

  Unseen in space high overhead, an enormous Heighliner orbited Caladan. And around him, the bustling labor of loading and unloading cargo vessels, dump boxes, and passenger craft continued as the Atreides frigate made final preparations for takeoff.

  Looking out the plaz window of his vessel across the spaceport, Leto saw a passenger shuttle ready to depart. His eyes stung when he realized it was likely Jessica’s. He had not even said goodbye. Once the ships were inside the cargo hold of the Heighliner, he would remain in the Atreides frigate, and she would stay in the shuttle cabin with other passengers bound for various routing points. Eventually, she would make her way to the Mother School on Wallach IX.

  A universe would soon separate him from her.

  One of his chosen household retainers arrived at the door of his stateroom. The young man was dressed in a formal Atreides uniform, as Leto had instructed all of his staff to wear. The man looked as awkward in his finery as Leto felt in his new role.

  “Excuse me, m’Lord. This message was just transmitted from the Heighliner. It is designated high priority.”

  Leto accepted the document sealed in its privacy sheath. Though preoccupied, he remembered to thank the retainer, who seemed embarrassed by his Duke’s graciousness. Leto waited for him to depart, closed the door, and slid the opaque covering into place over the windowport before considering the message.

  The document was marked with the sigil of the Bene Gesserit order, which immediately put him on his guard. The message was abrupt and unambiguous.

  “Duke Leto Atreides, the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood hereby rescinds its assignment of Jessica as concubine of House Atreides, and recalls her permanently to Wallach IX. Should you desire another concubine, submit a formal request, and arrangements can be made.”

  The emptiness already inside him swelled a thousandfold. He set the message aside, slumped onto the bed in his stateroom, and withdrew into his own sheltered world. Before long, he felt the suspensor engines power up as the Atreides frigate lifted off.

  Leto closed his eyes. Out there, Jessica was flying as well.

  The Duke and his former concubine left their safe, beloved Caladan and went their separate ways, leaving more than memories behind.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  We are grateful to the following people for contributing to the complex route of getting this novel into print: John Silbersack and Robert Gottlieb, our literary agents; Tom Doherty and Christopher Morgan at Tor Books; Jan Herbert and Rebecca Moesta, our wives who provide comprehensive guidance; Diane Jones for test reading and providing comments; Kim Herbert and Byron Merritt at Herbert Properties LLC, who are dedicated to maintaining the Frank Herbert legacy. And, of course, it’s important to acknowledge Frank Herbert and his wife, Beverly Herbert, whose contributions as far back as the 1950s led, ultimately, to this new novel in the magnificent Dune series.

  THE DUNE SERIES

  BY FRANK HERBERT

  Dune

  Dune Messiah

  Children of Dune

  God Emperor of Dune

  Heretics of Dune

  Chapterhouse: Dune

  BY FRANK HERBERT, BRIAN HERBERT, AND KEVIN J. ANDERSON

  The Road to Dune (includes the original short novel Spice Planet)

  BY BRIAN HERBERT AND KEVIN J. ANDERSON

  Dune: House Atreides

  Dune: House Harkonnen

  Dune: House Corrino

  Dune: The Butlerian Jihad

  Dune: The Machine Crusade

  Dune: The Battle of Corrin

  Hunters of Dune

  Sandworms of Dune

  Paul of Dune

  The Winds of Dune

  Sisterhood of Dune

  Mentats of Dune

  Navigators of Dune

  Tales of Dune

  BY BRIAN HERBERT

  Dreamer of Dune

  (biography of Frank Herbert)

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  BRIAN HERBERT (right), the son of Frank Herbert, is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers. In 2003, he published Dreamer of Dune, a moving biography of his father that was nominated for the Hugo Award. His other novels include Man of Two Worlds (written with Frank Herbert); Sudanna, Sudanna; and The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma. You can sign up for email updates here.

  KEVIN J. ANDERSON (left) has written dozens of national bestsellers and has been nominated for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Readers’ Choice Award. His critically acclaimed original novels include the ambitious space opera series The Saga of Seven Suns, including The Dark Between the Stars, as well as the Terra Incognita fantasy epic with its two accompanying rock CDs. He also set the Guinness-certified world record for the largest single-author book signing. You can sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Begin Reading

  Acknowledgments

  The Dune Series

  About the Authors

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.

  DUNE: THE DUKE OF CALADAN

  Copyrig
ht © 2020 by Herbert Properties LLC

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art by Matt Griffin

  A Tor Book

  Published by Tom Doherty Associates

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  Tor® is a registered trademark of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-1-250-76474-4 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-250-76475-1 (ebook)

  eISBN 9781250764751

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  First Edition: 2020