fh.godemperorofdune-第53部分

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　〃Then　I　will　stay；〃　she　said。　〃We　will　take　such　pleasure　as　we　can　from　being　together。　I　think　it　is　best　that　we　do　this。　If　it　means　we　should　wed；　so　be　it。〃
　〃Then　I　must　share　knowledge　with　you　which　I　have　shared　with　no　other　person；〃　he　said。　〃It　will　give　you　a　power　over　me　which。　。　。〃
　〃Do　not　do　this；　Lord！　What　if　someone　forced　me　to。　。　。'〃
　〃You　will　never　again　leave　my　household。　My　quarters　here；　the　Citadel；　the　safe　places　of　the　Sareer…these　will　be　your　home。〃
　〃As　you　will。〃
　How　gentle　and　open　her　quiet　acceptance；　he　thought。
　The　aching　pulse　within　him　had　to　be　calmed。　In　itself；　it　was　a　danger　to　him　and　to　the　Golden　Path。
　Those　clever　Ixians！
　Malky　had　seen　how　the　all…powerful　were　forced　to　contend　with　a　constant　siren　song…the　will　to　self…delight。
　Constant　awareness　of　the　power　in　your　slightest　whim。
　Hwi　took　his　silence　to　be　uncertainty。　〃Will　we　wed；　Lord？〃
　〃Yes　。'〃
　〃Should　anything　be　done　about　the　Tleilaxu　stories　which。。。〃
　〃Nothing。〃
　She　stared　at　him；　remembering　their　earlier　conversation。
　The　seeds　of　dissolution　were　being　planted。
　〃It　is　my　fear；　Lord；　that　I　will　weaken　you；〃　she　said。
　〃Then　you　must　find　ways　to　strengthen　me。〃
　〃Can　it　strengthen　you　if　we　diminish　belief　in　the　God'　Leto？〃
　He　heard　a　hint　of　Malky　in　her　voice；　that　measured　weighing　which　had　made　him　so　revoltingly　charming。　We　never　pletely　escape　tine　teachers　of　our　childhood。
　〃Your　question　begs　the　answer；〃　he　said。　〃Many　will　continue　to　worship　according　to　my　design。　Others　will　believe　the　lies。〃
　〃Lord。。。would　you　ask　me　to　lie　for　you？〃
　〃Of　course　not。　But　I　will　ask　you　to　remain　silent　when　you　might　wish　to　speak。〃
　〃But　if　they　revile。。　。〃
　〃You　will　not　protest。〃
　Once　more；　tears　flowed　down　her　cheeks。　Leto　longed　to　touch　them；　but　they　were　water。。。painful　water。
　〃It　must　be　done　this　way；〃　he　said。
　〃Will　you　explain　it　to　me；　Lord？〃
　〃When　I　am　gone；　they　must　call　me　Shaitan；　the　Emperor　of　Gehenna。　The　wheel　must　turn　and　turn　and　turn　along　the　Golden　Path。〃
　〃Lord；　could　the　anger　not　be　directed　at　me　alone？　I　would　not。。。〃
　〃No！　The　lxians　made　you　much　more　perfectly　than　they　thought。　I　truly　love　you。　I　cannot　help　it。〃
　〃I　do　not　wish　to　cause　you　pain！〃　The　words　were　wrenched　from　her。
　〃What's　done　is　done。　Do　not　mourn　it。〃
　〃Help　me　to　understand。〃
　〃The　hate　which　will　blossom　after　I　am　gone；　that；　too；　will　fade　into　the　inevitable　past。　A　long　time　will　pass。　Then；　on　a　far…distant　day；　my　journals　will　be　found。〃
　〃Journals？〃　She　was　shaken　by　the　seeming　shift　of　subject。
　〃My　chronicle　of　my　time。　My　arguments；　the　apologia。　Copies　exist　and　scattered　fragments　will　survive；　some　in　distorted　form；　but　the　original　journals　will　wait　and　wait　and　wait。　I　have　hidden　them　well。〃
　〃And　when　they　are　discovered？〃
　〃People　will　learn　that　I　was　something　quite　different　from　what　they　supposed。〃
　Her　voice　came　in　a　trembling　hush。　〃I　already　know　what　they　will　learn。〃
　〃Yes；　my　darling　Hwi；　I　think　you　do。〃
　〃You　are　neither　devil　nor　god；　but　something　never　seen　before　and　never　to　be　seen　again　because　your　presence　removes　the　need。〃
　She　brushed　tears　from　her　cheeks。
　〃Hwi；　do　you　realize　how　dangerous　you　are？〃
　Alarm　showed　in　her　expression；　the　tensing　of　her　arms。
　〃You　have　the　makings　of　a　saint；〃　he　said。　_〃Do　you　understand　how　painful　it　can　be　to　find　a　saint　in　the　wrong　place　and　the　wrong　time？〃
　She　shook　her　head。
　〃People　have　to　be　prepared　for　saints；〃　he　said。　〃Otherwise；　they　simply　bee　followers；　supplicants；　beggars　and　weakened　sycophants　forever　in　the　shadow　of　the　saint。　People　are　destroyed　by　this　because　it　nurtures　only　weakness。〃
　After　a　moment　of　thought；　she　nodded；　then：　〃Will　there　be　saints　when　you　are　gone？〃
　〃That's　the　purpose　of　my　Golden　Path。〃
　〃Moneo's　daughter；　Siona；　will　she。。。〃
　〃For　now　she　is　only　a　rebel。　As　to　sainthood；　we　will　let　her　decide。　Perhaps　she　will　only　do　what　she　was　bred　to　do。〃
　〃What　is　that；　Lord？〃
　〃Stop　calling　me　Lord；〃　he　said。　〃We　will　be　Worm　and　wife。　Call　me　Leto　if　you　wish。　Lord　interferes。〃
　〃Yes；　L。。。Leto。　But　what　is。　。　。〃
　〃Siona　was　bred　to　rule。　There　is　danger　in　such　breeding。　When　you　rule；　you　gain　knowledge　of　power。　This　can　lead　into　impetuous　irresponsibility；　into　painful　excesses　and　that　can　lead　to　the　terrible　destroyer…wild　hedonism。〃
　〃Siona　would。　。　。〃
　〃All　we　know　about　Siona　is　that　she　can　remain　dedicated　to　a　particular　performance；　to　the　pattern　which　fills　her　senses。　She　is　necessarily　an　aristocrat；　but　aristocracy　looks　mostly　to　the　past。　That's　a　failure。　You　don't　see　much　of　any　path　unless　you　are　Janus；　looking　simultaneously　backward　and　forward。〃
　〃Janus？　Oh；　yes；　the　god　with　the　two　opposed　faces。〃　She　wet　her　lips　with　her　tongue。　〃Are　you　Janus；　Leto？〃
　〃I　am　Janus　magnified　a　billion…fold。　And　I　am　also　something　less。　I　have　been；　for　example；　what　my　administrators　admire　most…the　decision…maker　whose　every　decision　can　be　made　to　work。〃
　〃But　if　you　fail　them。　。　。〃
　〃They　will　turn　against　me；　yes。〃
　〃Will　Siona　replace　you　if。　。　。〃
　〃Ahhh；　what　an　enormous　if！　You　observe　that　Siona　threatens　my　person。　However；　she　does　not　threaten　the　Golden　Path。　There　is　also　the　fact　that　my　Fish　Speakers　have　a　certain　attachment　to　the　Duncan。〃
　〃Siona　seems。。。so　young。〃
　〃And　I　am　her　favorite　poseur；　the　sham　who　holds　power　under　false　pretenses；　never　consulting　the　needs　of　his　people。〃
　〃Could　I　not　talk　to　her　and。　。　。〃
　〃No！　You　must　never　try　to　persuade　Siona　of　anything。　Promise　me；　Hwi。〃
　〃If　you　ask　it；　of　course；　but　I。　。　。〃
　〃All　gods　have　this　problem；　Hwi。　In　the　perception　of　deeper　needs；　I　must　often　ignore　immediate　ones。　Not　addressing　immediate　needs　is　an　offense　to　the　young。〃
　〃Could　you　not　reason　with　her　and。　。　。〃
　〃Never　attempt　to　reason　with　people　who　know　they　are　right！〃
　〃But　when　you　know　they　are　wrong。　。　。〃
　〃Do　you　believe　in　me？〃
　〃Yes。〃
　〃And　if　someone　tried　to　convince　you　that　I　am　the　greatest　evil　of　all　time。。。〃
　〃I　would　bee　very　angry。　I　would。　。　。〃　She　broke　off。
　〃Reason　is　valuable；〃　he　said；　〃only　when　it　performs　against　the　wordless　physical　background　of　the　universe。〃
　Her　brows　drew　together　in　thought。　It　fascinated　Leto　to　sense　the　arousal　of　her　awareness。　〃Ahhh。〃　She　breathed　the　word。
　〃No　reasoning　creature　will　ever　again　be　able　to　deny　the　Leto　experience；〃　he　said。　〃I　see　your　understanding　begin。　Beginnings！　They　are　what　life　is　all　about！〃
　She　nodded。
　No　arguments；　he　thought。　When　she　sees　the　tracks；　she　follows　them　to　find　where　they　will　lead。
　〃As　long　as　there　is　life；　every　ending　is　a　beginning；〃　he　said。　〃And　I　would　save　humankind；　even　from　itself。〃
　Again；　she　nodded。　The　tracks　still　led　onward。
　〃This　is　why　no　death　in　the　perpetuation　of　humankind　can　be　a　plete　failure；〃　he　said。　〃This　is　why　a　birth　touches　us　so　deeply。　This　is　why　the　most　tragic　death　is　the　death　of　a　youth。〃
　〃Does　Ix　still　threaten　your　Golden　Path？　I've　always　known　they　conspired　in　something　evil。〃
　They　conspire。　Hwi　does　not　hear　the　inner　message　of　her　own　words。　She　has　no　need　to　hear　it。
　He　stared　at　her；　full　of　the　marvel　that　was　Hwi。　She　possessed　a　form　of　honesty　which　some　would　call　naive；　but　which　Leto　recognized　as　merely　non…self…conscious。　The　honesty　was　not　her　core；　it　was　Hwi　herself。
　〃Then　I　will　arrange　a　performance　in　the　plaza　tomorrow；〃　Leto　said。　〃It　will　be　a　performance　of　the　surviving　Face　Dancers。　Afterward；　our　betrothal　will　be　announced。〃
　
　Let　there　be　no　doubt　that　I　am　the　assemblage　of　our　ancestors；　the　arena　in　which　they　exercise　my　moments。　They　are　my　cells　and　I　am　their　body。　This　is　the　favrashi　of　which　I　speak；　the　soul；　the　collective　unconscious；　the　source　of　archetypes；　the　repository　of　all　trauma　and　joy。　I　am　the　choice　of　their　awakening。　My　samhadi　is　their　samhadi。　Their　experiences　are　mine！　Their　knowledge　distilled　is　mfr　inheritance。　Those　billions　are　my　one。
　…The　Stolen　Journals
　THE　FACE　DANCER　performance　occupied　almost　two　hours　of　the　morning；　and　afterward　came　the　announcement　which　sent　shock　waves　through　the　Festival　City。
　〃It　has　been　centuries　since　he　took　a　bride！〃
　〃More　than　a　thousand　years；　my　dear。〃
　The　trooping　of　the　Fish　Speakers　had　been　brief。　They　cheered　him　loudly；　but　they　were　disturbed。
　〃You　are　my　only　brides；〃　he　had　said。　Was　that　not　the　meaning　of　Siaynoq？
　Leto　thought　the　Face　Dancers　performed　well　despite　their　obvious　terror。　Garments　had　been　found　in　the　depths　of　a　Fremen　museum　hooded　black　robes　with　white　cord　belts；　spread…winged　green　hawks　appliquйd　across　the　shoulders　at　the　back…uniforms　of　Muad'Dib's　itinerant　priests。　The　Face　Dancers　had　put　on　dark；　seamed　faces　with　these　robes　and　performed　a　dance　which　told　how　Muad'Dib's　legions　had　spread　their　religion　through　the　Empire。
　Hwi；　wearing　a　brilliant　silver　dress　with　a　green　jade　necklace；　sat　beside　Leto　on　the　Royal　Cart　throughout　the　ritual。　
　Once；　she　leaned　close　to　his　f