fh.godemperorofdune-第64部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rms　of　Dune；　the　Sareer　saw　nothing　stronger　than　a　stiff　breeze　and　occasional　heat　vortices　which　had　no　more　than　local　effect。
　One　of　these　tiny　〃wind　devils〃　danced　across　the　middle　distance　to　the　south。　Siona's　gaze　followed　its　track。　She　spoke　abruptly：　〃Do　you　have　a　personal　religion？〃
　Leto　took　a　moment　posing　his　reply。　It　always　astonished　him　how　a　desert　provoked　thoughts　of　religion。
　〃You　dare　ask　me　if　I　have　a　personal　religion？〃　he　demanded。
　Betraying　no　surface　sign　of　the　fears　he　knew　she　felt；　Siona　turned　and　stared　down　at　him。　Audacity　was　always　an　Atreides　hallmark；　he　reminded　himself。
　When　she　didn't　answer；　he　said：　〃You　are　an　Atreides　for　sure。〃
　〃Is　that　your　answer？〃　she　asked。
　〃What　is　it　you　really　want　to　know；　Siona？〃
　〃What　you　believe！〃
　〃Ho！　You　ask　after　my　faith。　Well；　now…I　believe　that　something　cannot　emerge　from　nothing　without　divine　intervention。〃
　His　answer　puzzled　her。　〃How　is　that　an。　。　。〃
　〃Natura　non　facit　saltus；〃　he　said。
　She　shook　her　head；　not　understanding　the　ancient　allusion　which　had　sprung　to　his　lips。　Leto　translated：
　〃Nature　makes　no　leaps。〃
　〃What　language　was　that？〃　she　asked。
　〃A　language　no　longer　spoken　anywhere　else　in　my　universe。〃
　〃Why　did　you　use　it　then？〃
　〃To　prod　your　ancient　memories。〃
　〃I　don't　have　any！　I　just　need　to　know　why　you　brought　me　here。〃
　〃To　give　you　a　taste　of　your　past。　e　down　here　and　climb　onto　my　back。〃
　She　hesitated　at　first；　then　seeing　the　futility　of　defiance；　slid　down　the　dune　and　clambered　onto　his　back。
　Leto　waited　until　she　was　kneeling　atop　him。　It　was　not　the　same　as　the　old　times　he　knew。　She　had　no　Maker　hooks　and　could　not　stand　on　his　back。　He　lifted　his　front　segments　slightly　off　the　surface。
　〃Why　am　I　doing　this？〃　she　asked。　Her　tone　said　she　felt　silly　up　there。
　〃I　want　you　to　taste　the　way　our　people　once　moved　proudly　across　this　land；　high　atop　the　back　of　a　giant　sandworm。〃
　He　began　to　glide　along　the　dune　just　below　the　crest。　Siona　had　seen　holos。　She　knew　this　experience　intellectually；　but　the　pulse　of　reality　had　a　different　beat　and　he　knew　she　would　resonate　to　it。
　Ahhh；　Siona；　he　thought；　you　do　not　even　begin　to　suspect　how　I　will　test　you。
　Leto　steeled　himself　then。　I　must　have　no　pity。　If　she　dies；　she　dies。　If　any　of　them　dies；　that　is　a　required　event；　no　more。
　And　he　had　to　remind　himself　that　this　applied　even　to　Hwi　Noree。　It　was　just　that　all　of　them　could　not　die。
　He　sensed　it　when　Siona　began　to　enjoy　the　sensation　of　riding　on　his　back。　He　felt　a　faint　shift　in　her　weight　as　she　eased　back　onto　her　legs　to　lift　her　head。
　He　drove　outward　then　along　a　curving　barracan；　joining　Siona　in　enjoyment　of　the　old　sensations。　Leto　could　just　glimpse　the　remnant　hills　at　the　horizon　ahead　of　him。　They　were　like　a　seed　from　the　past　waiting　there；　a　reminder　of　the　self…sustaining　and　expanding　force　which　operated　in　a　desert。　He　could　forget　for　a　moment　that　on　this　planet　where　only　a　small　fraction　of　the　surface　remained　desert；　the　Sareer's　dynamism　existed　in　a　precarious　environment。
　The　illusion　of　the　past　was　here；　though。　He　felt　it　as　he　moved。　Fantasy；　of　course；　he　told　himself；　a　vanishing　fantasy　as　long　as　his　enforced　tranquility　continued。　Even　the　sweeping　barracan　which　he　traversed　now　was　not　as　great　as　the　ones　of　the　past。　None　of　the　dunes　were　that　great。
　This　whole　maintained　desert　struck　him　suddenly　as　ridiculous。　He　almost　stopped　on　a　pebbled　surface　between　the　dunes；　continuing　but　more　slowly　as　he　tried　to　conjure　up　the　necessities　which　kept　the　whole　system　working。　He　imagined　the　planet's　rotation　setting　up　great　air　currents　which　shifted　cold　and　heated　air　to　new　regions　in　enormous　volume…everything　monitored　and　ruled　by　those　tiny　satellites　with　their　Ixian　instruments　and　heat…focusing　dishes。　If　the　high　monitors　saw　anything；　they　saw　the　Sareer　partly　as　a　〃relief　desert〃　with　both　physical　and　cold…air　walls　girdling　it。　This　tended　to　create　ice　at　the　edges　and　required　even　more　climatic　adjustments。
　It　was　not　easy　and　Leto　forgave　the　occasional　mistakes　for　that　reason。
　As　he　moved　once　more　out　onto　dunes；　he　lost　that　sense　of　delicate　balance；　put　aside　memories　of　the　pebbly　wastelands　outside　the　central　sands；　and　gave　himself　up　to　enjoyment　of　his　〃petrified　ocean〃　with　its　frozen　and　apparently　immovable　waves。　He　turned　southward；　parallel　to　the　remnant　hills。
　He　knew　that　most　people　were　offended　by　his　infatuation　with　desert。　They　were　uneasy　and　turned　away。　Siona；　however；　could　not　turn　away。　Everywhere　she　looked；　the　desert　demanded　recognition。　She　rode　silently　on　his　back；　but　he　knew　her　eyes　were　full。　And　the　old…old　memories　were　beginning　to　churn。
　He　came　within　three　hours　to　a　region　of　cylindrical　whaleback　dunes；　some　of　them　more　than　one　hundred　and　fifty　kilometers　long　at　an　angle　to　the　prevailing　wind。　Beyond　them　lay　a　rocky　corridor　between　dunes　and　into　a　region　of　star　dunes　almost　four　hundred　meters　high。　Finally；　they　entered　the　braided　dunes　of　the　central　erg　where　the　general　high　pressure　and　electrically　charged　air　gave　his　spirits　a　lift。　He　knew　the　same　magic　would　be　working　on　Siona。
　〃Here　is　where　the　songs　of　the　Long　Trek　originated；〃　he　said。　〃They　are　perfectly　preserved　in　the　Oral　History。〃
　She　did　not　answer；　but　he　knew　she　heard。
　Leto　slowed　his　pace　and　began　to　speak　to　Siona；　telling　her　about　their　Fremen　past。　He　sensed　the　quickening　of　her　interest。　She　even　asked　questions　occasionally；　but　he　could　also　feel　her　fears　building。　Even　the　base　of　his　Little　Citadel　was　no　longer　visible　here。　She　could　recognize　nothing　manmade。　And　she　would　think　he　engaged　now　in　small　talk；　unimportant　things　to　put　off　something　portentous。
　〃Equality　between　our　men　and　women　originated　here；〃　he　said。
　〃Your　Fish　Speakers　deny　that　men　and　women　are　equal；〃　she　said。
　Her　voice；　full　of　questioning　disbelief；　was　a　better　locator　than　the　sensation　of　her　crouched　on　his　back。　Leto　stopped　at　the　intersection　of　two　braided　dunes　and　let　the　venting　of　his　heat…generated　oxygen　subside。
　〃Things　are　not　the　same　today；〃　he　said。　〃But　men　and　women　do　have　different　evolutionary　demands　upon　them。　With　the　Fremen；　though；　there　was　an　interdependence。　That　fostered　equality　out　here　where　questions　of　survival　can　bee　immediate。〃
　〃Why　did　you　bring　me　here？〃　she　demanded。
　〃Look　behind　us；〃　he　said。
　He　felt　her　turn。　Presently；　she　said：　〃What　am　I　supposed　to　see？〃
　〃Have　we　left　any　tracks？　Can　you　tell　where　we've　been？〃
　〃There's　a　little　wind　now。〃
　〃It　has　covered　our　tracks？〃
　〃I　guess　so。。。yes。〃
　〃This　desert　made　us　what　we　were　and　are；〃　he　said。　〃It's　the　real　museum　of　all　our　traditions。　Not　one　of　those　traditions　has　really　been　lost。〃
　Leto　saw　a　small　sandstorm；　a　ghibli；　moving　across　the　southern　horizon。　He　noted　the　narrow　ribbons　of　dust　and　sand　moving　out　ahead　of　it。　Surely；　Siona　had　seen　it。
　〃Why　won't　you　tell　me　why　you　brought　me　here？〃　she　asked。　Fear　was　obvious　in　her　voice。
　〃But　I　have　told　you。〃
　〃You　have　not！〃
　〃How　far　have　we　e；　Siona？〃
　She　thought　about　this。　〃Thirty　kilometers？　Twenty？〃
　〃Farther；〃　he　said。　〃I　can　move　very　fast　in　my　own　land。　Didn't　you　feel　the　wind　on　your　face？〃
　〃Yes。〃　Sullen。　〃So　why　ask　me　how　far？〃
　〃e　down　and　stand　where　I　can　see　you。〃
　。。Why？〃
　Good；　he　thought。　She　believes　I　will　abandon　her　here　and　speed　off　faster　than　she　can　follow。
　〃e　down　and　I'll　explain；〃　he　said。
　She　slid　off　his　back　and　came　around　to　where　she　could　look　into　his　face。
　〃Time　passes　swiftly　when　your　senses　are　full；〃　he　said。
　〃We　have　been　out　almost　four　hours。　We　have　e　about　sixty　kilometers。〃
　〃Why　is　that　important？〃
　〃Moneo　put　dried　food　in　the　pouch　of　your　robe；〃　he　said。　〃Eat　a　little　and　I　will　tell　you。〃
　She　found　a　dried　cube　of　protomor　in　the　pouch　and　chewed　on　it　while　she　watched　him。　It　was　the　authentic　old　Fremen　food　even　to　the　slight　addition　of　melange。
　〃You　have　felt　your　past；〃　he　said。　〃Now；　you　must　be　sensitized　to　your　future；　to　the　Golden　Path。〃
　She　swallowed。　〃I　don't　believe　in　your　Golden　Path。〃
　〃If　you　are　to　live；　you　will　believe　in　it。〃
　〃Is　that　your　test？　Have　faith　in　the　Great　God　Leto　or　die？〃
　〃You　need　no　faith　in　me　whatsoever。　I　want　you　to　have　faith　in　yourself。〃
　〃Then　why　is　it　important　how　far　we've　e？〃
　〃So　you'll　understand　how　far　you　still　have　to　go。〃
　She　put　a　hand　to　her　cheek。　〃I　don't。　。　。〃
　〃Right　where　you　stand；〃　he　said；　〃you　are　in　the　unmistakable　midst　of　Infinity。　Look　around　you　at　the　meaning　of　Infinity。〃
　She　glanced　left　and　right　at　the　unbroken　desert。
　〃We　are　going　to　walk　out　of　my　desert　together；〃　he　said。　〃Just　the　two　of　us。〃
　〃You　don't　walk；〃　she　sneered。
　〃A　figure　of　speech。　But　you　will　walk。　I　assure　you　of　that。〃
　She　looked　in　the　direction　they　had　e。　〃So　that's　why　you　asked　me　about　tracks。〃
　〃Even　if　there　were　tracks；　you　could　not　go　back。　There　is　nothing　at　my　Little　Citadel　that　you　could　get　to　and　use　for　survival。〃
　〃No