" Alia gestured to one of her aides, called: "Bring Ghanima now."



Jessica forced herself into recognizing these words. Ghanima? Why Ghanima now?



The aide had turned toward the outer door, motioning for it to be unbarred, but before a word could be uttered the door bulged. Hinges popped. The bar snapped and the door, a thick plasteel construction meant to withstand terrible energies, toppled into the room. Guards leaped to avoid it, drawing their weapons.



Jessica and Farad'n's bodyguards closed in around the Corrino Prince.



But the opening revealed only two children: Ghanima on the left, clad in her black betrothal robe, and Leto on the right, the grey slickness of a stillsuit beneath a desert-stained white robe.



Alia stared from the fallen door to the children, found she was trembling uncontrollably.



"The family here to greet us," Leto said. "Grandmother." He nodded to Jessica, shifted his attention to the Corrino Prince. "And this must be Prince Farad'n. Welcome to Arrakis, Prince."



Ghanima's eyes appeared empty. She held her right hand on a ceremonial crysknife at her waist, and she appeared to be trying to escape from Leto's grip on her arm. Leto shook her arm and her whole body shook with it.



"Behold me, family," Leto said. "I am Ari, the Lion of the Atreides. And here -" Again he shook Ghanima's arm with that powerful ease which set her whole body jerking. "- here is Aryeh, the Atreides Lioness. We come to set you onto Secher Nbiw, the Golden Path." "