Pokrewne

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Chelsea Handler Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (epub
Brit Brinson [Dia of the Dead Dia of the Dead (epub)
Cody Goodfellow [Radiant Dawn Radiant Dawn (epub)
Cate Tiernan [Immortal Belove Immortal Beloved (epub)
C J Busby [Deep Amber 01] Deep Amber (retail) (epub)
Carl Ashmore [Time Hunters 01 The Time Hunters (epub)
Drew Hayes [Super Powereds 02 Super Powereds Year 2 (epub) i
Beth Harbison [Shoe Addict 02 Secrets of a Shoe Addict (epub)
Cara Lynn Shultz [Dark World The Dark World (retail) (epub)
beniowski dalsze piesni 4

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.Even though she served Leto the choicest part of the fillet, he did not lift his fork.He continued to watch the main doorway.Waiting.Finally, responding to the sound of plodding footsteps and humming motors, Leto rose to his feet, his face filled with concern and anticipation.Moving quickly on feather-light feet, the plain-featured Bene Gesserit Tessia entered the banquet hall.She scanned the room, noted the chairs, the stone floor where the carpet had been removed, and gave an approving nod.“He’s progressing admirably, my Duke, but we must be patient.”“He is patient enough for all of us,” Leto said, and his expression began to show the pale sunrise of hope.With a calculated precision involving twitches of electrofluid muscle, the flexing of shigawire thread and microfiber nerves, Prince Rhombur Vernius lurched into the banquet hall.His scarred face, a blend of artificial and natural skin, reflected his intense concentration.Glistening pearls of perspiration stood out on his waxy forehead.He wore a short, loose robe; on the lapel glimmered a purple-and-copper helix, proud symbol of the fallen House Vernius.Tessia hurried toward him, but Rhombur raised a finger of polished metal and polymers, signaling her to let him continue on his own.The skyclipper explosion had blasted his body to a broken lump of flesh, burning away his limbs and half of his face, destroying most of his organs.Yet he had been kept alive, a fading ember of a once-bright flame.What remained now was little more than a passenger on a mechanical vehicle shaped like a man.“I’m going as fast as I can, Leto.”“There is no hurry.” The Duke’s heart went out to his brave friend.The two of them had fished together, played games, caroused, and planned strategies for decades.“I’d be loath to have you fall and break anything— such as the table, I mean.”“Most funny, indeed.”Leto remembered how badly the vile Tleilaxu had wanted genetic samples from the Atreides and Vernius bloodlines, trying to blackmail the Duke in his hour of greatest grief.They had made an anguished Leto a diabolical offer, that in exchange for the mangled but still-living body of his best friend Rhombur, they would grow a ghola— a clone from dead cells— of the boy Victor.Their hatred of House Atreides ran deep— and deeper still for House Vernius, whom they had overthrown on Ix.The Tleilaxu had wanted access to complete Atreides and Vernius DNA.With the bodies of Victor and Rhombur, they would be able to create any number of gholas, clones, assassins, duplicates.But Leto had turned down their offer.Instead, he had engaged the services of the Suk doctor Wellington Yueh, an expert in the replacement of organic limbs.“Thank you for holding this dinner in my honor, all of you.” Rhombur looked at the serving platters and dishes arrayed on the table.“I’m sorry if the food has gotten cold.”Leto brought his hands together in a firm round of applause.Smiling warmly, Duncan and Jessica joined in.With her sharp observational skills, Jessica noticed a sheen of captive tears deep within the Duke’s gaze.The sallow-faced Dr.Yueh moved beside his patient, tracking readings, studying a dataplate in his hand that received impulses from Rhombur’s cybernetic systems.The slender doctor pursed his purplish lips into an intent flower-bud shape.“Excellent.You are functioning as designed, although a few components still need fine-tuning.” He circled Rhombur, moving like a ferret as the cyborg Prince took slow, self-conscious steps.Tessia pulled out a chair for Rhombur.His synthetic legs were powerful and sturdy, but without grace.His hands looked like armored gloves; his arms hung like circuit-patterned oars at his sides.Rhombur smiled at the big fish the cook had just served.“That smells wonderful.” He turned his head, a slow rotational movement, as if on ball bearings.“Do you think I might eat some of it, Dr.Yueh?”The Suk doctor stroked his long mustaches.“Just taste it.Your digestive system needs more work.”Rhombur swiveled his head toward Leto.“It appears I’m going to consume more power cells than desserts for a while.” He lowered himself into his chair, and the others finally resumed their seats.Leto raised his wineglass, trying to think of a toast.Then his face acquired an anguished expression, and he simply took a sip.“I am so sorry this has happened to you, Rhombur.These… mechanical replacements… were the best I could do.”Rhombur’s scarred face lit up in a combination of gratitude and annoyance.“Vermilion hells, Leto, stop apologizing! Trying to find all the facets of blame would consume House Atreides for years, and we’d all go mad.” He lifted a mechanical arm, rotated the hand at the wrist joint, and stared down at it.“This isn’t so bad.In fact, it’s marvelous.Dr.Yueh’s a genius, you know.You should keep him around as long as you can.” The Suk doctor fidgeted in an effort to keep from glowing at the compliment.“Remember that I come from Ix, so I appreciate the marvels of technology,” Rhombur said.“Now I’m a living example of it.If any person is better suited to adapt to this new situation, I’d like to meet him.”For years, the exiled Prince Rhombur had been biding his time, sending minimal support to the resistance movement on his devastated homeworld, including explosive wafers and military supplies provided by Duke Leto.In recent months, as Rhombur grew stronger physically, he also grew stronger mentally.Though he was only a fraction of a man, every day he spoke of the need to recapture Ix, to the point where Duke Leto and even his concubine Tessia sometimes had to tell him to calm down.Finally, Leto had agreed to risk sending the reconnaissance team of Gurney and Thufir, clutching at a goal of his own, a new determination to accomplish something good in the face of all the tragedies he had survived.It was not a matter of if they could mount an attack; it was a matter of when and how.Tessia spoke without shifting her gaze.“Don’t underestimate Rhombur’s strength.You of all people know how one must adapt in order to survive.”Jessica couldn’t help but notice the adoring look on the concubine’s face.Tessia and Rhombur had spent years together on Caladan, during which time she had encouraged him to support the freedom fighters on Ix, so that he might regain his royal position.Tessia had stood by him through the worst times, even after the explosion.Upon returning to consciousness, Rhombur had said, “I am surprised you stayed.”“As long as you need me, I will remain.”Tessia was a whirlwind working on his behalf, supervising the modification of his Castle apartments and preparing devices to assist him.Much of Tessia’s time was devoted to making him stronger.“Once Prince Rhombur is feeling better,” she had announced, “he will lead the Ixian people to victory.”Jessica didn’t know if the brown-haired woman followed her heart, or fulfilled an unknown set of instructions secretly given to her by the Sisterhood [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]