Navigators of Dune

22

Lankiveil was cold and cloudy, its air laced with frigid mist. After Abulurd Harkonnen’s exile here, Vorian had come to admire the Harkonnens for their fortitude in this windswept, backwater place. Recently, they had even begun to thrive.

Vor had not asked to become their enemy, but Abulurd’s descendants had painted him into that role. He and Willem were taking a grave risk by coming here, but Tula had slain Orry, and if she was on Lankiveil, they would hunt her down — for justice, and to keep the rest of his family safe.

Arriving in the main town in the sheltered fjord, both men wore warm clothing of the local style so they would not look out of place. As the pair tromped along a wooden boardwalk into the heart of the village, however, the effort to look unobtrusive was in vain; the locals spotted outsiders at first glance.

Vor could tell that Willem was growing angrier by the moment, staring at the townspeople as if he considered all of them to be murderers. He placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder to steady him, but he could feel the thrumming tension inside him. “Careful,” he said.

“Careful, yes,” Willem said, “but I won’t forget.”

The wooden buildings were weather-beaten, their metal roofs corroded. Not long ago Vor had stayed here for a month in disguise, after Griffin’s tragic death on Arrakis. Vor had considered the young Harkonnen man a friend, and had wanted to see how the family was faring. Under an assumed name, Vor had worked alongside Vergyl Harkonnen on a whale-fur boat. He had performed grueling chores without complaint, and afterward, knowing the family’s dire financial situation, he paid off Harkonnen debts anonymously. In his mind, Vor had done a good thing, and had felt better for it.

Then Tula had seduced and murdered Willem’s brother.

As the two bearded men continued through town, the large, weathered Harkonnen house was prominent along the shore of the fjord, at the far end of the docks and the cluster of shops and inns. Willem stared ahead as if he had seen the lair of a beast. “Is that it? Is that where Tula lives?”

Vor looked at the shingled house with its pointed, sloping gables in the distinctive architecture of Lankiveil. He knew there would be a cozy fire inside; Sonia Harkonnen and her servants would fill the house with the smells of cooking and baking. If Vergyl wasn’t out on his whaling boat, he would be in his study attending to the family accounts. “That’s where her family lives,” Vor said. “We don’t know whether or not Tula’s there herself.”

“Then we need to find out. Before she can get away.”

Vor looked up to see the sky darkening with an oncoming aurora storm; beyond the fjord cliffs, he could see flashes of color. He knew the weather would rapidly get worse. “Later. We’d better find shelter for now.”

On the fjord, the Harkonnen great house loomed tall. Several lights burned in the windows in the afternoon gloom as the aurora storm worsened.

Willem’s expression darkened. “We’ve been spotted in town already, and someone might ask questions. We can’t wait. We’ll have to go to the Harkonnen house and see if Tula is there, before she can bolt.”

Vor took his arm and led him toward an inn only two blocks away from the house. “If she’s there now, she will stay inside during the storm — as we should be doing.” They walked up the creaking wooden steps of the inn’s entrance. “We’ve come all this way. Wait until the weather clears, ask more questions, find out exactly where we stand … and find out if Tula’s here at all.” He opened the inn’s door, stepped inside.

Willem seemed reluctant. “But think about it — if we take our vengeance sooner, the storm will give us cover to help us get away. If they resist, we may have to kill the rest of her family, and good riddance!”

“No,” Vor said. “Only the guilty ones — only Tula, unless we find proof that more of them took part.” The sky crackled overhead, and the wind picked up. He wasn’t sure how many additional Harkonnens, if any, were involved. Tula had the most obvious blood on her hands.

The innkeeper came into the foyer, rubbing his hands, as Vor entered. The man had a forced grin, but looked harried. “One room left, if you want to keep warm and safe from the storm. The staff and I are sealing the windows and preparing the generators, so we should be fine.”

Vor nodded. “Yes, my nephew and I would like a room. Probably just for one night.”

The innkeeper’s face showed sudden alarm, and he shouted past Vor. “You don’t want to go out there! And close the door!”

Vor spun to find the door wide open and the wind blowing into the foyer. Willem had ducked back out of the inn and set off up the street. With an angry sigh, Vor headed after him, calling Willem’s name, but his voice was lost in the increasing wind and commotion. Though it was only afternoon, the sky had turned dark, and more lights had come on in the houses and shops.

Willem had rushed ahead, determined, running up the reinforced stairs to the front porch of the Harkonnen great house. He pounded on the door, shouting, as Vor finally caught up to him.

The door, emblazoned with the familiar Harkonnen griffin crest, swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman in a fur-lined housecoat. She looked surprised to see Willem, his hair windblown and his face flushed. “What are you doing out there? You shouldn’t be—” Then Sonia Harkonnen recognized Vor, and called him by the false name he had given during his last visit. “Jeron! Come in out of the weather.” She gestured them inside. “Who is your young friend?”

Willem stalked into the parlor, and Vor followed, grabbing his arm. “Wait!”

Willem looked around, glared at the older woman. “We’re here for Tula.”

“Tula isn’t here.” Sonia appeared confused. Her eyes widened as she seemed to notice the young man’s dark expression. “She left for Chusuk days ago. I’m afraid you missed her. But come in, come in!” She called down the hall as she took them into the parlor. “Vergyl! Jeron has come back!”

Feeling trapped, Vor tried to intercept the young man who was coiled for violence. “This is Willem. He’s my nephew.”

“Willem Atreides!” The young man threw it out like a challenge just as Vergyl Harkonnen emerged from the study.

The older man had a welcoming smile that changed as soon as he heard Willem’s outburst. “Atreides?” Vergyl looked from the flushed young man to Vor. “Jeron, what is he talking about?”

Sonia’s expression visibly altered: revulsion and fear covered by shock. “He is an Atreides? And he’s your nephew, truly?”

Vor paused, his thoughts racing, and then he reached a conclusion. He added in a strong voice, “Yes. My real name isn’t Jeron Egan. It’s Vorian Atreides.”

Vergyl Harkonnen stumbled, resting a hand against the wall for support. He looked stricken. “Vorian Atreides—the man who murdered our poor Griffin!”

Now that Vor had his chance, he tried to explain. “I didn’t kill your son. I tried to protect him. We were actually friends.”

Sonia gave Vor a fierce scowl. “Why did you come here? Why did you use a false name? To spy on us?”

“At first I came to check on you, to make sure you were surviving. I saw to it that Griffin’s body was returned home for a proper burial. I wish I could have saved him from the violent people who were after me. I have done everything possible to atone.”

Vergyl snorted. “Atone?”

Impatient and angry, Willem pulled himself free of Vor’s grip. “Your daughter Tula married my brother on Caladan. She seduced him, tricked him — and then murdered him on their wedding night. She is a killer, and she escaped justice.”

Sonia and Vergyl were both shaking visibly. “Tula on Caladan? Married? And you accuse her of murder? What in the nine hells are you talking about? Our sweet daughter would never harm anyone!”

Willem reached inside his pocket and grabbed printed images, which he scattered on the floor in front of Vergyl and Sonia. Beautiful wedding portraits showing Tula and Orry, the happy couple. And gory images showing how young Orry lay slaughtered in his bed. “She told my brother she loved him, then she slashed his throat as he lay sleeping.”

“You’re lying!” Sonia cried.

“She was acting so strange…,” Vergyl said in a small, lost voice.

“Tula has to pay the blood price,” Willem said. “The Harkonnens have to pay.” He reached for the long Caladan knife he kept at his waist.

Vor seized his arm. “Not these people. They did not kill Orry.”

As Sonia and Vergyl stared in shock and horror at the images, trying to deny what they saw, Vor took the knife away from Willem and dragged him back to the door. “We need to leave now.”

“No!” Willem struggled, but he was no match for Vor. “Someone has to pay for Orry!”

Vor leaned close and hissed in the young man’s ear. “We know where she is now! Chusuk. These people are not responsible for her crimes.”

Old Vergyl picked up one of the horrific images, staring at it. “No, no, no!”

As Vor pushed Willem out the door into the rising storm, behind them in the Harkonnen house another young man emerged, drawn by the shouts. Danvis — a pale teenager who looked alarmed and unsteady. “What’s happening?”

Willem struggled, but Vor was firm, pushing him out into the streets and fury of the weather. “Not here. This isn’t our target!”

Vor felt the crushing shadows all around him, and he needed to leave. He and Willem had just shattered the lives of these good people — and if Tula was long gone, it would do no good for them to stay any longer.

“We have to get off this planet — and make our way to Chusuk.”

Outside, the aurora storm had arrived in full force, reflecting colorful shimmers that dropped along with the clouds in the sky. The clatter and hiss of hail struck the roofs and the paved street, while signs were torn away by the wind. Yet Vor felt that the storm itself was preferable to staying inside with the devastated Harkonnens.