Chapter 4

Moneo descends to the crypt, accepting his duties after another Duncan Idaho’s death. He approaches Leto II, who lies grieving and contemplating Siona’s fierce energies and purpose within the Golden Path. Leto notes Moneo’s composed presence and acknowledges the Duncan’s Ixian lasgun and a minor injury.

Leto directs Moneo to disable the lasgun and keep it to present to the Ixian ambassador, reward the Guild informant with spice, alert priestesses on Giedi Prime to a hidden melange cache, and use part of it to pay the Tleilaxu for a new ghola while storing the rest in the crypt. Moneo agrees to dispose of the body.

Turning to Siona, Leto and Moneo discuss her potential and danger. Leto hints at her uniqueness, while Moneo admits he has an agent within her rebellion—implied to be Topri. Leto recalls Moneo’s own rebellious past and signals he welcomes surprises, even as Siona embodies the contrast to his fear of boredom.

Prompted by Moneo, Leto ranges through ancestral memories and condemns the repetitive cycles of rulers and the “pharaonic disease.” He declares government a shared myth and criticizes the Army and its worship of technology, warning that machines disperse destructive power to ever smaller groups. Moneo notes talk of a new jihad, and Leto reflects that jihads leave armies and suspect machines in their wake.

Concluding the audience, Leto announces he will return to his tower to mourn the Duncan. Moneo reports that a new Duncan ghola is already on the way, underscoring the cycle’s continuation.