Contents
Chapter 7
Overview
Ixian Inquisitors interview Hwi Noree, testing her views on Leto II. Hwi argues Leto’s transformation served a larger, protective purpose, citing Uncle Malky’s insights. She portrays Leto as artful and wary of destructive novelty. Satisfied, the Inquisitors confirm Hwi as Ambassador to Leto’s court.
Summary
The chapter opens with a Stolen Journals epigraph asserting Leto II’s singular conscience rooted in ancestral memory. This frames a formal inquiry on Ix, where Inquisitors convene to assess Hwi Noree, candidate for Ambassador to Leto’s court.
Pressed to explain Leto’s motives, Hwi rejects shallow claims of power and longevity. She proposes Leto already possessed prescience and chose the worm transformation to prevent a future catastrophe only he foresaw. When challenged, she cites Uncle Malky’s reports: Leto is supremely artful, civilized yet capable of brutality, intolerant of pretension, and appreciative of human diversity while wary of its destructive edges.
Hwi emphasizes that Leto executed historians for lying about the past and should be feared only when he feigns innocence. She presents Malky’s belief that Leto seeks originality but guards against its risks. Her measured defense reframes the tyrant as a deliberate guardian rather than a mere despot. Convinced, the Inquisitors confirm Hwi Noree as Ambassador to the Court of Lord Leto.
Who Appears
- Hwi NoreeIxian ambassadorial candidate; argues Leto’s transformation was protective, cites Malky, and wins confirmation.
- Ixian InquisitorsExaminers who probe Hwi’s views on Leto; authorize her as Ambassador after the interview.
- Uncle MalkyHwi’s uncle; his assessments of Leto guide Hwi’s testimony and influence the Inquisitors.
- Leto II AtreidesSubject of debate; portrayed as self-sacrificing, artful ruler guarding humanity’s future.