The Godmakers (Frank Herbert) читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги

Chapter Twenty-Three

Which is the better: a good friend, a good heart, a good eye, a good neighbor, a good wife, or the understanding of consequences? It is none of these. A warm and sensitive soul which knows the worth of fellowship and the price of the individual dignity—this is best.

—BAKRISH as a student to his guru

“Why did you choose Bakrish to guide him in the ordeal?” Macrithy asked the Abbod.

They stood in the Abbod’s study, Macrithy having returned to report that Orne had passed the first test. A smell of sulfur dominated the room and it seemed oppressively hot to Macrithy, although the fire had died in the fireplace.

The Abbod bowed his head over the standing easel, spoke without turning and without observing that Macrithy had coveted this honor for himself.

“I chose Bakrish because of something he said when he was my student,” the Abbod murmured. “There are times, you know, when even a god needs a friend.”

“What’s that smell in here?” Macrithy asked. “Have you been burning something odd in the fireplace, Reverend Abbod?”

“I have tested my own soul in hellfire,” the Abbod said, knowing that his tone betrayed his dissatisfaction with Macrithy. To soften this, he added: “Pray for me, my dear friend. Pray for me.”