The horizon of Arrakis suddenly fractured. A massive, rhythmic thumping began to vibrate through the floor of the 'thopter—not a mechanical hum, but a deep, seismic pulse that made the very air feel heavy.
"Shai-Hulud," Gurney Halleck whispered, his hand tightening on the ship's rail.
A mile away, the desert floor erupted. A Great Sandworm, a mountain of silver-grey chitin and bristling crystalline teeth, breached the surface. It was a god of the sands, four hundred meters of primal fury, and it was locked onto the vibrations of the spice-crawler and the working crew below.
Anastasia didn't scream. She didn't shrink back in terror. Instead, she pressed her petite face against the glass, her eyes wide with a radiant, "naive" wonder.
"Oh! He's magnificent!" she gasped, her Influence shimmering through the cabin. "Look at the way he moves, Paul! He's like a giant, golden silk-worm. Does he have a name? I want to touch his scales... they look like they've seen the beginning of the world."
The Descent of the Hawk"Stay in the 'thopter, Anastasia!" Duke Leto roared, his voice leaving no room for argument. "That is not a pet; it is a force of nature."
The spice-crawler was failing. The crew below were scrambling, their sand-boots slipping on the shifting dunes as the Great Maker bore down on them.
"Gurney, take the controls!" Paul commanded, his eyes cold and focused. "Father, we have to get them to the carry-all before the worm hits the crawler."
Paul looked back at his sister. His yandere-like obsession flared; he hated leaving her even for a second, but the lives of his men were at stake. He gripped her small shoulders, his voice dropping into a dark, protective growl. "Do not leave this seat. Jia, if she moves an inch toward that door, I will have your head."
Jia stepped forward, her hand already resting on Anastasia's arm with a possessive, iron grip. "She stays, My Lord. I will be her cage until you return."
The Rescue in the DustThe 'thopter dropped like a stone, hovering just meters above the burning sand. Leto and Paul leaped from the bay, their capes snapping in the wind.
Below, it was chaos. The Duke was a whirlwind of command, hoisting exhausted miners into the rescue slings, while Paul used his newfound desert-senses to guide the stragglers away from the "drum-sand" that was drawing the worm closer.
From the safety of the cabin, Anastasia watched them. She wasn't afraid for her father or brother—she believed they were invincible. Her heart was with the "Great Monster."
"He's just hungry, isn't he, Jia?" Anastasia whispered, her "naive" kindness reaching out toward the beast. "He thinks the big machine is a toy. I wish I could tell him to wait until the people are gone. Maybe if I gave him some of my water, he would be my friend?"
Lila and Mina huddled behind her, trembling at the sight of the worm's mouth—a cavern of needles—but even they felt the calming Influence of the Princess. "If anyone could tame the Maker, it would be the Goddess," Mina breathed.
The Final LeapOn the sand, the last of the crew was pulled into the 'thopter just as the spice-crawler groaned, the metal screeching as the worm's massive bulk collided with it. Leto and Paul scrambled back up the ramp, drenched in sweat and spice-dust.
As the 'thopter roared back into the sky, the Great Sandworm crested one last time, a titanic arc against the white sun.
Anastasia blew a kiss toward the disappearing beast. "Goodbye, Big One! I'll come back for you! I promise I'll bring you a treat!"
Paul slumped into the seat beside her, his chest heaving. He took her petite hand in his, his fingers stained with the orange dust of Arrakis. "You want to pet a world-killer, 'Stasia?"
"He's not a killer, Paul," she said, leaning her head against his shoulder with a soft, trusting smile. "He's just lonely because everyone runs away. I won't run away."
Paul looked at his father, then at the murderous, jealous gaze of Jia. He realized then that Anastasia's innocence was the most dangerous thing on the planet. She didn't fear the monsters; she wanted to love them. And on Arrakis, that meant the monsters would eventually come for her.