Dune Messiah (pgs. 140-158) Summary

Disguised and affecting a limp, Paul crosses from his Keep to the bustling Qizarate Office building. Guards in 'thopters overhead and dispersed in the crowd keep watch. Paul thinks about how little Chani understands about the bitter choice he is making. Paul dislikes the type of persons attracted to the religious civil service: mostly converts, spice-addicted, detail-oriented, unimaginative, and remote. Bells call pilgrims to Evening Rite at Alia's Fane. The temple and the rituals it hosts are recent but somehow imbued with age and mystery. Feeling free, Paul plunges into the crowd. He studies the pilgrims' faces and envies how intent they are. Approaching the altar, Rasir speaks the codeword that shows he is Paul's guide.

A feminine chorus summons Alia in terms so pious Paul is nauseated. Paul knows her ritual but has never before watched...