"It was an accident!" Jamis roared. "There was witch-force at Tuono Basin and I'll prove it now!"
" . . . and I've bested him myself," Stilgar continued. "He seeks by this tahaddi challenge to get back at me as well. There's too much of violence in Jamis for him ever to make a good leader--too much ghafla, the distraction. He gives his mouth to the rules and his heart to the sarfa, the turning away. No, he could never make a good leader. I've preserved him this long because he's useful in a fight as such, but when he gets this carving anger on him he's dangerous to his own society."
"Stilgar-r-r-r!" Jamis rumbled.
And Jessica saw what Stilgar was doing, trying to enrage Jamis, to take the challenge away from Paul.
Stilgar faced Jamis, and again Jessica heard the soothing in the rumbling voice. "Jamis, he's but a boy. He's--"
"You named him a man," Jamis said. "His mother says he's been through the gom jabbar. He's full-fleshed and with a surfeit of water. The ones who carried their pack say there's literjons of water in it. Literjons! And us sipping our catch-pockets the instant they show dewsparkle."
Stilgar glanced at Jessica. "Is this true? Is there water in your pack?"
"Yes."
"Literjons of it?"
"Two literjons."
"What was intended with this wealth?"
Wealth? she thought. She shook her head, feeling the coldness in his voice.
"Where I was born, water fell from the sky and ran over the land in wide rivers," she said. "There were oceans of it so broad you could not see the other shore. I've not been trained to your water discipline. I never before had to think of it this way."
A sighing gasp arose from the people around them: "Water fell from the sky .
. . it ran over the land."
"Did you know there're those among us who've lost from their catch-pockets by accident and will be in sore trouble before we reach Tabr this night?"
"How could I know?" Jessica shook her head. "If they're in need, give them water from our pack."
"Is that what you intended with this wealth?"
"I intended it to save life," she said.
"Then we accept your blessing, Sayyadina."
"You'll not buy us off with water," Jamis growled. "Nor will you anger me against yourself, Stilgar. I see you trying to make me call you out before I've proved my words,"
Stilgar faced Jamis. "Are you determined to press this fight against a child, Jamis?" His voice was low, venomous.
"She must be championed."
"Even though she has my countenance?"
"I invoke the amtal rule," Jamis said. "It's my right."
Stilgar nodded. "Then, if the boy does not carve you down, you'll answer to my knife afterward. And this time I'll not hold back the blade as I've done before."
"You cannot do this thing," Jessica said. "Paul's just--"
"You must not interfere, Sayyadina," Stilgar said. "Oh, I know you can take me and, therefore, can take anyone among us, but you cannot best us all united.
This must be; it is the amtal rule."
Jessica fell silent, staring at him in the green light of the glowglobes, seeing the demoniacal stiffness that had taken over his expression. She shifted her attention to Jamis, saw the brooding look to his brows and thought: I should've seen that before. He broods. He's the silent kind, one who works himself up inside. I should've been prepared.
"If you harm my son," she said, "You'll have me to meet. I call you out now.
I'll carve you into a joint of--"
"Mother." Paul stepped forward, touched her sleeve. "Perhaps if I explain to Jamis how--"
"Explain!" Jamis sneered.
Paul fell silent, staring at the man. He felt no fear of him. Jamis appeared clumsy in his movements and he had fallen so easily in their night encounter on the sand. But Paul still felt the nexus-boiling of this cave, still remembered the prescient visions of himself dead under a knife. There had been so few avenues of escape for him in that vision . . .
Stilgar said: "Sayyadina, you must step back now where--"
"Stop calling her Sayyadina!" Jamis said. "That's yet to be proved. So she knows the prayer! What's that? Every child among us knows it."
He has talked enough, Jessica thought. I've the key to him. I could immobilize him with a word. She hesitated. But I cannot stop them all.
"You will answer to me then," Jessica said, and she pitched her voice in a twisting tone with a little whine in it and a catch at the end.
Jamis stared at her, fright visible on his face.
