In this chapter, Duncan Idaho is escorted deep beneath the plaza of Onn through a labyrinthine series of tunnels by a contingent of Fish Speakers, leading up to a massive subterranean gathering known as Siaynoq. Prior to this event, Idaho reflects on a night spent sharing quarters in Goygoa with Siona, where she warned him not to touch her and a tense, watchful atmosphere prevailed. Brought before the God Emperor Leto, Idaho grapples with deep resentment and confusion regarding his role as Commander of the Guard, his forced isolation in Goygoa, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his predecessor's death. Leto dismisses his concerns with enigmatic explanations about human behavior, political power, and the nature of danger, eventually commanding Idaho to lead the procession into the immense underground hall where thousands of Fish Speakers and their chosen representatives await.
Entering the vast hall, Idaho is overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the assembly and the profound, almost terrifying adulation the women display toward Leto. The God Emperor addresses his followers as his brides and the keepers of the faith, engaging in a powerful liturgical call-and-response that fills Idaho with a mixture of dread, awe, and a strong temptation to harness their immense collective power. During the ritual, a change of the Guard takes place involving women who bring forth small children, cementing an unbroken generational line of submission and devotion. Leto and Idaho distribute spice-laced wafers to the multitude, and Leto exhibits the sacred crysknife of Paul-Muad-Dib, reinforcing his divine status among the enraptured worshippers.
Throughout the ceremony, Idaho reflects on Leto's previous assertions concerning female-dominated armies, social structures, and the redirection of human aggressive drives. Leto argues that women unite across class boundaries to domesticate and tame male violence, a process he uses to shape human civilization and guide it out of adolescence through the overarching loyalty of his female forces. Pressured by the sheer intensity of the crowd and recognizing that any dissent would mean instant death at the hands of the fanatic worshippers, Idaho publicly declares his loyalty. As the ritual concludes, the massed women part to create a path for Idaho and Leto, reaching out to touch them with a restrained, passionate reverence that leaves Idaho shaken by the deepest fear and realization of the God Emperor's absolute control.