iend by laying out before him, in 10155 the details of an assassination plot against him He also advised Shaddam that, rather than trying to take action against the plotters himself, he bring their scheme into the open before the full Court, thus protecting himself by a display of preparedness That such a move would also make public knowledge of the existence of the hunter-seeker, an assassination weapon previously known only to members of House Comno was a detail Fennng had not missed Nor had he overlooked the many indications that pointed back to Elrood IX, Shaddam's father as the original source of the plot The emperor's possible complicity in the plan was not mentioned in Shaddam's ad dress to the Court, and neither he nor Fennng demurred when a minor member of House Comno was executed for plotting against the Me of the Imperial heir It is nonetheless an interesting matter of historical coincidence that Elrood was dead, a victim of chaumurky, within another year The question of the Count s involvement in that chaumurky has never been satisfacton ly solved Rumors abounded lollowmg Shad dam IV's ascent to the Golden Lion Throne, and a few brash souls were daring enough to set them down m writing (albeit anonymously, as with the author of Pirate History of Comno) But not even the most persistent whisperers cared to face Fennng-by this time a proven fighter with a score of successful duels behind him-with anything so crude as a bald accusation What is certain, however is that the Count's fortune was assured from the very beginning of Shaddam s reign To the already consider able sources of income Fennng had inherited with his title the emperor added enough estates, shares in CHOAM, and the like to make his friend as wealthy as many of the heads of Houses Major It was not completely charitable Shaddam expected in return-and received-the loyal service of a man capable of handling delicate matters without unnecessarily involving his master So adept was the Count at smoothing out whdt he referred to as inconveniences (problems with the Landsraad, for example, or with Houses going renegade) that he quickly became best known as the 'Emperor s errand boy To the dismay of some who considered the title an insult, Fennng found it an amusing recognition of his talents The Count was married, in 10173, to Lady Margot, a recent graduate trom the Bene Gessent school on Wallach IX Shortly after this, he was assigned as Impenal Agent to Arrakis, where his chief duties consisted of spying on the Harkonnens and maintaining the flow of melange, the geriatric spice, to Shaddam IV s stockpile Such work left Fennng with much time on his hands a large portion of which was spent with his lady She trained him in many of the Bene Gessent ways of observation control and philosophy and, when he FENRING HASIMIR 214 FENRING HASIMIR was prepared to accept it, she revealed that her assigned duty to the Sisterhood was that of a breeder, preser