Even now, Patasia visits Ossy in prison. But their boys were in the market, because today is a Market Day. One of our operatives followed them. Pressed a coin into the eldest’s hand. Hid himself.
“Oh, what is this? Vatti!”
A holo came up, and a privacy screen. “Puret, Donn, Wisper, I love you! I wish I could speak directly, but the man who gave you the coin is your uncle Hashi. I gave him permission to take you all to Ye~ today, but you must not tell Mutti. He wants to emigrate, and since he is my brother, he can take you. I give to him my love, and my permission for him to take you. If you do not want to go, you must tell him. I want you to go willingly.
“Zheien are fair traders and they love children. So does Hashi. You will see Asha Lir there, and Sia is a healer who wants to go with you. She is disguised so you must call her Aunt Siash. Tell me now. This coin will record you.”
Puret hugged his brothers. “I want to go, but will we see you, Vatti? Are you waiting there for us?”
“I want to go where Puret goes. Uncle Hashi will be nice to us! I miss you, Vatti!”
But the little one cried. “Vatti! I want to see you! Puret, don’t leave me!”
Puret lifted him. “I would never leave you, Wisper! Not ever! Do you want to go with Bahie Hashi? I think Vatti shall wait there for us, when he is finished working.”
“Yes! I want to go.”
The privacy screen came down. Hashi took the spinning coin. “Come, boys, we will trade! Look for things to remind you of home and I shall get them.”
Puret trembled. “Mahie will look for us when she finishes—”
He laughed. “She will not find us, even if she stands near us. My sister’s telepathy is not strong. Come. We will trade and then we will get in my ship. Once we reach Ye~, we will ask her to come. I will protect you, and Zheien will not ever let a man or woman hit a child!”
Wisper looked up, blue eyes very wide! “She will not hit me? My face hurts.” He got teary.
Hashi picked him up. Hummed. “Sleep, Bahie. Puret, Donn, breathe. Choose things that he likes, hae?”
They rushed among the tables, because it was near sunssets. Hashi bought many toys, games, things children like. Databases of minerals for Puret. Of flowers, for Donn. Other databases that either boy looked at for long. They made many suggestions for Wisper. Derees watched with smiles as he worked his array.
Citsa glared at him, then grabbed her head! Staggered to her cot, which broke when she sat on it. A sim tried to repair it but it was crooked.
Ryee startled and waved up its prog. How can this be? The code is simple, and correct, but the cot remains crooked?
Citsa laid on it anyway. Pulled the blanket over her head.
Hashi took the boys to his ship. Puret looked scared, despite his excitement to be on a ship. Wisper trembled. Hashi gave him to Sia, who frowned when she checked him. I smiled to see my aunt! She will be safe, and these dear children! Donn also trembled. Hashi waved up permissions.
“You have children with you that are not yours.”
“I am their relation, and take them to my trading. Puret is learning to trade and I am his tutor.” He waved up his record, and Puret’s, which was connected.
The man smiled. “Ah! Happy trading, Hashi! Luck to you.”
“Pah! Trading is skill. Luck is for new traders.”
He laughed. “Puret is a new trader, so I will give all my luck to him. I—”
A simulant grabbed the man’s arm. “Nitrogen is low in this room.”
He looked at a holo that appeared. “Nitrogen is not low. I saw the announcement that we no longer need breathers. Why are you here?”
“You waste precious nitrogen. Come with me. DF must see you.”
He trembled. “I will go. Hashi, you are free to lift.”
I shuddered. But Hashi waved up manual calcs and lifted harshly! Holos flashed, but he ignored them. The boys cried! Then, engines shut.
“Oh, you can cry, laugh, do whatever you feel like! We are free!”
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Puret tried to wipe tears off his face. “We can?”
“You are on my ship! There are no EDs here. None! No monitoring. And just outside, are Zheien, the most emotional species in the Seventh! Here, you may cry. I will not chastise you, as long as no traders can see us. We will not go near the tables until we are steady. Oh, I thought when breathers went away, EDs would also. Look at me, how I shake, and I am a man!”
But when Puret hugged him, Derees picked him up. Oh, my brave son! You are all free now! I will come when I can. You may think as you please, but for trading, you must be brave again. When you need help, ask your Bahie Hashi or a Zheien, for they will hide you with their strong telepathy! Only Elshars will have any bad comments if they see you cry.
Vatti! Puret sobbed.
Will it scare you if I bring a healer to see you? Healers here touch your head, and they sing. It does not hurt.
Like Healer Sia, when you and Mahie were hurt? Uncle Vonn said she would help you and she did. I’m scared, Vatti! When can you come here?
When we make our big discovery. Soon. But you will be safe now. Donn, are you all right?
He cried, too, but Derees kissed his head. I’m all right—I am, sorry, Bahie Hashi! He trembled.
Hashi stroked his light hair. I will not fuss.
Is Wisper sick? He’s still sleeping.
Sia frowned at him. “What did you do? Show me. I bring Pas.”
Pas came and his hands trembled as he looked over Wisper’s points first. “O, he suffered! I wish you ne made him to sleep, Hashi. A healer misses much—”
“If I had not, DF came for him! I was afraid, Pas. I saw DF take several children this morning, and I could do nothing!” He wept. Sia put a hand on his shoulder.
“O, you had dangers, today? Let me see the others, then. This one sleeps, hours on. Sia, wish you to see Puret?”
“At least heal the bruises on his head! He—”
“I dare ne! Children are very fragile, and he is young, ea? He must have awareness for me to see his functions. If I heal him now, I can ne heal him later. Children ne take much energy before there is damage, at times without pains. I could destroy his telepathy before he is old enough to feel it.”
Hashi gasped. “Did I harm him? I often heal bruises on them, but I thought it was like adults!”
Sia shook her head as she laid Wisper down and hugged Puret.
Pas looked worried as he put his hands on Donn. “Let me teach you, later. O, such mind pain! Be calm, my son—”
“DF will come? Did I set off—” He looked around.
“O, it is ne DF. They are ne here. I wish you to calm so I can listen to your mind, to see where you have pains. Upset is harm for a young one.”
He struggled not to cry, but Pas hugged him. “Here is safe. Ne shall harm you, ne dangers, ne EDs or DF. If you have fears, you must tell us, and we help you.”
“Is Vatti here? I’m scared, ‘cause he has to work. Did he finish when the suns set? He’s been gone for so long—oh, I used shortened speech! He will be angry—”
Oh, Donn, I am still at work, but Hashi can bring my mind close. Do not be afraid. I will not be angry, even if you use shortwords. You are seven, and I do not expect you to act like an adult. You are very frightened. What can we do to help you not be scared?
“I—I don’t know, I can’t c-calm down like Pas wants!”
“What do you think will happen if you cannot calm down? No one will hit you.”
“Mutti hit Wisper today. I said she could hit me, but she hit him, and he didn’t move for a little while. She wouldn’t let me near him when he got up, and he fell again! Larisch was like that when she died!”
Derees wept.
Puret gasped and held onto them! “I don’t want to lose Wisper!”
Pas carried both of them to the sleeping compartment, and put Donn on his back. “Hold to me, my son. Let us take Wisper to my chambers. I can carry. Derees, comfort them.” After he made sure he held on, he lifted Wisper.
As Pas walked, Hashi behind him, Sia carried Puret but kept close to Pas. Puret felt as if Derees carried him. They left the ship.
Asha Lir ran to her! He put one arm around Sia and another under Puret’s legs, to help support him.
Children saw the boys crying and they got upset. Healers poured out of the purple building and held them. Sia watched with sad blue eyes.
D’gmiash saw and his light eyes turned black! He ran to them. “Pas, can I help?”
“Puret is the eldest. Take him and follow me, if my chambers ne frighten.”
He laughed and held Puret, who whimpered. “Oh, do I scare you? I am D’gmiash, Poet of Ye~, and I love all children.”
Sia took Donn. Uncle Asha kept his arms around both.
The boy sobbed. “Bahie Hashi said not to let a trader see me—”
D’gmiash hugged him. “Ah, but I am too stupid to trade, so I write poems—”
“Sometimes I feel like I am too stupid to trade, but maybe you are a learner like me. Hashi says trading is hard but it gets easier with practice. Today I made a hundredtrade!”
“A hundredtrade! How old are you?”
“Nine—”
“Pas, you better see him!”
“O, Sia did. He must sleep for pain to leave him. First I need to see young Wisper, in my arms.”
Uncle Asha wiped Puret’s face with a selfcooling cloth. “Do not worry, my young friend. An old Elshar saying is, ‘Traders help one another.’ I will not tell any of my friends that you cried. See these tears on my face? Sia is my wife, and I was exiled for helping trader friends who did not live on Areon. We could not see one another for eleven long years! I have a fine obsidian home here on Ye~, and my bahie will come when he finishes trading. His name is Terry.”
I startled. He and my cousin will be on the square with me tomorrow!