Tom shook all over. I hugged him. “What is it?”

“We must nae speak of this. I thought, when we left Esta Faho and Mican left our world, that we were safe!”

Galarsmen looked dismayed as Fa sat up. His blue eyes were black. “Mican yet sits on the Council Of Par Vu. Even the members of him who moved to Escet Vu with Pan Sana, King Of Par Vu in Parveia, yet fear him. The Alb Council agreed to progs to prevent him from ever coming here, but I worry. He seems to have tech we nae know. Via is concerned, after he spoke with Wasa Mai.”

“Why think you this?” Fa frowned at him.

He rubbed the left side of his face. “I can nae speak it.”

Fa put a hand there. “Can you think it? Dear friend!”

“Nae,” he whispered. “He will hear.”

All of them looked scared, and their healers made all of ‘em lie down! And, they fell asleep.

“Tom! Fa! Are they all right?”

Tom’s healer smiled at me. “O, when they are frightened, we have a prog to bring sleep. They need much. Nae fear so, Yea Becky. If you are nae weary, perhaps you should walk.”

“Walk? But, is Micansen okay?” I looked over at Keris Pon and his wife, and even they slept!

Yelena cried. “This is creepy!”

Pas hugged her. “Maiden, all in Esta Faho worked far too hard. Zheien accumulate stress—”

“Stress! This is paradise! There’s flowers and all these healers, and soft beds, and—” She paused to try to think of something else. “And that horrible man is gone! Everybody else seems to want to get along!” She smoothed the blanket over Nathanhai. Then, his light brown curls.

“Maiden, for a few days more, they must sleep long. Ne fear. We care for them well. Rest is also healing.”

“What if the progs don’t work?”

He waved up another screen over Nathanhai’s head. “See you this? If you fear for your husband, you may think of this, and he appears. See this? And this? If he had severe unwell, these lines would be low.”

“And, also, there are signs you may see. Feel you moisture on his skin?” Pas guided her hand up his arm slightly. He smiled in his sleep.

“No, but he can hide with his telepathy.”

“A husband can rarely hide from his wife, when their minds are linked. Feel you this?” He waved a twin-fingered hand between her face and his head.

She nodded. “Your hand—was like shade.”

“Ea. Perhaps he may hide from me, but ne from you. If you touch him, and he is moist, you feel this.”

I slid my hand down Tom’s arm. No moisture, or yellow sparkles. And, he’s warm. And, smiled a little. But, it worries me, what I’ve seen today. Oparnen’s death won’t end it, if there are others waiting to strike.

But, I can see some of them. I kissed Tom’s forehead. “I’m going for a little walk, Love. I’ll be back soon.” I sat up straight and looked at Yelena. “Wanna come? Bedelia? Elsie?” They all looked sad.

“Yeah! I want to find some more pastries!” Elsie brightened up. I waited for her to kiss her husband, and all of ‘em, then we walked towards the arch.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

I saw another Earthan wife, but there was a blue-skinned healer looking at his legs, and she looked really worried. I didn’t want to disturb them. But, he looked at an arm. “His hands are unwell also! I will bring my wife, but I can begin. My son, let me see this hand. Nae hide. Is unwell to hide so, from a healer! Even in nesfa, he holds tightly to his illusions! I think Galarsmen trained all of these diplomats to do so!” Trained them?

The lady grimaced as his arm changed. His arms were very twisted, and his hands, so tightly rolled that they were one brown bruise! Splits in his fingers bled! How could any healer miss that? They hold hands a lot, all Zheien do, and it couldn’t feel normal!

With a long, weary sigh that rumbled, Math~an gently pried at each finger. They were so swollen, they were round, and had splits in the skin between ‘em, too, that he hummed to heal.

An Elshar healer wept. “What caused this? Did his enemies find him on Elshar Mashai? But I never saw this kind of torture, even from Heden’s victims.”

“This is nae Heden’s work. I saw this, at times, in people of Marenalay. There are certain poisons in the sands of Elshar Mashai, from Tessite mines, that I see in Esta Faho, Rahn Estar, and Kin Para, to a lesser extent because he has less mines than the others.

“The poison that worries me most is asferas, a poison in certain Tessite mines that is corrosive, so these mines use it to process ore. In his refined state, he blows in winds and contaminates bathing sands if used in fountains, and all these colonies used them.

“People thought if nae used during winds, was safe. This is nae true! Air moves, and the constant motion of sands in a fountain, also stirs sands around the fountain. Asferas brings shakings, but also alertness. Memory of shakings is terrible, for there are great pains. But I also see pinates, that impairs memory, and increases shakings.

“This damage is from clinching of muscles in the fingers, so severe that the very skin parts! Repeated injury is great harm, but perhaps, when they used ea fae, they felt what seemed as intoxication, and avoided much. Is unwise for any Zheien to avoid ea fae. You see that even bathing gives little relief, because skin remembers frequent injury.

“Let me heal his arms, then I must look on other areas.” Poor healer looked tired, but other healers tried to help and just looked puzzled. And they were all master healers, from the Tessite symbols!

The other girls waited at the arch. I went on.

“What’s wrong, Becky? You’re pale!”

“You didn’t see that man’s arms?”

They kind of looked puzzled. Maybe I’m not keeping my telepathy where it’s supposed to be!

I led Bedelia away from the door. Lowered my voice. “There are mine poisons that make Zheien’s arms and legs twist. Get your healers to look at your husbands. But tell ‘em not to hide from their healers.”

All of ‘em nodded.

“But, why would they hide from a healer?” Elsie blinked her brown eyes at me and cocked her head. All those beads in her braids rattled. She always looks classy.

“I don’t know. I wish I did! That’s like going to a doctor with a broken arm and saying, ‘I don’t want to wear a cast today. I just won’t say anything!’ Maybe they see it as a sign of weakness.” I sighed.

A diplomat was walking by and came over. Bowed. “Yea Becky. Are you troubled? I am Het Paren, Diplomat Of Rahn Estar, and I came to help.”

“Het Paren, you are a diplomat. Why would you hide from your healer?”

He paled. “If one hides from his healer, perhaps he fears his healer thinks him unfit for his work! Any of us wish to work as long as we can. But Cevit Ion changed our Guides, rules every diplomat must follow. Some Zheien of yellow skin have frequent unwells, and herbs nae work reliably on us. Because of this, some avoid a healer. Or, wish to die in honorable work, but Cevit Ion now releases us to Decision again and wishes nae to die when a healer can save him. If one has two severe injuries to the back of his head, he must leave his work.

“Pirad can give his memories to a clone, and his cloned ba might choose his work and his skills are useful. Do you know of one who hides from his healer?”

I showed him what I saw and heard. He paled!

Lady Becky, if this is from mine poisons, perhaps they fear Nitomahan has nae more diplomats! But other kingdoms can lend diplomats, as my king lent me. Please, encourage him nae to hide.

“Thank you, Het Paren.”

“Do you have other questions?”

I was afraid to ask him anything else! I’ll ask Tom when he wakes up. “No, thanks! Are there any other Earthans here besides us? With husbands from Esta Faho?”

“There is a lady with five young ones and an elderly mother. She worries. Shall I take you to her? She is in Piedmont Park.”