“My son, I want to help.” I mentally waved for a bowl of ea fae and got a handful. Held it to his face. This poor man had a scrape where someone slapped him. Slowly, I held the foam—it’s blue? I guess we’re doing tnshey, I hope it doesn’t sting--
“Master, I work.” He moved his legs apart. I’d seen that.
One at a time, I propped his legs back up. “My son, I don’t do that. You lie in healing.” As I did, I spread tnshey on his legs, only from the knee down, if they had knees. “This is as far as I go.” I put my hands firmly at knee level.
Felt him shaking and looked at his face. He wept. “Master, thank you!”
His feet were a mess. Orange powder flaked off as I put tnshey. Former slaves always have foot injuries. I worked on them until they stopped bleeding and rolled up, then waved socks on ‘em to hold them that way. If they move, there’s a bone between the toes that can break, if they don’t hold their toes right.
“O, warm! Thank you, Master!”
I put a blanket on him and he hugged it. Giggled. Zheien respond to any kindness, enthusiastically.
But, I should be talking more. “You are safe with us, my son. No one will hurt you. I have two rules that all should follow.” Rest and see a healer. “When we land, we can contact family—”
“Jos, before I die! O, Father Of All, please bring my bae! I do anything!” His sobs wheezed.
Keiley ran out of our room with Elanapah on his heels trying to pick him up! “Fa!”
“O, dream, nae end!”
Keiley gently draped himself across the leiwege and grabbed two handfuls of black hair. “Fa, I am here. My prayers are answered!” He froze, then traced scars on Fa’s head. Sobbed.
I pushed the bowl of tnshey against Keiley’s leg. Shoved some out over his feet, in case he bruised ‘em. In one smooth motion, he got some and used his arm to scrape it all over Fa’s head. “Is pain terrible, Fa?”
“Jos, pain is nae in your touch. I love you, Jos.”
“I love you, Fa.” My poor husband sobbed.
“I love both of you.” I cried and got more tnshey to rub on his arm. He had bruises and scrapes all over.
Elanapah looked at his points. “My son, rest. I am Elanapah, a h—”
“Elanapah? You were small when I left! Where is Napah?”
“Nae this fear! He is in our home.”
“Nae in his chambers?”
“O, is late in our home. I think he probably sleeps now, and Bae Pahanasan is watching over unwell there. There are many now to help them. Do you know? King Challet gathered us, all of us, to a new world! There is Elshar Zheiea, and we have a city for Esta Faho. We are 400—”
He got upset! “Only 400?! We were a thousand! What happened? Tell me, quickly!”
She got a stricken expression. “I—nae know. Eae, my tutor taught us, a thousand, but—” I grabbed her arm. She’s Ishah, and they are orange, but she went white! I rubbed some tnshey on her light brown curls and she laid on Keiley and his fa. So, I pulled a Molly.
“Fa, we have all sorts of beautiful flowers. Did you know Keiley married me? I am your new sae, Bedelia.”
He stopped crying and pulled me against them all. “Jos, you married? O, happiness! You were very lonely. You married—an Elshar lady? Are you an artisan?”
I laughed. “Nae, Fa, I am a new member of King Nitomahan’s Council. I am from a world called Earth. I hope she joins the Alliance Monday. Uh, in 5 days.”
“Earth? I nae know of it. I—” Slowly, he looked at sleeping Keiley and also sleeping Elanapah in his arms, then to me. Trembled. “Should I work?”
I went over Molly’s rules again, then smoothed more tnshey over his face. “You should sleep, my son. Hold Jos and Elanapah, and sleep. All of you must rest. We go home.”
“Home?” A whimper. Slowly, his hands grabbed handfuls of Keiley’s hair, and he went limp. My husband’s hair is pretty short, so it kept slipping out of his fingers. And he grabbed handfuls of it again, with a frown.
By now, every person had someone, so I just kept putting more tnshey on him. He didn’t warm up, so I added a blanket draped over his head, too.
All the yellow Zheien had handfuls of hair of someone near them. Why? Zheien hair is very sensitive, because unlike our hair and nails, it’s alive. If I accidentally pulled Keiley’s hair, he startled awake and I apologized. But none of these Zheien startled unless hair wasn’t in their fingers.
There were plenty of MarKuans near us and Yeff, they’re orange, or Eans, who are green, or Escet Vuans, they’re blue. Only the yellow Zheien grabbed each other’s hair while sleeping. Keiley did that, too. He always held handfuls of my hair in both his hands when asleep. So that’s not just Keiley, but all of ‘em? Keiley had handfuls of Fa’s black hair in his fingers, too. Elanapah had her tri-fingered hands in both of theirs’.
Cevit Ion and his wife went from one to another of the slaves. Just the yellow ones, or the ones with yellow ones. Another couple went to Eans. That’s 8th Galaxy Minister Butres Nu. Another yellow-skinned one and a red-skinned Zheien split the rest. Goes went to MarKuans. Several other orange-skinned Zheien kept a few in their group. Yeff. There were a lot of Elshars, but not many with our group. The vast majority of this group were yellow-skinned.
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I saw a lot of slaver ships bring slaves to Molly in Rainbow. Most of every ship were MarKuans and other orange-skinned Zheien. Most of this ship were yellow.
Most every Esta Fahoan had relatives among them, and most every yellow Zheien, period, had one with them. So glad! In Rainbow, there was a yellow building, and less than a hundred lived in it. Some wouldn’t go near it because everyone was sick there, and Zheien got sick if they spent time there. But you saw Zheien of every color but yellow, mostly. Elshars attacked the colony on Elshar Mashai and only a third got to a ship. More yellow Zheien on this ship with me, than there were in all of Rainbow! And now, with these former slaves on board, there are about double what there were. We outnumbered all the MarKuans. Wow.
This ship is a cargo ship and about the size of Molly’s Ship that made daily runs to Earth. Usually there were about 1500 people on it every day. So this is about as many as I saw on Molly’s the day I went to Alb Seer. So, maybe 750 former slaves joined us?
Before they came, it was about half Earthans. So that would be 375 Earthans, this first day that Earth knows there are aliens. Did all of them see their futures and found husbands?
Not all. That poor lady, Stacy, and her 5 kids, she’s by herself in that room with parents and little kids. I should go talk to her. But, I can’t leave Keiley. If his fa dies, he will, too.
I got busy with the tnshey again, and felt guilty that I stopped.
They startled awake, and I froze with my hand on Fa’s leg. “Bae?”
“Fa. Be calm. We go home, Fa.”
Then, he looked at me. Black eyes poured yellow tear-powder. “I should work. Master.”
I held the bowl. “Here is the work. Put this on Keiley.”
He trembled and looked at him. “Keiley?”
“O, Fa, I am your Jos, but Bedelia calls me Keiley. Is her shortname for me, Fa.”
“Should I call you so?” He looked at me.
“You should call him Jos, because he is your bae, and you love him. I do, too.” I smiled.
“Eae. Jos. My bae.” Hesitantly, he got some tnshey and put it on Keiley’s face. “O, you have mind pain again. Dear bae.”
I looked for a healer, but all of ‘em were busy, with worried faces. So I waved up three bowls of chocolate ice cream with caramel. “Fa, this food is good for mind pain. Keiley likes it. Want some?”
He looked from me to Keiley. “It is ice cream. I like it, Fa. Will you eat of it? I had well sleep, after.”
“I can nae sleep. I must work.” He put more tnshey on Keiley’s arm. “Soon, we must go to the mine.” Fa sobbed.
“Nae to the mine, Fa. We go home. Nae fear.” Keiley took the bowl from me and offered Fa a bite.
He looked at it, then to me, and finally, to Keiley. Sighed, and it rumbled on me. “More intoxication. How shall I bear it?”
“Fa, is nae intoxication. You need restful sleep. This is healing I offer you, nae intoxication. Nesfa is unpleasant, but is healing. O, I should see you first. Eat of one bite. If you nae wish more, I shall nae give. Eae?”
Again, those black marble eyes looked at me, then at Keiley. He nodded and ate it. His eyes went dark blue! “O, it tastes well.” He looked around.
“Let me see you, Fa. Healers are with others.” Gently, he put his hands across Fa’s forehead. Paled to white. “O, you suffered!” He got a frown of concentration. Moved his fingertips back into Fa’s dark hair, straight like his. Most of his was dark except right on top, where it was blond.
Fa’s eyes closed, and he relaxed. “How I wish to feel my bae’s hands on me again.”
Keiley stopped and rubbed his head. I held both bowls. Mine was on the floor and one of the former slaves eyed it. I shoved it to him with my foot, and smiled. He gobbled it!
My husband carefully saw all Fa’s points, front to back. “Fa, you must sleep much today. I wish you to eat this pleasant food and sleep. I will give you 5 leaves of your nesfa. A healer might think differently, but you are injured.” He pushed Fa’s head against the soft leiwege, then fed him all of the dish of ice cream. Fa ate it fast.
I waved up a bahef and he fed about half of it to his snoring father, but stopped when he wheezed. Then put 5 green leaves in his mouth and smoothed it shut. “Here is nesfa, to heal you, Fa. I am here and will nae leave you.” Carefully, he put his head on Fa’s chest with a sigh. Looked at me. Tears powdered down his face.
I fed my husband his ice cream and offered him bahef. He ate 2, then wheezed as bad as Fa. That worried me. Elanapah still slept. Even she wheezed.
Cevit Ion sat with us. Sighed. “Are you well, Lady? Did your healer exhaust herself?”
I kept my eyes on him. “Minister, she got upset before she could see him. Keiley looked at him and we gave him chocolate ice cream for mind pain, and nesfa.”
He looked across the ship and a healer ran to us. A master healer, from the Tessite on his robe. Bowed. “I am Stam, and I can see him.” Usually a healer won’t touch someone who’s had nesfa, but he carefully put his twin fingers across Fa’s forehead. Frowned. “Ne enough nesfa, for this. My son, I am a Zheien healer. I will ne harm you. Rest, while I see you.” I worried while he saw him three times. This fella was young, but skilled. “Young one, fear ne, but hold still. He ne dies tonight.”
Keiley’s lips trembled.
Stam gave brown nesfa, a small handful. All the leaves crumbled to fine dust that Fa breathed in. His eyes snapped open, then slowly closed.
“Is safe here. Your name is well, Keil. Ne fear to give it. You go home, to a place that is new, but safe. Sleep long. You lie in healing. Ne comes in the night to do harm. You may rest, and your bae is safe in your arms. Ne concern, merely sleep. When you wake, one will take your report. Ne concern for it until you slept long.
“My son, why had your healer unwell? Please, share it with me.”
Keiley looked at me. Love, help me. I nae know!
I shared all of it, and Keiley felt shock, as it it didn’t just happen!
Stam frowned, but listened, and he kept putting tnshey on Keiley until he fell asleep. Ne share these memories with him. Let me see him as he sleeps. “Ne concern, my son. I am Stam, a healer. Sleep long.” His deep voice was very comforting.
Then, he waved and Keiley’s herb pyramid came up from his pocket. It’s yellow! I sighed. Dreaded to see a red one pop up!
Have you concerns for your husband?
He had memory problems in Rainbow, and you saw how he forgot that his colony lost that many people!
The healer got tears in his blue eyes. I expected them to go dark, but they stayed light blue. He’s an orange Zheien. Their eyes don’t change. This people will need much healing. I go to Rainbow Elshar Zheiea to help them. Those of Esta Faho are the most unwell of any of King Challet’s people, and we need to understand why. He asked me to share memories of Rainbow with him, so I did while he kept checking Keiley’s points. My shoulders ratcheted up towards my ears before I eased ‘em down.
His fa needs my ennead, and they wait in Fhiah for us. We land now. If you wish to enjoy the festival, we sit with these.
I shook my head. In Rainbow, healers wanted me to walk while they stayed with Keiley, but I always had them carry him. Fa’s too sick for that. Besides, Alb Seer’s not home now.
Clicking stopped under us and everyone startled!