He knelt beside the bed, one leg behind him. Poor Keiley shook all over. He’s muscular, but thin like a swimmer. That skin should be yellow. He’s like a human with yellowish skin, but not enough to look like an alien. My arms tingled from the grip I had on him. Already, red bruises showed on the left side of his neck where I pressed my head against it. Awful. Signs of my poison love. Another healer held him up. “Bedelia Priscilla Stone, Student Of Earth, I, Jos Keil, Diplomat-In-Aid Of Esta Faho, I love you! I recite this Petition of Marriage Without Courtship because I nae survive to court unless we marry now. O, Bedelia, I am sorry! Will you marry me?” His voice wheezed.
“Yes, Jos Keil, Diplomat Of Esta Faho, I love you and want to marry you!” My voice broke. Am I a fake? I didn’t even die with him!
A voice said, “Names and occupations do not match.”
Keiley shook all over, and Pas laid him on the bed. “Server, this couple cannot try again! I am their healer. Record their marriage on Elshar Zheiea.”
“Ea. Marriage recorded in Esta Faho. Nitomahan wishes to see him!”
A holo formed on the bed. Pas sat me next to Keiley, who stared. I gripped his hand. He’s dying, and I’m his killer! Nitomahan held twin fingers on Keiley’s forehead. “My son, you are married. Nae these worries. I am happy for both of you, and I shall declare your festival. Healer, when can you send my children to us? Tom, are you unwell also?” His breaths wheezed in and out.
“Fa, Becky is very unwell! I need your help, to marry her!” Anguish in his voice—he thinks she’s dying! I couldn’t breathe!
“Come to us. Can a friend pilot for you?”
“Fa, I can pilot—o, Farley met his Ella, but they are nae here. We must wait.”
Pas looked worried. “King Nitomahan, these men are all unwell! I wish them to rest. There will be a largeship with many tonight. We have DS pilots. I will have Pirad clone me again so one will travel with yours. I will also go, because I chose Rainbow Elshar Zheiea. Pirad gave me minds of many, including Ashapat.”
I froze. A king! I waved a dress on, light green, not a bright color, but pretty. Keiley saw it and grabbed it on my thigh. His body quivered. Our family color. I can wear it, now!
Pas made him grab lower. I put my hand on his. Epilepsy! He had it before he got hurt? Zheien get it from head injuries. Healers new to Rainbow said Zheien who had ‘shakings’ were dying! His hand let go of my dress and grabbed my hand.
King Nitomahan stared at him. “Is Jos very unwell, Pas?”
“He has shakings. I cannot compensate for this excitement. His wife knows how to comfort him. His family color brings calm to him.”
“Tom, are you unwell?”
Tom laughed. “Fa, I found my maiden! I am well!” Such a happy smile on him! Keiley can’t smile. He’s got that stare. Tears in his eyes. This shaking hurts! He always said he doesn’t remember what happens when he shakes. Not remembering tortures him! He thinks he does bad things. I stroked his hair and it tangled around my fingers. Nitomahan startled and helped me by laying it straight, and even his hair clung to them.
Pas didn’t smile at him. “Antomias, my son, lie beside Becky. She sleeps. I think you should, also.” He’s sweating, too. I saw yellow powder-stars on the white blanket. Diplomats can hide it.
Keiley can’t with this going on. His skin’s gray!
Another man in white robes nodded at him. “Well advice, Pas, my friend! I did nae expect to see you here! Who is in your chambers, on Ye~?”
“I am his cloned ba, Galar.”
Galar startled, then laughed! “O, you sound like! I am happy you can care for my sons. Where are Farley and Nespa?”
“Nespa’s here?” I startled.
“You know him, my child?” The King looked at me. Tom’s his son! That means Becky’ll be a princess? “Uh, I will know him, in the future.” That sounds dumb! It hasn’t happened yet! But we remembered being in love, and I love Keiley.
King Nitomahan took my hand. “Pas, bring Nespa. I wish to see him. How shall I call you, Daughter?”
“Daughter? Keiley’s your son, too?” Oh, my!
“O, he is a dear friend of ours! All my people are my sons and my daughters, and you are also mine now. I fear we are strange to you, but Queen Adia showed my bae and his friends’ futures—”
A gasp made me look up. Nespa bowed to King Nitomahan. He shook all over. “Liege, Farley saw his, and Tom, and even Jos, but I did nae.” His sigh rumbled on me. But, his blue eyes saw me and he stared at me! They went from serious medium blue to black! I heard echoes of that couple of days at my apartment. Elshars dumped him in the lake near my apartment. I pulled him out and cared for him. His friends came and we went to Rainbow, where Keiley was, and I married Keiley. But, he died that second time and I couldn’t marry Nespa. He died, too.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
I sobbed.
King Nitomahan hugged me. Smelled like pleasant spices. “O, such sorrows you had! Lady, fear nae for Nespa. We can comfort him. Nes, lie by Tom and help him bear. Becky is unwell and must sleep.” He tried to and another healer caught him.
“Tom, are you unwell? Ejis nae, you are cold! Healer—” Nitomahan tried to keep his hands on all three of them!
“Ne fear for him. Lie next him and rest. I wish to see you.”
“Please, see him! I bring Nes’ healer, Wulai. Konomai went with Farley.”
A short man in white robes ran to the bed. Oh, no! I saw him die, too, in Rainbow. He took care of Tom and Becky, but when they died, he sat by a stream. I held him and we cried together. I suggested he should eat a cake of yetza, a bitter bread, and share one memory. That’s what all the healers taught us to do. But his slaver made him put terminals in Tom, and sharing that memory killed him!
He was reaching for Nespa, but he saw me. Stared at my light green dress. “You wear Jos’ color? O, Bedelia—” His blue eyes turned black!
Pas leapt from where he sat by Keiley to the other side of Wulai and held him! Wulai’s almost as old as bald Pas! “Maiden, I can give ne herbs! Be calm. I can help Wulai—”
“He’s seeing it, isn’t he? He died in my arms, because he felt too much guilt!”
Nitomahan put me on his lap! “Guilt, Daughter? Why?”
“He put terminals in Tom—they were slaves!”
“Ejis faea naea! Show me, Daughter! Who did this to my bae?”
I felt his mind close in mine and panicked! I can’t watch more people die! Tom’s memory of his father’s death—I saw them on the commons—he’s sick! He can’t stand these memories! Becky’s green eyes had so much misery in them as she held him.
I had dreams of becoming CEO of some giant corporation and Daddy had connections. Finished my master’s while poor Becky’s life was falling apart. But, I worked for crooked Barry Atherton. I expanded his slave rescue efforts from Atlanta to Salt Lake City because of friends in my network. He was a busy doctor who suddenly learned healing and changed to Zheien patients. Too late, I found out that his celebrity plastic surgeries used experimental techniques and he had several high-profile lawsuits that nearly liquidated his companies.
His main case died before she could come to court. I discovered that and nearly went to slavers. But I took leave because Mama got sick and Daddy lost his company. It made a good excuse. I learned slave rescue because I didn’t dare try anything corporate. Too scared of Barry Atherton to be a whistleblower.
I just found out that his son’s in jail for raping a girl at my old high school. He convinced me it was just a jealous girl. I saw her in Rainbow and heard her tell her story to a friend. It was real, and she was in a coma for months because he beat her up so savagely! My body shook.
Nitomahan hugged me tighter. Hummed.
I ignored a lot of things to get there. How much blood is on my hands, because I looked the other way, just to prove to Daddy that I could be just as successful….?! And Daddy’s surgery practice competes with Barry Atherton’s. They were rivals at Emory. It got him killed. Mama became an addict. I couldn’t help her, either. Vek ea didn’t work. She died in my arms and I did slave rescue to somehow, try to make up for all my sins.
Well, it’s not too late to do something, right now! “Pas, who can I tell about Barry Atherton and Bets Ball? Barry Atherton, Jr, is in jail right now, and he’s guilty! I need to talk to an Elshar.” I shook all over. Elshars don’t get emotional, not like Zheien do.
My husband laid there sleeping. Wulai gasped. Pas laid him down and put his arms around Keiley. “Sleep. King Nitomahan, call your healer to you. I will help Ms. Stone. Daughter, I carry you to one who can help. His name is Berto. He is a cloned brother of Berto, who assigns DS teams. You know much that can help. Barry Atherton is evil.”
Nitomahan didn’t want to let go of me, but he rubbed the back of my head and let Pas take me.
“I’m—evil, too! People died, because—”
“Ne say this. Evil people deceive many. I heard your memories. You only wished to please your parents, who wished you to have success. I think your skills will help many in your new home.”
“What skills? I grew that maniac’s business!” Pas ran me across the ship!