“Galarsmen, Master Healer Of Esta Faho, confided in me, but he fears to tell Wasa Mai or Via, Master Healer Of Ishah. But, I will.

“I came to Esta Faho because my wife earned a position here with her fa. Poisons that blow in winds killed her in our first year. I apprenticed to Via when Galarsmen went, and he shared many things I cannot speak. Esta Faho has many poisons that should nae be here from our mines. I also do research on them, to try to find answers, and I keep most of that to myself. Now that Mican is nae here, perhaps I can reveal it.” He waved, and Cevit Ion nodded.

“This people is all poisoned. I see people healthy, then for no apparent reason, they collapse and die! Galarsmen thinks to spare them the weight of seeing our kingdom shrink, so he uses umar seg far more oft than any healer thinks wise. Some of the poisons affect memory, so he adds portions of certain poisons to enhance loss of memory. So much so that, when Elshars attacked, all healers used umar seg in this way, to take shock from people.

“I disagreed, and a few of my healers refuse to use it. But people yet die of upsets, more oft than mere upsets would take them. Poisons are killing us. Eae, we had a thousand merely 30 years past when my daughter was learning healing and Keil vanished on Elshar Mashai. I cannot understand how he lasted so many years, but I think because he had less exposure to our poisons. I see many here on this ship taken many years past. Few who vanished even during the Panic. Most of these were taken during attacks on us, led by Mican.”

Cevit Ion paled more. “Mican led attacks? We suspected him of being a slaver long years, but nae could prove it. He is yet on Elshar Par Vu’s Council.”

“He is nae what he seems. He is—”

Suddenly, Napah collapsed, and all the healers around us dove for him! One touched his head, gasped, and waved his body gone. I stared at my empty arms in horror! The moment he tried to finish that sentence, his body just went cold. Several Zheien I held in Rainbow were very old and had massive strokes. They didn’t just get icy, not like that! I shivered.

Cevit Ion passed his brother to a healer and grabbed me! Put a hand on my forehead. “Nae this sorrow, Bedelia. Eae, is a shock to hold two who died—”

“They don’t go cold like that!” I wanted to scream, but I felt cold like that.

He wrapped me in a very hot, steaming blanket. “Stam!”

That young healer landed by me, splat! He put both hands on my head and hummed, and I felt warm again.

Healers wept, all around us.

I appeared in a room with all sorts of armor, torn sashes, a boot with the heel missing, like a museum. And, Ry’nao, Emperor Of The Unified, stood up. Cev, you should be resting, my friend.

Mican is nae of our level! He just killed a healer on my ship!

I gasped, but neither of them looked at me. I just laid in Cevit Ion’s arms, looking at my sleeping husband. Elanapah wasn’t there. She died when her father did.

“Cev, let me take her. We are here.”

He shivered, but let him take me.

Jirris stopped sweating, and sparkles vanished. Now he looked peacefully asleep in Ashapat’s arms, and the old healer smiled.

Peh Ras smiled. “O, you helped him! What did you?” He looked at Ella. Her blue eyes opened wide. Already, we’re picking up Zheien habits.

Ella looked at the line he pointed at, and with a wave, Peh Ras added it to every yellow Zheien’s progs, and a bunch of ‘em got treatment for them! He also had a puzzled expression.

Ashapat shook his gray-curled head. “This exposure is purposeful. Any who torture a Zheien know of these poisons and carry them. I never imagined that a prog could be written to check for so many! Peh, when wrote you this?”

He startled. “I did nae! Ella, you wrote this, and you only learned prog instruction today?”

“Pas taught me, and Elsie added some of these lines.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Clicking stopped, and Ella startled. Put a hand on the floor!

“What’s the matter, Ella?” Leyla looked scared.

“We’re just landing.” She shook her head and those light blond curls waved. Pretty hair.

Our pilot laughed. “She’s DS!” Really? She served in Diplomatic Service? Wow!

Jirris groaned, and Cevit Ion hugged him. “Ba, we are home. Sleep long. Rish, will you and Rose stay with us tonight?”

He looked at her and she nodded, with a smile. “We’ll stay as long as you want us. Jir, just going to our bed—”

“Nae to your beds.” Ashapat held out a hand. “Sit longer.”

I realized, I still gripped that blanket. Waved it away and took my husband’s hand. Just listen and be calm. We’re going to healers’ chambers. They’re working on the problems.

Older Pas gave them all 5 leaves of bis tia. “Wait. I bring healers from Rainbow.”

“But, Ella designed our home! We must choose a site for her—” Farley sat up and Pas Of Esta Faho held him so he couldn’t stand up.

Cevit Ion stood in the opening. The red sky had stars, and five moons. As in our wedding, the smallest traced a path across the others. All seven buildings glowed in bright rainbow colors, one each. We were near the Beltline. I could see the lake and the bridge over it with gazebo in Piedmont Park. But, no trees.

“Friends, we wait for riding animals. I know many of you have homes, and I have many diplomats who came to help those of you who have nae Zheien friends with you. You may go to your homes and see this colony. But, for those of Rahn Estar, who return, and relatives who came with you, healers feel that you must stay in Rainbow first. This is Rainbow Elshar Zheiea, and even I must dwell here for a time.”

His yellow skin had sweat-powder on it, and his wife Sara looked worried. I recognized Ahstam with him. He’s the best Zheien healer known! If he needs him, he’s in bad shape! Why didn’t I notice him?

“Those of Calladia, Esta Faho, Kin Para, Rahn Estar, and Sara Kia will join those of Ferrimos and Marenalay and our other provs, in the Yellow Building. If you have friends or relatives among you, bring them. We can expand the building and add beds as needed. “Brethren of K’hasa Zha, many of you already occupy the orange and the red, and also the green. Many Elshars are in the blue and purple. I wish to let Per Naha Of Kin Para, Elder King, Leader Of Alb Council speak to you now.” He gave a graceful bow, and they sat down.

Per Naha was about the same age as Cevit Ion, and had dark curls. He bowed lower to Cevit Ion. His blue eyes wavered between dark and light. “I am happy to welcome our Earthans, Elshars and Thordes! And, my bae and sae, you are home, at last! Since we accustom to new skies, I felt it necessary to delay you from your homes. People were eager to practice normalcy when they followed King Challet from ships, and eagerly made new homes to replace theirs of stone, for these firstships came from Elshar Mashai Zheien Colony.

“I am sad to report that all those of Marenalay died, though Pirad revived them later. Fear nae, for he revived the whole of Marenalay’s Burial Chambers! These rebuilt Marenalay of Elshar as he was, and this is Marenalay Elshar Zheiea.” A holo showed a commons with the same seven-sided buildings in a circle, but every building, though a solid rainbow color and in that order, had a mural on each side! Beautiful work, and some of the colors were metallic. But not many people walked around. Healers bathed most of ‘em in the yellow sand, or in shallow marshes, and there were fountains that sprayed sand!

“As you see, every person there needs his healer near! But, we lost nae more. Pirad revived Ashasiena, Master Healer Of Marenalay, who emigrated to Elshar Mashai with our forefahies. She had dismay that King Challet gathered all in a great festival in Ferrimos. The first day of this festival was very well, but that evening, as people went to their homes, we had incidents.

“She warned him to gather all to Ashapat’s Chambers. They did, and many had such upset there, we moved all to Rainbow Elshar Zheiea. Our farms are automated, and we have nae mines here but on moons with nae people. These are our 5 bae moons, which were worlds.

“Ashapat heard much of Rainbow’s methods, and we practice them, those of you with memories of them. I urge you, if you remember a helpful memory, please share it with a healer. All our healers share a mindlink so any information that passes, goes quickly to your leaders that they may consider your well. I wish health to all of you.

“When a Zheien colony must move, many have perils. I spoke at length with Ahstam, who advised Ashaserie. Ahstam always received unwell from ships of Failed colonies, and his ennead has perhaps, the most experience with unwell who had to leave their homes for a new place. He always taught that we rulers can nae merely let people to their homes. For a time, and this time will vary for individuals, we must bear life in healers’ chambers, that we may have fast knowledge of new unwells.

“I led Kin Para in his start, when I was only 14, because Fa died. Fa ruled many years before I was born, and he neared 150 when Mea had me. Nae expected me to live, for nae many women can bear in her age! Mea died in my birth. Fa raised me to lead our colony. You might think, how is it that Kin Para, that I tell you I led the colony start? Because, we had many colony starts!

“Our healers bore the weight of knowledge that we lost colonists constantly. Demands of war and mine injuries took many of us of Rahn Estar, Esta Faho, Kin Para and farming injuries, Calladia and Sara Kia. And so, we brought more colonists from Elshar Zheiea. Our numbers grew in Rahn Estar, not from growth, but from workers for our shipbuilding facility and weapons research facilities there and on Esta Faho.

“Ahstam revealed to King Ishmarel that in most colony starts, people die, not from hazards of newcolonies, which are too numerous to name in a short time, but from the difference. Healers kept this secret for generations, thinking we leaders could nae bear to know it. They explained our numbers in terms of those who went back home or became travelers, or went as soldiers where few return.

“Ishmarel advised me to practice honesty. We wish nae to lose half of our newcolonists! Even on MarKu, nae a new world, and the most populous of all Zheien worlds, Ahstam feared we might lose half!

“We looked at Ahstam’s methods, and even he was nae sure that he could provide measures to save them.

“And so, we asked of Pirad. I was shocked that he told us of Rainbow Unwell Colony, started by a girl of 15, an Earthan, in another future! She asked of Fhiah to run progs that would save lives. And, Fhiah’s Council refused! Over years, however, her colony in Fhiah’s Barrens saved more lives than any other healer colony in the Thirteen. When they granted a request by Queen Molly, mortality lessened by measurable amounts.

“I listened to many of these memories. Eae, we do sacrifice a bit of privacy, but mostly to servers. I pleaded with the Alb Council, leaders of every colony that is here, 25 of them, to allow Molly to run whichever progs please her for the well of all persons in Alb, nae only unwell! And all of them agreed. We signed a treaty that any world that moves to Alb shall use these measures to exclude slavers and maintain the welfare of our peoples.

“The progs are in your menus, and all of them have choices for all of you, my bae and sae. Already, Queen Molly, who rules all Rainbow Colonies, made modifications on these progs, and because of them, when many fell unwell in their homes here, progs brought their healers. Many healers were unwell, but King Dai’nos sent half of Ishah here! These healers would have starved in their homes and oft chose to work in Ishah’s mines to support themselves and heal a few dying workers before they succumbed!

“Because we have many times the number of healers required for a center of healing, we have many available nae only for people coming to Alb daily, but we may receive ships of unwell and bring most slaves to a familiar home for their healing.”