Ryee startled. “Deb.”

She rubbed his hand. “Hi.”

“Viad.”

“Oh, let me go get him! Pirad grew him a bit, so he’s on solid food. He can eat FFbah now.” She ran out.

Ryee cried, and Adia cried. I felt awful! They had to leave their kid to go fight intergalactic war?

But she ran a baby to them. Dark curls, a full head of hair. And he opened blue eyes. Smiled. Maybe Zheien babies smile earlier.

Adia stopped crying.

She helped him feel of one shoulder, then the other. “See, his shoulders are fine. What?”

“How long before we must lose him? O, Father Of All, help us!”’ His anguished face got me.

“Ryee, he’s healthy.”

“Healthy? But, shoulder or heart—”

Laura held his head. “Buddy, Pirad fixed the Yeff. No more heart defects. No more shoulder defects. Feel that?” She slid her fingers around his right shoulder and pressed.

He opened his orange eyes wide. “Ne pain? You pressed, and I have ne pains? My bae is well?”

He looked at Deb, who nodded. “Yes, Viad is healthy! He’ll live as long as you!” Her green eyes filled. Ryee missed it.

Then Kia spoke up. “Where did the kids go?”

I startled. “You saw ‘em, too? Pinda was with the Parsons! Where’d he go?”

The couple came in with that teen girl, a young girl about 6, and a little boy about 3. He giggled. “Ark-ogist! Dad!”

He chuckled and picked him up. “That’s right, Junior. You’re my junior archaeologist!”

The teen, Melinda, gasped. “I did a wish ceremony, when I was 9.”

And, that dog-man came in. “Pinda, did you hear my wish ceremony?”

He folded his arms. “I hear everything, Melinda. I can’t stop. And I told Pirad, I can wake bones! I taught Molly and Kia. This is for you.”

Melinda gasped. Pinda gave her a tiny symbol on a string. It sparkled in rainbows. He waved, and she wore it, with a huge smile.

Her mother shook her head. “Pinda, you can’t give her that! We should show it to Cerict—”

“But it has all her wishes. She did the wish ceremony, it is my Gift to her. Cerict did not wish.” He folded his arms. Looked at Adia. “But you did. Quit hiding!”

A boy giggle startled me. He tried to run out from behind Adia and Ryee’s leiwege and Pinda caught him. Tickled him. “You like to play, but it’s time for you to see Mama. And Fa.” He carried him to the portal and J~oie and Laura ran in here, in their formals. Laura saw him and paled! J~oie hummed and pulled her against him but held out a trembling hand for W’Vie. He ran to them. No knobby joints like I remembered!

“Uht oh, I think I did the bad thing! Mama, are you okay? I should’ve—Pinda!” He had green eyes. Laura took his hand and ran hers down his arm.

“Mama, I’m healthy this time. Don’t worry, Unc’ Ryee, Aunt Adia.”

Pinda came back through the portal with two kids, one on each arm, the ones who helped fight Rentappenen with W’Vie. Adia gasped and cried.

He leapt onto the bed like a cat. The boy gave a formal bow on the bed, frowned, then waved his DS red off and had a red-violet tunic and pants. Then he hugged his dad and his baby brother. W~Via looks just like his dad!

The girl, Vadia, wore a red-violet dress, and she hugged her mama. “O, I should be younger.” She shrank down from about 12 to smaller than W~Via.

Both her parents cried.

“I will not take them! They’re yours. I just brought them.”

Laura still sobbed. “Did you take him away the first time?” She hugged her son tighter. He giggled.

Pinda sniffed. “Some of us Councillors have sense! Oeket took Kieta for a Councillor, and she thought it was okay to take your baby and we Laruu thought that was a terrible idea! But now he’s just a boy with a Gift.

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W~Via stood up. Sighed, and it rumbled on us. “You made me 9. My parents missed my growing.”

He rubbed an eye, then licked a finger and rubbed his pointy ears. “I like her idea. She can be 6. But both of you must stay these ages, and you, too, W’Vie. You stay 4. I don’t think any of us can handle you being older right now.”

“I won’t get stuck at 9, will I?” W’Vie looked scared. I remember from Rainbow, he stayed 9 for years!

Pinda laughed. “None of you are stuck, but you will use up your Gifts, changing your ages!

A Yeff in an orange tunic and pants ran in. “Melinda! O, Ellie and Vern! Will you join my Science Council on Ye~? All three of you?”

They looked a bit confused. Vern laughed. “I’d love that! But we haven’t been anyplace but Earth. I didn’t go to college--”

“Your research is in your memories of the other future. I will ne send you to other worlds, to die! Please, come to Ye~?”

“We loved Ye~, in Rainbow—”

“And, I can be on the Science Council at 13? But, I haven’t studied anything! I—never went to school?” Melinda put a hand over her face!

“We homeschooled you! You learned everything I taught you, and a lot that I never taught you! I was shocked when I saw you pretending to be a penchalant on Ashe Moriant!”

Oesha paled, and Pinda caught him! “I protected her! She’s got a Gift, she’s too important to be hurt by stupid Elshars! I will not let a slaver stay here.” He frowned towards the room outside and a man’s scream and a blue flash startled me! “Stupid Heden, his clones are like cockroaches!”

Melinda laughed, then covered her mouth.

“You can laugh. I sent him to Garat, to be judged.”

“Who’s Garat?”

A holo played of two men. Pirad and Garat, that argument they had when Opseh Wenh Cet attacked. I laughed until I cried! Oh, he’s on the Alb Council now?

W~Via just looked worried. “Eja fe ne! Did Garat have healing, after this? A Bisillip can damage a Biehshah—”

“I healed ‘em! But Garat’s an Elder. He can heal himself if he needs it. He’s got Ty’nirrhan bones—”

Garat’s holo came up. “How dare you reveal what is in me, unseen! You broke the Secrecy Laws!”

W~Via fell against his father. I pointed to him. “See how pale he is? You want to kill Ye~’s next king?”

Garat gasped and jumped into the lowest bow I ever saw an Elder give! “Oh, let me die where I crouch, if I cause the death of a Councillor!”

W~Via put his hand on Garat’s left knee. Then his tiny elbow in his right eye. “This body ne reaches enough!” His orange eyes opened past wide and rumbles shook the bed.

But Garat hugged him. Waved up a jeweled terminal and tried to put it in his hand.

“You must ne give me that! I will accept ne apologies, because I showed upset.”

“I overreacted. I am sorry! Why do I do that?”

“Because Rentappenen hit you. Pirad tried to heal that, and you angered with him, because you were injured. Pinda can heal it, if you let him.” W~Via smiled.

“Pinda? Really?” He plopped his hand on his left hip with his elbow pointing outwards. Never saw that gesture! They have hundreds.

But Pinda laughed. He rubbed Garat’s head. “Oh, you love Siafar, but she doesn’t want to wait 20 years. Will you get your lawyer to file an Exception, for her?”

“I can’t do that, I’ll lose my position—”

“Do you really enjoy filing Grievances all the day long? Seeing the unhappy faces of everyone who loses their cases? No one sees how you cry at night, but me. Uiano wishes to change things. Don’t you want to let him, after all?”

He got a dreamy expression. “Siafar, who pulls the stars down as dew on the nanoforsans! No one can argue a case better than her, she who walks with firmness, she who commands stars! Yes, Uiano will succeed me on the Alb Council! It is time I cease my arguments.” His holo vanished.

Pirad came in, chest heaving. “Garat left his position as Minister! You did this! How?”

Pinda laughed. “You Bisillips are so silly when you are in love!”

“He is in love? But he hates lovers!”

“Not anymore. I healed him. He let me.” Pinda folded his arms. “Listen to Pirad and Leticia, how happy they are! Kirnonos taught you all to be foolish, but Pirad will teach you how to be wise.”

With a pop, Pirad clicked his face into that smug expression. “Pinda, you are a miracle! I hope you stay with us on this Council a long time.”

“Oh, I will stay as long as Parsons have children.”

Ellie and Vern gasped. But, images of their children growing up and having lots more kids, and they had kids, and like two mirrors facing each other, the kids just went on. Then, like a holo, the vision faded.

Pirad grabbed Pinda’s shoulders. “Do not do that again! Will you kill yourself?”

“But, you wanted to see how long I will stay, and—I don’t know! Should I?”

“No, my friend. You should wait for the future to happen! Lie on that bed and sleep!”

He climbed up by Adia and fell on his face. “I’m not tired.” Snores.

W~Via waved up a bowl of ea fae. They all gave him a massage.

Ryee watched his son with a frown of worry.

“This is a diplomat’s healing, Fa. You taught me this is well, for a boy, ea, Fa?”

Then he smiled. “Ea, I did tell you that. O, Ay!” Then, he frowned. Looked around the room, at diplomats’ sashes on the walls, odd pieces of metal, and all sorts of things on shelves or hanging.

Pirad put a hand on Ryee’s forehead. “Pinda did this, but I cannot explain it. He is very impulsive. And now, we have an entire world—worlds? A Laruu galaxy? And, there is an Imwa galaxy, too? How can Ry’nao rule over 15 galaxies? This is terrible! I must tell him!” He ran out.