They spent a long time on Farley's points and got the memory-sharing stare for all of it. While they were at his head, Math~an waved a containment on Farley's lower body with that stuff!

Math~an got very upset! "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 clings to his illusions! I think Galarsmen trained all of these diplomats to do so!"

I grimaced as Farley just kind of gave up. His arms were also twisted, and his hands, so tightly rolled that they were one brown bruise! Splits in his fingers bled. How did I not see that? Or feel it? 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. I realized they looked like his feet.

Siasch 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." Even I knew about him! He tortured a lot of diplomats who had nightmares in Rainbow and I saw things. Never learned how to block a telepathic nightmare.

"This is nae Heden's work. I saw this in people of Marenalay. There are certain poisons in the sands of Elshar Mashai, from Tessite mines, that I see in Esta Faho and Rahn Estar. Kin Para, to a lesser extent because he has fewer 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 Math~an looked tired after doing Farley's legs, but other healers tried to help and just looked puzzled. And they were all master healers, from the Tessite symbols!

After he healed Farley, his arms looked normal. Then he had Siasch hold Farley across his lap and put his hands on Farley's back. Healed that. He had to lie down and sleep.

Other healers turned Farley, and he curled up tightly! Didn't expect that! I hugged him. "Love, what's scaring you?"

I can nae wake!

"You need sleep! You just got a lot of healing—"

All of me sings Deathsong!

Siasch stroked his head. Shared memories of just what Math~an healed, but it scared Farley more.

I sang, and that girl came and sang, too. Progs gave him bis tia, but he couldn't have more, and it warned Siasch not to try to heal him, either! Konomai startled and wept. His loud memories suggested that's how a lot of people die here!

Pirad came over and put a hand on Farley's head. "This is why they use so much umar seg. They knew of these poisons. They also feared to let any of the people know about them, effects of them, and many others. Siasch, you will see much of this. Let me heal all of them as Math~an did, since none of these healers could learn it from him. Master healers often have unique gifts that they cannot teach." White light filled the entire building, and people came in to try to figure out what just happened! Pirad was gone.

Farley wasn't painful now and slept.

Siasch still had dark eyes. "Pirad can't heal them completely. They will all have to stay here a long time."

"But, since he fixed all the poisons, won't they be okay, now?" I didn't want to start crying again, but I kept thinking about that last nightmare Farley had, and we both died!

"Show me that." His eyes were black, like black marbles in the white.

I let him see all of it, and all the times we got on dorna and Farley took off across the Barrens, and how upset Konomai got.

He sighed. "Pirad did heal them and got all the poisons out, but when a person's exposed to poisons when he's injured, his head learns to make poisons. Pirad's progs can compensate for this over months, but they'll have frequent upsets because that's what happens." His voice broke.

I had a good cry on Siasch's shoulder. But then I thought, we died together. We died happy, for the most part. We love each other.

But then, I thought about Farley's fa.

Farley shared a memory with me when he was sad, and missing Fa that stayed with me.

"O, Konomai, come! You must see this bae!" Kono held him up to us and my Naisa smiled, o, she smiled! Eagerly held to him.

I studied the faces in this memory. Kono looked like Konomai, very much so. Naisa looked the same as she did when she came to Fa, blond curls, and very pale yellow. And thin, with a delicate long neck. A longer face than Meae had.

Konomai was only 12 and ran to us. "Fa, o, he is large! He will be a well bae, eae, Fa?"

Konomai looked like a red-gold-eyed version of Nomo.

Kono laughed and put his aandat on him. "I am happy I had white. If he becomes diplomat also, he has strength for it.'

"I wish I had white, that I was more help to you, Fa." Konomai's sorrow rumbled on us.

Kono laughed and lifted him. "Ah, but if I gave you white, you died already! Your skill in the healing grows, but I wish you to be a boy first! I learned healing at 12 and had to go far to Sigan Mas for my learning. Since I am a master healer, I can teach you here and you nae ever face dangers there. Go, and see winds for me. Perhaps we all bathe together this morning." He kissed his forehead gently, and I wondered how my bae should appear in that age. I longed to hear him speak.

The memory was full of Fa's wish for his parents, and worry, because they were on a mission and he hadn't heard them this morning.

His blue eyes looked up, and I worried. Medium blue, nae the light of Naisa's.

Kono laughed. "Small ones nae have color changes until perhaps two months. Fear nae for him, but listen to his happiness! Small ones have nae worries unless there is discomfort. Feed him, eae, Naisa?"

Her blue eyes darkened. "How?"

"I have a containment. Kon, drag a finger gently here." He guided me to touch my wife's chest, and she had far discomfort, but he held our bae there and he put his mouth there. I felt most unwell.

"Expect you for a bae to eat bahef, as we?"

"I—nae thought—"

"Small ones have food from their meae for the firstmonth. Then he has food as we do, soft foods as bahef, from the middles. See, he is well. If a bae can eat, he grows well."

Konomai returned quickly. "Air is very still today!" He had nae shock as I did for my bae's feeding. Amusement came, that I had discomfort. Is nae much different from an embrace, is?

"Eae eae~! Let us go. Wave a blanket over your bae, and nae but us know he feeds. Let me lift you, Naisa. Your well is fragile for a few days." He lifted her and I helped, and I worried that she nae lifted her head. My dear one nae lets one to help, for on Par Vu Elshars oft come to taunt one that shows weakness. We have to go back there after our respite.

And, an Elshar trader saw us. Elshar women have a child and rise to work. "Oh, a weak woman! You need an Elshar woman, Kon, like my daughter. She's your age."

O, anger rose in my throat but I let him nae further! "I love my wife, and look nae for another. Leave us, Miforsen, you are drunken again."

"I'm celebrating your son! Pitiful little thing, hiding under his blanket. My son lifted his head the day of his birth!" I pinned the blanket to Naisa's arm and feared to bruise her, but he must nae--

Another Elshar pulled at him. "Quit taunting the Zheien and come to my table. I have many items that will please even you!"

"Oh, I don't think I will be pleased, but what harm is it to look? I'll go." They left for the market, and nae many were near Galarsmen's Chambers. I sighed relief, but watched. Always, we must watch, for Elshars come with nae warning. Many know from Sigan Mas what we know of hiding ourselves. I tutor many of age 8 who gain telepathy.

Konomai was one of my best students, and I tried to sway him to diplomatics, but he wishes to follow his fa. Just lastweek, he had unwell, and I felt his Diplomatic Link. Is Kono mad, to give one so young this burden that I find difficult? I took him to Kono, and he nae remembered giving him! Perhaps was during an attack that he felt it necessary, and of course, I had umar seg after it, he said. None will remember what happened that day!

But, the moment my bae finished with his feeding, Naisa pulled the blanket from him. "Kon, bathe him. Will you name him, so I can hear? I am weary and must sleep." Her eyes filled. We all fear to sleep, do we?

Kono helped me, for new ones flow, and I feared to harm. "Hold his head gently—eae--and keep his shoulders, while your other hand holds his legs. Eae. See, no matter how you move him, how he stays? Fear nae to move! Many fear, with their first, but soon, nae thought is required. I will bathe him."

Kono hummed as he worked, and Konomai bathed Naisa. Frowned. "Fa, she grows cold!" His red-gold eyes, so like Naisa and Kono's, turned dark.

Kono sighed, and it rumbled on me. My sons, I must lay weights of knowledge upon you. She has nae strength for this. Naisalana wakes nae more. I think I can use progs to keep her body with us long enough to feed her bae--

O, sight left me! But, Konomai wept on my shoulder. "Cousin, I bring Meae and Fae! They landed. And Bae Salan is with them. They come from Elshar Mashai and we must heal them. Will you speak to them? I bring them now!"

I shook in all of me. Pains in this shaking made speech difficult, but Kono gave me an unfamiliar herb and I sat.

"What sorrow is this, Bae? Is your bae unwell?"

"Farleikon is healthy, Fa, but Naisa—" O, I wept.

Fa and Mea endured treatment for poisons of Elshar Mashai dust. Bae Salan ported to them when he knew they had unwell, to pilot their ship. He wept.

Mea died. When I knew I lost her as well, I felt cold, too cold to shake.

Konomai put my bae in my arms and Fa's hand on him. "You must live, for Farley! I can nae save him if he dies, also! Fa is unwell for this grief! All of you, feel him! He is warm, and sleeps long."

Eae, I felt his head, and stroked his hairs. Thick, blond curls whose color shone on my skin. I imagined his growing and all the things, the pleasant flowers and animals of our world, that I wished to show him as Fa showed me. My memories pleased Fa, and they kept my soul on this plane.

My dear friends Nitomahan, his bae Nathaoman, Pirtansam, and Haron came to us and held us during this difficult time. Nitomahan's wife Natamia was great with child, and had unwells only Galar knew.

As Kono said, Naisa nae woke, and he spread foods on her aandat. My bae ate nae as much as Kono wished, so he reluctantly gave him bale and hummed to make it absorb. My bae grew large and kept health, despite his sorrow. Farley oft reached for Naisa and cried when her hand nae closed. He stopped taking any nourishment from her after a mere week, but by then, he ate bahef well. Kono ended his progs and put her in stasis. Led Remembrance for them, and for Mea, who had life if nae for this added grief. Naisa was very dear to her and resembled my sa, who died.

As I held my bae, I felt new purpose in my life, and strength to go on without my dear wife. My work holds much danger, and few of us survive to hold a bae. Perhaps I will be here long enough to see him take a wife, and then I have nae fear of death, that only brings me to my Naisa and my mea again.