Molly's Miracle Colonies

Royalty Of MarKu

I was mostly worried about my MarKuans and he brought 'em. When I saw Goes, healthy and orange, I ran to him and hugged him!

"You act as if you know me—ejis!" Cev shared memories with him. Oh, he cried, too! I pulled his head down and kissed his forehead. Gowans got him addicted to drugs, and he was in slavery for years, then in Questalod—when we got him he wasn't in good shape.

But I felt his arms and rubbed the back of his head. He's healthy. "Do you still have those horrible mind pains?" He also smelled like licorice.

Cev noticed how he paled. "Dear friend, did you see Pie, as I asked?"

"Pas knows more." I flinched, 'cause Pie came, too, but he smiled and nodded, red hair waving. Many master healers of major Zheien worlds know each other.

Goe's brown eyes opened very wide, as only Zheien can do. "He does? How know you this, Molly?"

"Because poor Ryee has headaches like yours, and Pas learned from Ahstam when he was young. They healed a lot of slaves together. MarKu didn't have the sheer numbers of returned slaves that Ahstam and his enneads rescued. Slaves in mines get a lot of head injuries." His heart skipped a beat every once in a while. That worried me!

Indoe took my hand. "You should see him, too, Doe. Where's Liz?"

He looked a lot like his brother Goe, the same huge brown eyes and short brown curls. The poor man trembled. "Liz?"

"She became a healer and learned Esteerrian and saved the Yeff by talking to King Lyyyrah. No, it was Lyyyrah's friend, he was Zbbat. He thought she gave victory squeals, so he listened to her. You helped her so his telepathy didn't fry her!" I trembled to think of that. The Yeff lost two-thirds of their colony—

"Don't go see that healer in Ishah any more. Let Pas and no, Pirad needs to see you! He trained you with an herb of Leiea that's misused by slavers of higher tech levels, like Bi Keras!"

"I only saw Via, Molly. We convinced Mehai to come with us by threat of Ih Esta, and we brought him to Leiea of Elshar Zheiea, in hopes that he is only trained by evil ones." I shuddered, but Pirad can keep them safe. Maybe they forced poor Mehai--

"Didja find Verach and Pata Fie? They know how to untrain people."

They all listened to my memories of the Elshar and Gowan friends from Seshon Deisha. Cev sent a ship! I told 'em about my Homerean healer, but they didn't know how to find a slave. Maybe they got clues.

And Nat came close. "How do you know this?"

I let go of the other two and hugged him. "Nat, are you okay? You weren't taken by the Esteerrians, were you?"

"Nae! Adia saw how I was taken and warned me." Goe held Doe on his lap, on the bed and brought Pas. I hugged him and he picked me up. Looked me over and hummed. Frowned. "What is this sorrow, young one?"

I clung to him. "I don't want you to die, Pas!" In that memory, in my colony, he died of old age.

"O, ne this upset. I will tell you my secret. I am a clone of my ba, Pas, who is on Ye~, recloned to be 20 years, and his family lives. I am ne as old as I appear, but I chose my old appearance because he adds comfort for those who know me. Healing has dangers, ea, but I care for myself well. Pirad can reclone me many times to give me a younger body."

"Oh, I'm glad! I wish I knew somebody—but Pie, you can marry Adelle! And her daughter Rosalind can marry Randy!"

Pie went pale! He's also a cloned ba, but they woke up his host's wife and he misses her. His red-gold eyes found his future son-in-law.