I woke up when Wu sat Keiley up so he could eat festival pastries. Heard music going outside. Wanted to go dance! But not without my husband.


    His eyes stayed black. “Wu, can you nae carry me in the festival, just for a short time? We miss so much!” His powdery tears dripped yellow stars on his light green tunic and pants.


    Wu’s head nodded as he held out a pastry, and it broke against Keiley’s collar. “Dear friend, we are too sleepy. Eat, and sleep more, Nes.”


    Another healer laughed, and pulled his hand to Nespa, who barely kept his eyes open. Elsie held his head against her shoulder with one arm while she poked screens. She smirked. “Don’t you feel bad, Love! You my sleepin’ prince. When you get some good rest, then we’ll have fun. Dat festival gon’ go fer 81 days! Ella an’ I gon’ git these progs all fixed up fer everybody. Da more ya sleep, da betta dey work!”


    “They do? But the second night of our festival, we must search for ourselves in the figures! Will we miss it?”


    That healer pushed sleeping Wulai into his wife’s arms. Finished feeding Nes and Keiley. “Nae this worry! When you are rested, then you may plan your festival. You will nae miss any of our pleasant customs, my son. Rest. Diplomats think they are immune to all unwells, but you need this rest the most! Your festival will wait for you.”


    Keiley groaned, then went limp and snored. The healer carefully pulled him and Fa, who already slept, together and put their hands so they could grab hair.


    “Why do they do that?”


    “O, my cousin lived many years in Esta Faho. He was Stationed Diplomat Of K’hasa Zha Bonet. He said that when Elshars attacked, they tried to sneak into homes. Parents thought if they held to their children’s hairs, they woke if an Elshar tried to take him. Eae, nae child ever left a parent’s arms. Others cried, and diplomats fought them. Some kept weapons in their beds. Others slept in corrals. They organized corrals and families that all homes were near a riding animal. When Elshars attacked, those too young or infirm to fight mounted and fled! Others, diplomats skilled in riding, acted as decoys and projected images of children or elderly riding with them. Farley was very skilled in this, and oft took 6 ferrisnae with him, and projected images on all. Trained the ferrisnae to pretend injury until an Elshar got close, then kicked him or moved so he fell from his dorna.


    “We lost too many to exhaustion or incomplete healing. Farley oft rose while Konomai treated him with nesfa, to ride ferrisnae during attacks! Galar nearly lost him, many times.”


    I grimaced. Ella was asleep and didn’t hear that. Even I knew, if a Zheien gets hurt and needs nesfa, he has to get good rest to recover well, from a severe head injury. All these diplomats got released—because of too many severe head injuries. Oh.


    We were near Cevit Ion’s bed. Ahstam looked tired. Pas got him to sleep and held Cevit Ion, but Jirris still startled awake, then Cevit Ion startled, and his father looked very sad. That Thordes fella held Jirris, too, but he didn’t hold his hair like his family did. All of ‘em had nightmares.


    Rose shook her finger at Rish. “You need to sleep more, too! Thordes aren’t immune to lack of sleep, either!”


    Jirris lifted his head. “Rish? Is it time?”


    “No. You need to sleep—”


    “But our children—”


    “The kids are playing outside! They have festival pastries to eat! Healers are telling them to go play, not putting them in beds. Children are happy.”


    Jirris cried. “Did someone ride to the market today?”


    Rish hugged him. “Listen. Hear the bakers?”


    “Wish you a festival pastry?” A lady held out a tray.


    “Ejis nae, did you take them to the children?” Poor Jirris sobbed.


    Cevit Ion sat up and reached for him.


    “Many brought trays to children, but there is enough for everyone.”


    “Jir, we have nae famine. Rest. Nae more long rides to the markets. Bakers have plenty.”


    He blinked at him. “They do?”


    “Eae. Nae this fear. Have you mind pain again, Ba?”


    “I dreamed of Marenalay. O, I should nae speak—”


    “Ba, you can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.” Rose hugged him.


    Another hand touched his hair. “Jir, you should rest.”


    “Ghen?” His blue eyes went very light! “Ba, strengthen me! I must recite—”


    “Can you nae wait—” An older man held his head.


    King Challet rushed to them from the other side of the bed. “Nae! Let me hold you, Nephew! Eae, recite now! O, look at this sweat on you! Ghen, bring—”


    “I am here!” A man ran in from the corrals! “O, happiness! Sor, Cev, rest! I had enough well to see to our animals this morning. Let me help—”


    “Ghannen, I must hold him. Help your sae! Recite quickly, Jir!”


    “Ghen, Healer Of Herds, Of Elshar Zheiea, I, Jirris, Master Diplomat Of Elshar Zhei—” His head dipped, and Challet caught it! “I wish to recite—Petition Of Marr-age—”


    “By the Protocols of Elshar Zheiea and Zhea~, our home, Ghen and Jirris, Children, you are married! Lie here and rest. Hold him, Ghen.” Challet pushed his limp body into her arms, but she wasn’t awake.


    All of them sighed, then pushed themselves against the couple and grabbed their hair. Jirris smiled, then snored.


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    Rish held his limp hand and sobbed quietly. Rose stroked his blond curls gently.


    And I felt like I shouldn’t have seen that. Zheien feel terrible when they can’t finish a petition, and a master diplomat—that’s gotta be worse than regular diplomats. He stayed dark gray.


    Healers bathed ‘em all in the blue foam and waved a white gown on King Challet. Like all of ‘em, he grabbed hair. One hand got some of Cevit Ion’s and Cevit Soron, that’s Cevit Ion’s daddy, and his other hand rested on Jirris and Ghen’s heads. Ghannen grabbed Ghen’s hair, then lost his smile when he felt Challet’s huge finger, kind of a ‘huh?’ look. I smirked.


    Ella and Elsie worked on progs, and Pas, both of ‘em, helped. Both ladies kept a hand on their husbands as they worked. Didn’t seem to be routine stuff. Other programmers came and yeah, lots of telepathy going on privately. Worried faces.


    I knew of Peh Ras and Sharon in Rainbow. Her sister, Lindy married Camen, he’s huge. But they died because she had a stroke. She looks good now, they helped with programming. It’s embarrassing, to know so much about strangers!


    cried healerfrightens


    “slavers


    “nae


    “naeaccustom


    “shipchildren


    “master


    “


    “Micansenthey


    creepy


    “paradiseflowershealersbedsmanalong


    “


    “work


    thisthisthisthese


    “


    “hide


    “


    shade


    “mefeel


    “pastries