He bowed with one leg far behind him. It was a split, and his forehead rested on the floor. “My liege, I surrender my kingdom to you! I, I can feel your Link, and all of my diplomats agree! I beg, these plants my son grew, may I send them to Aryll? We are dying, all of us, without this!”


    The Black lady and Perretau came with her and they bowed. Ry’nao held her shoulders so she couldn’t bow low. “Did you mean to give these plants to these people?”


    “Yes! I want to save Aryll! They are like the Zheien! See how King Wtensau prayed for them, for all of them, to be forgiven for what they all did!” We all heard her memory, but Wtensau put his hands on her head, and so did Perretau. He spoke as he did in that memory.


    Wtensau spoke softly. Perretau looked surprised.


    "Father of All, I have not been able to pray, but now I wish my children to be married for eternity! My daughter is without the heavy sins we bear, though she feels guilt for the crimes of the man who dared touch her against her will!” In her future, this tragedy happened. Her memories showed to us, how she cried afterwards, and she was older.


    Her father startled, then frowned at her. Deep concern and anguish, not anger.


    “I pray for Thy wisdom. Help me to lead my people into the light, when we craved the darkness for so long, too long! I feel many minds heavy with sorrows, and they ask of me, Father, of me, and I have no answers. All of us seek Thy wisdom, and I dare to ask for blessings. What answers shall I give my people, that a king can give? Kaling, my brother, you need to pray with us. A prophet cannot lead us without much prayer." He paused, and shuddered again. Hugged them both against his chest. Wept.


    We felt peace. At last, the healing Aryllans were promised, here it is! And we are witnesses! Fear of these Aryllans from others who saw them vanished.


    "Oh, I feel the love Thou hast for us! I feel it! Our innocent children, they are blameless, the ones who suffered while they watched others become the Adversary''s. All of us who turned from the Evil, we are Thy children, and Thou lovest us! Thou lovest us still.


    "Our Temple sealings are valid, if we keep the Covenants, if we pray, if we serve others, if we practice repentance! We must find comfort in Thy Word. We must gather and share Thy sweet Spirit. My people, we know what we must do, to be good. I ask that all of you, strive to be good, and repent. Try to do something to help the ones you hurt. Try to forgive yourselves.


    “Then, pray for that loving Father to forgive you, and He shall. My people, we left evil, most of us. Release any slaves you might still have with you. Help them return to their families, their healers. Give them much trade, and ships that do not belong to us. Return all items not ours.


    “We must not assume that all is lost and these things, this repentance does not matter! It does. We are not lost, my people. We are found. There is hope for us. Pray with me, for the blessings of Aryll we have because of Bess, an Earthan!


    "We thank Thee for Aryll, the scent that brings us life, the life Thou givest to save us! We thank Thee for Bess, and her children, that she gave without asking trade! She gave the Earthan magnolias that made the Aryll bloom again. All worlds of Aryll now enjoy the scent, and feel the strength. Healers report miracles to me. We thank Thee for all of these mighty blessings! Let us never, never forget to be grateful."


    He said a lot of things. I felt the gratitude, and the tears, and the guilt of their people, but most of all, their humble joy that in this prayer, they finally felt forgiveness! But the plants brought minds to him, to Kaling, and there were none who did not hear. They all agreed to release all of their slaves. Plants allow them to contact each other telepathically? Ryee thought about the pin dat shai, intelligent plants that made healer colonies, years from now. In Bess’ future, she served on a DS Team with these Aryllans, the first to attend Sigan Mas after their cure. Memories came to me.


    Kaling, the Aryllan Prophet, touched minds, and heard the ones with the most guilt. He prayed for each one of these suffering people, and got revelation for each one. Others had blessings from their religious teachers. Children knelt in prayer with their parents, and some, like Earthan children, misbehaved.


    Tens of thousands of worlds of people! Ryee worried for King Wtensau. He is old! Contact with this many minds would kill a normal Aryllan. But, the Cube whispered to me, he is the Host Of The Blue. Ray will use the Blue first, then give it to him. Satauuver stole it from him. But, I must not think of this now.


    Queen Selafae directed members of their Council—The Nolo, same as Bess’ last name—to take the rest, and Wtensau reluctantly let her guide them. His head drooped.


    Ry’nao helped him up. “King Wtensau, you may keep your kingdom. I know that you will lead your people as you did before the accident.”


    Another girl appeared. Ry’nao seemed surprised. “Uh, you don’t know me. I’m Morgan.” Oh, I remember her! She needed a lot of sessions with me in Rainbow. Horribly abused and traumatized. Obsessed with the Hades Building. Molly was really worried about her. Suma’s loud thoughts reached me!


    He took her hand. Startled. Brushed leaves off her arm. A homeless girl? “Pas, please see her. Morgan, I do know you, I know of you. Have you something to add about the Aryllans?”If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She cried. “Llsam didn’t do it! Not willingly. He, and Sela, and her parents, Toning and Semana, they were forced to create the plague by Ker’rant’hru, Prince Of Tch’Zbbatr. He knew if he could corrupt anyone Aryllan, he could deal in higher level slaver herbs for Opseh Wenh Cet!”


    A yellow Zbbat appeared and drooped before Ry’nao. Blue light hit him and a green slick spread. Perretau pulled her away from it. I lost sight! Ryee held me but even he trembled! The Blue Cube did this. Ray’s shock came to me. She did not wish this! I felt the anger of the Blue Cube’s Collective, and their happiness to have contact with King Wtensau.


    Another Zbbat appeared. Touched the green slime with a finger. These people had six large arms and six large legs, big around as maybe 6 meters! Everyone looked scared.


    Still another Zbbat took his six-tentacled hand. “I am Mollysias. Learn from me, their language. I will not allow anyone to hurt themselves, just to talk to you.” She waved a tentacle and white light cleaned the floor.


    “You are one to talk! I am King Tch’lanterserah! I am powerful! You killed my son. But, today, we will all change. Now that Satauuver is gone, I will not bow to Rentappenen or Eriganh. We renounce slavery, and I am destroying all the slaver herbs from upper levels.” Diplomats reported Zbbat ships landing in many locations! At first, everyone on these worlds were afraid they came to take slaves. Instead, they had weapons and destroyed slaver herb fields, without harming any people working in them! Then they released slaves in great numbers.


    “King Wtensau, we stole your plants from Aryllan worlds to enrich ours. I am willing to return what we took, what did not die.”


    Wtensau sweated like rain on the red-violet floor. “We will free all of your slaves. Does Lyyyrah also agree?”


    He appeared in blue light. This alien was a meter wide and a meter tall. His two arms ended in round mouths. One spoke. Green skin like a frog’s, and yellow frog eyes the size of two basketballs rose higher from his shoulders. “Adia taught me that friendship is important. I want to be friends with all of you. Is Ryee here?” Ay and Ryee came with him, but he looked at my husband.


    He bowed to him, one leg far behind. “I am here.” I worried for how pale he was! He and I nearly died there! But, I must last! He trembled as much as I!


    “I want a treaty between Esteerr, Tch’Zbbatr, and Aryll. All slaves must be returned to their home worlds. I will supply healers but I wish healers to teach them.” All his neon-yellow bulk quivered. As with Zbbat, diplomats reported Esteerrian ships that destroyed slaver herbs and released slaves.


    “I taught them. Pirad can clone me and send my children.” Mollysias bowed and I could see her star-shaped mouth between the arms move. For her 4 meter diameter, she was graceful. “I know healing for all the species Pirad knows, including Aryllans.” She reached a tentacle to King Wtensau and hummed. He stopped sweating and stood straighter. Another tentacle reached for Perretau and the others with him.


    Ryee gathered diplomats together and they wrote a treaty with Ry’nao. Lyyyrah and Tch’lanterserah added to it. Centuries before, all of Wtensau’s sons vanished on Esteerr from their mission to discuss a treaty. Lyyyrah took power during their visit. He agreed to return them all.


    They appeared in blue light. Ray looked sick. Her husband took her to a room.


    Neal and Suma sang healing. They had yellow light around them!


    Wtensau tried to hold all five of them! There were Zheien with them. Suma and Ray saved them all and took away memories of torture and slaver herbs. They looked up.


    Suma and Neal held the Zheien and sang healing. The yellow light surrounded them, too. Perretau knew them. Binneas’ uncle, aunt, and four brothers. These weren’t the ones Binneas lost before Molly came to Rainbow. They were much older than he was!


    Selafae, Queen Of Aryll appeared in a holo. "Fine husband! Your words gave us great comfort! I will organize all our women for Nolo in every place, along with men of the Nolo, until all can meet in prayer often! We need Father of All most in this time of blessings, to help us feel that we are worthy to enjoy them! You are very wise, Tens."


    He cried loudly and pressed his hand against her cheek. "Sela, my Sela, Father of All gave those words, not me! I could never have wisdom, that He did not grant. Feel that joy that drips from our people?" Gently, he put their forearms together. Both dripped sweat, but that is their tears. "I feel peace, at last, and I feel the Aryll enough to help. Perr, I can help you more, now. Finally, the Gift is in my Sela again. We shall live to see home. Look, your Bess gains strength! She carries the name of Nolo, and I shall appoint her Healer to Nolo!"


    She shook her head. "Father, Nolo is a nickname—a shortname, as the Zheien call it—" No one ever called me by my last name until I joined Diplomatic Service, years from now.


    "What does that matter?" He laughed, a soft, gentle laugh more like a low purr. "Father of All brought you to my son, when he felt he would die soon, for lack of a wife! Now, he shall not die. Let me teach you to gain strength, in your telepathy, by taking strength from others!"


    "I don''t want to make people feel bad--"


    Again, that wise laugh. "If you take just a little, from those who have much, after rest, they will not miss it. Everyone contributes to my strength, because I am an old man, and travel is bad for me. Once, I could travel alone. Now, I have to take 20 men with me, and my poor wife can''t go with me much now. She is strong on Aryll and weak on even Abyll, where I gain health!"


    They discussed a new treaty and all those former slaves went to sleep. Lineas and Keea held the Zheien. Their relatives! Ryee arranged for a ship to take them all to Fhiah with healers. Ry’nao sent Ryee and Ay to take them. My husband modified the treaty framework with Ry’nao, Lyyyrah and Tch’lanterserah, and all of them remembered a similar treaty far in our future, and the consequences of what they decided. This treaty had many different choices. Lyyyrah touched my mind often, expecting me to think in his language as Ay did, but I did not react as my sister. No Esteerrian came to me as in my other future, where I once knew some unexpectedly. My face burned and I felt very unwell.


    I had great fear with Zbbat and Esteerrians on the ship! Several ported in of each species. Mollysias taught every one. This was not like Herdyyyath, the Zbbat Molly taught to be gentle. She was like her clone, Siadiasly, who helped Suma, Molly and others heal people sometimes. This meeting made me wish to run!


    But my husband enjoyed it, despite growing mind pain. Normally, Yeff must eat taida to make their telepathy stronger to bear this contact, and he never had to meet with Esteerrians and Zbbat both in one meeting, nor so many! Even with Pirad’s giving Ryee the telepathy of a Zbbat, he fatigued quickly. I feared for him. Lyyyrah never became very skilled with his telepathy, not even after learning Zheien healing.