Crying startled us. Asha waved for hygiene and a purple dress appeared on terrified Ray.

"Asha, your foot! Let me heal--"

"See my maiden!" Deep-voiced crying made Ray turn around.

She studied Asha. Taller than her. Yellow skin, but pale. Twin-toed feet looked odd. His right foot was huge.

Pas held out twin-fingered hands to her. Red-gold eyes filled with tears. "Maiden, we wish ne to harm you. Please, let me offer healing to you. I fear Asha will ne let me touch him until I see you."

She looked from him to Asha. "I'm sorry! You saved me--" She rubbed her wrist and winced. It was misshapen!

"You had great fear! Pas, she is injured, please, heal her! Heden tried to take her!"

Everyone around us gasped. I felt unwell!

"He is with Ih Esta." Another man started to pick him up but his healer in white robes took him.

Pas put an arm around her. Ray let him. "Please, come to a bed." He nodded to his right and one appeared. She hesitated. "I plan ne decadence." His mind filled us with images of healing children.

She let him pick her up and put her on the bed. In a leiwege. He was careful not to touch her wrist, and it rested on an unseen support. He wore white robes with Tessite trim over his purple tunic and pants.

Tears rolled out of her blue eyes and down her face. How long has it been since anyone touched me, except to try to take what I didn't want to give? This month-long nightmare of living in a tent--

Her reflection in the curved hull showed her, mouth open, blue eyes huge, and light brown hair ragged on her shoulders. Thin. I used to be overweight. Ray shivered and he put a blanket on her.

Asha's healer healed his swollen foot.

She got the memory stare. I felt something and shuddered. Ryee held me. "Should we rest, Love?"

I shook my head. We both heard our TS Inspector for Earth, Andrisch. He is angry. Heden was not there when he went to his last location. The man on his ship is a clone of him.

Asha pulled at Ray's hand as she looked at him again. Now, his eyes had that terrorized look in them, black marbles in white, as white as his skin, now.

Ray gasped. "Asha, I love you. We have to get married, right now! You waited too late and they almost couldn't save you!" Zheien have telepathy, and the stress of keeping his mind out of mine because he loves me, can kill him!

Asha cried. "I meant nae—o, he wished to kill you and I lost reason! Does Eriganh know I took you here?" I tensed. He is watching!

Cevit Ion ran to her—yellow skin, light, straight hair, sash with sparkling pins across his chest, and redviolet one piece suit. "Asha, nae think of him! Be calm, my son. Eae, he seeks her, but Pirad can hide us and so he does. Maiden, please listen to Ry'nao. He is our Emperor."

And Ry'nao ran to them. They seemed to vanish.

My tension did not end. I trembled. My eyes went to that yard, Laura's yard. Someone is there.

Asha, Diplomat Of Elshar Zheiea, ran to them and vanished. They must be friends. Asha is a very common name among Elshar Zheien, Ryee told me.

Ray's Asha invited all of us to his Outer Circle. Cevit Ion touched the mind of his father, Cevit Soron, who is there in Elshar Zheiea. There, is before dawn but moons are out. Asha is Master Trader Of Elshar Zheiea, as M'Naga is to our kingdom.

Asha wore his cobalt blue trader's robes. Ray now wore a beautiful wedding dress, soft lace in white. "Oh, that's pretty!"

"Watch more." His hand trembled visibly as he held hers. A few clouds gathered on the right side of the moons. "O, if it will only be clear enough—ah!"

A tiny point of light traced a path of white across the two moons. A third moon. Asha knelt, with that wondrous sky as his backdrop. "Raylene Elisa Green, Trader Of Earth. I, Asha, Master Trader of Elshar Zheien Colony, ask that you join with me in a Petition Of Marriage Without Courtship, in the manner of the ancient people of Zheiea, by the protocols of Zhea~ and Elshar Zheiea and Atlanta, Georgia. I promise to honor you with all my heart. I will give you all my patience. In return, I ask your love. How will you answer my plea for marriage?" He shook so violently, he nearly fell over.

She watched him, unsmiling. "Asha, Master Trader of Elshar Zheien Colony, I, Raylene Elisa Green, Trader of Earth, do wish to marry you! You honor me by this Petition. I promise to learn all I can of your customs and serve your people as I learn." She gave a resolute nod, and I almost showed my mirth!

Pas held him as he fainted.

Suma ported as Pas carried Asha to the room they would share. Ray touched her shoulder. "Now that you're here, I think we should do something so Eriganh can't see us."

"We? I don't know how to—" The necklace threw blue light on their faces. "Oh, I could make a kind of merite that we can see out, and they can't see in." Suma lifted a hand, and yellow light followed it. She painted the inside of the ship. It went yellow, then clear red-violet again. But, I shivered. Someone is angry. They also felt that!

Across the ship stood Deb, with her parents.

We all looked towards the side of the ship by that yard. "Maybe I shouldn't have—"

We heard a voice, in our minds. Ah, a prize to bargain with. Ray, Trader Of Earth, I am Satauuver. If you value these people, you will trade with me. Eriganh is tired of your interference.

The ship's huge crowd, hundreds of people, stared at him, and his gray skin. He had an Earthan Black lady by the wrist. He is an Aryllan, with saber-like fingernails. They are savage monsters! Everyone gasped! She had a plastic grocery bag with magnolia seeds in it. Why? Oh, I felt faint! He has a Cube, the Blue!

Ray walked through diplomats to him. "I am Trader Ray." She waved and a light blue robe just appeared over her light blue T-shirt and medium blue jeans. Medium blue eyes, that gave him an icy stare. I trembled. Neal came to put an arm around Suma. She healed him, and he stopped shaking.

But, by us, another man appeared, another Aryllan! He had gray skin and beady black eyes that stared at Satauuver, who glared at him. "This woman wants you." He shoved the lady into his arms.

She ignored his two-foot nails, razor sharp for killing victims, and hugged him. "Perr! This is for you!" She put the bag in his hand. As she did, his long fingernails shrank so they were short as mine! He sweated. Red light—Ray did that! She can use Eriganh's Red Cube?

With one gentle arm around her, he waved and the bag floated. Magnolia seeds came out. He sang a beautiful song and she added harmonies. From each seed, a tree grew! Bloomed!

A male scream startled me. Satauuver stared in horror at his hands! There were 16 other Aryllans and they all had short fingernails. Blue light swirled around them all. But the others smiled! Hugged one another!

Ray faced Satauuver and red light swirled around her. It lifted her hair around her face. "You do not belong here! Feel the rage of your Collective? They hate you!" Blue light also swirled around him.

He fell on the floor, and red light hid him! Suddenly, all that was left on the floor were his blue robes like hers, but jeweled. They flew up and another, older man lifted his hands. The robe went onto his arms and shoulders. This is Wtensau, the King Of Aryll, Ryee told me. Ray made all the Aryllans like they used to be, similar to Zheien! Many of their diplomats spoke with diplomats in the Diplomatic Link and Ryee heard them!

Ry'nao, Emperor Of The Seven, stood there. His fire-engine red skin paled to white. "What are your intentions here, Wtensau?" He spoke Aryllan but Ryee translated for me. A few others heard their words in their languages!

All the diplomats on the ship watched him, and fear from the Zheien ones rumbled on us.