“Oh, I’m sorry! C’mere!” I held my arms out. Shook my braids on the other side of my shoulders. They were getting pretty ratty.

  He stared at them. “What do you want?”

  “You’re upset, and I want to comfort you.”

  He looked from one of my hands to the other. “We are not like you. We do not touch each other.”

  “Ty’nirrhans do.”

  “They learned habits from other species.”

  Greg came and sat by us. “Ty’nirrhans need family, and they touch a lot. Opseh Wenh Cet taught people not to touch, and they died.”

  “They did? This is terrible! My people do not touch, and many die when things change.” He didn’t change faces as fast.

  Greg made his hand yellow and held it near Yamotenanten’s face. “Do you like this scent? I think you need some. Briahh, what’s it called? I can’t think.”

  Briahh ran over and held his head. “Don’t try! Just help him.”

  Yamotenanten trembled. “What will it do? People in wars did that!”

  “Healers do this to comfort people. It can be used as a weapon, but I will not use my body as one! I learned healing for us. I taught others to do this. Our soldiers learned to make weapons, and none of them could unlearn it, so they volunteered to die for us. None of our soldiers came back.” He grimaced.

  Dromie took his other hand. “Don’t cry. All your soldiers live with Kaswas’ people now. They know how to teach them not to do that. They can heal rogues.”

  “They can? Can you heal rogues?” Yamotenanten’s arms shook.

  I rubbed ‘em and they stopped. He put his fists by his ears and his jaw dropped. What’s that mean?

  Greg smiled. “He is surprised! You rubbed his arms and I think you stopped him from having a seizure. Were you injured, Yamotenanten?”

  He dropped his arms. “Yes. I am tired, but I have to watch you.”

  “Can’t someone else watch us so you can sleep?”

  “No. I came alone. I did not expect to have to watch so many of you.” This is a big ship, and we filled it up, although there’s plenty of room.

  Ry’nao put a hand on his arm, which shook again. “Yamotenanten, I give you my word that no one in this room will try to harm you. I command my diplomats. You will protect him, will you?” He looked at a lot of people who nodded, maybe half of us.

  “You will protect me? But all of you are enemies of the Council, and I represent it!” He shook all over.

  Ry’nao looked over the crowd of us. “Do any of you consider yourself to be an enemy of the Padrisa? I am loyal to them, even if they decide to kill me.”

  All of us agreed to be loyal to the Padrisa. That shocked poor Yamotenanten, and he shook harder. Molly stroked his arms and his head until he calmed down. “I’ll hold you. Greg, Briahh, lie beside him. I think he needs other Wausen by him. Yamotenanten, sleep now. Nobody will hurt you here.”

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  He sighed, and his eyes closed. His glow faded and his face quit changing. Without the glow, his skin had a gray color.

  Greg stroked his arm. “He needs—Briahh?”

  Briahh named off things to Wtensau, who grew them. Pretty yellow flowers, which he crushed and put in Yamotenanten’s mouth. Hummed to make them absorb, like Molly did sometimes. “He needed healing for a long time. I think all of the Wausen needs what we know, Greg.”

  “I fear for them! If they didn’t take a Thum Mayyahh with them, would they know what healing is? They’re like we were, because Opseh Wenh Cet taught us that healing was bad, to show weakness was dangerous because our enemies would see it. But Opseh Wenh Cet had an old healer. He ordered me to put the man to death. I took him into the slave area, and he saw a slave collapse, and I watched him heal the man. “Teach me to do this.”

  He was scared, but he showed me all he knew about healing. I put him to work teaching slaves how to heal each other, and how to take care of each other. This worked so well, I rose through the ranks and Opseh thought I must be an incredibly cruel master, to get so much work out of his slaves! This gave me the opportunity to become his top slavelord, and I organized such a big revolt, we almost killed him.”

  Wtensau made more plants, but looked surprised. “We used all the water from the ship. I cannot grow more food without it. Pirad, can you use any of this?”

  He made the buzzing noise with his lips, that did like a fan. “No. We will die soon, because we cannot live long. It is unnatural for Bisillips and Wausen to eat. Aryllans can adapt, but Molly is correct. None of us have enough to sleep by us. This ship cannot travel fast enough to reach the Padrisa before we die. We will be insane by tomorrow, and I fear for the others! He laid on the floor and shivered. Greg fed him as he laid on the floor. His hand dripped into the plants.

  “You cannot do this, Greg.”

  “I am not as important as you.”

  Suma slid closer. “Pirad, our bodies have a lot more moisture than yours. Can’t you take some from all of us? Maybe we can eat more plants—”

  “Look at the amounts Wtensau made just now! We will all starve!”

  I looked at the plants, and already we ate most but for dry stalks. I broke off one and munched on it. Sweet, but very dry. My stomach growled and my mouth was almost too dry to swallow it.

  Wtensau frowned. “I can do this, but all of you will suffer. Wait until tomorrow.”

  Molly looked around. “Everyone, gather close. Most of us need to be warm!”

  Pirad groaned. “I am too warm. All of us. But if we do not stay near the Biehshah, we perish quickly.”

  “Lie flat on the floor. Kirnonos, lie beside him. Taredias, on his other side.” Molly felt the floor and crawled all over it. “Darn it! The whole floor is just that cold, not colder.” She came back and felt the heads of all three Bisillips. “Okay, give me your blankets.” She put them over the three, then motioned for Irdatkin, Tanirpahadachan, his dad, and another Biehshah to come. “Lie on top of them.”

  “Why should I freeze to save them?” He folded his arms.

  “C’mon, Garat. We all have to work together.” Molly sighed. “You don’t have a feud going with Taredias, do you?”

  He glared at him, then sat roughly on his lap. “He refused to trade with Leheren!” Then he laid down, all at once. Taredias groaned.

  Irdatkin very gently sat on Pirad, then laid slowly down. “I am sorry, Pirad. I will try not to shiver.”

  “What does that matter? Tomorrow we will all die! There is nothing to tie us with that will hold us!”

  “What?” Yamotenanten got up. “You are planning a revolt, here?”

  “No! We will go insane because we need water!” He buzzed more.

  He stopped changing faces. His body quit glowing, but he was white and pretty featureless. “Then, we must land on a world with water! Ry’nao, choose one.” A star map came up, like we sat in the middle of a hologram.

  He studied it. “Oh, we are near a Zheien colony! All of you, see if you have anything we can trade! This is Nah.”

  I giggled. Molly smirked. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean that in their language, Azure!”

  Yamotenanten got right in my face. “What does it mean in your language?”

  “That’s like, ‘Nah, I’m good!’ when you don’t want something! But I like Zheien, so I wouldn’t say that about—Nah!” I busted out laughing and spit a little. Nerves. But half the things I think are funny get me funny looks from everybody, anyway.

  The white hull vanished, on all sides. “I warn you, if you run I will port you back here!”

  “You have my word, not one will try to escape.” Ry’nao got up. Ryee steadied him, then Molly got between them and held onto their arms so they wouldn’t fall.

  We were in a jungle with lots of beautiful flowers, but giant wasps! Ry’nao saw one that buzzed close. “Yamotenanten—”

  It flew at him and bounced against something. Kept flying at him like a wasp in a jar! He pulled Ryee’s head against his chest and kept his hand between the thing and Ryee. More came! I screamed! I can’t stand wasps and these were gigantic! Each was as long as my hand! Yellow and black like hornets!

  Yamotenanten gasped. “You will stop! All of you!”