Home Is...Series Vol.08 Home Is Refuge

7th Volume in Home Is Series.

Dovetails with Rainbow’s Start, Vol. 1 in Rainbow Series.

Dovetails with Domino Series Vol.2

Zhea~ Year 7825-26 Ryonne~ struggles to govern and work as healer despite fevers and unwells caused by the Change, the rise from one trade level to the next. But, slavers plague the small colony. 346pp.

ASIN: B002IYEBD8 File Size: 376 KB (Kindle Edition - July 24, 2009)

Home Is Refuge: Home Is v. 08 Kindle Edition

Excerpt. © Dannis Cole. All rights reserved.

“The bad people! Uncle Doug, the bad people are coming!” She screamed. Doug leapt off the bed. Jen followed. They crouched behind Geor~geh and Ynfos in a corner of our nine sided chamber.

Before I could move, Ryee floated above us! I tried to grab his arm. A shock threw me away from him. Father caught me and sang rapid healing.

“Ay!”

“I am well, Love!” I gasped, as the unseen visitors lifted him higher above the floor. J~oie watched Vadia and Greg, who trembled.

“Fa! Speak to them, quick!” Vadia shouted. Ryee tensed.

Laura whispered. “Oh, Ryee—” The rapidly fluctuating screens of her vidi held her attention; I felt suddenly painful, faint, distant. J~oie reached into his pocket. Before us, Wslarc appeared, a small holo above the Purple Cube.

“We are in grave danger!” His changing face showed many versions of terror. If a Councilor knew terror, no hope remained. “Be still, my host, my friends.” All power shut down. Laura’s vidi, the lights, the chamber’s portals, all faded. Without the portals, no barrier remained to keep any intruders out of the palace or out of our chamber. Greg put Vadia’s hand gently off him. “I see one who can communicate.” Wslarc stared at our friend. “I fear to ask it of you, Gregwenhcet. They seek you, and they will kill Ryonne~ to find you.”

At the sound of his formal name, Greg lost all color. “Methnerrantten, probch’na mespraktetnenhn.” His voice came in low tones. Deb stared at him.

“He assents; quickly, Geor~geh, give him the vapors you have prepared. The time is now.”

Geor~geh took a glass from Ynfos. He held it before her as she sprinkled a white powder on it. Then he whirled, held it out to Greg, and Greg took it. Downed it quickly. Geor~geh and Ynfos cried. Forgive us.

“It must be done.” Greg nodded. “I must remember.”

“Greg.” Deb’s anguished voice brought his stare.

He took both her hands. Then he watched Ryee. I watched the blue ring around his green irises grow. In perfect correlation, the more blue that showed, the more unwell he appeared. The whites of his eyes fluctuated in rainbow colors.

Ryee lay helpless above us, watching yet unable to speak, begging me with his eyes to stop this moment in time. Without the White Cube’s composites, hopeless!

Wslarc, J~oie’s Councilor, spoke again. “Gregwenhcet, your people have a need, for many of your people lie injured after an attack by Es Fvan slavers. They will heal Ryee when they have the knowledge of healing you have gained from the others. You will give it to them, you can communicate directly—“

“I am out of family! They will not listen—“

“Would I ask this of you! Gregwenhcet, Ryonne~ is the hope of this level’s transition. You are the hope of Ryonne~. My composite begs this of you. I cannot force it. We have done what we can. All lies with you now. Your people take what they need. Remember your culture. Give them this knowledge. I will take this experience to the Council, and the Ty’nirrhan will lower to this level as we raise Zheiea.”

Greg smiled. Even as he rose above us to sit in air by Ryee, he smiled. “My people’s evil ends with this.”

Deb started to protest, but Suma held her arms firmly, to keep her from standing on our bed.

Mins slowed to hours. Greg shuddered. Screamed in his pain at times! Whispered the words of his language. His eyes blended with his skin, which burst rainbow colors once, twice, many times; until the color changes remained. They dimmed as he stared at his hands, touched his face, put his fists near his cheeks and dropped his mouth open. A Ty’nirrhan gesture of shock. He shivered badly now. I felt his astonishment in seeing his change. His fear. Unsteadily, he leaned over Ryee; then he propped his side against him to put his hands very carefully on Ryee’s head.

“Thrummnearr, pashatanabedat, reasherrneenndaten pkerart.” Slowly, he murmured. Deb shivered, and cried softly. Greg’s head jerked up. “Measherrea, measherrean, Deb measherre an terresherreat.” He spoke the last words soothingly, but then brought his fingers to his lips as he spoke them. He covered his face with both hands a moment. His hands moved into fists. I saw nuances of expressions in his constantly changing face. The blurs of constant change had a common factor in the colors of his eyes. More time passed, and I felt deep sadness from him. He stared at Deb with deadly longing. His skin turned a glowing gray with the speed of colors blending. She stared at him in horror. I felt him trying to speak in English. He could not. His change left him mute, and Deb cried aloud as if she had seen him die.

Slowly, Greg turned to Ryee. Wslarc drew energy from us and we gave much for him to contribute to Greg.

Another hour. I barely kept my eyes open. My fear for Ryee took my breath, caused my sight to ebb with each beat of my heart, made my fingers to roll tightly as I yearned to see him move! From where I sat, I watched each rise and fall of my husband’s chest. His head did not move; I could not see his face.

Greg wailed suddenly! Ryee made a motion to rise, fell back, jerked his hands upwards at wrists.

We heard a stifled gasp from Deb, who lifted out of Suma’s arms and rose in air beside her husband! He spoke rapidly to her; she cowered.

Very gently, he reached a hand towards her forehead. A shaking hand. Glowing and transparent in flickering rainbows. Deb held her breath.

When he touched her, they both exhaled loudly. “Deb, Sweetheart, what I must ask of you! I’m frightened! There is not time. Ryee must speak, and I must have English from you to communicate. No time. I must touch you and Ryee. You must touch both of us. No time. Please, Deb!” He took her hand, with great tenderness, and she let him place her hands, one on Ryee’s forehead, one on hers. The two of them formed a triangle with Ryee.

“Ryee, do you hear?”

A low moan.

“You must help us with your diplomatic skills as we heal you. We will heal you. You will be whole. We negotiate the life of your people!” As he spoke, rainbow energy glowed in their arms. Ni’olmai concentrated as Wslarc gave him energy from all of us. Even Vadia gave much. Ni’olmai, who could see only shadows, expertly guided the flow to Ryee.

This healing moved so slowly, I felt I would sleep despite my attempts to focus my effort. At times I gained awareness that my eyes were closed, with no memory of closing them. Slowly, gradually, I felt our Link open. I touched Ryee’s mind at last! I told him what I knew, shared my memories, gave him my love. Once enough awareness stayed with him, he gladly shared his experiences in great detail with the Ty’nirrhans. Greg translated all.

Ni’olmai gained a knowledge of the spoken Ty’nirrhan through Greg while he passed energy to Ryee. Soon, the two conversed somewhat; a normal Ty’nirrhan would not have had ability to communicate only in the spoken part. Greg had his Earthan memories, though not his English skills. I did not understand why. If he could speak his native tongue, did it not contain many English phonemes? I heard no sounds that an Earthan could not produce.

Light from our suns through the skylight waned. The glow from Greg’s rainbow skin played on the tapestries and reflected from the walls. Ryee gained enough strength to sit. The energy ended.

The three of them fell onto the floor! I lunged for Ryee, Suma for Deb, and Ni’olmai reached Greg first.

Ryee and Deb were only bruised. Ryee and I went to Greg’s side; Deb tried to move further away but Suma prevented. She sobbed hysterically.

“Are you okay, Greg?” Doug timidly reached a hand for his arm.

Greg shivered in Ni’olmai’s arms, stared at Deb. She averted her gaze.

“He cannot answer you, D’gmiash.” Wslarc’s image faded. J~oie looked down.

“He cannot communicate—Deb, Greg needs you—are you near?” Ni’olmai’s eyes searched for her.

I smelled magnolias. The scent reached Deb, and she lifted her head from Suma’s arm. “That can’t be magnolias! We’re millions of miles from Georgia. Greg used to bring me magnolia blossoms from his walks when we first got married. Oh, Suma! I’ve lost him! Now he’ll leave me and go with his people!” She sobbed loudly. The scent of magnolias grew stronger. Greg writhed on the floor. His body turned a light blue. His eyes did not leave Deb.

“Robin’s egg blue.” Suma looked at Deb. “And I bet that’s your favorite color.” Deb nodded, looking down at her lap. Suma pulled upwards on her chin. “Look at him. Greg’s still in there, Deb. He needs you. He still loves you; I think it’s hurting him to do these parlor tricks for you. Go to him, Deb!” Suma pushed slightly on Deb’s arm, but she stared at her husband in terror.

“He’s one of them, now. Not out of family. In family.” Deb didn’t move away, but she did not move closer. I saw the hesitation in her face.

Ni’olmai supported Greg as he sank across the large man’s lap. His colors faded and the changes slowed. “Deb, he will die if you don’t—“

Greg interrupted with a gentle string of Ty’nirrhan phrases. His voice grew fainter. His eyes stared at Deb.

Slowly, Deb crawled near and reached her hand hesitantly to take Greg’s. As she did, his color changed to robin’s egg blue and brightened. His facial features sharpened until his face resembled a human’s. When Deb saw Greg’s face as it was yesterday, she put her other hand on his forehead and wept loudly.

We gathered to sing healing, but how to heal one so physiologically different? Father and Ryee stared into each other’s eyes for a long time. Then Father seemed to find a solution; he caught Ni’olmai’s worried gaze and the vacant eyes focused on Father’s for a moment.

“Deb, you must lead the healing. You must show us how to help him.” Ni’olmai groped for her hand.

“Lead the healing? I don’t know how to do healing without kae ceresa. I don’t know how to do anything but skint knees and bruises. Maybe CPR. I was an OB nurse before I was a healer. Some help.”

Go to Vol.9 Home Is Memory, Home Is Illusion