The stream of bodies continued, many of the large women toted on transports, and I wondered where they were going.

"The thing the women dip their wings into, the Lava," Kein said softly.

“We are delivered back to our planet."

The lava took the Paterians back to their source. As the bodies sunk into the strange substance it got hotter. Women had studied the Lava or Paterian fire and knew the bodies literally melted deep beneath the surface of the planet. After a time the body was no Longer separate from the fire.

The idea of burial beneath the dirt was quite foreign here. At the compound dead men had just disappeared, but this is what had always happened. ALL Paterians were always delivered back to their planet the same way.

I was saddened that Gunth got no headstone or remembrance. Damien quirked a brow at my memories. A plaque on the wall wouldn't be a bad thing. He would ask the Administrators to consider that.

We stood for a very long time watching the dead pass by. Even the boys stood stoically watching the procession. Everyone seemed to understand the respect that was due those that had given their Lives for the rest of us.

Once the Last body was gone I saw Thom striding toward us. He Looked purposeful and his eyes were on me.

"Ciara," he called once he was close, "you have done a great deal for the Healers, but your skills are needed elsewhere."

I was stunned by his mannerism, he was acting quite official.

Damien wasn't surprised. Thom and his family wanted Administrative duties. He was probably "filling in" to prove his family a suitable replacement for Gunth and his Brothers. I nodded in understanding and agreed politely to do whatever would help the camp. Thom had been good to me and I wanted him to succeed.

"The men brought back many former slaves," Thom said lowering his voice.

“They are scared and they do not understand. We need you and Rose to help us with them."

I wanted to stay with my family and get to know my Little boy again, but I understood Thom's urgency. The former slaves were probably terrified and confused. At least Rose and I had some knowledge about what was going on when we were freed. These poor women would be completely lost.

“We'll see you at the evening meal,“ Damien promised as I turned to him, a nod and a smile to all my family and I was gone.

The transport area was busy as I followed Thom through it after we picked up Rose. Men from the camp greeted Rose and me, but the other men just stared. Our mannerisms weren't that of slaves anymore and we wore swords just like they did. Many murmured as they noted the guns we also carried. The men had seen the destruction those weapons could do. The new weapons gave Rose and me immense power. It must have been confusing.

I did note that every family from the camp seemed to have one or two families that followed them. My assumption was that the men's education had been delegated to different families. Everyone was going to help.

The freed slaves were in a state when I reached them. Perhaps sixty confused women trembled on several transports. I could see all the different species of "slaves" I knew about and two others. The men had managed to wrap them all in some sort of warm clothing, so I knew they'd tried to keep them comfortable. The women still shivered in fear.

The men with them seemed frustrated and exasperated. They were trying to coax them off and the freed slaves wouldn't move.

"Friends," I called out to them, "Look at me." Every set of eyes raised to me and I saw the shock in their faces.

“My name is Ciara, I was a slave Like you. The men from these mountains have freed you. You are not slaves here. No one is going to hurt you. We will never allow you to be enslaved again."

The men that had been with them all disappeared quickly by bounding into the main camp, which irritated me. They had obviously been annoyed with babysitting these women, but Rose and I would need help. Two of us couldn't tend to them by ourselves; it would take forever.