I stood up, dropping my hands from my ears, assailed by the shrieking, but standing strong, forcing deep breaths, and beckoned the firefins to listen to me telepathically. I sent an open call to all willing to listen, but called particularly to Rensi, though I knew he was young and therefore likely wouldn’t hold much sway.
“Rensi… We come peacefully to you… We want to help… I know a different way to help you… I am your friend… We are your friends…”
“Enemies… evil… pain-causers… captors…” The overwhelming response from all sides by the firefins was shocking. I looked at Axis with alarm. How had he allowed them to feel such pain? How had he allowed his ocean animals to be hurt so badly?
“We are your friends… We are good… We will make you feel better… Please… You must trust me… Trust… Good… Love… Hope… Help…” I pushed back the best impressions of emotion I could feel into them, showing them images of me helping other firefins, healing them from the blue flu on Serpul.
The shrieking quieted as they listened to my emotions, as they watched my images come through to them, as they looked at these turquoise waters and their brethren trusting me to give them shots that cured them.
“Please… My name is Ceritha… I am here to help you… Trust me…”
The huge Queen swam forward toward us again. The shrieking had ceased, but there was the occasional hissing chitter from this side or the other, firefin speaking to firefin, discussing whether or not they should trust us.
“I am Queen Yolasi. How will you help us against the blue?”
I staggered to the side, stunned by how clear her thought was to me. She must be a very old queen, with great telepathic power. Power that had been untouched, untarnished by ages of speaking to other Curans. It was brand new to access in this way, and it was as if she were flooding all her Will into me, no restraint.
“I need to do tests—”
She spun backward so quickly that wake erupted around the boat and we rocked to the side. Shrieking went through the ranks again. “No tests! Guns! Needles! Pain! Poison! No tests!”
“Say something different, Ceritha!” Axis yelled. I held up my hands.
“Different tests! Different tests. Gentler tests. With your permission. With your help, I can help you. With your help… Only with your help, can I save firefins… We can save firefins… We can do it together…” I reached my hand out to her, gesturing gently, my head down, turned slightly sideways, looking at her from the sides of my eyes. A gesture of respect and supplication on Serpul, I didn’t know if it would be the same here on Farian. It seemed to work. The Queen approached again, and came closer, slinking through the water, her heavy fin wings slicing a ripple current. She lifted her huge dragon head and sniffed my hand, then gently nuzzled me.
“Trust is a necessity. We need to heal.”
“Trust is worthy. You can trust me. You can trust the Prince.”
Queen Yolasi turned her eyes to Axis where he sat in the rear of the sailboat. She slunk closer to him and moved her big head over the boat so she was just inches from his face.
“Hold your hand up, Axis. Let her touch your hand. This is Queen Yolasi. Open yourself up telepathically. Tell her you will help her people heal,” I said.
Axis took a deep breath and held up his hand. The Queen moved into him so he was touching her. I could feel the reverberations of their telepathic connection, rippling through the air around us.
“I will help you heal, Queen. You can trust me. You can trust Ceritha. We will help you heal. You are important to me.”
“I will trust you, Prince.”
The Queen stared down Cartari, whose green eyes were as big as saucers, but when he looked at me, asking if he should offer his hand, the Queen slunk back into the water, deeming it not necessary to receive trust from him. Then she slid back into the deep waters and disappeared into the cove.
Three smaller firefins were soon beside our boat, asking me questions about the new test. They had been assigned to help us by the Queen.
“They are going to let us do the tests!” I looked at Axis and Cartari excitedly. I reached to the med kit. I held up one of the needles. The firefins slinked back and hissing rose. “It’s okay. I will only stick you if you give me permission. Please, bring me some of your sick firefins and some of your strongest. I need to get comparisons. I need to know some of those who have been sick longest and some of those that have gotten sick most recently. Does that make sense?”
While the words were not exact, the impressions were able to be understood and the firefins disappeared, returning in a few moments supporting the bodies of several sickly firefins, their scarlet sheen tinged blue.
I took blood samples quickly and efficiently from fifteen different firefins and spoke telepathically with many of them. None of them had ever communicated with Curans before, so they were all pouring their every emotion into the meld. It was dizzying, exhilarating, and nauseating.
Rensi swam close to the boat as we were getting ready to leave. I laughed aloud and shoved Cartari. “He just asked me if you were my lover.”
Cartari grinned and shook his head at the firefin. “She would be so lucky.”
Rensi looked at me for an explanation. Poor Cartari had tried but been unable to bond with the firefins. He just didn't believe it was possible enough, wasn't open
