I sat back against the wall and took a deep breath. He would find Axis. I could trust this to work. I could trust the firefin and the Commander of Bristola to speak telepathically to save me.
I have to trust them.
Fifteen
Axis
The pirates had entered Trimsin, our southern port city, but Kajo's troops and my Navy were fighting them off. Gorgin's ships had just started to fire on our laser cannons at the mouth of the harbor. Two of twelve launchers had been taken down, but three of his ten closest ships were in flames. He had grounded most of our air forces with amazing telekinetic hold. He must have some significant telekinetic warriors and they were focusing all their strength on keeping our planes grounded. I had one of my pilots bringing my personal speeder in from the royal airfield. Otherwise, we were just trying to deflect their missiles as much as they were deflecting ours.
The bay was a chorus of fireworks, missiles and bombs shattering in the air, telekinetic warriors on the shores defending each other from personal attacks while others warded off the incoming weaponry.
It was a vision of oranges, blues, reds, and yellows, sparking through the darkness.
While I was strategically maneuvering my soldiers and boats around the area, more than half of my mind was on Ceritha.
I need to find her.
“Commander Axis?” I spun on my heel, away from the brightly lit monitor to look at the soldier where he was standing at attention. He was one of those Ilisa had chosen for the search party.
“Report, soldier.”
“Bravo Ilisa is returning and wishes to meet with you to give you her report. She requests your presence at the gazebo in five minutes.”
“Thank you, soldier. I will be right there.”
Cartari was listening in, and he nodded across the broad table to me as I moved closer to his side. "You cannot go alone, Commander. You must at least take a guard with you." He waved a couple of soldiers closer. "Has it occurred to you that she is your Destin, Axis?" I grabbed his arm before he could move to the next sentence of command to give the soldiers.
“What do you mean?”
Cartari motioned the soldiers move back and moved his head closer to mine.
“Your Destin. It’s the same as it was with Jase and Vania, with Kajo and Daphne. That electricity you speak of, the intense and bizarre circumstances. The fact that you’re from different planets. I bet she is your Destin. Somehow, you’re going to save each other.”
I looked seriously into Cartari’s green eyes before slowly letting go of his arm. There was no customary joking there. Was he right? Was Ceritha my Destin? The Curan fairytale myth lover who saved a warrior from himself and for his lifetime, to be tied to his very soul in the most intimate of ways?
Maybe… Maybe she was…
“Thank you for taking control here. I will be right back. I just have to try to connect with her one more time. Ilisa is meeting with me at the gazebo for a report. I will be right back.”
“I understand. I will hold everything down here until you return. However, you must take these two with you.”
“Agreed.” I nodded to the two soldiers and signaled them to follow me. “Keep trading the telekinetic warriors out. Prepare our Spec Ops teams for their upcoming trip.”
“They are ready and waiting for your word.”
“When I get back, we will send them to the ships.”
“I will send a messenger to have them at the ready.”
We had agreed that the Special Operations teams would take underwater craft to the underside of Gorgin’s ships and board them to take the crew and dismantle their missiles. It was to be a programmed attack, timed with a ceasefire of our own cannons, so to avoid loss of life of our own men and women.
Hopefully Ilisa would have word of where Ceritha was being kept so a rescue attempt could be made for her life, as well. I had no doubt she was abroad one of those vessels.
I nodded to Cartari and left the command room, the two soldiers following me. I made it to the gazebo quickly, the shattering sound of missiles and projectiles exploding in the air a stark reminder that my city, my throne, the livelihood of my people, was not to be taken for granted. Gorgin was attacking us, regardless of our strength. He had no chance of victory, surely, he had to know this. His only goal had to be to wear us down, ready for a repeat attack. This was his first battle in a much larger strategy. That, and capturing the Princess, had to be his goals for tonight.
Ilisa was waiting for me at the gazebo with one of the scientists from Serpul, a woman named Cowrie. She was a small, mousy woman, just a few years younger than Ceritha, with large glasses and a sharply pointed chin and intelligent eyes.
The closer we got to the gazebo, the more the sounds of war firing over my harbor in the distance sounded like the war of uncertainty and fear in my heart that throbbed in my ears. Anxiety, close to panic, at not knowing what Ilisa was going to tell me. Was Ceritha ok…?
“Commander, Scientist Cowrie has something to tell you,” Ilisa said, then pointed out to the bay. I followed her look and watched as a scarlet firefin jumped up in the air, just off the deck of the gazebo, a few feet away. He was only ten-feet long, a scarlet firefin, and he spun up, radiating his strength and beauty, four wing-like fins fondling the air, then back flipped, before slipping back into the water.
“Yes, Cowrie, what is
