“I don’t actually know. Fables on Serpul say that any navy that fought with ocean steeds on their side were the victors. They had the power to control the ocean with their minds.”
“Hmm… We can see if the Princess and her guards can talk to the dolgons from the gazebo. It’s under telekinetic shield.”
I nodded at Cartari’s suggestion and advised Ilisa. Ceritha was briefed quickly. She looked stunned.
“The pirates are actually trying to get the dolgons to fight for them?”
“What would that do?”
“Well, they can breathe poison. The same poison that comes out of the firefin’s barbs. So, they can shoot it telekinetically in a cloud toward anyone near them, and it spreads quickly in the air or water. They’re incredibly strong, difficult to take down. I can’t imagine that they would be tame enough to follow the instruction of the pirates, though.”
“Murex must have convinced them,” I said, trying to say it gently. “You convinced the firefins to trust us.”
She nodded, gorgeous blue eyes sad.
“That could be… I will go down to the waters and see what I can find out.”
“Thank you.” I squeezed her arm as she walked by and she flashed me a sunny smile, one that didn’t entirely hide the fear in her eyes. Her fists were clenched as she walked by. I could feel the anger that raged in her; someone was using her faithful animal friends as beasts of war. This went against all the animal rights she fought so hard for on Serpul.
I turned back to my wartime duties. “What is the update on the Spec Ops teams?”
“Most of them have returned. They were able to take six of the ten forward ships with only six of our soldiers lost. Two of the other ships have been disabled but not taken and the last two ships are still fighting. Our laser cannons are no longer needed. Some thirty percent of the city has been damaged and some of it is still burning. There are pirates on shore fighting hand-to-hand and most of our aircraft has been blown up by a covert operation. We were so distracted by trying to upend their telekinetic hold, we didn’t realize they would also be trying to blow them up by hand.”
“Damn.”
“Yes, that is a killer blow.”
“Ok, well, what is the civilian loss of life?”
“Counts have not yet been made, but we have reports coming in of up to twenty. It has been minimized by the early alarm and evacuation.”
“Good.” I clapped Cartari on the shoulder. He was a brilliant Second, my best friend, and soon-to-be Best Man in my wedding. I just hadn’t asked him, yet. I shook my head. How can I be thinking of that right now? Because Ceritha is the happiest most important thing in my life… She overwhelms any other thought.
Cartari laughed and punched me, a little too hard, in the shoulder.
“Axis! Come back to Farian, brother. I understand you’re transfixed by your Serpul mermaid but you have a war to win.”
“I’m sorry, was it that obvious?”
“Well, your look was faraway and goofy. Way goofier than usual. You need to focus. It’s half the reason she needed to be sent down to talk to the fish. Make the call: what’s our next move.”
I rubbed my shoulder and smiled wryly at him. “I’m sorry. I’m just in love, Cartari. I’m in love…”
“Better to live to be in love than die because of it. Focus, man!” Cartari was attempting light humor, but his words and eyes were serious. He gestured to the control panel. I looked up at the flashing lights.
I pointed up at Gorgin’s lead ship. “What’s that ship doing? Why is it coming closer in? And those heat signatures in the water around it? Is it likely those are dolgons? They are big enough to be. Call in the Spec Ops troops that are at the airfield, get them to the skiffs and manning the cannons, let’s meet him in the shallows. He can’t come much closer in on that ship. He must be planning on attacking with the dolgons’ poison. Tell everyone to be wearing a gas mask.”
Cartari smiled, clearly happy I was taking back command.
“Confirmed.” He rattled off the commands and the world was swept into a blur of new action. Cartari handed me a gas mask, and an extra one for Ilisa and Ceritha.
“Let’s get down to the gazebo and see what they’ve discovered. It looks like his ship has stopped. Though tide is high, he draws too deep to come in tighter without running aground there.” We jogged out of the command room, two soldiers following to support us automatically.
The sight that greeted us at the gazebo was awe-inspiring. Sunrise had just broken and the glow on the high tidal bay waters was sparking oranges, reds, and pinks in pastels stretching out from the burning demise of my city to the burning wrecks of ships in the harbor. Telekinetic warriors were still at their stations, working hard to shield the city, trying to fend off any random projectile attack that might come from the only two ships with pirates still in command, though they were quite distracted by the hand-to-hand combat going on board with trained Spec Ops units. The skies were much quieter than they had been the entire dark night.
Gorgin’s own ship had broken through the line of the original ten ships and was now anchoring as far in as he could get into the harbor. Gorgin stood in the bow, holding onto the foremast, looking out at the city. Dolgons jumped and splashed around the hull, their massive dragon frames arching in and out of the water with huge splashes. Making a wall in between the gazebo’s dock and the pirate ship was a tumultuous line of coiling and uncoiling mass of firefins, both scarlet and orange, churning the water as they spun and hummed, the occasional shriek, and chitter, one or two jumping into the air, glistening in the dawn’s light. A
