Fort Morgan

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “You know, you and your girls,” Jeraine said with a smile. “You kill serpents and right wrongs and take care of kids and love your partners in a single bound. That’s a lot more than Superman does.”

  Tanesha laughed and kissed him. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. The air in the room became heavy and tight.

  “What is it?” Jeraine asked.

  “I just have this feeling that we need to go back,” Tanesha said.

  “Go back where?” Jeraine asked.

  “To the Sea of Amber,” Tanesha said. “To deal with the serpents.”

  “That’s just crazy,” Jeraine said. “Why would you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Tanesha said. “That’s what bothers me.”

  Jeraine watched her face for a moment.

  “What bothers you?” he asked in a soft low voice.

  “I don’t know if the call to go back is real,” Tanesha said. “You know like, ‘I have to be there to deal with this,’ or . . .”

  “The serpents are calling you back there,” Jeraine asked.

  “Right,” Tanesha said. “I mean, what if Jill, Sandy, Heather, and I are uniquely suited to fight these creatures or at least come to some agreement with them?”

  “What if you are?” Jeraine asked.

  “Exactly,” Tanesha said.

  “No.” Jeraine propped himself up on his elbow. “That was a question, Miss T. What if you and your girls are supposed to fix this?”

  “Then we have to go,” Tanesha said. “We left King Manannán, Fin, and Abi to deal with the serpents.”

  “Plus their army,” Jeraine said. “That’s what you said, their army was there.”

  “They were,” Tanesha said.

  “So why would they need you?” Jeraine asked.

  “I don’t know,” Tanesha said.

  “You don’t know?”

  “I don’t know,” Tanesha said.

  “But you’re going anyway?” Jeraine asked.

  Tanesha shrugged, and Jeraine flopped back onto the bed.

  “What?” Tanesha asked.

  “It could be a trap!” Jeraine said.

  “I know.” Tanesha’s voice was low and sad.

  “Why do you have to deal with this?” Jeraine asked. “We just got our life together. Jabari’s here. You’re in school. My head’s coming together. We are living in the wonderful, lucky yellow house. We’ve paid off half of our debts and then . . .”

  “Would it be better if the serpents killed the fairies?” Tanesha asked.

  “How is that our business?” Jeraine asked.

  “It’s not,” Tanesha said. “And it is. Both.”

  Jeraine sighed.

  “Can I come with you?” Jeraine asked. “Maybe I could play some music that would put them to sleep.”

  “Maybe,” Tanesha said with a grin. “You certainly have some snooze-worthy tunes.”

  Jeraine grabbed a pillow from behind him and hit her with it.

  “Oh yeah?” Tanesha laughed.

  She grabbed a pillow and hit him back. Laughing, they hit each other back and forth until Jeraine grabbed her. He flipped her so she was under him.

  “You think you have time for another round before you go save the world?” Jeraine asked.

  “I’d better,” Tanesha asked.

  He kissed her.

  ~~~~~~~

  Sandy sat on the couch with Rachel in her lap and Buster the ugly dog, beside her. Rachel hadn’t breastfed in a while. On nights like tonight, when Sandy’s mind whirled with thoughts, ideas, and problems, she longed for the simple quiet of their old breastfeeding ritual. She looked down at Rachel.

  Her baby had a habit of sleeping with one balled fist on top of her head. She was so incredibly adorable that Sandy wanted to get up to take a picture. She knew that if she moved even slightly Rachel would move her adorable hand. Instead of taking a picture, Sandy just looked at her little child.

  She wondered if she had a cute habit like this when she was an infant. Andy had taken a lot of pictures of her as an infant, but none while she was sleeping. Andy probably didn’t want to wake Sandy, like she didn’t want to wake Rachel. The thought of this kind of symmetry with her mother made Sandy smile.

  She heard the toilet flush in their bedroom. Aden was awake and looking for her. He was going to want to know what kept her up. He’d want to know how he could help or at least make things better for her.

  The problem was that Sandy had no idea why she was awake. Hearing him move around, she watched at their bedroom door. A few minutes later, he opened it. Noting her attention, he leaned against the door. She grinned.

  “Why . . .?” Aden asked at the same moment Sandy said, “I don’t know.”

  She looked away from him a little too fast. He came into the living room.

  “That’s not exactly true, is it?” Aden asked.

  “I want it to be true,” Sandy said with a smile. “Does that count?”

  Aden grinned. He sat down in the armchair. Sitting on something hard, he jumped up and pulled a video game controller from the seat of chair.

  “I miss them,” Aden said, and held up the video game controller. Sitting down again, he said, “I thought we’d never be rid of them, you know?”

  “Rid of them?” Sandy asked.

  “You know how much I love all of them,” Aden said. “I just dreamed of when it would be just us.”

  “Rachel needs another seventeen years of our love and care.” Sandy gave him a chiding smile.

  “I know,” Aden said. “I just . . .”

  “I know what you mean, though,” Sandy said. “I’ve thought of it too. When the kids move on, we’ll get a home or maybe just rearrange this apartment or . . .”

  Sandy looked down at Rachel.

  “It’s kind of a way of looking on the bright side of sending our precious kids into the world,” Sandy said.

  Aden nodded. His eyes traced her bowed head and the baby on her lap.

  “And tonight?” Aden asked.

  Sandy shrugged.

  “You acted like this when you were first pregnant with Rachel,” Aden said. “Are you . . .?”

  “No,” Sandy shook her head. “God, no. I can’t even imagine . . .”

  “I can,” Aden grinned.

  “Wipe that thought out of your head, Mr. Norsen!” Sandy said. “Our kids are coming home soon. Once they get that guy processed in Arizona . . .”

  “The one Yvonne and Dionne helped catch?”

  “Exactly,” Sandy said with a nod. “Charlie and Nash will be home.”

  “Just in time for the summer,” Aden said.

  “That’s right. Teddy will be here again,” Sandy said. “Noelle with be back in a month or so. And . . .”

  “We’ll have a full house,” Aden said.

  “That will be fun,” Sandy said. She beamed at Aden, and he laughed. “We won’t have room for another baby. At least not for a while.”

  “Want to practice?” Aden asked.

  Sandy looked down at Rachel and back up at him. She gave him a quick nod.

  “Will you tell me what you’re thinking about?” Aden asked.

  “Oh,” Sandy said. Still carrying Rachel, she got to her feet. “It’s nothing.”

  “Nothing doesn’t get you out of bed in the middle of the night,” Aden said.

  As a way of putting pressure on her to respond, he stayed in his seat. She sat back down with a sigh.

  “So?” Aden asked.

  “I have this feeling . . .” Sandy touched her heart. Shaking her head, she said, “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

  “I’ve never known you to worry about anything stupid,” Aden said. “If you have a feeling, I want to know what’s going on.”

  “I have this feeling that we need to go back,” Sandy said.

  “Back? Where?”

  “Not you and me,” Sandy said. “Me and Jill and Tanesha and Heather. I have this feeling that if we don’t go back the whole
world will . . .”

  Sandy shook her head.

  “You know what?” Sandy asked. “It’s not my responsibility to fix the world. I’m just a woman who lives in Denver, Colorado. I’m not a saint or an angel or . . .”

  “What if this is your responsibility?” Aden asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if you’re the only ones who can fix this serpent thing?” Aden asked.

  “Then we need to go,” Sandy said.

  Aden nodded.

  “Why are you saying that?” Sandy asked.

  “I have the same feeling,” Aden said. “I had it the moment you reappeared.”

  Sandy nodded.

  “Should we . . .?” Sandy gestured to the bedroom. “You know, before I go?”

  Aden hopped to his feet, and she followed him back to the bedroom.

  ~~~~~~~~

  “I feel crazy,” Heather said to Blane.

  They were in his hospital room. He was sitting in the armchair on the other side of the protective glass.

  “I know you’re not crazy,” Blane said.

  Heather gave a little nod.

  “Lay it out for me,” Blane said.

  Heather scowled.

  “Go on.”

  “It sounds crazy,” Heather said.

  “So?”

  Heather took a breath and nodded.

  “So, we killed this pair of serpents, right?” Heather asked.

  “We all played some part in killing them,” Blane said.

  “Right,” Heather said. “We killed the male out at the barn.”

  “And the female under Sandy’s salon,” Blane said with a nod. “That’s right.”

  Heather responded to his nod with her own nod.

  “And?”

  “I grew up with the idea of the Sea of Amber,” Heather said and sighed. “The Sea of Amber was something that existed, like . . .”

  “The Boogey man?” Blane asked.

  “Sort of.” Heather nodded. “I never knew anyone personally who was caught in the Sea of Amber. It was something that affected my parents and their parents. Even Perses said he’d never known anyone who was caught in the Sea of Amber. The serpents were . . .”

  Heather shrugged.

  “I mean, they existed, but no one had ever even seen one,” Heather said. “I know about Hera from my father. Zeus got caught there early on. It was kind of a cautionary tale for men who liked adventure and thought they were the ruler of this world.”

  Heather shrugged.

  “They were like brown recluse Spiders,” Blane said.

  “What?”

  “You know — they exist, and their bite is deadly, but you put on your old sneakers without even checking for them,” Blane said. “I mean, who do you know who’s been bitten by one?”

  Heather nodded.

  “That’s how the serpents were,” Heather said. “Me, the Graces, Mom . . .”

  Heather shook her head.

  “And now?” Blane asked.

  “I’ve now seen three serpents,” Heather said. “More than anyone I know! And . . .”

  “And?” Blane asked.

  “I just have a feeling that there’s a reason for it,” Heather said.

  “Like what?” Blane asked.

  “Um . . .” Heather shook her head and looked away.

  “Like you’re supposed to deal with them?” Blane asked.

  “Like they’re moving to take over the world,” Heather blurted out. She blushed and looked at the floor.

  “Really?” Blane asked.

  “Think of it,” Heather said. “The breeding pair were here! In Colorado! If the female had infected people, they would have . . .”

  “A head start,” Blane said. “Makes sense.”

  “They invaded the fairy world,” Heather said.

  “Through this Celeste,” Blane said.

  “Right,” Heather said.

  “Why would they do this?” Blane asked.

  Heather raised her shoulders in a shrug and shook her head.

  “What if . . . I mean, it’s crazy but . . .”

  “What if?” Blane asked.

  “Remember how I said that we were on a boat on the Sea of Amber?” Heather asked.

  “And then it was just a quarter,” Blane said. “Right.”

  “What if we were actually on the Sea of Amber, just not in this time?” Heather asked.

  “You mean the Sea of Amber has shrunk,” Blane said.

  Heather nodded.

  “Why?” Blane asked.

  “Global warming?” Heather asked. “Rise of the ocean levels? Psychopharmacology?”

  “Mental health meds?”

  “The Sea of Amber grows with people’s depression and general despair,” Heather said. “If people are happier . . .”

  “And they are.” Blane nodded.

  Heather and Blane fell silent in their own thoughts.

  “You have to go back,” Blane said.

  “With the girlfriends,” Heather said.

  “You should talk to Delphie,” Blane said.

  “Why?” Heather asked.

  “Didn’t someone say that Oracles and serpents . . .”

  “Serpents hate Oracles,” Heather said with a nod. “Everyone knows that.”

  Blane grinned at her idea of “everyone.” Heather smiled.

  “I need to talk to Delphie,” Heather said.

  “How can I help?” Blane asked.

  “Do you know of any acupuncture sites that would make us less vulnerable to serpents?” Heather asked.

  “Actually . . .” Blane nodded.

  “Really?” Heather asked.

  Blane nodded.

  “Can you show me?” Heather asked.

  “Of course,” Blane said.

  ~~~~~~~~

  “Once upon a time, there were serpents and dragons,” Delphie said. “And they ruled the earth.”

  She was sitting with her head on Sam’s shoulder. They had spent the last few hours talking, drinking wine, and eating cheese and cookies.

  “Like dinosaurs?” Sam asked.

  “No,” Delphie said. “Dragons and serpents were some of the first flying creatures to evolve from Titaalik, you know, the creature that went from water to land?”

  Sam nodded.

  “They aren’t counted because no one has found their bones,” Delphie said.

  “Why is that?” Sam asked.

  “It’s traditional for the serpents and dragons to burn their dead,” Delphie said. “Nothing to find after that.”

  “They both fly?” Sam asked.

  Delphie nodded.

  “Why don’t they still rule the earth?” Sam asked.

  “Other creatures evolved,” Delphie said. “Dragons preferred to interact with humans as if they were one of them while serpents preferred to engage the world through violence and trickery.”

  “You think they want their rule back?” Sam asked.

  “From what I saw, the serpents are being crowded out of their last habitat,” Delphie said.

  “Going extinct,” Sam said.

  “Not if they can do anything about it,” Delphie said.

  “So where is Keenan?” Sam asked.

  “He went to warn his mother,” Delphie said. “The serpents intend to take over the fairy world and then conquer humans.”

  “To rule the earth again,” Sam said with a nod.

  Delphie fell silent.

  “And the girls?” Sam asked. “They just seem like young women.”

  “They are young and strong,” Delphie said.

  “But why them?”

  “They are half-breeds — Titan, Olympian, and fairy,” Delphie said. “All of them, except for Sandy.”

  “But Sandy’s symphony . . .”

  “The music is a love story from a mother to her child,” Delphie said.

  “Sandy,” Sam said.

  “That’s why she’s there,” Delphie said. “And the fact that Heather loves
her and all of her friends.”

  Sam nodded. They leaned against each other in silence for a while.

  “Do they stand a chance?” Sam asked.

  “If they don’t, none of us do,” Delphie said.

  “You’ve decided to go,” Sam said.

  There was a tap at Delphie’s apartment door.

  “Delphie?” Jill’s soft voice came from the other side.

  “How can I not go?” Delphie asked.

  “You can’t,” Sam said.

  Delphie got up to answer the door.

  “You can’t,” Sam repeated. “Will you come home?”

  “Goddess, I hope so,” Delphie said, and opened the door.

  Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty-seven

  Chamomile Tea

  Wednesday night — 11:24 p.m.

  When Delphie came into the main Castle living room carrying a ceramic pot filled with chamomile tea, Jacob hopped up from the arm of the couch to retrieve the matching cups. He held them up to Delphie, and she nodded to the women in the room. He gave a cup to Jill, one to Sandy, and another to Tanesha. He held up the last cup. Tanesha took it from him for Heather.

  Jacob returned to the arm of the couch next to where Jill was sitting. Katy and Paddie lay on either side of Jill with their heads in her lap. Delphie poured tea for Jill, Sandy, and Tanesha before pouring a cup for herself. Aden and Sam came in from the kitchen carrying mugs of tea. Aden gave Jacob the glass of water he’d requested.

  No one spoke. Their eyes and minds seemed to be on their tea. After a few minutes, Jeraine came in with a baby monitor. Tanesha looked up.

  “He’s asleep in the nursery,” Jeraine said. He gave the monitor to Tanesha. “Heather was just getting there when I came down here.”

  Sandy and Jill looked up at the mention of Heather. They shared a look with Tanesha and went back to staring at their tea. The atmosphere in the living room held an undercurrent of doom. Aden sat next to Sandy on the loveseat. Sam gestured for Delphie to sit in the armchair. She smiled and shook her head. Delphie walked over to stand near the fire.

  Over the baby monitor, they listened to Heather settle Mack in one of the cribs in Jill and Jacob’s nursery. Tink said something that no one could make out. Heather encouraged her to stay with Ivy. Tink insisted on staying with the babies, and Ivy agreed with her. Heather’s voice, heavy with exhaustion, seemed to not have the energy to argue about it. A few minutes later, the door to the loft closed, and they heard Heather heft herself down the long stairwell to the kitchen.