Fort Morgan by Claudia Hall Christian Read Free Book Online Page A

nervous.”
    “ Well, knock it off,”
Perses said.
    “ Yes, my dear.” Hera’s
voice sounded like she was talking to a beloved child. She
transformed into a medium brown skinned woman with curly brown hair
and a long white dress. “Sorry girls. I wondered why you were
looking at me so oddly.”
    “ It’s not usual for us to
see someone . . .” Jill said.
    “ Yes, I imagine that’s
true,” Hera said. “We women, we transform into whoever our loved
ones need us to be.”
    “ Be a role model,” Perses
said. “Stop doing it.”
    “ Yes, yes, you’re right,”
Hera said with a smile. “I imagine your daughters don’t do
that.”
    Jill cleared her throat so as to not answer
the question. Hera gave Perses a kind of “I knew it” look, and he
groaned.
    “ What are we doing here?”
Jill asked.
    “ We’re saving them,”
Heather said.
    “ Who?” Sandy
asked.
    “ Jake, Blane, Keenan, and
Delphie,” Hera said. She smiled at them.
    “ Why are you here?” Sandy
asked Hera. “In the last few years, I’ve met fairies and goddesses
and all kinds of creatures. I’ve learned that no one helps unless
they have something to gain. So what is it you want?”
    “ Hera has an issue with
the serpents,” Heather said. “She’s been bugging me to help her
ever since we killed that pair of serpents.”
    “ Why us?” Jill
asked.
    “ That’s what I asked
myself,” Hera said. “Why you?”
    “ And?” Jill
asked.
    “ I don’t know,” Hera said.
“Perses?”
    He gave her a vague look and a shrug.
    “ Wait,” Sandy said. “What
does the great Hera need help with?”
    The woman looked at Sandy and then looked
away. Sandy looked at Jill’s father. He was giving Hera a hard
look, which she ignored. Heather scowled and looked at the floor of
the boat.
    “ Oh look,” Hera turned
back to look at Sandy, “we’re here.”
    “ Where is here?” Jill
asked.
    Without warning, a serpent erupted from the
Sea of Amber and flew at the boat.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Wednesday morning — 11:34 a.m.
     
    “ Right, but why is Katy
here?” Paddie asked his father, Colin Hargreaves.
    Colin was on his knees dressing Paddie in
protective gear. Katy was snuggled up against Tanesha on the cot a
foot away. Her dark eyes followed Colin’s movements as he dressed
Paddie.
    “ Because she may be in
danger,” Colin said.
    “ But Katy’s safe at home,”
Paddie said.
    “ Not as safe as with us,”
Colin said.
    “ But . . .”
Paddie leaned into his father. “I didn’t bring my shiny
sword.”
    “ I did,” Colin said.
“Well, Auntie Alex did.”
    “ Where is it?” Paddie
asked. “I can’t protect Katy without my sword!”
    “ Lucky for you, we’re all
here to protect Katy,” Colin said.
    “ What about my mother?”
Tanesha asked.
    “ Yvonne?” Colin’s eyes
looked up while his hands zippered Paddie into a protective
jacket.
    “ That would be my mother,”
Tanesha said.
    “ She’s safe,” Colin
said.
    “ According to who?”
Tanesha asked.
    “ According to the FBI and
the Phoenix Police,” Colin said.
    “ We’re talking serpents,
not robbers,” Tanesha said.
    “ As you know.” Colin held
out a pair of pants, and Paddie stepped into them. “She was not the
target.”
    “ Oh yeah?” Tanesha
asked.
    Colin gave her a mild look.
    “ You were, Auntie
Tanesha,” Katy said in a loud whisper.
    “ I know that, but how did
he . . .?” Tanesha started. She stopped talking when
Fin appeared next to Colin. “Fin?”
    He smiled.
    “ What class do we have
first period on Mondays?” Tanesha asked.
    “ Human Body Block,” Fin
said.
    Tanesha popped to her feet to hug Fin. Abi
came up behind Fin. Tanesha hugged her, too.
    “ What are we doing here?”
Tanesha asked.
    “ The serpents want you and
Katy,” Abi said.
    “ They made a deal with
Celeste,” Tanesha said. “I know, we talked about it.”
    “ They get revenge for you
and your friends killing the breeding pair,” Fin said. “And Celeste
gets