Fort Morgan Read Free

“Her
mother, sister, and Jill were there.”
    “ Wow,” Fin said. “Once
again, you’re blowing my mind, Tanesha. What did you say about Ne
Ne?”
    “ She came here,” Tanesha
said. “Or I thought she did. She did some magic in the basement and
collected this sludge from . . .”
    “ Serpent dust,” Fin said.
“Very powerful, but that wasn’t Ne Ne.”
    “ I know,” Tanesha said.
“She stole my dad!”
    “ Where is Yvonne?” Fin
asked.
    “ I’ve been trying to tell
you that!” Tanesha said. “She’s in grave danger.
She . . .”
    “ I’m on my way,” Fin
said.
    “ Wait!” Tanesha said. “The
fog-serpent said that they are trying to capture Yvonne to take
over fairydom. They expect your world to fall to the serpent.
That’s what this is about. Oh, and something about
Delphie.”
    “ Of course.”
    “ Of course?” Tanesha
asked.
    “ Oracles and serpents are
historical enemies,” Fin said. “If you think the serpents hate the
fairies, you should see them with an Oracle.”
    Abi said something in the background and Fin
replied.
    “ You’re saying that the
serpents are waging war on our queendom,” Fin said.
    “ They’re eliminating your
family, your friends,” Tanesha said.
    “ Keenan shouldn’t have
been stuck,” Fin said.
    “ He transformed,” Tanesha
said. “Remember? He gave up being a full fairy to have a normal
childhood.”
    “ Shit,” Fin said. “If they
get Keenan . . .”
    “ They have Keenan,” Tanesha
said.
    Fin blew out a breath.
    “ If you go to Mom, they
will attack,” Tanesha said. “The serpents believe she is something
they call ‘the prize.’”
    “ She is not,” Fin said.
“But I understand why they say that.”
    “ You have to save her,”
Tanesha said.
    “ I cannot,” Fin
said.
    “ What?” Tanesha asked.
“She needs help.”
    “ She needs your help,” Fin
said.
    “ How . . .?” Tanesha started.
    “ I’ll go.” A woman’s voice
came from the background.
    “ Ne Ne is coming to you,”
Fin said.
    “ How will I know it’s her
and not that other thing that’s trying to kill my father?” Tanesha
asked.
    “ You’ll feel it inside,”
Fin said. “Did you like the other?”
    “ No,” Tanesha said. “I’m
mad at her for not saving my mom.”
    “ She . . .,” Fin said.
    “ I can help.”
    Tanesha looked up to see Abi standing at the
top of their stairs. She was wearing a maroon crush velvet, floor
length gown and her hair was up. She had a round baby bump, but
otherwise looked just as she always had.
    “ What are you wearing?”
Jeraine asked.
    Abi looked down at her outfit.
    “ I know, right?” Abi
asked. She instantly changed into her usual workout wear. “That’s
better.”
    “ Is that Abi?” Fin asked
as soon as she spoke. “She’s there? She’s supposed to stay
here.”
    “ I think so,” Tanesha
said. “Where do you work and why do you like it?”
    “ Endorphin,” Abi said. “I
love spin classes and washing machines.”
    “ She’s here,” Tanesha
said.
    “ Can you put her on?” Fin
asked.
    Tanesha held the phone out.
    “ You need to warn the
queen,” Abi said. “Ne Ne needs to find out how to get Jake and the
others from the Sea of Amber. I can be helpful here. Yes. Of
course. I love you, too.”
    She gave Tanesha a wry smile and held the
phone out to her.
    “ Fin?” Tanesha
asked.
    “ When your mother is safe,
call me,” Fin said. “We’ll figure out how to get the others out of
the Sea of Amber.”
    “ Okay,” Tanesha
said.
    “ And Tanesha?” Fin
asked.
    “ Yes?”
    “ Your girlfriends and
you. . .,” Fin said, “together, you are
amazing.”
    “ All of the kids helped
too,” Tanesha said. “Even baby Rachel.”
    “ The kids? Just amazing,”
Fin said. “Ne Ne is off to the library to research everything. In
the meantime, be safe.”
    “ I will,” Tanesha
said.
    “ Ready?” Abi
asked.
    “ For . . .?” Tanesha started.
    The next thing she knew, she was