Fort Morgan (25 page)

Noelle fell silent. Aden went back to
stroking her hair.

“
Now, Sissy’s going to
die,” Noelle said. She let out a heart-wrenching sigh.

“
She hasn’t died yet,”
Aden said.

Hearing Aden’s even tone, Noelle sat up and
looked at him.

“
I say we have waffles and
eggs and bacon,” Aden said.

“
And coffee with lots of
cream,” Noelle said. “I didn’t say that because I thought you’d be
mad.”

“
Coffee with lots of
cream,” Aden said. “We’ll watch cartoons to celebrate.”

“
Celebrate?” Noelle asked.
“What do we have to celebrate? Everything’s pretty
awful.”

“
We’ll celebrate that
you’re alive,” Aden said.

“
But . . .,” Noelle
said.

“
Sissy’s alive, too,” Aden
said. “Your brother’s alive and Charlie is too. Tink and Ivy were
targets, you know.”

“
They were?” Noelle
asked.

“
They are doing just fine
today,” Aden said. “It seems to me that this was a pretty
unsuccessful attempt to get out of trouble.”

“
You mean that guy in
Arizona?” Noelle asked.

“
According to Delphie,
he’s getting his comeuppance today,” Aden said.

“
He is?” Noelle
asked.

Aden nodded.

“
What’s that mean?” Noelle
asked.

“
No idea,” Aden said.
Despite herself, Noelle giggled. Aden smiled at her. “Teddy said he
talked to you last night.”

“
MJ set it up.” Noelle
nodded. “I just cried.”

“
He’s pretty worried about
you,” Aden said. “Nash wants to talk to you, too. So let’s send
them a text to see if they’re up.”

“
Can we talk to Charlie,
too?” Noelle asked.

“
I don’t see why not,”
Aden said. “That is if they’re awake. It’s two hours later
there.”

“
I bet they’re awake,”
Noelle said.

“
I bet you’re right,” Aden
said.

There was a tap at the door.

“
Come in,” Aden
said.

Bestat’s head appeared in the gap of the
door. She looked at Noelle for a long moment and then glanced at
Aden.

“
I’m so glad to see that
you’re up,” Bestat said.

“
We’re wondering if we can
have waffles with bacon and eggs in bed,” Aden said.

“
And coffee!” Noelle
said.

“
And coffee with lots of
cream,” Aden said.

“
Coming right up,” Bestat
said.

“
We were thinking of
watching a few cartoons before going to see Sissy,” Aden
said.

“
I just got off the phone
with Sandy,” Bestat said. “Sissy is being moved out of the ICU
right now.”

“
She is?” Noelle’s voice
rose with excitement. Under her breath, she asked Aden, “That’s
good news, right?”

“
Very good news,” Aden
said.

“
We thought we’d go for a
visit in an hour or so,” Bestat said. “Does that sound
good?”

Noelle gave Bestat a solemn nod.

“
Good,” Bestat said. “I’ll
be right back with breakfast.”

“
Are you going to join
us?” Noelle asked.

“
I usually hang out with
my girls on Saturday mornings,” Bestat said to Aden. “Would that be
all right with you, Aden?”

“
Please join us,” Aden
said.

Bestat gave him a toothy grin and closed the
door.

“
I’m going
to. . .” Noelle pointed to the bathroom, and Aden nodded.
Noelle got to the bathroom door before she turned back to her
father. “Why did Ivan say he was Sissy’s husband?”

“
MJ said he wanted to get
on the ambulance,” Aden said. “Why?”

“
Oh, nothing,” Noelle
said. She took a step into the bathroom.

“
Nothing?” Aden
asked.

“
Just seems like he should
be,” Noelle said. “Even the ballerina said so.”

“
When she wasn’t
screaming?” Aden asked.

Noelle giggled and closed the door. Aden
gave a slow shake of his head and called Sandy.

~~~~~~~~

Phoenix, Arizona

“
More champagne?” Otis
asked. Naked, he was leaning against the bed board. Mari sat next
to him.

“
Sure,” Mari
said.

Otis slipped out of bed and picked up the
bottle they’d been drinking from.

“
It’s empty,” Otis said.
“Can I go out . . .?”

“
Sure,” Mari said.
“Why?”

“
I thought we were in a
time gap,” Otis said.

“
We are,” Mari
said.

“
I don’t want to be caught
out there with nothing on,” Otis said.

“
Fair enough,” Mari said
with a grin.

In hopes to drive a promise from her, he
gave her a dark scowl. She shrugged. Shaking his head, he pulled on
his pants and went out into the living area of the suite. He weaved
his way around the living male statues to pick up two bottles of
champagne. He made his way back into the room. When he got there,
Mari was smoking some kind of hand rolled cigarette.

“
No smoking hotel?” Otis
asked.

“
Time gap,” Mari said with
a smile. She held the cigarette out to him and he shook his head.
“Do come back to bed.”

He opened a bottle of champagne and gave it
to her. She set her cigarette down and took a drink from the
bottle. Grinning, he dropped his pants and got in beside her. Lost
in post-coital bliss, they drank champagne and thought their own
thoughts. After a while, Mari sighed and put out her cigarette.

“
My mother hates it when
I’m like this,” Mari said.

“
Like what?” Otis
asked.

“‘
Non-princess like,’”
Mari said.

“
What is ‘princess-like’?”
Otis asked with a smile.

She slipped out of bed. His eyes naturally
followed her naked form, which made her smile. She grabbed her wand
and held it over her head. She was transformed into a floor-length,
maroon velvet dress, complete with a tiara encrusted with diamonds
in the family crest.

“
Princess Mari, at your
service,” Mari said.

She gave a deep curtsy. When she looked at
him, Otis’s face seemed stuck in a partial grin.

“
What?” Mari asked. “You
look positively starched.”

“
I’m wondering if you’re
wearing lingerie under that dress,” Otis said.

He raised his eyebrows, and she blushed.

“
And if I’m not?” Mari
asked.

“
You should come over
here,” Otis said.

“
I’m beginning to see why
so many people love you dearly,” Mari said.

Otis laughed. He beckoned her back to bed.
Grinning at the idea, Mari crawled across the bed toward him. He
slipped his hands under the velvet.

“
No panties,” Otis
said.

“
Not for you,” Mari
said.

“
I like that,” Otis
said.

“
My mother will never
approve,” Mari said.

“
Of your drinking?” Under
the velvet, Otis stroked her rear.

“
No.”

“
Your smoking?” He leaned
forward to kiss her lips.

“
Well, that,
too.”

“
Then what?” Otis
asked.

She leaned forward to kiss him. Their lips
and tongues moved with hungry abandon. She pulled back.

“
My mother will never
approve of you,” Mari said.

“
She might,” Otis
said.

“
She won’t,” Mari
said.

“
Is this a problem?” Otis
asked. “We aren’t married.”

“
No we aren’t,” Mari
said.

“
We’re not even dating,”
Otis said.

“
You never take me
anywhere.” Mari mock hit his chest, and he grinned.

“
We’re just enjoying a
time gap,” Otis said.

“
This is true,” Mari
said.

She balled up the skirt of the gown so that
she could slip onto him.

“
Tomorrow, if there is
one, we’ll decide if there’s a next,” Otis said.

“
Suits me,” Mari said.
“But it doesn’t change anything.”

“
Your mother won’t approve
of you whiling away a time gap with me?” Otis asked.

Mari shook her head.

“
You’re making up your
mind as to what to do with the men in the other room!” Otis’s voice
was indignant.

“
I’m indulging in carnal
pleasures with a human,” Mari said.

“
Is it our age
difference?” Otis asked.

“
Maybe,” Mari said. “How
old are you?”

“
Eighty-two,” Otis
said.

“
You don’t look it,” Mari
said.

“
I’m a healer,” Otis said.
“My people have long lives. My father was two hundred and two years
old when I was born.”

“
Hmm,” Mari
said.

“
How old are
you?”

“
Um,” Mari
said.

“
Your brother Keenan was
born in 400 AD,” Otis said. “That means you were born . .
.”

“
Before that,” Mari said.
“Actually, quite a while before that.”

“
So it’s not our age
difference,” Otis said.

“
Doesn’t mean she will
approve,” Mari said.

“
I’m hurt,” Otis
said.

“
You’re not,” Mari
said.

“
I’m not.”

Mari grinned and moved her hips.

“
I bet your mother would
approve of that,” Otis said.

Mari laughed.

~~~~~~~~

Olympia

“
Whatever you have to say,
you may say it here,” Zeus said. “You are my queen, my partner in
everything.”

The crowd became very still. Hera looked out
into the court for a moment before smiling at Zeus and nodding her
head.

“
Princess Tanesha is
correct,” Hera said. “We owe your life to Hedone. She agreed to
come with me to the Sea of Amber to freely trade her life for
yours.”

“
Trade Hedone for the
great Zeus?” The ruler looked genuinely confused at the
idea.

“
The serpents wished to
drive all love out of this world,” Hera said. “That was their
mission. Since Eros gave Hedone his powers, her destruction would
have destroyed love in the world.”

Zeus gave a slight nod to indicate that he’d
heard Hera.

“
She offered herself in
replacement of you,” Hera said.

“
What do I care?” Zeus
shrugged. “I destroyed the entire serpent race and their Sea of
Amber.”

“
You would not be able to
have done that if it were not for Hedone, my love,” Hera
said.

“
Hedone did what she
should have to protect her Lord,” Zeus said.

Hera scowled at him.

“
Don’t look at me like
that, woman,” Zeus said. “The past is over. The serpents are dust.
Hedone is here, and here she’ll stay.”

Zeus nodded to Hera.

“
Isn’t that right?” Zeus
said. He raised his hands and the crowd cheered.

Hera looked confused. She touched his arm
and he turned to look at her. They communicated silently. Hera
shook her head, and Zeus just smiled. Finally, he nodded.

“
If anyone can come up
with a compelling reason for Hedone returning to her human
existence, speak now,” Zeus said.

Tanesha and Fin stepped forward.

“
Not you,” Zeus said. “Who
could possibly care about a human life? It’s so short and filled
with so much suffering that, just when you’re getting started it’s
over. Your request is boring and nonsensical. Hedone is a
Goddess.”

“
Half,” Fin
said.

“
For a fairy prince and a
known warrior, you’re incredibly boring, Finegal, and
you. . .”

He pointed to Jill.

“
I don’t care if you did
heal me, you’re as boring as they are,” Zeus said. “Plus, dinner
will be served soon and my Hera would like some of my private
attention. . .”

“
Oooh, “ the crowd said to
his innuendo.

“
. . . before
the feast,” Zeus said.

Zeus gave a lusty grin.

“
Is there anyone?” Zeus
asked.

Jill stepped forward to say something but
was unable to speak. Tanesha tried to speak, but her voice was
silenced. Fin tried to ask Tanesha what was wrong but his voice had
been taken as well. Perses looked from Jill to Tanesha. He opened
his mouth to speak.

“
I’ll do it to you,
Perses,” Zeus said.

“
Then you’ll have a battle
on your hands,” Perses said.

“
Fair enough,” Zeus
said.

He sneered in Perses direction, and the
Titans appeared. They stood en masse, with Perses as their
point.

“
Ah, shit,” Zeus
said.

“
Son,” Cronus said to
Zeus, “you’ve over stepped your boundaries.”