Fort Morgan by Claudia Hall Christian Page A

the lava’s contact with their light. Steam
filled the bowl.
    Through the steam, the
dragons dove into the volcanic bowl. They killed dying serpents
with a blast of fire and dragged living serpents from the cooling
lava. Delphie pointed to a dark olive green serpent held in the
claws of a large grey dragon. The battered serpent next to her watched
intently.
    “ I never knew how I got
out of there,” the serpent said.
    “ So, some of you
survived?” Delphie asked.
    “ Only a few,” the serpent
said. “You killed two of them in Colorado.”
    “ And now?” Delphie
asked.
    The serpent shook his head.
    “ How did this happen,
Oracle?” the serpent asked. “How?”
    “ It’s a combination of a
number of things,” Delphie said. She turned away from the struggle
in front of her to look at the serpent. “You know what caused
this.”
    “ Tell me!” the serpent
ordered.
    Delphie shook her head. The serpent rose up
in front of Delphie. Sandy and Tanesha rushed to block him. They
stood in front of Delphie.
    “ We won’t let anything
happen to her,” Tanesha said.
    Delphie put a hand on Tanesha’s shoulder and
another on Sandy’s. She gently pushed them apart and stepped
through.
    “ I cannot tell you what
you do not want to know,” Delphie said.
    “ Tell me!” The serpent’s
voice reflected sorrow and desperation.
    “ The serpents’ destruction
is caused by three powerful forces — nature and the rising tides,
human greed in the form of oil exploration, and more importantly,
the consequences of the Sea of Amber. The serpents imprisoned too
many important, powerful beings in jails of their own self-loathing
and shame. Once freed, they turned these primal feelings into
power. This is the power they have used to destroy the
serpents.”
    The serpent leaned his head back and
roared.
    “ Why did you hold so many
people for so long?” Delphie asked.
    “ It was our role, our
culture,” the serpent said. “The Sea of Amber has existed since
this world was created. It calls to the vulnerable — artists,
writers, and sensitives. Most people were lost in their own despair
long before they came to live in the Sea of Amber. How is that our
fault?”
    “ And the rest of those
stuck in the amber?” Delphie asked. She stood a little taller and
the serpent moved back.
    The serpent refused to answer.
    “ This has the distinct
odor of Olympia,” Heather said.
    The serpent’s head jerked to look at
her.
    “ I think Delphie’s right,”
Heather said. “This happened in response to capturing and holding
Zeus. What did you expect?”
    “ We never expected for him
to get free!” the serpent said. “You have killed us
all!”
    The serpent rose up as if to attack them. He
lunged forward, and Delphie jumped back. Then suddenly, the serpent
deflated like a balloon. While they watched, the serpent’s skin
dried up and crumbled. A hot, ash-filled wind blew the serpent dust
away.
    “ The end of the serpents,”
Delphie said. “Let’s hope their demise doesn’t bring about the end
of everything.”
    Tanesha patted Delphie’s back.
    “ Can we go home now?” Jill
asked. “Heather’s close and . . . ”
    They were transported to a private suite on
the maternity ward at Saint Joseph’s hospital, only a few floors
down from where Blane was recovering. Heather was lying in bed.
Tanesha found herself holding Heather’s hand while Sandy and Jill
coached from the other side. Jacob was standing in front of a
laptop computer, which was resting on a side table.
    “ There he is!” Jacob said,
and stepped aside.
    Blane’s face lit up the screen.
    “ Blane!” Heather yelled.
“You made it!”
    “ Wouldn’t miss it for the
world!” Blane said. “Now, where are our contractions ?”
    “ Every two minutes,”
Tanesha said.
    “ We’re in good shape,”
Blane said.
    Delphie came into the room with a dozen
roses. She grinned at them.
    “ I’m going to head up to
stay with Blane,” Jacob said.
    He kissed Jill and