Page 41 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

Aidon shot me a look that was a complex cocktail of emotions. One part ‘Holy hell, is she okay?’, one part ‘I can't believe I mated a walking magical disaster’, and a splash of ‘God help me, I love this crazy woman’. His face was an open book, and right now it was telling a story of exasperated adoration witha generous helping of concern on the side. "Are you alright, love? The babies?"

I nodded, feeling the triplets' power doing the magical equivalent of a victory dance. "We're peachy. Though I think the kids just got their first lesson in supernatural ass-kicking. They're practically high-fiving in there."

A smile spread over his face, and he placed a palm over my stomach. The babies immediately fought for position, each wanting to feel their father. The unadulterated joy on his face made me grateful Persephone foisted this upon us.

We pressed deeper into the funhouse of fuckery. Everything about the asylum made me think that’s what it was, which was why Lyra had chosen it. The further we went, the more reality decided to take a vacation. Corridors twisted like pretzels, doors opened onto solid walls, and more than once, I saw my ass walking ahead of me. Hattie appeared at some point and joined us on the journey. Finally, after what felt like forever but was probably less than an hour (time gets weird when you're navigating Satan's rec room), we reached what had to be Lyra's magical room of evil.

The room that stretched out before us was a cavernous space that laughed in the face of physics. It was like someone had taken the bigger on the inside concept and cranked it up to eleven. My brain struggled to process the impossible dimensions. There was a moment where I had to fight the urge to whip out a tape measure just to prove I wasn't going crazy.

Floating ominously in the center, like the world's most ominous lava lamp, was the Heart of the Abyss. It hovered above a pool of... something. I squinted at it, trying to make sense of the writhing darkness below. Living shadows? Liquid night? Whatever it was, it made my skin crawl. The triplets arched simultaneously. I pictured them hissing like cats while they did it.

A cold realization hit me like a bucket of ice water to the face. I patted my pocket frantically as I searched for something that should have been there. Unfortunately, it very much wasn't. My eyes were wide enough to rival any anime character's as they darted from Stella to Aidon in panic.

"It's not in my pocket anymore," I blurted out. The words hung in the air like a bad smell, making the gravity of our situation sink in.

Nana's face scrunched up into a scowl that could rival a pissed-off teen’s. Her eyes were sharp as ever, despite her age, as they zeroed in on the floating Heart. "She used the attack to reclaim it." Her voice dripped with disgust. "I bet my last bottle of whiskey that handsy witch who got fresh with you earlier picked your pocket."

The implications of Nana's words hit me like a freight train. We'd been played. And played well. Lyra had orchestrated this whole song and dance. We'd waltzed right into her trap like the world's most gullible magical SWAT team.

"Well," I said, trying to inject some humor into the situation despite the knot of dread in my stomach, "I guess this is why they tell you to always keep your valuables in a fanny pack. Though I'm not sure they make ones rated for cosmic artifacts of doom."

Aidon's hand found mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His touch grounded me. It also reminded me that we were in this mess together. One thought kept bouncing around my head like an out-of-control pinball: This was going to be one hell of a fight.

The queenof the damned appeared as if our discussion had conjured her. Lyra smiled like a cat that just found a mouse playground. "Ah, Phoebe. So good of you to join us. And you brought friends! How delightful."

I snorted and channeled my inner smartass to mask the fact that I was scared shitless. "Yeah, well, you know me. I never could resist a good party. Though your choice of venue sucks. Was the abandoned circus already booked for evil rituals?"

Lyra's smile never wavered, but her eyes went colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra. "Always with the sarcasm. It's almost cute. But playtime's over, Phoebe. It's time for you to fulfill your destiny."

"Hard pass," I shot back. "My destiny involves a lot less giving my power to evil and a lot more trying to raise three magical gremlins to be semi-functional adults. Though given their gene pool, that might be a stretch."

Lyra made a sound that made nails on a chalkboard seem melodious. "Oh, Phoebe. You still don't get it, do you? Those children were never meant to be yours. They're vessels. Conduits for the Heart's power. And with them, I'll remake reality in my image!"

As she spoke, the shadows around her began to take shape. Ghosts, demons, and Tainted witches materialized and surrounded us faster than you could say, ‘We're screwed’.

I felt a surge of protective fury, both from me and the triplets. The air around me crackled with energy. I can’t explain what happened then. The babies' heartbeats synced up like they were preparing for a magical battle.

"Sorry, Lyra," I said in a voice colder than a polar bear's butt, "but these kids are a package deal with their mama. And this mama? She's not into sharing.”

Aidon swung his sword in an arc. “Neither is their daddy."

With that, all hell broke loose. Again. Spells flew, furniture exploded (seriously, where did that come from?). I found myself in the middle of a magical clusterfuck that made our earlier skirmish look like a pillow fight. Aidon was a divine hurricane.His sword cut through ghosts and demons like they were made of mist.

Stella and Nana were tag-teaming Lyra. Their combined magic created a light show that would've given Vegas an inferiority complex. I was channeling every ounce of power I had into creating a barrier that even Lyra's most potent attacks couldn't penetrate. The triplets were all in on that front. Hattie was a whirlwind as she grabbed spirits and dragged them away.

But even as we fought, I could see Lyra's plan unfolding. With each pulse of the Heart, reality hiccupped and glitched. The walls between worlds were crumbling. I felt something trying to squeeze through. Something ancient, hungry, and crankier than me without my morning coffee. We were running out of time.

I caught Aidon's eye when another wave of ghostly asylum patients surged towards us. He nodded as understanding passed between us without words. It was time to pull out all the stops. "Hey Lyra!" I yelled. My voice cut through the chaos like a shovel through bullshit. "You want to see real power? Let me show you what a Dieudonne can really do!"

I dug deep, channeling every scrap of magic I had. The triplets joined the party. Their power surged through me like a tidal wave of pure chaos. I poured it all into one massive blast of reality-warping energy that would've made Einstein throw up his hands and say, ‘Screw it, I'm out’.

The world held its breath for a second. Then, with a sound like the universe stubbing its toe on the coffee table of existence, the Heart of the Abyss began to crack. My breath caught, and I watched eagerly, willing my power to shatter the thing. Lyra's scream of rage cut through the air, practically making me jump out of my skin. I’m not sure what she did, but my destruction stopped. That smug little artifact of doom sprouted a network of fissures across its surface, but the Heart held together. And thena shockwave of power knocked us all on our asses. I found myself with a face full of asylum floor. Yum.

When the magical dust settled, I pried my eyes open to find the Heart still floating there. Sure, it looked like it had gone ten rounds with a cosmic sledgehammer, but it was intact and feeding Lyra’s power. Her laughter filled the room, making me want to punch her in the throat.

"Oh, Phoebe," she cooed, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "Did you really think it would be that simple? The Heart may be damaged, but its power... oh, its power is very much alive. In me. In you. And most importantly, in those precious little buns you've got baking in your magical oven."

As she spoke, there was a tugging sensation. Something was trying to use my insides as a cosmic jungle gym. The triplets stirred restlessly, and their power flickered like a strobe light at a rave. The protective bubble they’d perfected expanded around us.

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