Page 29 of Poltergeists & Change of Life

I reached for the amulet, compelled by a hunger I couldn't explain. Aidon caught my wrist. His grip was painfully tight. "Phoebe, no. It will consume you."

But the babies had other ideas. A surge of energy that was stronger than anything I'd felt before erupted from my womb. It collided with the amulet's aura, and the two forces warred for a moment. Then, to my horrified amazement, the amulet's power began to yield.

The malevolent red glow intensified and spread throughout the fused relics. The chain of tormented souls began writhing violently. They morphed and reformed into links of obsidian. As we watched in terrified awe, the Heart of the Abyss tore free of its containment and slammed into my outstretched hand.

The moment it touched my skin, a flood of forbidden knowledge invaded my mind. I saw the ritual Lyra had performed, combining the relics into this monstrous creation. I glimpsed the cosmic horrors she had bargained with to gain such power. But more than that, I saw the shadowy organization behind it all. It was a clandestine group operating in the darkest corners of the Underworld.

I came back to myself with a gasp, feeling changed. I started to freak out, thinking I had been corrupted. Aidon cupped my cheeks, grounding me. In a sense, I had been violated with the knowledge. But it was done for a terrible purpose. The others stared at me with undisguised fear.

"Phoebe?" Stella's voice quavered. "What happened?"

I looked down at the Heart of the Abyss, then back at my family. A grim smile spread across my face. "I saw how Lyra did it," I explained. "Lyra isn't working alone. There's a group in the Underworld. They call themselves the Covenant of Eternal Night. They're the ones who provided her with the knowledge and the items to perform this ritual."

A heavy silence fell over the group. Nana was the first to break it. "The Covenant of Eternal Night? I thought they were just a myth, a boogeyman story to keep young Underworld deities in line."

Aidon shook his head. "They're real. I've heard whispers of them taking action, but never anything concrete. If they're involved in this..." He trailed off, the implications too terrible to voice.

Stella's eyes narrowed with determination. "We need to know more. Aidon, we should go to the Underworld, see what we can dig up about this Covenant."

Aidon nodded. "Agreed. If we're going to have any chance of reversing what's been done to Hattie, we need to understand who we're really up against."

"I'm coming with you," I said, already mentally preparing for the journey. But before I could take a step, I was met with a chorus of protests.

"Absolutely not," Nana said firmly. "You're carrying triplets, Phoebe. Triplets with enough magical potential to interact with an artifact like this. The Underworld is no place for you right now."

"But—" I started to argue, but Stella cut me off.

"Nana's right, Phoebe. It's too dangerous. We need you here, safe, working on deciphering that grimoire. It might hold the key to unraveling the Heart of the Abyss."

I wanted to argue further, but the look in their eyes told me it would be futile. Plus, as much as I hated to admit it, they had a point. The babies' safety had to come first. "Fine," I conceded. My hand tightened around the Heart of the Abyss. "But you two better come back in one piece. And with answers."

Aidon managed a weak smile. "We will. And when we do, we'll put an end to this madness once and for all."

CHAPTER 13

As I performed a descent that could generously be described as ambulation—if ambulation involved the finesse of a penguin attempting the cha-cha on a greased dance floor—I navigated the treacherous terrain of our stairs. Each step was a masterclass in defying gravity. My pregnant form swayed with all the stability of a Jenga tower in an earthquake.

I finally waddled into the kitchen, where our mystical motley crew was assembled in full force. Mom and Mythia were bustling about with dishes that smelled divine. Selene was helping Layla clean up some of Hattie's latest poltergeist pranks while Nana directed them. And Tseki was sitting next to Murtagh, flipping through an upscale baby magazine. Tseki insisted on everything designer.

Nina was quivering with anticipation like a tuning fork struck by Thor's hammer and couldn't contain herself any longer when she saw me. "Mom! Nana! Tell us about what happened at the Arcanum Subterraneum! How did you find it?"

All eyes turned to me, and I could practically feel the weight of their curiosity. I settled onto a stool next to Nana, grateful for the reprieve from gravity's cruel jokes. "Well," I began andhad to fight back a wave of nausea at the memory, "it started with a rusty gate that led to an abandoned subway station. The smell alone was enough to make me consider a career change to professional hermit."

Nana cackled, "Oh, don't be so dramatic. It was just a little mildew, urine, feces... and possibly some centuries-old Dark magic."

"Easy for you to say," I grumbled. "You aren't the one housing three future hellraisers with a penchant for magical gymnastics."

"What was the place like? I can’t imagine a Dark library is all that welcoming." Murtagh asked as he leaned forward eagerly.

I smirked, "Turns out it wasn’t entirely Dark."

"The real challenge," Nana interjected, "came when we reached the bottom of those godforsaken stairs. The subway platform was straight out of a post-apocalyptic fever dream. Complete with swirling, untamed magic that would make a kaleidoscope seem boring."

"It was like being stuck in a blender filled with rainbows and nausea," I added, remembering the dizzying effect. "And that was before we met the welcoming committee."

"Welcoming committee?" Layla echoed with a frown.

Nana's grin widened, "Oh yes, it was a charming fellow made entirely of books and scrolls. He was twice as tall as Aidon and had eyes of blue fire. Quite the conversationalist, if you're into cryptic threats and riddles."

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