Page 21 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"This is new," Clio muttered as she tried to maintain her position beside me without drifting away.
"It's happened before," I told her. "But not this intensely."
She nodded grimly. "The babies are responding to your distress. The good news is, you're not in labor. The bad news is, their magic thinks you are, and it's preparing to protect you during delivery."
"How do we calm them down?" Aidon asked.
"We don't," Clio said simply. “That will only make it worse.”
"I told you to work with them," Nana interjected from across the room as she swam toward me.
“That might just work,” Clio replied as she guided my hands to my belly. "Focus on connecting with them, not controlling them. They're trying to help, but they don't understand what's happening."
I closed my eyes, reaching out to the three distinct magical signatures within me. They were all flaring wildly and responding to perceived danger. "I'm okay," I told them, pushing all the conviction I could muster into the thought. "We're safe right now. I need you to calm down. We can’t focus on stopping her if we’re caught up in this."
To my surprise, I felt their magic respond. The chaotic outbursts began to organize themselves. The floating objects arranged themselves in neat formations. And the paper tornado consolidated into a protective sphere around my bed.
"They're listening," Jean-Marc said in wonder.
"No," I corrected, opening my eyes. "They're helping."
As if to confirm my words, three distinct magical signatures manifested visibly around the room. Nyssa's shadows formed a protective barrier at the windows and door. Thaniel's blue-tinted magic created pockets that stabilized the objects in midair. Melaina's golden glow suffused everything. She connected the different magical effects into a harmonious whole.
"This is unprecedented," Hades murmured, watching the display with something approaching reverence. "Very few can manage this much coordination even after practicing their magic for centuries."
"They're protecting their mother," Persephone said from the doorway. I hadn't even noticed her arrive. "And in doing so, they're protecting themselves."
Gradually, the room returned to normal—or as normal as it could be with three unborn magical powerhouses deciding which laws of physics applied. Objects settled back in their places. The paper shreds from the books reassembled themselves. Even the cracked mirror was mended. Though a faint line remained where the break had been.
The pain was completely gone now. I was exhausted but strangely exhilarated. I'd connected with my children on a level I hadn't before. It made me all the more protective. I loved them with everything I was.
"Well," Nana said into the stunned silence that followed, "I'd say bedrest just got a lot more interesting."
I laughed despite everything. Because she was right. I was still confined to this bed, still unable to join the fight directly. But I was far from powerless. Neither were my children.
"We need to talk about what this means for our defense strategies," Aidon said, sitting beside me on the bed. "If the triplets' magic is growing this powerful this quickly..."
"Then Lyra will be even more determined to get her hands on them," I finished. "We need to step up our game."
"I think I have something," Jean-Marc said, returning to his notes. "When Melaina connected with me earlier, sheshowed me things I hadn't seen before. The historical cases I've been studying all mention a specific vulnerability in the Trifecta Ascension ritual."
"What vulnerability?" Hades asked sharply.
"The ritual requires all three babies to be separated from their mother at the exact same moment," Jean-Marc explained. "If even one remains connected to the maternal magical source, the entire ritual fails."
"Worst case scenario, we need to keep one baby with Mom," Nina said, hope lighting her face. "That doesn't sound impossible."
"It's not that simple," Jean-Marc cautioned. "The babies would still be in danger, and Lyra would still try to take them. But knowing this gives us a strategic advantage. We can prepare for it."
I nodded, my mind already racing with possibilities. "We need to create a failsafe with this in mind. Something that ensures at least one baby maintains a magical connection to me, no matter what happens."
"We need to create a magical tether," Mom suggested. "One that is unbreakable by outside forces."
"And we need to counter those shadows and the seeds she's planted throughout the house," I added. "They're her access points, her eyes and ears. If we can neutralize them without triggering whatever trap they're part of..."
"I might have a way," Nina said thoughtfully. "Now that I can see the specific magical signatures, I can potentially isolate them. We could create a containment field that prevents them from connecting to Lyra."
"It's a start," Aidon agreed. "But we also need to address the corrupted wards. If Lyra has found a way to gradually alter them..."
