Page 5 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"We've been collecting everything suspicious," Nina continued. "Stella is creating a containment field in the shed to isolate them until we can safely destroy them."
The implications hit me like a freight train. "She’s seen everything. I bet that’s how she keeps poisoning your wards, too."
Nina grimaced. "Nana was thinking the same thing. Jean-Marc thinks the first surveillance item arrived about eight weeks ago. It was that weird metallic paperweight I thought Lilith sent you." She shot me an apologetic look. "I put it on your desk myself."
"It's not your fault," I assured her quickly. "None of us caught it."
Aidon picked up the coffee mug, examining it with narrowed eyes. "These are sophisticated. They don't transmit images. But they do absorb ambient magic, and conversations. And they’re undetectable unless you are really looking for them." His voice hardened. "We need tochange everything. Patrol schedules, defensive positioning, and communication methods."
Another knock at the door revealed Stella, Tseki, and Murtagh. They filed in silently, forming a protective semicircle around my bed. "We've contained seventeen devices so far," Stella reported, her normally cheerful expression was replaced by fierce determination. "Layla's checking the attic and basement for more."
"Did you notice anything about them?" Aidon asked.
Tseki nodded, his eyes gleaming. "They’ve been concentrated in areas where we discuss security. The kitchen table, your office, and the living room by the fireplace. She was specifically sending things we would keep in meeting areas."
My heart sank further. "She knows exactly how to bypass our defenses. It’s a good thing Aidon and his dad are updating them."
Murtagh nodded in agreement. "We've created a new system that she hasn't seen for everything. She’s going to be in the dark again very soon."
Stella pulled out a hand-drawn map of our property. "We've designed overlapping patrol patterns. I put compatible strengths together or overlapped them. Shifters are heaviest during twilight hours when magic naturally ebbs. Witches are during peak magical cycles to maintain power balance."
I watched as my friends detailed an intricate protection plan that rotated personnel, incorporated unpredictable timing changes, and established new communication codes. They were adapting, evolving, and protecting my family while I lay useless in bed. And it made me want to rip all of Lyra’s hair out.
"We've also created magical blind spots," Tseki continued. "Areas that appear unguarded but are actually highlymonitored. If Lyra's scouts test our defenses, we'll know exactly where they're probing."
The television on my dresser suddenly turned on by itself and began flipping rapidly through channels before shutting off again. Everyone froze, looking at me. "Sorry," I muttered, feeling the babies' magic respond to my rising emotions. "That was not intentional."
Clio appeared in the doorway with a thunderous expression. "What part of 'no stress' was unclear?" she demanded, sending accusatory glares around the room. "Her magical readings just spiked dangerously."
"They needed to coordinate defense," I protested as she swept into the room and began checking my vitals. "I'm fine."
"You're not fine," Clio countered. Her hands hovered over my belly. "The triplets' magical signatures are fluctuating again. Your blood pressure is elevated, and there's increased activity in your uterus." She turned to the others. "Out. All of you. Now."
"Wait," I grabbed Stella's hand as she moved to leave. "One last thing. Is it possible Lyra could be watching us right now? Through something we missed?"
Jean-Marc appeared in the doorway. "Not anymore. We've established a dampening field throughout the entire house. Even if we missed something, it can't transmit out."
"Good," I murmured, relaxing slightly.
Aidon looked reluctantly back over his shoulder as they all filed out. Clio began mixing a potion from the supplies she'd set up on my dresser. "I know it's difficult," she began in a tone that softened as she worked. "But you need to understand that your emotional state directly affects the babies. When you become stressed or agitated?—"
"Their magic responds in kind," I finished for her. "I know, I know."
"Then know this, too," she said, handingme a glass of something that smelled like lavender and tasted like chalk. "When I say this is dangerous, I'm not exaggerating. These babies are unlike anything I've seen or read about. Their combined power could potentially harm you if it continues to surge erratically."
Fear gripped me. "Harm me how?"
"Magical burnout at best. At worst..." She paused. "Let's just say there's a reason why multiple magical pregnancies are rare, even among goddesses."
The gravity of her words settled over me like a cold shroud. This wasn't just about keeping me comfortable or being overly cautious. The stakes were literally life or death. "I'll behave," I promised. I suddenly felt very small against the enormity of what my body was attempting to accomplish.
Clio nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, I'm going to place a mild sedative charm around your bed. It won't affect the babies, but it will help dampen your magical responses when you're feeling emotional."
After she finished her work and left, I lay alone in the quiet room, listening to the muffled sounds of activity throughout the house. Voices drifted up from downstairs. There was no mistaking Hades’s voice as he gave instructions. Or Nana complaining loudly about ‘that witch's nerve’.
Life was continuing without me. Important decisions were being made. Battles were being prepared for. And I was relegated to the sidelines while carrying the most precious cargo of all.
I stared at the ceiling until my eyelids grew heavy. The frustration of my forced inactivity followed me even into my dreams. Thoughts about war councils and strategy sessions swirled in my mind as I drifted off. Everyone's voices were clear except my own. It was muffled behind an invisible barrier.
