Page 28 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"Because inheritance works both ways," Mom said, entering with Hattie's grimoire. "I found something. A hidden section that only reveals itself when Pleiades bloodlines face mortal danger."
She opened the grimoire to pages I'd never seen, with shifting text. "It's an account of stealing and defending bloodline magic," she explained. "Including warnings about vulnerability during pregnancy."
"Are there countermeasures?" I asked hopefully.
Mom nodded. "The most promising involves creating a magical feedback loop that makes the connection too costly for the attacker."
"Like turning her tactics against her," Nana said.
"Exactly. Instead of letting her draw power, we force our power back through the connection," Mom confirmed.
"That sounds dangerous," Clio cautioned.
"The grimoire describes protective measures," Mom said. "Ritual components that shield the donor during the countermeasure."
"We'd need time to prepare," Aidon said. "And to draw Lyra into another attempt."
Mom hesitated. "The countermeasure works best when the power has strong emotional bonds to multiple protectors."
"The babies' connections to everyone," I realized. "Nyssa to Aidon, Thaniel to Jean-Marc, Melaina to Nina..."
"Those bonds strengthen the feedback loop," Mom confirmed. "But they increase the risk. Everyone connected could be affected."
Nana straightened. "Well, I've been teaching Nina and Jean-Marc protective countermeasures. They're learning fast."
The triplets stirred, their magic creating ashimmering barrier that rippled outward from my belly. "They're getting stronger," Clio observed. "Their protective instinct is evolving as this situation worsens. I bet they’ll be on board fully."
"Good," I said fiercely. "We'll need every advantage."
"We should begin preparations immediately," Aidon said.
"Lyra will try again soon," I said with certainty. "I felt her desperation in that vision."
"Nina, Jean-Marc, and I will handle the ritual components," Mom said. "Aidon, coordinate with Hades about the temple complex."
"And me?" I asked.
"Prepare yourself and the babies,” Mom instructed. “Establish a strong connection with them. Their protection needs to be focused, controlled."
"Momma needs to teach her chaos machines how to aim," Nana quipped.
I laughed. "You have such a way with words."
“Where do you think you got it from?” She retorted with a wink.
Everyone chuckled and dispersed to do their thing. When everyone was gone, Aidon remained. "How are you really feeling?"
"Scared," I admitted. "Not for myself, but for them. For everyone. This is bigger than anything we've faced."
"We've beaten impossible odds before."
"This is different. It’s worse than Lyra being after power. She's trying to rewrite the fundamental rules of magic, with our children as tools." I held my hands protectively over my belly.
"She won't succeed," he promised. "We won't let her."
"What if we can't stop her?"
He silenced me with a gentle kiss. "No what ifs. We focus on what we know, what we can control."
