Page 57 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"We can break through," Aidon insisted. His shadows darkened with determination as they hammered against the barrier. The wards flared with Lyra’s purple light where he struck them. It did us no good. They remained intact.
Clio burst around the corner like a woman possessed. Her healer's kit was clutched in white-knuckled fingers. She slammed to a halt at the edge of the magical barrier. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. Meanwhile, I continued writhing in agony as magic churned like a catastrophic storm around us.
"Damn it all to the nine hells," she muttered, dropping to her knees and pressing both palms against theinvisible wall. I could feel the faint heat of her healing energy. I imagined it was searching for any way to reach me. Unfortunately, the barrier rippled but held firm against her assault.
"Phoebe!" Clio shouted with an edge of panic I'd never heard from her before. "You need to slow your breathing. We have to try to stop the contractions!" I understood the importance of keeping babies in the womb as close to the due date as possible.
“I’m doing my best,” I snarled at her. “It’s not exactly easy.”
Clio didn't waste her breath shouting back. Her eyes locked with mine through the barrier, determination hardening her features as she nodded and centered herself with several measured breaths. The healer's legendary focus took over. This wasn't her first magical emergency, and it wouldn't be her last.
Healing energy flowed from her hands, searching for weaknesses in the barrier between us. I inched forward on my knees until I felt the warmth of her magic caressing my skin through the thinnest part of the wall. The relief was instant but fleeting. Like doing a shot of whiskey during a blizzard. It took the edge off, but couldn't stop the storm.
Within moments, Clio's shoulders sagged and her power flickered as the barrier began absorbing everything she threw at it. Our eyes met again, and this time, I saw raw fear behind her exhaustion. She'd come to keep these babies safely inside me. And that look told me everything I needed to know. If my triplets entered this world tonight, surrounded by this magical hell storm, not all of us would live to see morning.
We weren’t there yet. And it wouldn’t happen if I could do anything about it. I forced myself to take slow, deliberate breaths and mentally communicated with the triplets. "Not yet, little ones," I whispered and caressed my swollen belly. "We need to get home and let this pass."
Surprisingly, they seemed to understand. The frantic surges of magic calmed somewhat. The contractions eased slightly and then spaced out rather than intensifying. "The babies are listening to her," Persephone observed with a smile. "They're trying to help."
Aidon paused in his frantic search for an exit. “Of course, they are. They’ve been trying to protect their mother from the moment she conceived. Now, if we could stop Lyra’s spells from hurting Phoebe, we might be able to get out of here.”
"That’s going to be difficult. These wards were designed specifically to draw on Pleiades magic," Clio explained.
Mom growled as she threw a spell at a spot in front of her. "And they're adaptive. They're learning from each attempt we make to breach them."
"Damn that bitch," Stella spat. "She must have prepared these as a backup plan."
"But she's gone," I protested weakly as I tried to stand up. I had to lean heavily against Nana when another contraction built despite my efforts to suppress it. "We defeated her. She fled like a little coward."
Jean-Marc's expression darkened. "Did we? Or did she merely retreat to regroup?"
As if summoned by his words, a low, mocking laugh echoed through the chamber. The sound came from everywhere and nowhere at once. It was the kind that gave you nightmares. And it made my skin crawl with primal fear.
"How touching," Lyra's voice purred from the shadows. "The family that flees together, stays together. At least, that was your plan, wasn't it?"
She stepped into view from behind a crumbling column, looking far different than when we'd last seen her. Her deterioration had advanced even further. Her skin was now completely translucent, revealing swirling darknessbeneath. Her eyes had become pools of pure malice. And her fingers had elongated into claw-like appendages that dripped caustic green acid onto the floor.
"You," Aidon snarled. His shadows lunged toward her, only to be stopped by another barrier that materialized between us.
Lyra smiled, the expression ghastly on her transformed features. "Me," she agreed pleasantly. "Did you really think I'd leave my most valuable prize unprotected? That I wouldn't have contingencies in place?"
"Let us go," I demanded as I fought to keep my voice steady as another contraction began to build. "You've failed. It's over."
"Failed?" She laughed again. "Oh, Phoebe. I'm just getting started. The ritual chamber served its purpose. It weakened the barriers between dimensions enough for my allies to begin their crossing. And for me to gain access to your powers. I can take what I want now."
As she spoke, the cracks in the walls widened. To everyone’s horror, creatures from nightmares began pouring through them. They had twisted forms that weren't quite solid. Was that right? I had to squint through a contraction. Yep, their bodies were shifting between states with every movement. That would make them easier to take out.
Unfortunately, they weren’t the only enemy now trying to kill my loved ones. Behind them loomed larger, more substantial entities. The Forgotten Ones radiated malevolence and hatred. They would be harder to deal with. There was a reason they’d been locked away. Fortunately, they still had one foot in their prison realm which meant they could be sent back.
"What have you done?" Persephone whispered as she did just that to a trio of Forgotten Ones.
"I've kept my promise," Lyra replied simply. "The oldorder ends today. The barriers between realms will fall. And these children," she gestured toward my belly, "will be the catalysts for a new age of magic. One where I reign supreme."
The triplets reacted violently to her voice. Their magic surged in waves of protective fury. The chamber trembled, and pieces of the ceiling began to rain down around us. "Phoebe, you need to calm down," Clio called desperately from beyond the barrier. "The power is making the dimensional pocket unstable!"
I tried, the gods know I tried. But between the contractions, the fear, and Lyra's presence, the triplets were beyond soothing. Their magic built upon itself, creating a feedback loop that intensified with each passing second.
"Magnificent," Lyra breathed, watching the display with hungry eyes. "Such power. And it will all be mine."
