Page 58 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues
"You'll never touch them," Aidon promised. His voice was deadly quiet as his shadows pounded against the barrier separating us from Lyra.
She smiled indulgently, as if he were a child making grand but meaningless threats. "I already have." With a gesture, she caused the purple energy swirling around her fingers to stretch toward me. It bypassed all our defenses as if they weren't there.
The moment it touched my belly, I screamed. It felt like barbed wire being dragged across my soul. The triplets reacted with equal distress, and their magic lashed out wildly. Remaining calm flew right out the window then.
"What are you doing to her?" Stella demanded as she cast spells and threw them against the barriers.
"Taking what’s mine," Lyra explained calmly, despite the chaos erupting around her. "With the use of a magical tether. Oh, and it can't be broken. Not even by death or divine intervention. When these children are born, their power will flow to me, regardless of distance orprotective wards."
Horror swept through me as I felt something taking root within the magical bond I shared with my unborn children. It was parasitic and wrong. I fought against it with everything I had, but the pain of labor combined with magical assault left me weakened and vulnerable.
“You won’t win,” Persephone told Lyra.
Lyra laughed. “I already have. I’ve managed to keep two gods from helping their mortal. I can do anything.”
"We're running out of time," Jean-Marc interjected. “This dimension is collapsing, and Clio's magic can't reach Mom to stop the contractions."
Clio’s face was a mask of concentration as she poured healing energy against the barrier. She was still trying to find a way through. Unfortunately, none of it penetrated. Meanwhile, my contractions were becoming stronger and more frequent again. The triple threat of dimensional collapse, Lyra's ritual, and imminent birth created a perfect storm of panic that I couldn’t seem to banish.
"We need to disrupt the barriers from multiple points simultaneously," Nina suggested as her analytical mind worked through possibilities.
"Good idea,” Jean-Marc agreed. I could hear my kids, but barely registered it as my mind continued repeating that Lyra was winning. “Everyone attack the same spot, at exactly the same moment," he instructed.
Aidon, Persephone, and Stella converged like predators with a common prey. They positioned themselves at a pulsing nexus point in the barrier where the magic ran thinnest. Their three different powers shot from their outstretched hands with pinpoint precision and met at a single spot like a magical drill bit.
For one breathless moment, I dared to hope. The barrier shuddered under their combined assault. Its seamless surface finally showed weakness as a hairline fracture spiderwebbedacross the magical membrane. It started glowing with unstable energy.
On the other side, Clio crouched like a runner at the starting blocks. Her healing kit was strapped to her body, and her muscles were tensed. She was ready to launch herself through the instant an opening appeared large enough for her to slip through.
Just when it seemed like they were going to win, Lyra made a sharp, cutting gesture with her hand. The chamber shuddered violently, and a new barrier slammed down. Everything in me cried out as I was cut off from my friends and family. The new shield encircled just Lyra and me.
"No!" I screamed.
"Phoebe!" Aidon's voice was muffled now by multiple layers of magical barriers. His shadows raged against the new obstacle. They were joined by the others' powers, but none made any impression on Lyra's protection.
"It's just us now," Lyra said as she approached me with that terrible smile still fixed on her ugly face. "Don’t worry, I left some friends to keep your family busy."
I gaped as more creatures continued to flood through the widening cracks, filling the chamber until they surrounded my loved ones completely. "They can't save you," Lyra told me as she crouched down beside me. "No one can. When these children are born, they will feed my ascension. Their first breath in this world will be in service to my power."
CHAPTER 19
Aidon's shadows pounded against the magical barrier. Each impact was like a thunderclap in the confined space of the pocket dimension. It felt like my heart was being ripped out as I watched him fighting to reach me. His power was dark and beautiful in its fury, but the barrier held firm against even his considerable strength.
I lifted my shaking hand toward him. Not wanting to give Lyra the satisfaction of seeing our pain, I dropped it and schooled my expression. Deep breaths, Phoebe. Focus. Another contraction gripped me with hot claws. This time, instead of fighting it, I closed my eyes and turned inward. I sought the chaotic pulse of the triplets' magic.
"We need to stay together a little longer," I whispered, channeling every ounce of calm I could muster.
I breathed slowly, deliberately, creating a rhythm that pushed against the frantic magic flying around us. Remaining calm was difficult given that beyond my magical prison, I could see my family waging war. Spells were exploding and creatures were dying. Those I loved most were in danger.
The sudden roar that ripped through the pocket realm was divine fury given voice. It was the battle cry of an enraged god who'd just realized someone had dared to mess with his family. The sound vibrated in my bones and sent the triplets dancing in response.
A smile curved my lips as I locked eyes with the thing wearing Lyra's face. "Hear that? That's the sound of your plan going straight to hell—literally. Hades is here now. And he sounds pissed. Trust me, you won’t like being on his bad side." I pushed myself up straighter despite the pain. Vicious satisfaction rushed through me at the flicker of uncertainty that crossed Lyra's stolen features.
"You really should have done your homework," I continued, my voice stronger now. "Gods don't play by mortal rules, and that particular god? He specializes in tearing apart realms just like this little bubble you've created. Nothing will stop him from getting through that barrier. Not your magic, or ancient allies. Not even death itself. And when he does?" I laughed, low and dangerous. "You're going to learn why even other immortals fear the Lord of the Underworld when his family is threatened."
"Your pet god," she snarled, circling me like a predator assessing wounded prey, "cannot breach this realm without destroying it—and you with it. Do you think Hades would risk your precious babies? Three unborn children with power that rivals his own?"
She leaned closer. The smell of decay that was rolling off her made me want to puke. "Besides, I've already taken what I need from you. Your labor feeds the ritual. Each contraction strengthens the spell. By the time your beloved family breaks through, I'll have ascended beyond their reach."
