Page 11 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues (Mystical Midlife in Maine #17)

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We've been trying not to worry you."

"Well, that's worked brilliantly," I said dryly. "Now I'm worried and annoyed. Tell me what's going on, Selene. No more secrets."

She studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Fair enough. Yes, there have been attacks. Three in the past three days."

"And Tseki was injured?" I clarified.

She inclined her head. "He was burned by one of the entities he encountered. Clio treated him. He'll be fine." She leaned forward. "That's actually why I'm here. Something about all of this is not adding up."

She pulled a folded map from her pocket and spread it on the bed. It showed our property and the surrounding area. There were dots from different colored markers in various locations.

"At first glance, these look random," she explained. "But when you overlay them with the ley line disruptions Mythia detected, a clear pattern emerges. Each attack targeted a different type of defense using a different form of ancient magic."

My strategic mind engaged as I studied the map. "We already knew she was testing our responses and learning which defenses are most effective against which threats. What are we missing?"

"The first attack used elemental forces against our technological surveillance,” she replied. “The second employed some form of distortion against our magical wards. And today's creatures specifically targeted our shifter patrols."

Pausing, she pointed to a section of the map where the markers formed an unmistakable spiral pattern. "The attacks are getting closer, following the destabilized ley lines inward. At this rate, they'll reach the house itself within two days."

A chill ran through me. Two days wasn't much time to prepare. "Have you shown this to Aidon?"

"That's my next stop. But I wanted your input first." Selene's expression was serious. "You know Lyra better than any of us. You've faced her directly more times. What's her endgame here? Is she really just gathering tactical intelligence? I agree there is something we're missing."

I considered the question carefully, drawing on everything I knew about our enemy.

"Lyra never does anything for just one reason.

Yes, she's probing our defenses, but I think she's also trying to exhaust us.

And more importantly, distract us. She wants to keep us reacting to external threats while she works on something else. "

"Like what?"

"Those shadows I just saw," I murmured, more to myself than to Selene. It was the only thing I could think of.

"What shadows?" she asked, immediately alert.

I explained my newly discovered ability to view other parts of the house through reflective surfaces and the strange shadows I'd noticed at the edges of these magical windows. "They moved like they were searching for something," I finished. "And when I tried to examine one, it reacted to me."

Selene's expression grew increasingly grave as I spoke. "Show me," she said when I finished.

Hesitantly, I focused on the vanity mirror again, directing it to show the kitchen once more. Jean-Marc and Mom were still there, deep in conversation. And as before, the shadow tendrils crept along the edges of the magical window. They were more numerous now.

"There," I whispered, pointing. "Do you see them?"

Selene leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. "Yes. And I don't like them one bit."

As we watched, one of the shadows detached from the edge and slithered across the kitchen ceiling. It stopped directly over Mom and Jean-Marc, who remained oblivious to its presence.

"It's spying on them, but why?" I asked. It made no sense.

"Not just spying," Selene murmured. "Look."

The shadow was leaving something behind. It was a tiny speck of darkness that settled into the ceiling like a seed being planted. Then it moved on, leaving another, and another. It was invisible unless you knew to look for it.

"She's planting magical traps throughout the house," I guessed. "And no one can see them."

"Except through your mirrors," Selene replied. "It's got to be the triplets."

As if responding to their mention, the babies stirred within me. A wave of golden light suffused my skin briefly thanks to Melaina. The magical window in the mirror sharpened, and the shadows became more distinct against the kitchen backdrop.

"She's helping us see them more clearly," Selene observed with quiet awe.

Another wave in my belly, and the shadow's progress slowed. That was Thaniel. Whatever he did made the shadow’s actions more obvious. "They're working together," I whispered, placing a hand on my belly. "They're showing us how Lyra infected the house."

We watched as the shadow creature finished its work in the kitchen and slithered through a vent into another part of the house.

I shifted my focus to the dresser mirror, directing it to follow the entity's path.

It led us to the nursery we'd prepared for the triplets.

The shadow began planting its dark seeds around the cribs.

"I bet those are designed to activate under specific conditions. Like say, when you go into labor," Selene suggested.

I nodded grimly. "The magical fluctuations from childbirth would trigger any traps. These would spring to life precisely when I’m most vulnerable."

The mirror view distorted as Nyssa's shadows flared protectively around me. The shadow creature in the nursery paused, as if sensing it was being observed. It turned toward our magical window with what felt like malevolent awareness.

"It knows we're watching," I whispered.

"Break the connection," Selene urged. "Now!"

I severed the magical window. The mirror returned to normal, reflecting only my bedroom and our tense faces. "We need to tell the others," Selene said as she reached for her phone. "If these shadow creatures have been infecting the house, we can find and neutralize them."

"We need to figure out how to destroy them without triggering these traps prematurely," I added.

Selene nodded and sent a message to everyone explaining what we'd discovered.

Within minutes, my bedroom became a hub of urgent activity as everyone converged around me.

Aidon's expression was thunderous as he examined the mirrors through which I'd viewed the shadow creatures.

Stella and Nina began crafting detection spells to locate the hidden traps.

Nana, Mom, and Jean-Marc consulted the grimoire for countermeasures.

"You should have told me about the attacks," I said to Aidon when we had a moment alone.

"I was trying to protect you from unnecessary stress," he replied.

"You can’t keep everything from me. It’s worse to be blindsided," I told him with a pointed glance at the chaos now filling my bedroom.

He had the grace to look chagrined. "Point taken. No more secrets."

"Good," I said firmly. "Because the only way we're going to survive this is if we work together—all of us, including these three." I placed a hand on my belly. "They showed us what Lyra's been doing. They found a way to let us know how she was infecting us."

Aidon's expression softened as he laid his hand over mine. "They're extraordinary," he murmured. "Just like their mother."

As the others developed a strategy to locate and neutralize Lyra's hidden traps, I found myself drawn back to the shadows I'd seen.

There was something familiar about them.

Something that teased at the edges of my memory.

They reminded me of the wolf-like creatures Lyra had brought to our house, but more elemental.

As if they were only partially manifested in our reality.

The Forgotten Ones, Mom had called them. Conceptual entities that predated everything we knew. "Aidon," I said suddenly. "What if these shadow creatures are also creating access points. Doorways that Lyra or her allies could use to bypass our external defenses entirely?"

He stilled, his eyes meeting mine as the implications sank in. "That would explain the attacks. They’re a distraction."

Nodding, I added, "She’s keeping our attention focused outward while the real threat grows inside our walls."