Page 35 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues (Mystical Midlife in Maine #17)

P ain tore through me like a demon with razor-sharp claws as another contraction seized my body with unholy strength.

This wasn't your garden-variety push-and-breathe labor.

This was cosmic warfare using my insides as the battlefield.

The magical chaos from the ritual chamber swirled around us like a tornado of pure power, unpredictable and hungry.

I was going to kill Lyra for this torture alone.

Sensing my agony, the triplets unleashed their gifts with primal intensity. Nyssa's darkness unfurled like living ink. Her shadows coiled protectively around me. She tried to create a pocket where our enemies couldn't penetrate. It was impressive that she was able to keep anything out.

Thaniel's temporal magic rippled outward in concentric waves of energy.

It caught parts of the chamber in amber-like suspension, making the enemies' weapons slow mid-swing.

Falling debris hung suspended in the air.

It bought us precious seconds when each heartbeat counted.

The fact that he bought us close to a minute was impressive as hell.

Melaina's power manifested as light that pulsed from my womb in rhythmic bursts. Each wave radiated with a warmth that strengthened our shields. It also scorched anything that dared threaten her family. The burns she inflicted might be small, but it was clear they were agonizing.

"We need to find an exit," Aidon growled as he searched for a path through the chaos. "Their combined power is too volatile."

Stella pressed closer to me. "I can’t counter their energy. This place is going to collapse any second."

She wasn't exaggerating. The walls of Lyra's ritual chamber were deteriorating. Cracks were spreading like spiderwebs across the stone. "Focus, Phoebe," Aidon commanded. "They need to stop making your labor worse. Tell them to chill, that I’ve got this. They'll listen to their mother."

"I really hope you're right," I replied, attempting to cajole my little nuggets while another contraction tore through me. I'd never felt pain like this. It went beyond physical agony and entered some new territory of suffering where magic and flesh were equally traumatized.

The marble columns surrounding us groaned in protest at the amount of power flowing around.

No wonder my body was trying to have these babies.

Even these blood wards and dark enchantments were struggling against the chaos Lyra had unleashed.

Despite Lyra’s escape moments earlier, her corrupted magic remained.

It was a vile, poisonous residue that seemed to infect everything.

"The babies—this is—" Another wave of agony cut me off, doubling me over.

"The collision of powers is destabilizing everything around us," Persephone said for me as her spring-bright energy pulled back. "It's not all the babies’ fault. That vile witch used blood magic in a sacred site. That’s like asking for your magic to go wrong. "

My snort ended on a groan. “Lyra probably thought the rules didn’t apply to her.”

"There!" Stella shouted, pointing toward what appeared to be an exit into a corridor that was still intact. "We need to go now!"

Aidon wrapped his arm around my waist and started to guide me toward the opening. We'd barely taken a step when the air before us rippled and solidified into an invisible barrier. He slammed into it first and rebounded with a surprised grunt. I nearly fell when he stumbled back a few steps.

"What the hell?" he snarled as he sent his shadows out to probe the unexpected obstacle.

"They’re containment wards," Jean-Marc announced as he examined the shimmering air before us.

Nana nodded. "Looks like there are multiple layers of them. We can’t get out this way."

Terror clawed up my throat as another contraction gripped me. Through the pain, I realized with dawning horror that they were getting closer together. I was about to go into active labor in a collapsing dimensional pocket. That had not been in my birth plan.

"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 the invisible 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 darkness beneath.

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.