Page 40 of Bedrest Blues & Otherworldly Clues (Mystical Midlife in Maine #17)

The last image I had before Hades' transportation magic enveloped us completely was Lyra's distorted face.

It was twisted with equal parts rage and triumph as she backed into her portal.

"The next phase has already begun," she called, her voice fading as the dimensions separated us.

"When those children are born, I will be waiting to claim my share of their power! "

The next thing I knew, I was falling/flying/dissolving through the space between realms. Hades' divine magic carried us home through pathways that bypassed conventional travel methods.

The sensation was indescribable. Like simultaneously being everywhere and nowhere while being compressed to the size of an atom and expanded to infinity.

The triplets reacted with unexpected glee to this incomprehensible transition.

Unlike my own disorientation, they seemed to recognize their grandfather's divine signature.

They responded with pulses of joyful magic that danced within me.

Their combined energy created a protective cocoon, drawing on the familial connection they already shared with Hades.

I could sense their delight as they experienced the dimensional pathways that were somehow familiar to their developing consciousness.

Despite their joy, the strain of maintaining their protective magic through the dimensional shift was clearly taxing their developing reserves.

I could feel them drawing on my dwindling strength.

It was creating a dangerous feedback loop that threatened to drain us all completely.

Even in their exuberance, they were still too young, too unformed to safely channel such powerful energies for long.

Just when I thought I couldn't endure another second of the transition, we materialized in our living room. Aidon caught me as my legs buckled. He lowered me gently to the couch. "Clio!" he called out as he searched for her among our group. "We need you now!"

She was there instantly. Her hands covered my belly as she assessed both my physical condition and the magical trauma caused by Lyra's interference. Her expression grew increasingly grave as she worked.

"The contractions are getting stronger and closer together," she reported. "The combination of magical assault and dimensional transition has accelerated the labor."

"Can you stop it?" Aidon asked, his shadows still whirling agitatedly around us. "They're too early."

Clio's hands glowed with healing magic as she tried to counteract the progression of labor. I could feel her power working to calm my body. Unfortunately, Lyra’s corrupt bonds complicated everything.

"Something's interfering with my healing magic," Clio said. The frustration was evident in her voice. "The corrupted connections Lyra established are still active and drawing power from Phoebe and the babies."

I could feel those unwanted bonds stretching out from my core. Each contraction seemed to strengthen them. I was feeding a trickle of magic to her, and we couldn’t stop it. Horror washed over me. This could make her unbeatable.

"Can you sever them?" Aidon demanded as his shadows probed gently around the alien connections.

Clio shook her head. "Not without potentially harming Phoebe and the triplets. These bonds have become intertwined with their developing magical cores. Until they're born and we can stabilize their magic, any attempt to cut the connections could cause irreparable damage."

"Okay, then we need to focus on stopping the labor. Or putting it off as long as possible," I said through a wave of discomfort. "We need time to find a way to deal with Lyra's parasitic links before I have them."

"It might not be that simple," Jean-Marc warned, consulting one of the ancient grimoires he'd grabbed during our escape. "If these connections are what I think they are, they'll be strongest at the moment of birth when the children's magic is in flux between prenatal and independent existence."

"That’s exactly what Lyra is counting on," Mom added grimly. "She's positioned herself to siphon off a portion of their initial magical surge. The most potent and pure expression of their innate abilities. We have to find a way around that."

Another contraction hit, but Clio took the worst of it.

Persephone gestured to the sofa as Clio healed the physical changes to my cervix.

"Be better at helping her. It’s making me uncomfortable watching her sit there and try to grit through it.

” With that rude remark to Clio, the goddess turned to my family.

“We need to create a protective circle. Something to contain and redirect their energy away from Lyra's corrupted channels. "

Mythia flew in from the kitchen, where I could hear the noise of construction.

"I've got the pixies finishing up the repairs to the east wing.

They're remarkably efficient with the structural work and should be done within the hour. Lilith and the rest of the coven are reinforcing the outer wards. They’re adding those new binding elements you suggested, Stella.

They've already covered the north and west boundaries and are working their way around to—" She stopped mid-sentence, her tiny wings freezing for a moment before resuming their blur of motion.

Her gaze darted from me to the protective circle, to Clio, and then to the visible magical connections pulsing around my abdomen.

"Oh," she said softly, hovering closer with evident concern. "Are they coming?”

Hades shook his head and responded before anyone else could.

"Not if we have anything to say about it.” Immediately, he shifted his focus to his son.

“Aidon, your shadows have the necessary properties for the circle your mother suggested.

If we combine our powers with Mollie's tribred magic and the children's natural affinity for their mother we should be able to keep the bulk of the power from Lyra. "

They worked quickly, establishing a complex magical framework around my body.

Aidon's shadows formed the foundation, while Hades' divine energy created stable pathways for protection.

Persephone added elements of growth and renewal, ensuring the structures could adapt to the unpredictable surges to come.

Mom contributed her unique tribred magic and created bridges between the different magical systems. Stella and Selene jumped in to help stabilize things.

Nana wove the divine, witchcraft, and shifter energies in ways I'd never even considered.

It reminded me of an elaborate Dutch braid.

Nina and Jean-Marc added their own specialties, reinforcing weak points and establishing redundancies where needed.

Through it all, Clio continued her efforts to slow the contractions.

Her healing magic worked around Lyra's corrupted influence. It wasn’t as straightforward as she was used to and sweat beaded on her forehead from the effort.

Thankfully, I felt the contractions beginning to stabilize.

They didn’t stop but were no longer accelerating toward immediate birth.

"Holy shit," I breathed as the relief hit me in waves.

The vicious burning that had been spreading through my lower back eased.

My stomach, which had been tight as a drum and hard as stone, softened.

The pressure bearing down on my pelvis lightened.

My thighs no longer trembled with the strain of muscles preparing for birth.

Even my skin felt different. The stretched tightness gave way to a more normal tension.

I took a deep breath, felt my lungs expand fully for the first time in hours.

"Don't get too comfortable," Clio warned, not taking her eyes off her work. Her fingers glowed with blue-white energy as they hovered over my belly. "I've dialed it back, but those babies are still restless. They're just... taking a break."

I nodded, knowing she was right. The triplets were still sending magical pulses through my system.

But they weren't trying to claw their way out anymore, which I counted as a massive win.

"Their magic is conflicted," Mom observed.

"Part of them understands we're trying to help.

But another part is determined to be born and escape the corruption they can sense. "

"We need to use this time wisely," Hades declared. "Now that Phoebe and the triplets are somewhat stable, we should prepare to hunt Lyra down and sever these bonds permanently."

Aidon knelt beside me and clasped my hand. "We are going to fix this. She won’t take anything more from you or our kids. I won’t fail you again."

His presence calmed the triplets. Their chaotic energy settled into more stable patterns.

I placed my hand over his, combining our connection to the children.

"You never did fail us. You’re already helping more than you know.

They recognize you," I told him, managing a smile despite another wave of discomfort. "Your presence is calming them."

Another contraction seized me. It was intense but not unbearable.

I focused on my breathing techniques. I found comfort in Aidon's steady presence beside me.

Within me, three distinct signatures of power worked in harmony to protect themselves from Lyra's corruption.

And somewhere beyond conventional space, Lyra waited.

Her connections were stretching across unknown distance as she waited to claim her supposed share of that power.

"We need to prepare for every possibility," I said as determination replaced fear.

I placed protective hands over my swollen abdomen.

"These children won't be born today, but when they do arrive, we have to be ready to defend them completely.

" The only certainty in that moment of suspended anticipation was that nothing would unfold as anyone—Lyra, the gods, or even the children themselves—had planned.

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