Page 25

"I can't wait to meet them," Nina replied, her eyes softening as she looked at my belly.

"Three little magical troublemakers. They're going to keep us all on our toes.

" She paused with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Plus, I get to be the cool sister who teaches them all the spells Mom and Dad say they're too young to learn. "

That earned a snort and a chuckle from me as I shifted on the couch, trying to find a comfortable position. "Oh, no. That’s quadruple the trouble. I think I need some pickle cookies right about now."

"Already on it," Mythia called from the kitchen. "I'm also making those spicy chocolate bars you've been craving. The ones that made Nana's eyes water?"

"You're an angel," I sighed happily, then froze as another wave of energy rippled through the house. The lights flickered, and somewhere upstairs, I heard what sounded suspiciously like my hair dryer starting up on its own.

"I've got it," Nina said as she bounced up and headed for the stairs.

She paused halfway up as her phone chimed again.

"It's Jean-Marc. They've reached the Mason building.

" She read the message aloud: "'Definite magical signatures. Old ones. Building's warded up tighter than Fort Knox. Aidon and Nana say the wards don’t exactly feel like Mom’s mark. '"

I struggled to sit up straighter. My hand went to my belly where the babies had suddenly gone still. "What do you mean, the energy doesn't match my mark? It should since it is a temple of the Keepers where the prophecy is located."

Another text came through. Nina's eyes widened as she read it. "He says it's different. Older somehow. Like it's the source of the power that was used to create your mark, not just the same signature."

" Magic changes over millennia ," Tarja projected from her new perch on the back of the couch, her mental voice thoughtful.

" Like water wearing new paths through stone.

The source might feel different now, but that doesn't mean it's not connected to your mark.

Power adapts, evolves. The answers you seek could still be there, just in an older form than we expected. "

"Okay. That's not disturbing at all," I muttered. The babies chose that moment to start playing patty-cake, which made the concealed mark pulse visibly through my shirt. "Hey, you three. A little help with the light show would be appreciated. We're trying to stay under the radar here."

Mom emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "The potion should be keeping their energy masked from anyone looking in, but..." She trailed off, frowning at my belly.

"But what?" I asked.

She lifted a shoulder. "But I'm not sure it can handle this level of power. The babies seem to be getting stronger by the day. We might need to modify the concealment spell again soon."

"Wonderful," I sighed. "As if magical bed rest wasn't boring enough. Now I have to worry about my magical camouflage failing. What's next? The kitchen appliances going on strike?"

A crash from the kitchen made us all jump. Mythia's voice drifted out. "Um, you might not want to joke about that right now. The mixer just tried to stage a coup."

Before I could respond, Nina's phone lit up with rapid-fire texts.

Her expression grew more concerned as she read them.

"They've found an entrance to the lower levels, but.

.. Mom, they're saying there are markings everywhere.

Prophecies carved into the walls. Aidon thinks they're all about the babies.

Stella is taking pictures of everything so we can decode them, but that sounds like a lot. "

My heart started racing. "What do they say?"

"Stella is sending photos." Nina's phone chimed repeatedly as images came through. She held it out so I could see.

The walls in the photos were covered in symbols similar to my mark that were arranged in complex patterns. There was no doubt they told a story. Some showed three figures standing against what looked like a massive monster. Others depicted what appeared to be the remaking of the world.

"'The thrice-blessed shall come’," Nina read from the translation Stella sent, "'born of divine fire and mortal magic. Through them, the First Song returns. Through them, the world remembers. Through them, all that was sundered shall be made whole’."

"Well, that's cryptic and terrifying," I said as I ran a hand over my belly to reassure myself. "Any chance there's a part that explains exactly what that means? Preferably with step-by-step instructions?"

Another text came through. "There's more," Nina continued, "but some of it's damaged. Aidon's trying to... oh no."

"Oh, no? I don't like 'oh no.' What's happening?"

"They're not alone down there," Nina said grimly. "They've got company. Keeper company."

I tried to push myself up, but Mom's hand on my shoulder kept me in place. "They'll be fine," she said firmly. "Aidon and the others can handle themselves. You need to stay put for the babies. Not to mention the wards here are our strongest protection."

"But—"

"No buts," Clio added. "The best thing you can do right now is stay calm and keep those babies safe.”

Nina nodded in agreement. “Besides, Aidon would never forgive us if we let you waddle into danger."

"I do not waddle," I protested, then ruined it by having to shift again as the babies played musical chairs with my internal organs. "I gracefully redistribute my weight in a pregnancy-appropriate manner."

Nina snorted, but her attention was still on her phone. "Jean-Marc says they're falling back for now. The Keepers haven't spotted them yet, but there are too many to risk a confrontation."

Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by frustration. We were so close to answers, but of course it couldn't be that simple. Nothing about this pregnancy had been simple from the start.

"They did get copies of most of the prophecies though," Nina added, scrolling through more messages. "And Aidon managed to grab some artifacts they found. They're heading back now."

The lights flickered, and the babies responded with a surge of energy that made the windows rattle.

But the wards held steady, absorbing and redistributing the power like they were designed to do.

"See?" Mom said, gesturing to the shimmer of protective magic.

"This is why you need to stay here. Those wards have protected the Pleiades for generations.

No one who means us harm can get through them. "

I settled back into the couch cushions, one hand resting on my belly where the triplets had finally calmed. "Fine. But I want to see everything they found the second they get back."

Nina's phone chimed again. "They’re ten minutes away. And Mom? Jean-Marc says to put on another pot of coffee. They've got a lot to tell us."