Chapter 20
You know how they say, "It's like herding cats while juggling chainsaws”? Yeah, well, try being a heavily pregnant witch squaring off against a psycho who was trying to kill you and had your mentor's soul on lockdown in an asylum that'd make Stephen King wet his pants. Talk about taking challenging to a whole new level of ‘holy crap on a cracker’. Let me tell you, I've had my fair share of those moments lately. Like, enough to fill a book titled ‘A Witch's Guide on How to Find World Ending Trouble in Three Easy Steps’.
The world slowly swam back into focus when I came to. How the hell did I end up propped up against a crumbling asylum wall? My head throbbed like I'd gone ten rounds with a troll. I lifted a hand as I tried to focus. The triplets were doing what felt like Pilates in my womb. Clearly, they'd inherited their mother's penchant for terrible timing.
"Phoebe? Phoebe, can you hear me?" Aidon's voice cut through the fog in my brain. I blinked and my vision cleared to reveal his worried face hovering inches from mine. Even disheveled and covered in magical dust, he still looked like a GQ model crossed with a supernova. Sometimes I still couldn't believe I was mated to him. Other times, like when he left his socks on the bedroom floor, I wondered what I'd gotten myself into.
"I'm fine," I groaned, attempting to sit up straighter. "Just peachy. Nothing says 'relaxing Friday night' like getting your magic yanked on by a psychotic witch and her brainwashed puppet, right?"
Aidon's relief was palpable as he helped me to my feet. "You had us worried there for a moment. You've been out for a couple of minutes."
"Minutes?" I yelped, suddenly alert. "What happened? Where's Lyra? Where's Hattie?"
Stella stepped into view. Her hair was a wild mane and crackled with residual magical discharge. She looked like she'd stuck her finger in a light socket or decided to dress up as Einstein for Halloween. "Lyra retreated after you passed out. She's still here in the asylum somewhere...”
“We can feel her oily presence,” Nana barked, cutting Stella off. “She couldn’t go far. Whatever she did to you backfired on her like a pistol with a rusty firing pin.”
“As for Hattie..." Stella's voice trailed off, her expression grim.
My heart sank. "She's still under Lyra's control, isn't she?"
Nana nodded. Her usual mischievous glint was replaced by a rare seriousness. "Afraid so, kiddo. But we've got a plan. Well, half a plan. Maybe a quarter of a plan. Let's call it a plan-ette."
I raised an eyebrow, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through my skull. "That sounds about as reassuring as a chocolate teapot. Care to elaborate?"
"The spell to free Hattie is ready," Stella replied as her gaze darted around us. "But we need to get close to her – and keep Lyra distracted long enough for it to work. Think 'magical shell game’, but with potentially world-ending consequences.”
"No pressure or anything," I muttered as I rubbed my swollen belly. The triplets were doing somersaults, clearly as excited (or terrified) as the rest of us. I swear, one of them was practicing roundhouse kicks. I think it was Nyssa. She was the feistiest. Note to self: cut back on the action movies during pregnancy.
Aidon’s aura pulsed with barely contained power as he smiled at me. "My sister has engaged Lyra's minions," he gestured to the right where the Tainted witches were trying to corner the goddess and the other half were rocking and crying. I hoped to never experience Melino?’s powers. “I’m going to join her. We'll keep them off your backs while you go for Lyra. Channel your aggression for a game of 'keep away' with more teeth and tentacles."
I raised an eyebrow. "Tentacles? Really? I thought we agreed after the octopus encounter that tentacles were off the table."
Aidon chuckled and placed a palm over mine on my belly. "No, we agreed to teach the children not to attract sea creatures while swimming in the ocean."
I decided not to pursue that line of conversation. I was still not over having an octopus suctioned to my big belly. Some things were better left alone, especially when you're about to go into a magical battle in an asylum that probably hadn't seen a health inspector since the Victorian era.
"I'll be providing a little... chaos," Nana promised as she held up a bag that was moving of its own accord. It also emitted a faint glow and what sounded suspiciously like giggling. I decided, once again, not to ask. When it came to Nana's brand of magic, plausible deniability was your best friend.
I took a deep breath as the triplets stirred restlessly within me. They could sense the tension and buildup of power. "I would be offended that you all left me to be the bait, but I know nothing else will lure Lyra in. I'm looking forward to being a cosmic worm on a hook."
I tried to strike a heroic pose. It didn’t have the same visual impact. The watermelon farm in my midsection ruined it. "Do I at least get a cool codename? How about 'Pregnant Avenger' or 'The Waddle Wonder'?"
Before anyone could respond (probably for the best – I'm not sure I was ready for Aidon's attempt at dad jokes), the air around us grew thick and heavy. My gaze shot to the exit from which the worst was coming. The asylum corridors seemed to stretch and warp, shadows deepening in the corners. Lyra did like to make a dramatic entrance.
"Show time," I muttered as I moved forward with all the grace of a penguin on roller skates. "I’m going to take this to her." I didn’t want her to get back to full power.
“We’ll go with you,” Nana said as she grabbed Stella’s hand. “She’s not likely to be alone. I’ll release the Krakens wherever she is.”
I decided not to ask about that. In this case, ignorance was bliss. We moved through the asylum's twisted corridors as silently as possible. The walls pulsed with malevolent energy. My heart dropped into my stomach (which, given my current size, was quite a journey). Lyra exited a room at the end of a long, shadow-filled hallway. She looked like a supermodel ready to tackle the runway in Milan. And floating beside her was Hattie’s twisted spirit.
Lyra looked different than she had upon our arrival. While her eyes still glowed with an unnatural light, they were dimmed. And now shadows clung to her like a second skin. It was the sight of Hattie that really made my blood boil. Hattie’s ghost flickered with shadow, and her eyes were empty. They were vacant, like all the light and life had been sucked out of her. Which, to be fair, is exactly what Lyra had done.
A surge of rage shot through me, so strong I was surprised I didn't spontaneously combust. Sensing my anger, the triplets started kicking up a storm. Great. Now I was pissed off and had to pee.
"Lyra," I growled in a low and dangerous voice. The sound was so threatening I scared myself. "Let. Her. Go. Or I swear, I will waddle over there and show you why you don't mess with my family."
Lyra's laugh echoed through the asylum halls. It sounded like the cliche of nails on a chalkboard. If the chalkboard was made of souls and the nails were dipped in pure evil. "Oh, Phoebe," she purred. "Still trying to play the hero? When will you learn? You can't win. The power of the Heart of the Abyss flows through me now. I am a goddess!"
I snorted. My survival instinct had taken a vacation months ago. It was probably lounging on a beach somewhere, sipping cocktails and laughing at my life choices. "A goddess? Please. I'm mated to a god, honey. Trust me. You don't make the cut and never will. Now, are we going to stand around monologuing all day, or are we going to do this? Because I've got a nursery to decorate and a friend to save, and not necessarily in that order."
For a moment, just a moment, I saw a flicker of uncertainty in Lyra's eyes. Good. She should be scared. Hell, I was terrified and I was on the good guys' side. Then, her face twisted into a snarl of rage. She unleashed a wave of dark energy that would have turned us all into very magical pancakes. My babies threw up a magical shield that blocked her attack.
A second later, all hell broke loose. Again. Yeah, that's how we roll in the Dieudonne household. The asylum erupted into chaos. Aidon and Melino? raced from the room and clashed with Lyra's shadow creatures. Aidon’s wings were out, and his sword flashed as he dispatched the beings with ease. His sister was right beside him, laughing and having the time of her life.
The battle made the Avengers look like a schoolyard scuffle. Pixies darted between lumbering shadow beasts and peppered them with magical arrows that exploded into bursts of blinding light. Where had they come from? My gaze skittered around and landed on Nana who had her bag open on the ground next to her as she flung potions. Was that Mythia? It sure looked like it. I don’t know why the idea of Nana bringing them along shocked me.
A wolf burst through the doorway and landed right in front of me while I was busy gawking like an idiot. I tossed a spell at Lyra and warmed at the thought of Murtagh and Layla coming to help. Layla stalked away to help Murtagh grapple with writhing tentacles of darkness (I knew those tentacles would show up somewhere). Their howls mixed with the screams of the shadow creatures.
Nana was cackling like a madwoman while hurling potions left and right. Each vial exploded in a burst of chaotic magic that defied description. I saw one turn a shadow monster into what looked suspiciously like a conga line of disco-dancing ferrets. Another opened a tiny portal that seemed to lead to a dimension composed entirely of custard.
Don't ask me how. I'd learned not to question Nana's methods. The woman once turned a rabbit into a rubber duck because it was chewing on the flowers. You didn't mess with Nana. Next to me, Stella had begun chanting. Her voice rose above the din as she wove the spell to free Hattie. That was my cue. The air around her shimmered with power as her magic built. Symbols and equations floated in the air around her. She was wielding complex magical formulae that made my head spin just looking at them.
I channeled every ounce of power I had as I headed right for Lyra. The triplets were fully on board with this plan, their magic surging through me in waves that made reality ripple. Their protective barrier wove together with mine. It made me feel like a magical bulldozer. I was more than ready to flatten anything – or anyone – that stood in my way.
"You want power?" I shouted, my voice carrying over the chaos of battle. "Let me show you real power. Let me show you what a Dieudonne can do! Spoiler alert. It involves a lot of property damage and some very creative swearing."
My intent was locked on freeing Hattie and destroying Lyra’s hold over the Heart. Without either she would be weakened. I unleashed everything I had in a blast of pure, unadulterated power that made my previous magical feats look like party tricks. The air between us warped and twisted. Colors that had no business existing in our reality bloomed in the wake of my attack. I'm pretty sure I saw Plaid at one point. Plaid! In magic!
Lyra's eyes widened in shock as she threw up a hasty shield. My magic slammed into it with the force of a freight train and sent cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. For one blissful moment, I saw fear in Lyra's eyes.
"What's the matter, Lyra?" I taunted and pressed my advantage. Pregnancy-induced mood swings made for excellent battle banter, as it turns out. "Afraid of little ole me? Or maybe it's the realization that you've royally pissed off someone who can reshape reality with morning sickness?"
In response, her face twisted into a snarl of rage. Then she pushed back with a wave of dark energy that made my bones ache. We were at a stalemate, neither of us able to overpower the other. But that was okay. I didn't need to beat her – I just needed to keep her distracted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nana inching closer to Lyra. She had a glowing potion in her hand. The vial pulsed with an inner light that made my magical senses tingle. Whatever was in there, it was powerful. And knowing Nana, it was probably at least a little bit illegal. Her eyes met mine, and I understood. This was our chance. Our one shot at ending this.
With a primal scream that I'm pretty sure made several parallel universes sit up and take notice, I poured every ounce of magic I had into my attack. The triplets, bless their little hearts, decided this was the perfect moment to kick into overdrive. Their power surged through me and amplified mine in a way that made reality hiccup.
Lyra stumbled back, and her shield flickered. That was all the opening Nana needed. With a cackle that would have made a banshee proud, she hurled her potion straight at the Heart of the Abyss. Time seemed to slow as the vial arced through the air. Everything paused to watch.
The potion hit the Heart dead center. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, with a sound like a thousand mirrors shattering at once, the Heart of the Abyss exploded into a million glittering pieces.
The backlash of power was immediate and intense. It slammed into Lyra, sending her flying across the asylum's main hall. But more importantly, it severed her connection to Hattie.
"Now, Stella!" I shouted.
Stella's chanting reached a crescendo. Her magic wrapped around Hattie in a web of light that pushed back the shadows intermingled with her spirit. Then, with a scream that shook the foundations of the building (and probably woke up every ghost in this godforsaken asylum), Hattie broke free. The magical backlash sent us all flying.
Bracing myself, I expected to hit the wall. Instead, strong arms caught me. He protected us from the worst of it. As the dust settled, I saw the real Hattie floating in the center of the room. She was dazed but very much herself.
"Hattie?" I called out in a wheezy voice. Getting the wind knocked out of you when you're heavily pregnant is not an experience I'd recommend. It's like trying to breathe with a very active watermelon strapped to your chest.
She turned to me with a smile that made my heart soar. The vacant look was gone. It’d been replaced by the sharp, slightly mischievous gleam I knew so well. Her grin was full of warmth and just a hint of her old sass.
"Phoebe," she said in a voice that was unmistakably hers. "I'm free. You did it. Unlike last time, there isn’t a hint of darkness left."
I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by a scream of rage that made my ears pop. Lyra was back on her feet and looking significantly worse for wear. Unfortunately, she was still very much a threat. She looked like a supermodel in bad need of a makeover. Her perfectly coiffed hair was a mess, her designer outfit was torn, and there was a wild, desperate look in her eyes that sent chills down my spine.
"You fools!" she howled. Dark energy swirled around her like a maelstrom. That was new and terrifying. "You think destroying the Heart will stop me? The power lives on in me now! I am eternal! I will return, and when I do, all of you will tremble before me!"
And with those ominous words, she vanished in a swirl of shadow and spite. She left behind nothing but the echoes of her threats and the lingering smell of evil. And I’ll tell you, it’s not pleasant when you've got pregnancy-enhanced senses.
As the dust settled and the magical energy dispersed, we all stood there. We were panting and shell-shocked, trying to process what had just happened. The asylum looked like a tornado had hit it – if tornados were made of magic, chaos, and disco-dancing ferrets (thanks, Nana).
"Did we... did we win?" Stella asked, her voice small and uncertain. She looked like she was about to collapse. The toll of her spell-casting was evident in the dark circles under her eyes and the slight tremor in her hands.
I looked around at our battered and bruised but very much alive family. Hattie was here, safe and free, leaning against a crumbling asylum wall and looking like she'd been through hell – which, come to think of it, wasn't far from the truth. Aidon was helping his divine troops tend to their wounds, his face a mix of relief and concern. Nana was... was she collecting samples from the remains of the Heart of the Abyss? You know what, I didn't want to know.
The triplets were doing what felt like a victory dance in my womb, and for a moment, I allowed myself to feel a glimmer of hope. But something didn't feel right. The hairs on the back of my neck were still standing up, and there was a lingering sense of unease in the pit of my stomach (and not just from the triplets' acrobatics).
"It's not over," I said in a voice heavy with realization. "We pushed her back, freed Hattie, and even destroyed the Heart of the Abyss. But Lyra is still out there somewhere. She wants me dead even more now."
Aidon's face tightened with concern as he came to stand beside me. His warm hand on the small of my back offered silent support. "You're right," he agreed. "But we will be ready. I won’t let anything happen to you or the babies. I promise."
Hattie nodded grimly. "She's weakened but not defeated. And as long as she has even a fraction of that power..."
"She's a threat," I finished, rubbing my swollen belly protectively. The triplets had finally settled down. "To us, to the babies, to every living thing, really."
Stella stepped forward, exhausted but determined. "Then we find her," she declared. "We track her down and end this once and for all."
"Agreed," Nana said with a gleam in her eye that promised chaos. She was still clutching her bag of pixies. It was now emitting a faint purple glow. "I've got a few ideas that might help us locate our little runaway witch. We might need to bend a few laws of physics, but hey, they were more like guidelines anyway."
I felt a mix of determination and dread settle in my gut. Or maybe that was just the triplets doing somersaults again. Being pregnant with magically enhanced triplets was like hosting an internal circus. You never knew what act was coming next. "Right," I sighed, trying to find a comfortable position to stand in (spoiler alert: there wasn't one when you're this pregnant). "Because it’s been so easy up until this point. She’s been playing us for months. And winning."
Aidon wrapped an arm around me. I leaned into him, drawing strength from his presence. "She has never beaten us. We'll find her, love," he murmured in a voice that was a soothing rumble. "And we'll end this before the babies come."
I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "We better. Because I refuse to bring our children into a world where Lyra's still a threat. I don't think 'hunting down evil witches' is covered in most parenting books. Can you imagine a section titled, ‘Balancing Diaper Changes and Dimensional Battles’?"
A chuckle ran through the group, breaking some of the tension. Even Hattie managed a weak smile. It wasn't much, but it was a start. We were still standing and fighting despite the hell we'd been through. Exhaustion and exhilaration warred within me. We'd won this battle, saved Hattie, and protected the world... for now. But the war wasn't over. It was never that easy, was it?
Lyra was still out there, nursing her wounds and no doubt plotting her revenge. We had less than three months to find her and end this once and for all before the triplets decided to make their grand entrance. I glanced back at the destruction as we left the asylum. Scorch marks marred the walls. The air still shimmered in places where our magic had torn through the fabric of existence. And I was pretty sure I saw one of Nana's pixies doing the moonwalk down a corridor.
"Holy crap on a cracker," I huffed, waddling like a drunk rhino next to my ragtag crew. "Pretty sure we just gave every safety inspector in a hundred-mile radius an aneurysm."
Hattie snorted. "Trust me, cupcake, this nuthouse has seen weirder shit. Though maybe not quite so... rainbow brite. Time for this old ghost to skedaddle. My rocking chair in the afterlife is calling."
I pouted, hoping she'd stick around like gum on a shoe. "Aw, come on! You could haunt my attic. Be my personal Casper the Friendly Problem-Solver."
Hattie rolled her eyes and her spectral hands gave my cheeks an icy pinch. "Listen up, Phoebe. This is your rodeo now. You don't need my translucent ass cramping your style. You've kicked more paranormal butt than I ever did with my corporeal tush."
"Wait, you've been creeping on me?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Duh. What else am I gonna do, crochet ectoplasm doilies? I made the right call picking you, kiddo. Now, go set the world on fire. Metaphorically. Mostly." With a wink and a salute, she poofed out like a fart in the wind.
Nana looked like she'd just gargled lemons. She grumbled as she climbed into shotgun. "Hate to admit it, but the see-through smart-ass is right. You were born for this crazy train, Phoebe." Indeed, I was. Lyra better watch out.