"She knows how busy that brain of yours is," Aidon teased, settling beside me on the bed for support.
Clio chuckled as she arranged herself in a chair beside the bed. "Like I said earlier, this is a meditation technique. The method I'm going to teach you is called soul-speaking," she explained. "It creates a direct communication channel between mother and child that bypasses any magical interference."
"Is it going to be safe?" I asked.
"Completely. The connection already exists—we're just making it clearer. But you'll need to relax completely and trust the process."
I nodded and eyed the potion dubiously before popping the cork. "Bottoms up," I muttered, then knocked it back in one gulp like a tequila shot.
The liquid was surprisingly cool as it went down, and within seconds, I felt my muscles start to unknot themselves. Holy shit, that was good stuff. My shoulders dropped about three inches. Suddenly, I didn't feel like I was carrying the weight of the world in my neck.
"Close your eyes and focus on your breathing," Clio instructed, her voice taking on that soothing, hypnotic quality that she had perfected.
I let my eyelids drift shut and tried to follow her guidance as she walked me through the meditation steps. Usually, trying to quiet my mind was like trying to herd cats. It was damn near impossible and guaranteed to end in chaos. But whatever was in that potion was working its magic, because for once, my brain wasn't ping-ponging between seventeen different worries at once.
"Good," Clio murmured. "Now reach inward. Feel for that connection to your babies."
I did as she asked. At first, I felt nothing beyond the usual flutter of movement from the babies. But gradually, as I sank deeper into the meditative state, something shifted. The constant background hum of their magic became clearer.
"Can you sense them individually?" Clio asked softly.
"Yes," I breathed, amazed by the clarity. "It feels like they’re waiting for something."
"Try speaking to them," Clio instructed. "Not with words—they won't understand those yet. Use your emotions. You can add intentions to the feelings you send."
I focused on the golden presence I'd come to associate with my daughter, Melaina.Hello, little one.Remembering what Clio had said, I sent her a wave of pure love. The emotion made my chest ache with how fiercely I felt it.
The response damn near knocked me flat. I got hit with a flood of warmth and curiosity so intense it made tears streamdown my cheeks. She was aware. Truly, consciously aware. And she recognized me as her mother. The feeling that came back wasn't words, but it might as well have been a shouted "Mama!" for how clear the meaning was.
"She spoke to me," I whispered in wonder, my voice cracking. "Not in words, but... she knows I'm her mama."
Aidon's arms tightened around me. "Can you reach the others?"
I turned my attention to the electric blue presence that was Thaniel.Hello, sweetheart.His response was completely different. It was more analytical, like he was poking at the connection itself to figure out how it worked. I got the distinct impression of a tiny scientist examining the magical threads between us. He was fascinated by the mechanics of it all. The emotion that came back was insistent.
"He's curious about how the connection works," I reported, laughing despite my tears. "Little smartass wants to understand the magic behind it."
“Just like his mother,” Aidon murmured as he kissed my temple.
Smiling, I reached for the deep purple presence that felt most like Aidon. My shadow princess. Nyssa.Hello, my fierce little one.
Her response hit me like a punch to the gut. Pure, undiluted protectiveness rolled back at me. It came with a fierce determination to keep her siblings safe. There was an almost adult understanding there. Way beyond what any unborn baby should possess. The feeling she sent was crystal clear. She would protect her brother and sister, no matter what.
"Holy shit," I breathed. "Nyssa is already trying to be their protector. She understands there's danger."
"Divine children develop faster than mortal ones, but this level of awareness is extraordinary, even for them," Clio muttered, looking gobsmacked.
I spent the next hour learning to communicate with each triplet individually, figuring out their unique personalities through the emotions and intentions they sent back. Melaina was pure sunshine and curiosity. Thaniel was the little scholar, always questioning and analyzing. Nyssa was my tiny warrior.
By the time we finished, I felt like I truly knew my children for the first time. "This is the best part of having magic," I said as Clio started packing up her supplies. "If they can work together, we have advantages Lyra won't expect."
"It also means they understand the danger they're in," Aidon pointed out. I could hear the concern in his voice. "Is that wise?"
"They already knew," I said softly, one hand rubbing my belly where I could feel them settling down. "They've been trying to protect themselves from the beginning. Now they have a way to tell us what they need."
A soft knock on the door interrupted our conversation. "Come in," I called.
Mom entered with Nana right behind her, followed by Nina and Jean-Marc, who looked like they'd been hovering outside the door waiting for permission to intrude. "So," Mom said. "How did the meditation go? Were you able to connect with the babies?"
