Lunch at Saelira's castle should have been a calm affair.
It should have been a pleasant moment to gather strength after the stormy events of the morning a moment to laugh, to breathe, to feel like family.
Instead, the tension at the table was so thick it could have been sliced with Kaelith's still-drooly hands.
The long, polished stone dining table gleamed under the light of suspended crystals. Plates of roasted meats, spiced vegetables, fresh bread, and exotic fruits covered the surface.
Steam rose gently into the chilly air, mixing with the scent of baked apples and something vaguely floral.
Kaelith, mercifully oblivious to the undercurrents, babbled happily from her seat in a special enchanted high chair, gurgling and smacking her hands against the little tray.
Elysia sat stiffly beside Malvoria, doing her best to smile and appear normal.
Which was nearly impossible when she couldn't stop glancing at the growing disaster unfolding around her.
