The castle kitchens sent up a warm, fragrant haze that wrapped the dinner table in comfort.
Sunlight had vanished into evening, blue shadows stretching across the white marble floor, and the grand windows of the Celestian sitting room glittered with the first hints of starlight.
Elysia sat at the head of the table with Kaelith in her lap, the little girl's hair still wild from her day of adventures and her cheeks smeared with the ghost of berry sauce from dessert.
Aliyah, smaller and softer, was cradled against Sarisa's shoulder, big dark eyes blinking slowly as she nursed at the edge of sleep.
Lara slouched across from Malvoria, arms folded, the tips of her black horns catching the candlelight as she eyed the remaining food with theatrical suspicion.
Dinner was, by some miracle, less chaotic than the midday meal. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe even Kaelith had finally burned through her endless reserves of energy, but the girls ate in quiet, contented bursts.
