There were few places in the Celestian castle where chaos felt not only welcome but expected, and the informal sitting room at the west end of the family wing was one of them.
The evening had already fallen soft and deep outside, bathing the tall windows in indigo.
Here, under golden lamplight, with half the family sprawled on velvet settees and the other half clambering over embroidered carpets, it was possible to pretend—for a little while—that the world beyond the walls was a distant fable.
At the center of it all was the card table. Lara and Malvoria sat across from each other, a neat stack of cards between them.
Elysia perched to one side, watching with a bemused smile. Kaelith and Aliyah ostensibly included in the game were inventing new rules with every turn, and their giddy rebellion set the tone for the evening.
"Okay," Malvoria said, eyes narrowed in mock-serious concentration, "the rule is: highest card wins. No biting, no fire, and no demon magic."
Kaelith, already shuffling the cards with a suspicious amount of skill for a five-year-old, piped up, "What about making the cards float?"
Aliyah looked affronted. "You can't say no to floating! That's not fair."
Lara suppressed a grin, watching Kaelith's fingers twitch with a very familiar magic. "No floating. Last time the butler found a card in the chandelier."
Elysia hid a smile behind her hand. "He still thinks it was a prank from the kitchen staff."
Kaelith huffed, tossing a card onto the table—upside down and bent at one corner. "Fine. But we get to pick the winner."
"That's not how games work!" Malvoria protested, though her eyes glimmered with amusement.
"Here," Aliyah declared, slapping three cards down at once, one of them definitely from the wrong deck, "I win."
Lara snorted. "That's not even a legal move, General."
Aliyah's nose wrinkled. "Legal is boring. Besides, you're always the dragon in our games. Dragons don't care about rules."
Malvoria tapped her horns with a flourish. "That's my girl. Always look for the loophole."
Kaelith giggled, leaning into Elysia, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Mama says you should never trust a demon with the rules."
"I'm standing right here," Malvoria deadpanned.
Elysia squeezed her daughter, a twinkle in her violet eyes. "And that's why we love you, Mal. Keeps us all honest."
They played on, or rather, the adults attempted to maintain the semblance of order while Kaelith and Aliyah rewrote the rules with every round.
Elysia's laughter mingled with Kaelith's delighted shrieks, Malvoria argued about the technicalities of trump cards with a five-year-old, and Lara allowed herself to lose for the third hand running.
When Aliyah declared herself Supreme Queen of Cards on the grounds of having the most purple cards, a rule invented on the spot Lara finally leaned back and let out a long, theatrical sigh.
"Cheating," she said. "Rampant cheating."
Aliyah grinned, all dimples and mischief. "That's what dragons are for. You said so."
Malvoria, gathering the cards for a new round, cast Lara a sidelong glance. "You're distracted, General."
Lara shrugged, forcing her mouth into a crooked grin. "Can't win them all."
But Malvoria's look was the one she used on war councils and over midnight brandy—sharp, knowing, impossible to sidestep. "Or maybe your mind's on something else. The mission, maybe?"
Elysia's expression softened, and even Kaelith stilled, peering up at Lara with big, searching eyes.
Lara tried to play it off. "It's just a mission. Bandits. You know the drill."
Malvoria leaned back, cards forgotten. "So you're really going?"
"Yeah. Queen's orders. And anyway, I could use a distraction." Lara kept her tone light, but her hands fidgeted with the cards, stacking and restacking them. "Nothing clears the mind like knocking some skulls together."
Kaelith looked at her with solemn concern. "But what about the cherry fortress? Who's going to defend it?"
Lara winked. "You two. It's time you learned to stand your ground. Besides, dragons always come back. That's the rule."
Aliyah crossed her arms. "It's not fair. You just got back. Why do grown-ups always have to leave?"
The question hit harder than Lara wanted to admit. She glanced at Malvoria, seeking an easy answer, but Malvoria only lifted a brow, waiting to see what she'd say.
Elysia stepped in, gentle as always. "Sometimes, little ones, the world needs heroes more than we do. But we always hold a place for them to come home to."
Kaelith nodded, but her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Aliyah burrowed into Lara's side, stubborn as ever. "You better come back. And bring a dragon tooth."
Lara ruffled Aliyah's wild hair. "Deal."
Malvoria reached for the cards again, as if resuming the game could ward off the worry in the air. "So. Any idea what you're up against? I heard the Queen mention bandits, but you know these 'missions' are never simple."
Lara shrugged, stretching her arms overhead. "Rumor is there's a rogue dragon in the area. Or maybe just an overeager lizard with a drinking problem. Either way, should be fun."
Elysia gave her a pointed look. "You call that fun?"
Lara grinned, sharp and tired. "Better than endless paperwork. At least when something tries to kill you, you know where you stand."
Malvoria snorted. "You need new hobbies."
Aliyah brightened. "Can I come?"
"Absolutely not," Lara said, eyes wide in mock horror. "The paperwork for field trips is a nightmare."
Kaelith, always quick on the uptake, asked, "Are you going because the Queen said, or because you want to?"
Lara hesitated, then told the truth—at least part of it. "Both, I think. Sometimes you need a reason to get away. Sometimes you need to hit things until the world makes sense again."
Malvoria's gaze sharpened, cutting to the quick. "Or sometimes you run because it's easier than staying."
Lara looked away, fiddling with the cards. "Maybe. Maybe I just don't belong here anymore. Maybe it's time I stop pretending."
Lara swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. "Maybe. But some places have already made up their mind."
Malvoria reached over, her hand warm on Lara's, silent understanding passing between them. But Kaelith and Aliyah, ever resilient, weren't about to let gloom win out.
Aliyah nudged Lara's arm. "We finished all the juice. Can you get us more? Please?"
Kaelith chimed in with wide, hopeful eyes. "And maybe those honey cakes from the sideboard?"
Lara mustered a smile, pushing herself up from the floor. "You two are relentless. All right—juice and honey cakes, coming up. But if I find the kitchen raided by midnight snack thieves, I'll know who to blame."
Aliyah and Kaelith burst into laughter, the sound chasing away some of the heaviness as Lara left the room.
She walked down the softly lit corridor, savoring the momentary quiet, letting the echoes of family settle behind her. Sometimes it was easier to just do something than sit still and think.
Turning the corner, she reached the antechamber leading to the kitchens—and stopped short.
Through the arched doorway into the conservatory, she saw Sarisa. Her back was to Lara, but there was no mistaking the elegant sweep of her moonlit hair or the faint, glowing tattoos on her arms.
Vaelen stood beside her, a reassuring hand on her shoulder. For a moment, the world narrowed to the way Sarisa leaned into him, the quiet, gentle hug they shared.
Vaelen murmured something; Sarisa smiled, her eyes soft with gratitude.
Lara stood in the shadows, her hands curling into fists. She forced herself to turn away, the request for juice suddenly heavy in her mind.
Some places had made up their mind, indeed.