Elysia wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point in the last twenty minutes, the royal dining room had transformed into a chaotic swirl of food, laughter, scandalous stories, and Malvoria's increasingly dramatic attempts to disappear into the floor.
And at the center of it all?
Grand Empress Saelira.
If Malvoria was the storm, and Veylira was the wind, then Saelira was the thunder that enjoyed being loud. She had barely finished her third helping of spice-roasted pheasant when she clapped her hands and declared:
"I knew I'd like you, Elysia. And now I love you. So you deserve to see the good stuff."
Malvoria, across the table, immediately sat up straighter. "Grandmother. No."
"Oh yes," Saelira said, reaching into her coat as if she were summoning a holy artifact. "The archives are open."
Elysia raised an eyebrow. "The what?"
Out came a crystal.
