Chapter  370

SHAWN Lunch was possibly the most chaotic meal I'd ever experienced, and I'd eaten with traveling merchants who juggled knives for entertainment. The dining table was packed. Xenois sat at the head with Lumina beside him, looking exhausted but content. Zade and Lyn were there, engaged in what appeared to be an ongoing debate about magical theory. Lynn was arguing with Rivers about something medical. Carol was trying to coordinate food distribution while Marcus and Thorne discussed security rotations. And the kids----god, the kids were everywhere. Ollie was explaining to anyone who would listen about the "super cool forest fire" he'd witnessed. Riley was taking notes on his tablet about plasma blast trajectories. Lake kept opening tiny portals to steal food from other people's plates when they weren't looking. It was loud and messy and completely overwhelming. I sat between Samuel and one of the empty chairs, trying to make myself as small as possible while simultaneously filling my pla