to spear pieces of meat off the platter.
Leo blinked. "Of course she is." He pointed down. "Look at that devious little smile. How could I say no to that?"
Jedrek looked from Meryn to Leo and then to his mate. "Thank you for having boys. They're so much simpler."
Catherine raised a brow. "You have two daughters now, remember."
Brie flashed him a peace sign, and Kari smiled sweetly. Jedrek reached for his drink again.
"So, if we follow the trickle down path of bullshit concerns, then we really need to start with the people, not the council, right?" Meryn asked. She now held a fork in each hand, with beef on each fork.
Kendrick snapped his fingers. "Exactly. Meryn, as usual, you're a genius."
"I knooow," she said with a mouth full of food.
"If we do something similar to what we did in Lycaonia, it may work," Kendrick continued. "I know a journalist that submits to the Chronicle."
Jedrek sat back. "That's impressive. They like to keep their names secret to avoid outside pressure. It lends credibility to their neutrality. You contacting them is exactly what they try to avoid."
Kendrick gave a half shrug. "I won't tell them what to write. I'll just give them all of the facts as I know them and let them decided what to do. The Chronicle is the only newspaper that is distributed to all four pillar cities. It would be the fastest way to sway public sentiment."
"It could backfire. They could reveal that you tried to color what would be written," Rex pointed out.
"It may be a chance we have to take," Kendrick said. He tapped his lips with his finger. "Storm Keep will be the hardest sell. Meryn and Aiden have almost no ties to the city."
"Her uncle is an Elder there," Anne pointed out.
Kendrick shook his head. "That doesn't carry much weight in Storm Keep. The Witches' Council runs the city."
"Yeah, and I may be responsible for a murder there soon," Meryn admitted casually.
Nearly everyone choked.
Aiden and Kendrick whirled on her. "What!"
Meryn's eyes darted to the twins then down to her plate. "The guy that runs the orphanage may be expiring due to unforeseen circumstances." She grabbed her forehead. "It must be a premonition."
Kendrick sputtered, laughed, sputtered again, then finally he shook his head and sat back. "Is there any way this premonition could possibly be from a much more distant future? Like much, much more distant future?"
Meryn shrugged with one shoulder. "Maybe."
"Meryn," Aiden growled.
"Fiiiiine!" she pulled out her phone and sent a text. "There. Happy now?"
Rex closed his mouth. "You know what? I don't really need to know." He looked up at Leo. "Wonderful meal as always."
Leo held up a bowl. "More potatoes?"
"Yes, please." Rex sat back to give him more room to serve.
Brie looked up at Ari. "Are we gonna ignore that?"
Ari pointed to his brother. "I have been following his lead since I was in diapers. He hasn't steered me wrong yet." He held up his plate. "More potatoes for me as well, Leo."
"Alrighty then," Brie picked up her fork and dug into her meal. After the fight, she was craving protein, and the London Broil really was cooked to perfection.
Across the table, the twins were sniffling and squeezing Meryn between them while Pip kissed all three heads repeatedly.
Aiden held up his glass, and this time it was Ryuu pulling out the small bottle of apple scented amber liquid. He filled the glass once, which Aiden promptly emptied and then filled it again. "Just a premonition," he muttered.
Kendrick turned to Aiden. "Did you need Micah back here?"
Aiden blinked then shook his head. "What?"
"Micah? He rejoined Eta for the mission; did you need him back here?"
Aiden rubbed his chin. "No. I'd rather he work with his unit in guarding the warehouse."
Declan sighed in relief. "Don't tell him I said this, but we all missed him at home. He kinda made the day go by faster."
"When will you be going back?" his mother asked.
"Tomorrow. We'll spend the night here then go back," Declan said.
"Oh," Catherine sighed.
"Mother, as long as the portal is open, I can come home every day for lunch." Declan's eyes widened as he realized what he said. "Hot damn! I can come home for lunch."
Catherine turned to her squire. "Leo, starting tomorrow let's make lunch our bigger meal of the day. If that's the meal where all my boys will be able to be together at once, let's make it a good one. They need their energy."
Leo was already nodding. "I can easily