“Gods, awful. Did you learn how to make it work?”
Her eyes glistened. “Yes, I paired it with fig and honey—”
“I did the same!”
“But the secret was boiling the honey with balsamic vinegar and it—”
“Cut through the richness,” Marietta said, finishing her sentence with breathless excitement. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Grysella laughed. “I actually have a few prepared in the kitchen. Come, help me grab it for you and your friends.”
Marietta started to follow when Keyain asked, “Where are you going?”
“In the back—I’m helping to bring out some samples. I need to try this.”
Keyain’s jaw tightened and Brynden leaned over, saying something Marietta couldn’t hear. Elyse stood next to him, with his arm looped around her waist, her brows furrowing. Mariettawould have to explain it all later, forgetting even Elyse didn’t know about her baking days.
The kitchens were as exquisite as the bakery’s front. High-end ovens lined one wall, the heat rolling off them with the yeastiness of fresh bread. Scattered across the countertops were kitchen gadgets, some that Marietta recognized. One of them was the magic-powered mixer she saw in the palace’s kitchens.
Grysella led her to the back of the kitchen, away from any of her workers. Confused, Marietta turned to her. “Why would you keep samples—”
Tears lined Grysella’s eyes. “We’ve been trying to get you out.” She placed both her hands on Marietta’s shoulders. “Forgive us for not succeeding, for letting you suffer at their hands.”
Marietta shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“This is the closest anyone has been to free you, to help you. You can’t leave now, but we could sneak you out of the palace if you meet—”
“Stop it,” Marietta said, breaking from her grasp. “What in the gods are you talking about?”
Grysella dug into her shirt, pulling out the flat golden pendant on her necklace, flashing the ‘X,’ pressed into the back. “I’m with the Exisotis. We’ve been trying to free you since the attack on Olkia. The temple of Therypon wouldn’t let us take you—”
“Did you know the entire time—about Tilan?” Anger laced Marietta’s tone, frustration from the gods’ damned organization tied so deeply to her.
Grysella looked over her shoulder towards the front. “Yes, but we don’t have time. I can explain it to you tonight if you can get out of your room.” Once more, Grysella placed her hands on Marietta’s shoulders, but she hit them away.
“All this time, you were one of them. You kneweverything.” She spat the word. “Were you part of mine and Tilan’s arranged marriage as well?”
Hurt flashed across the baker’s face. “Tilan loved you so much, Marietta.”
“So much that he built our relationship with a lie?”
“So much that he took that lie to his death to keep you safe.” A tear fell from her eyes, anguish laced in her features. “Please, just listen to me. I can get you home—you could leave Satiros and go home.”
Marietta shook her head, looking around the kitchens and attempted to steel her nerves. How interlaced was the Exisotis in her life? How many friends of hers were in the organization?
Shame settled in the pit of her stomach from being back in a bakery and seeing Grysella after meeting her in Olkia. Life in Satiros became normal to her—almost as normal as her life at home. Her true home. How had she forgotten all of this? How did she forget her love for Tilan? To fuck Keyain so easily?
Her breaths grew sharp, her vision tunneling as she remembered the glint of the knife, the fear in Tilan’s eyes. Now she was fucking his murderer.
There wasn’t enough air in that kitchen—enough air anywhere. Marietta gasped, holding her sides, shaking, her vision going fuzzy at the edges. Heat suddenly flared in her chest, the calming presence of Therypon nestled against her heart and lungs. She sank her emotion into the warmth, the goddess soothing away the panic. A voice rang in her head.Seek the truth.
Grysella looked down at her in equal panic, glancing back at the front. “Marietta, it’s alright. Please, meet me tonight—”
“I can’t leave.” Marietta stood and took a deep breath.
“What do you mean you can’t leave?” Grysella’s hands fell.
“I’m working with the Exisotis, getting information no one else is privy to.”
