Page 55 of Callista and the Elf

A loud voice came through the kitchen door just before Forten threw it open. “What’s going on out— Oh! Your Majesty.” He bowed and glanced at Callista before returning his focus to me. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“Have you met Callista?”

She dropped into a quick curtsy and bobbed her head. He returned her gesture with a bow, nearly as deep as the one he gave me. “I’m Forten, Head Cook at Sirun.”

She grinned. “I’m Callista, resident Firehawk and lemonade lover.”

He relaxed into a smile. “I, too, love the firehawks, though I do not usually bring them into my kitchen.”

I leaned closer. “I invited Callista to show me how a human drink called lemonade is made.”

His eyebrows pressed together. “Your Majesty, I don’t normally allowanyonein my kitchen. I would never refuseyou, but—”

I did not let him finish. “Then you will bring us in now and show us everything she needs.”

He dipped his head, but Callista set a hand on my forearm. “Master Forten, I don’t need much. If you’d rather, I’d be happy to carry the supplies back to my room.”

His expression flitted anxiously from her to me. “I wouldn’t want to create any trouble for you. Come in.”

Her hand tightened on my arm, and even though I wore sleeves, the contact thrilled me. After everything, she still touched me. And her touch made it clear that we were not going to impose on the cook.

“It’s no trouble,” she said. “All I need are some glasses, water,sugar, and forks.” I should have known she would insist on making the elf comfortable.

His anxious look shifted to a kinder smile. “What if I gather the supplies for you and set you up on a counter away from where I’m working? I find myself curious about this human drink. Perhaps you would let me taste it too?”

She grinned. “I would love to.”

He opened the door wider. “I have three cooks who help me, but besides us, nobody else has been in these kitchens for years. You are about to see one of the great secrets of Sirun.”

Was that true? Despite being the High King of Hemlit, had I really not seen the inside of the kitchen of my own fortress?

He was right. The last time I could remember walking through these doors was as a youth with Robin. Forten waved at his cooks and spoke to Callista. “All four of us have a lot of practice with fire magic, but each of us also has another skill that helps the process. Ruby has an unusual sense of smell and can predict how flavors will mix based on it. Baryl is gifted with plants and can manipulate vegetables and grains to a degree most others cannot.”

A shorter elf looked up from a griddle with flatbread on it. “Mena is rather secretive about her magic, so I’ll let her share if she gets a chance.”

“And what about you, Master Forten?” Callista asked.

“I have some unusual skills with matter. It is most helpful in aging and marinating meats. I can speed the smoking process for a lamb, from all day to half an hour.”

“That’s amazing.” She scanned the busy kitchen. I’d forgotten how large it was. The four elves each had plenty of workspace, and the walls were lined with pots and pansorganized by size.

Forten brought her to a bar stool behind a counter. “We have the best setup a cook could wish for, though sometimes the team wishes we had premade treats to keep them energetic. The evenings get busy here.” He handed Callista a knife and a small pitcher, and then he turned around and gathered supplies from cupboards and shelves.

Callista cut a lemon in half and handed it to me. “Do you want to do the honors?”

I took it from her. “Do the honors?”

“Of squeezing the juice into the pitcher.” She cut another lemon in half and demonstrated. I copied her, pressing three times as much juice out as she did. She laughed and handed me her halves. “Maybe you should do them all. I never considered my hands as weak until just now.”

“It is hardly a fair comparison.” I squeezed the juice out of all six lemons as she handed me the halves. “Elves are known for being stronger than humans, and you said you’re basically a human with fae ears.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been told to keep my heritage a secret, you know. My parents said it was dangerous for people to know. I was awfully mad at you for announcing it the moment we arrived here.”

I emptied the last lemon of all juice. “I apologize. I did not realize at the time. I will refrain from announcing it now.”

She laughed. “It hardly matters now. Everyone here knows.”

Forten returned with a smirk, clearly listening to our conversation. He gestured at the pitcher. “Is this just lemon juice so far?”

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