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“This is work somewhere else. Luckily, I’ll return to La Verde this summer. I can’t believe I’ve made it this long without strangling her.”
“You chose to work with her?”
“Of course, New Bristol was my first choice. Annag is the best chef in Saxony.” Lorea’s gaze drifted back down to the tea. “I apologize for making it from a bag. I hope that will suit you, but I really must get back to work.”
Lila didn’t budge. “Why does the oracle allow her to stay if she’s so horrible to everyone?”
“It’s not a crime to be unpleasant. It’s just rude. Talent covers a multitude of personality flaws, which is why she’s so horrible. She knows she can get away it. Just between you and me, she’s going to push someone too far one of these days. She’ll get her nose broken, and I won’t be sorry about it.”
The cook bustled away and returned to her whisking.
“Scram!” Chef Annag shouted from across the room.
Lila startled.
The tea sloshed over the mug’s rim. A river of fire poured over her skin.
So much for an interrogation, Dixon scrawled as they returned to the dining hall.
“So much for a lot of things.”
After handing Dixon her dripping mug, she stuck her hand underneath a tap in the back of the dining room, cooling her pink skin until it no longer throbbed.
The door to the cafeteria opened.
Camille entered with a large thermos and stopped at a counter in the front of the room. A few electric kettles and coffee pots littered the surface, as well as an ice and soda machine.
Dixon’s palm vibrated. Lila glimpsed the name as he pulled the device from his pocket.
Tristan.
?
??Don’t ignore it,” she told him, taking back her mug. She left Dixon to message his brother, and joined Camille at the drink counter.
“So this is where I was supposed to go for my tea.”
Camille laughed and filled a kettle with water, then replaced it on the heating plate. “You didn’t dare interrupt the great Chef Annag, did you?”
“I might have.”
“Well, I am impressed you lived to tell the tale. Did she throw a pot?”
“Was that a possibility?”
“It’s usually a reality.”
“She had one of her apprentices make it for me.”
“Ah, word has spread to the kitchen staff. You and your friend aren’t just any outsiders. You’re important. You might not believe it, but you were treated to Chef’s best behavior.”
“Important, are we?”
“Of course you’re important. You dine with the oracle almost every day. I even heard a rumor at lunch that you two visited the security building. Connell escorted you and not in handcuffs. That’s unheard of for outsiders.”
“You’re an outsider. You dine with the oracle frequently.”
“I don’t dine with the oracle. I dine with Cecily. The oracle children know the difference.”
