In the subterranean city of Ferros, time is currency and life essence fuels a brutal alchemy. Teyva Marn, a resourceful street cook, scrapes by, feeding her community with simple fare. But the discovery of a hidden kitchen and an ancient cookbook changes everything. Within its cracked leather pages lie the secrets of the Forbidden Feast, a dish whispered to grant immortality.
Driven by a hunger that transcends mere sustenance, Teyva unlocks a latent talent for culinary alchemy, her dishes imbued with uncanny power. Whispers of her extraordinary creations spread through Ferros's interwoven alleyways, attracting the attention of the desperate and the powerful, including the sinister Culinary Cabal who control the city's lifeblood.
Forced into a perilous alliance with a cursed nobleman, Valerius Thorne, and guided by the brilliant alchemist Lysandra Volkov, Teyva is thrust into a clandestine culinary tournament — the Grand Gastronomique. Held in a kitchen forged from living metal, beneath the city's pulsating core, the competition pits her against Ferros’s most formidable culinary sorcerers. The prize: control over Ferros’s culinary destiny. The challenge: to prepare the Forbidden Feast itself.
But the deeper Teyva delves, the darker the secrets she uncovers. The Forbidden Feast is not a path to immortality, but a gateway to something far more sinister, demanding a terrible sacrifice. As the tournament reaches its climax, Teyva must choose between unleashing devastating power and defying the Cabal, her every move scrutinized, her every dish a breathtaking act of culinary sorcery. With the fate of Ferros and her own soul hanging in the balance, Teyva must decide the true cost of creation in a city where hunger and power intertwine.
