“Take your hands off my daughter!” Abby’s lips curled into a snarl.
“Abby!” Godard seemed both surprised and confused. “What’s going on?”
“I think we’d all like to know,” said Bass.
A hush seemed to fall over the packed arena. The scent of charred sugar and wet steel clung to the air. It was now or never.
“Fernand is the one who swapped Josephine’s ingredients,” said Sylvie. “He was worried about the competition becoming irrelevant. So, he sabotaged his own team. He was planning to blow up the skybox too. Just to keep it all covered up.”
An audible gasp echoed across the room.
Fernand laughed nervously. “You see what I mean? The poor girl has clearly gone mad.”
Bass glared at Sylvie. “You expect anyone to believe that? Unlike Jones,LeGrandeis one of the oldest and most respected families.”
“Careful. That’s my daughter you’re talking about,” snapped Abby.
“Sylvie, do you have any proof?” asked Godard.
“Well, no. See, he claimed he didn’t get Guy’s cwtch. But then Guy got trapped, and we found his message. So, Georgia, Flora, and I decided to take matters into our own hands. That’s when Fernand showed up and confessed.”
Godard turned to Flora and Georgia. “Is this true?”
Flora stared at the ground. “Well, we were trying to rescue Sylvie’s mom.”
“Flora’s right.” Georgia glanced apologetically at Sylvie. “But … I’m not sure about the rest.”
“That’s because he slipped something into our drinks,” added Sylvie. “He wanted us to forget, but I didn’t finish mine.”
Sylvie could hear the laughs bursting across the arena, like fireworks.
“Oh, this is absurd,” snapped Bass. “I was there all those years ago. I remember what happened. I’m certain Fernand didn’t cheat!”
“Exactly.” Fernand eyed Sylvie. “I told you… . Now, the lies must really come to an end.”
Sylvie had been hoping for a miracle. Like, maybe the elixir Fernand had given her friends would suddenly wear off. Then, they’d shout,it’s true! But now, it was clear none of that would happen. Even Sylvie, who knew the truth, had to agree. Her story sounded ridiculous. So, if she hardly believed it, why would anyone else? The answer seemed clear.They won’t.
A waxy smile spread across Fernand’s face. He turned to Bass. “I still have a show to put on. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll handle the skybox. Your team can deal with the girl, and her mother.”
Sylvie’s heart sank. She’d done the right thing, but it didn’t feel good. Fernand was going to get away with everything, again. “Wait!” she cried.
All eyes settled on her.
“I can prove it.” Beads of sweat trickled down Sylvie’s back.
She’d read enough mystery books to know you didn’t want to point the finger at someone until you had ironclad proof. What she had was hardly solid. In fact, it was little more than a hunch.Three different recipes with butcher’s-broom, all sent on the same day.Sylvie had been wondering if the same person who’d sabotaged the competition had a hand in those spells. If her guess was right, the answer wasyes.
The rice paper scroll suddenly flickered back to life. Sylvie stared up at it. The podium that had been projected across it was gone. Now, all anyone could see was Jack Bass, looming over Sylvie as she stood guiltily next to the remains of the accident she’d made happen.
Sylvie cleared her throat and held up her hand. “A batch of muffins laced with butcher’s-broom gave me this scar. On the same day, someone sent Boris and Guy similar hexes. Fernand cooked up those spells. Check his Blade. It’ll prove it.”
“This is ridiculous. Why would I have sent them hexes?” Fernand’s eyes, once full and round, narrowed into angry slits. “You can’t take someone’s Blade and search through their spells because of … of baseless accusations.” The conviction in his tone seemed to waver.
Now Sylvie was sure she was right.
“Before Balthazar died, he sent out cwtches to my mom and her team, confessing what Fernand had done. Fernand told me himself… . He’d almost gotten away with it, but then his father threatened to ruin it all.” Sylvie had seen how fragile cwtches could be.Even a paper slingshot and enchanted peanut butter ball can break them.“The recipes laced with butcher’s-broom were the perfect solution. Everyone thought it was about revenge. No one realized the real purpose … destroying Balthazar’s messages before anyone could open them.”
Fernand’s face hardened. “This is madness.”
