“Y-you were actually telling the truth.” Slowly, Josephine absorbed the words. “He … betrayed me.”
Sylvie tried to read her expression, but like a cloud-covered night, darkness descended.
Josephine turned to Bass. “All these years, I hated Abby… . I wanted her to pay, along with everyone else. But I was wrong.Wewere wrong.” She reached into the folds of her chef’s coat.
Sylvie didn’t know what she expected, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The onyx handle of Josephine’s Blade shuddered. She clenched it tightly. Something inside her seemed to break.“Argh!”
Glimmering shards of steel scattered across the floor, as she drove the knife into the ground. Colorful sparks exploded.
Sylvie stared in shock. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing.
Memories of spells? Unused bits of magic?
Only one thing was certain.Josephine Flammé was bound to her Blade. With it destroyed, so is her power.
Knives at Dawn
THE SMOKE-FILLED ARENA HAD FINALLY EMPTIED. ONLY A FEWspectators from the press box remained. Sylvie made her way over to August, who was sitting quietly, watching Bass try to squirm his way out of questions from journalists.
“This whole thing with the Apple has been a m-misunderstanding,” said Bass, still fumbling with his hat. “The CCS has no plans to arrest August Strange. In fact, we are grateful to have him back safely.”
Sylvie rolled her eyes and sat down.
August glanced over. “I understand now why the tree named you.”
Sylvie cocked her head. “You do?”
August smiled. “I never imagined, after all these years, a young girl would be the one to uncover the whole truth. But that’s exactly what you did. Today hasn’t fixed all our problems, but it has given us a new path forward. That’s all thanks to you. You’re the person who set things right.”
Sylvie eyed Flora and Georgia, drinking hot chocolate. “Well, I couldn’t have done it alone.”
August shrugged. “None of us can do it alone, Sylvie.”
Sylvie stared thoughtfully. “If none of us can do it alone, then why didn’t you tell Godard? Why hide the note and hope I’d find it?”
“I knew Bass had planted a mole. I couldn’t risk the paper falling into the wrong hands. My only hope was today. If Bass didn’t have time to react, I thought with the Apple, the memo, and someone like Guy Fabre by my side, the world would listen.” He looked around. “Although, I never imagined such an epic ending.”
“Now, what happens to me? I mean, is this battle with Bass over?”
August fiddled with his ring, as he seemed to contemplate the question. “I often find that life is like a good meal… . It plays out in courses.”
Sylvie had never really thought about it that way. “So, is this dessert or the appetizer?”
His amber eyes sparkled as he looked at her. “I suppose only time will tell.”
Night was still clinging to the world like the last rosy whiffs of perfume. Six weeks had passed since the Golden Whisk.
In the end, practically getting her mom killed and disrupting the entire magical world had had its silver lining.
Sylvie, Georgia, and Flora had been given the CCS’s reward for solving the Golden Whisk mystery. In the end, they’d agreed to donate the funds to a Brindille scholarship for students who couldn’t afford tuition. Its first recipient, if she passed the test, would be Georgia Shaw.
This was why Sylvie and Georgia were now sitting in the waiting room at the Council’s headquarters. After the truth came out, Bass found himself in the perilous situation of facing a vote of no confidence. In response, he’d withdrawnsomeof his policies and publicly invited Sylvie and Georgia to take the test. Although, he didn’t really have a choice. At the end of the six-week program, they’d tied for first place.
Sylvie jiggled her leg against a chair.
Her mom rested a hand on her shoulder. “Try to relax. You’re both going to do great.”
