Sylvie turned. Sure enough. Beyond the glass stood Flora, scooping mashed potatoes into a casserole dish. She looked up and waved them over. Sylvie opened the door.
“I didn’t expect to see you two here. Are you lost?” asked Flora as she put the finishing touches on her casserole.
Sylvie shook her head. “Godard asked us to wait for her in her office. We were just heading up.” She glanced down at the recipe resting on the counter.Rumbledethumps.“You’re working on your travel spell for Paris?”
“Yes.” Flora picked up a fuzzy sprig. It looked like a bunch of Italian parsley wearing a downy coat. “I just have to add the par-cel. Then it’ll be ready for the oven.”
Flora dropped it on top. Sylvie watched it dissolve the moment she gave the mixture a stir.
“So, you really did it? You took down Belinda in the Commis Contest?” asked Georgia.
A smile spread across Flora’s face as she shoved the casserole into the oven. “Yup! I’m officially the winner.”
“Congratulations,” said Sylvie.
Flora tucked her Blade into her knife bag. “It took ages for me to work on my velouté and perfect my veiled lady spell, but it was worth it. I still can’t believe I’m going to Paris!”
Boom-thump!
The oven shuddered.
Sylvie ogled it. Voices echoed in her head. First, Julia’s.You will see him again, when it matters most.Then, Kitty’s.An unexpected trip…a chance for salvation.
Thump-thump-bang!
“Sounds like the rumbledethumps is almost ready,” said Flora.
What if?An idea was forming, but even the thought of it turned Sylvie queasy, and yet …
Flora glanced at Sylvie. “You know I’ll do my best to bring home a win for your mom and Team USA. Right?”
“Yeah,” said Sylvie, not really listening.
The oven door flew open. Nothing but a dark tunnel stared out at them.
Flora took a deep breath. “I’ve never traveled this far by spell before. It can cause serious burns … or a nasty case of food poisoning. Hopefully, I don’t end up with either.”
Sylvie peered into the darkness. There was no time to think. To reconsider.
She turned to Georgia. “I’m really sorry about this.”
Georgia’s brows furrowed. “For what?”
She lurched forward, pulling Georgia along with her. “For trying to turn these lemons into lemonade.” Sylvie charged past Flora, as Georgia stumbled along.
“It’s sweet tea—ahhhh!”
This was the last thing Sylvie heard. The next thing she knew, they were falling face-first into the abyss.
They tumbled left, then right. Sylvie felt as if she’d been sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Hot air blew through her clothes, knocking her back and forth like a pinball. She squeezed her eyes shut. The Fire Wands dug into her wrist as she and Georgia cartwheeled through the darkness.
“This is how I’m going to die,” cried Georgia. “Clobbered to death in an oven.”
Just when Sylvie thought she couldn’t take any more, a hot gust shot her out. She tumbled to the ground like a loose roll.
Georgia landed on top of her. “Ouch!”
“Pardon!” cried a woman. Her heels clicked briskly against the pavement as she maneuvered past.
