I headed to the kitchens, finding Helen standing at the central preparation table kneading dough.
“Lady Victoria.” She dusted flour from her hands. “What can I do for you?”
“I need a broom.”
Her eyebrow rose. “A broom?”
“Yes. The kind used for sweeping.”
“Perhaps ask your staff to clean up whatever needs cleaning?”
“Oh, it’s not for cleaning.”
Her frown deepened, but she shrugged. “We keep them in the hall closet.”
“Thank you.”
I found the closet. Three mops leaned against the back wall, the cloth on the ends dingy from use. No broom.
Well, a witch would do what a witch must do.
I selected the sturdiest mop and carried it back to the suite.
Acorn watched from the windowsill as I laid the mop on my worktable and began pulling spell components from my shelves.
Cleaning, are you?
“Why does everyone think I’m cleaning?” I asked him, not looking up.
Mop.
“Yes, it’s a mop.”
He sighed.
Flying broom enchantments were a staple of basic witchcraft. I’d learned the theory as a child, though I hadn’t actually cast this kind of spell in years. The formula was straightforward,however. Levitation base, directional control, and stability anchors.
Surely the same spell would work equally well on a mop.
I mixed the components, speaking the incantation carefully. The mop lifted an inch off the table, wobbled, and dropped.
I adjusted the ratio and tried again.
This time it hovered steady, responding to small gestures with my hand.
“See?” I said. “Not a problem.”
Acorn chittered from where he now watched on the edge of my table, another pastry in his hands.
“What?”
Those dangling strands and sopping tail were fashioned more for grime than gale.
“That’s silly.” I stuffed tools, spelled collection containers, and my notebook and pen into a tote, shouldering it and carrying it and the mop to the balcony. Morning sunlight warmed the wood, releasing a sweet smell. The forest spread out around me, all sorts of green peppered with the orange glow of bioluminescent fungi.
I climbed onto the mop, settling my weight carefully.
Acorn sighed from the doorway.Someone should accompany you for protection.
