Chapter Four Lyra #3
“Sorry,” Sloane and Nova said in unison and retreated farther into the living room.
Sweeping the neatly chopped vegetables into the pot, I stood back and clasped my hands in front of me. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and then focused on the image of the pot in my mind. I wasn’t really sure how to do this magick thing, but I was going with what felt right to me.
Keeping my eyes closed, I allowed the current of magick that rippled through me to flow out and toward the pot on the stove.
“Boil, boil…”
“Toil and trouble?” Nova asked, and I sighed, opening my eyes.
“You know, Nova, you’re really getting on my last nerve.”
Should I cut a finger off?
Both my eyebrows hit my hairline as I turned to my wee fluttermouse.
“No, no, I don’t think that would be the appropriate response here, Ruth.”
Of course. Anything you wish, Lyra.
“I don’t need you to maim her. But it would be nice if she could hush up for once so I could—”
I stopped. The pot looked peculiar. Stepping forward, I gaped down at it.
“It’s frozen.”
“Oh no.” Nova came into the kitchen, giving Ruth a wide berth, and hugged me from behind. Nuzzling her chin onto my shoulder like she had so many times before, she swore. “Bloody hell, I was just playing. I’m sorry I screwed up your spell.”
“Maybe it’s me. Maybe I can’t make it work.” Nerves kicked low in my stomach and I shrugged one shoulder. Nova’s arms tightened around me.
“No, it’s not. It’s just a first try. Give it a go again. I’ll be quiet. I promise.”
But no matter how many times I tried, the soup stayed frozen solid. Helpless, I pulled out of Nova’s arms and looked at Broca.
“I can’t do it.”
“You can, but there may be other works at play here,” Broca reminded me, and I gaped at her.
“Oh no.” Sloane gave me a stricken look. “Like what happened when I got my magick?”
Until Sloane had been able to break part of the curse, she’d dealt with a new magickal power each day. It had almost driven my control freak sister through the roof.
“Maybe,” Broca conceded, and my shoulders slumped.
“So I can’t even learn my magick? Because it will be something else tomorrow?”
“We don’t know what’s going on here, Lyra.” Broca gave me a sympathetic look, and my stomach twisted.
“But—”
Try doing it the other way.
“What do you mean?” I looked down at Ruth.
Reverse it. Think of freezing the soup.
I didn’t want to insult my tiny familiar, not when we’d just met and she’d already threatened to maim people on my behalf, so I just shrugged and closed my eyes.
I wasn’t sure why I was closing my eyes, but again, it just felt right in the moment.
I wasn’t entirely sure how I was meant to freeze frozen soup harder, but I just went with it.
“Oh, shite,” Nova breathed, and I opened my eyes to see the soup bubbling merrily in the pot.
“What… what does this mean?” I looked down at Ruth, who just shrugged.
It could be an inversion affliction.
“An inversion infliction?” I winced and automatically moved to turn the burner on the stove down. “Like… if I say cold, it goes hot?”
“Och, she may have the right of it,” Broca said.
“I guess… I guess I’ll just have to figure it out. I mean, I can still cook without using magick, right? Like I have for ages now, anyway?” I turned to Sloane, eyes wide.
“Lyra, honey, it’s going to be fine. We’ll get this sorted.” Sloane rounded the counter and reached for me.
“But—”
My phone dinged with a text message, and I grabbed it, my panic escalating. Who would send a text message this late?
Sorry for the late message. But!
Congrats—you’ve been picked to be on
Bewitching Bake Off. I couldn’t wait to tell you.
This is so exciting!
“Oh no.” My throat tightened, and my phone clattered to the counter. Gripping the edge of the countertop, I forced myself to breathe.
“What is it?” Nova asked.
“Bewitching Bake Off got back to Marcie. I made the show.”
“No way!” Nova shouted but stopped when I glared at her.
“But… but how am I supposed to cook? Everything requires… measurements. Heat. Cold. All the things.” I gulped for air, feeling like I was going to hyperventilate. “I can’t do… fractions. Inversions. It won’t… make… sense in my head. I can’t do it. I just… can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Sloane said, hooking an arm over my shoulders and forcing me to look up at her. “We’re going to figure this out.”
“No, I really can’t. The show starts filming in, like, a week. If my magick inverts, how the hell can I go on there—a self-professed expert with her own YouTube show of all things—and have everything go to hell?”
“Maybe you could get away without using magick?” Nova leaned on the counter and sliced a piece of cheese.
Chewing it, she scrunched up her nose as she thought.
“It’s not like you’ve used magick on your own platform.
That’s just normal recipes and whatnot. So why not just cook without it?
You know, like let your partner use the magick and you’re just quality control? ”
“But I don’t know who my partner will be. If I’m the experienced one, they’ll be in worse shape than I am. This is such a mess. I can’t believe I signed up for this.” I gulped in air and tried to calm my racing heart.
You’re not alone, Lyra. Ruth bowed to me. I will stand for you in this competition.
Despite the nerves that were currently twisting my stomach into knots, I smiled at my sparkly wee warrior. “I wish. Familiars aren’t allowed to participate in the show.”
That’s stupid, Ruth decided.
“It’s gonna be fine, Lyra. I promise. We’ll figure it out.” Both of my sisters hugged me at the same time, and for a moment, I was transported back to all the times we’d burrowed together like this, in this very house, while our parents raged at each other.
It hadn’t been fine then.
And I wasn’t so certain it was going to be now.