The Royal Academy of Magical Baking

The second round of Enjoyment magic wasn't exactly the same as the first, of course. 'Lyra Baking Alone' was a different menu entirely from 'Lyra Baking While Being Watched by One Chef, Three Professors, Three Students, and Two Flying Squirrels.' Lyra couldn't even remember exactly how many times she had sung some of the songs, or at which climactic moments she'd added a crescendo or a trill. She certainly wasn't going to belt 'Bubbles' at quite the same enthusiastic volume as she had earlier.

But she wasn't worried. She couldn't be worried. The tide of joy was still pulsing in her chest, coating every thought with effervescent radiance.

Just enjoy it, she hummed to herself, while outwardly singing "Stairways" and piping crimson roses. If you're having a great time, then the person eating will have a great time too. Let the fun flow free.

She paused, caught by the catchy phrase. 'Let the fun flow free…' That sounds like a song. An Enjoyment song, for Enjoyment magic. Maybe I could write a whole host of new spells…

A giggle escaped her as she refocused on the frosting flowers.

One beautiful dream-come-true at a time, Treble.

No one else in the room made a sound. By the time Lyra began arranging glazed boysenberries over the cake, to the tune of "The Joy Song," she was beginning to wonder if flying squirrel magic involved some kind of impossible lung capacity. She certainly hadn't heard Bumble or Sprinkle breathing, though they were her closest observers, perched on the counter where they could follow each movement of her hands.

As 'The Joy Song' drew to a close, Lyra herself nearly stopped breathing. She was determined to pay attention this time. Keeping her eyes on the work of her fingers, she used her peripheral vision to watch for the first sign of yellow light from her torso.

It still managed to startle her when it appeared. The lingering joy-current from the first round was coursing through her insides so persistently, it masked the rise of a second wave. The new internal chorus of delight seemed to burst out of nowhere.

Lyra actually jumped, dropping the few berries left in her hand. They rolled merrily across the counter as a dome of yellow light erupted out of her chest, growing swiftly to encompass her whole body, the cake, and the two flying squirrels perched close by on the counter.

Sprinkle gasped. Bumble leapt in the same instant, chattering too rapidly for even Chef Flax to understand. The chef himself was laughing merrily, while Professor Honeycomb was weeping. Professor Genoise threw his top hat in the air again with another undignified whoop. Boysen broke into wild applause, joined swiftly by Mac and Caramelle.

Lyra glanced down at the yellow sparkles, which were sinking rapidly into the glowing cake. She closed her eyes briefly to savor the delight cascading along every limb. Finally, holding out the final note of 'The Joy Song', she looked up at Professor Puff.

The Texture headmistress was gazing at her, radiating a delight so profound that Lyra's singing turned into a laugh.

"That's Enjoyment," Lyra proclaimed through her laughter. The laughter devolved into giggling as Bumble and Sprinkle scampered onto her shoulders, both still glowing faintly with golden light. "Not sure what the spell is, exactly, but… it works!"

Professor Puff's eyes were shining as brightly as glazed boysenberries. "It most certainly does."

"You're convinced at last, Praline?" Professor Genoise asked jovially. "Doubts laid to rest and all that?"

"I never doubted," Professor Puff replied, unperturbed.

"Of course you didn't." Chef Flax held out his arm, and Bumble leapt across to his shoulder, chatter-laughing with wild abandon. "You simply recognized the need for sustainability. Wisdom-salt to preserve the whimsy of the moment."

"Beautifully put," Professor Honeycomb said with a happy sigh. "And what a Flavorful evening it turned out to be!"

Professor Puff leaned over the glowing cake. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. "A well-seasoned day, indeed."

The kitchen fell silent. For several seconds, every eye was fixed on the cake, watching the sparkles shimmer and dance before they disappeared into the frosting. Somehow, Lyra knew that everyone present shared her desire to stay in this moment for a long, long time.

It's like all those love songs the Any Weather Bards perform at weddings, she thought. So many lyrics about wanting to 'freeze time' or 'make this day last forever.' I never understood it before.

She looked up from the cake, basking in the joy reflected on every face. Music seemed to pour from each soul to mix riotously with the Enjoyment chorus blasting at full volume in her gut.

Glancing sideways, she caught Boysen's eye and matched him grin for grin.

I think I get it now.

It was Caramelle who broke the silence, refocusing the group with characteristic efficiency. "So… what now? I mean, how shall we proceed tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Professor Puff raised an eyebrow. "Why not tonight?"

Caramelle looked taken aback. "Isn't it… getting rather late?"

Professor Genoise scoffed. "Pish-tosh. The night is young, and so are we."

"Not all of us," Professor Puff said demurely. "But we must not waste a single hour. The work is only just beginning."

Professor Honeycomb bounced onto the balls of her toes. "Oh, yes. So much to explore! I wonder if it'll work on different recipes?"

"My first question is what 'it' is," Professor Puff countered. "That key factor we discussed earlier must be identified. Does the power flow from the order of the songs? The songs themselves? Must they all be sung, or is it just one? If so, which?"

"And can it work without singing?" Caramelle was clearly getting into the spirit of things. Lyra could practically see the analytical gears turning beneath the increasingly disheveled coil as her friend went on, "It has to work, of course. Like we learned with Rye. A discipline can't be valid unless every baker can perform the magic. But should it be spoken? Thought? Is there a specific tempo, or number of repetitions?"

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Professor Puff nodded approvingly. "Excellent questions, Aspiring Baker Meringue. Would you be so kind as to write them down? In the absence of Apprentice Baker Galette, we are in need of a recorder."

Caramelle brightened at the thought of being trusted with an 'Apprentice Baker' task. She produced a parchment and pen from the pocket of her ever-present apron and began writing at fearsome speed.

Boysen whistled, reading over her shoulder. "That's a lot of questions."

"Indubitably." Professor Genoise retrieved his top hat and hung it on Chef Flax's hat rack, suddenly businesslike. "And not a moment to lose in answering them. Apologies for intruding upon your space, Peppercorn."

"Intruding?" Chef Flax opened a drawer, removed several extra aprons, and began distributing them. "The academy kitchen was intended for just such a gathering. To your stations, all!"

Mac looked confused, but he put on his apron automatically. "Are we baking something?"

"You bet your best bread recipe, we are." Professor Honeycomb received her apron and tied it on cheerfully. "An all-night baking extravaganza! Oh, it's been too long."

Caramelle paused her rapid documentation and looked up. "All night?" she repeated.

"Only if you wish," Professor Puff said, already aproned and pulling out a mixing bowl. "As Basil observed, Enjoyment cannot be forced. But all who desire to explore this new magical opportunity are free to do so."

Caramelle glanced questioningly at Lyra.

"Normally, I'd be with you, Caramelle." Lyra shrugged. "And I'm proud of you for recognizing the value of sleep. But tonight…" She shrugged again, throwing up her hands as yet another giggle burst unstoppably from her lips. "Tonight, I can't imagine closing my eyes. I don't want to be anywhere else."

A grin spread slowly across Caramelle's face as she flourished her pen. "Neither do I."

"Baking till the sun comes up? With my friends and professors?" The Flavor King looked happier than Lyra had ever seen him, the air around him vibrating at full 'Baking with Boysen' frequency. "Now that sounds like fun."

—

Enjoyment magic certainly was potent.

That was one fact everyone in the kitchen could attest to with absolute conviction. When the rosy light of dawn filtered through the windows several hours later, it found them settling onto stools with a mutual contented sigh, hardly aware of their own weariness.

"It's the strangest thing," Professor Honeycomb said dreamily, accepting a mug of strong tea from Chef Flax. "I know we didn't make much progress. But I can't feel discouraged. I can't even feel tired."

"That's Enjoyment." Boysen yawned happily and stretched his long arms above his head. "You can't feel sad when it's around. Like the color yellow. Right, Lyra?"

Lyra just smiled into her own mug of tea.

"Yellow is a most fitting color for Enjoyment magic," Professor Puff agreed. "I do wish we had been able to produce it."

Professor Genoise pointed dramatically at Lyra, nearly spilling his tea in the process. "I'd say Treble here has produced enough yellow tonight for all of us. By all the seasonings! How many times was it?"

"Six," Caramelle answered promptly. "Seven, if you count the first time she performed the spell, when no one else was here."

"Seven successful rounds of Enjoyment magic. In a row." Professor Genoise struggled to his feet and gave Lyra as elegant a bow as his aging bones could manage. "My dear, you are a marvel."

Mac raised his mug into the air, either too tired or too delirious with Enjoyment to notice his glasses were askew. "Three cheers for Lyra!"

Seven humans and two flying squirrels lifted their mugs and shouted the traditional baking cheer.

"To Lyra Treble! Sugar, salt, spices!"

Professor Puff joined in as loudly as anyone, then raised a hand for silence. "I am deeply grateful for Aspiring Baker Treble's prowess. She has proven the validity of Enjoyment many times over on this night alone. However…"

She looked at Chef Flax.

"Now we're on to the next tricky step." The giant man refilled the teapot with boiling water and set it to steep. "Lyra can't be the only one performing this magic. We've got to make it replicable."

Professor Puff nodded. "And teachable. There is so much we still do not understand…" Then, suddenly, she chuckled. "But I'm with Lavender. I simply can't be worried about it. Not right now."

"That's Enjoyment," Boysen said again. "Even if you can't see it, it's happening. It's real."

"And it's not just from me," Lyra insisted. "I may have been the only one producing yellow light, but the feeling in this room… that's way too strong to be coming from me alone."

Boysen shook his head. "I don't know about that."

A particularly effervescent wave of giggles threatened to burst from Lyra's throat. Swallowing it down with effort, she turned to Caramelle.

"And we do understand a lot more than we did when we started. Right? We answered at least some of the questions you wrote down."

Professor Genoise helped himself to another cup of tea. "Take us through it, Meringue. A pithy precis of the night's pursuits, if you please."

Caramelle gladly obliged.

"We began by imitating Lyra's successful attempts. Same recipe, same songs. All reported a slight burst of warmth in the chest, and a general increase of mirth."

Professor Honeycomb tittered. "I'll say. It took Basil a full three minutes to stop laughing."

"They were among the best three minutes of my life," Professor Genoise replied, affixing his monocle with great dignity.

"Next," Caramelle went on, "we made the same recipe, but with only one song."

"'The Joy Song,'" Lyra supplied.

Caramelle nodded. "We sang 'The Joy Song' off and on throughout the process, with a full vigorous round at the end. The results were not noticeably different from the first attempt."

"There!" Mac leapt to his feet, his glasses falling off entirely in his excitement. "That's something we learned. We don't need all the songs. Just 'The Joy Song' is enough."

"Bravo, Fondant!" Professor Genoise raised his mug in Mac's direction. "Well spotted."

Bumble retrieved Mac's glasses and scampered up onto the boy's shoulder to deliver them.

"In that light, the third attempt was also encouragingly productive." Caramelle gave Mac a quick, dazzling smile before returning to her notes. "All were free to sing, speak, or think the song, according to personal preference. Those who spoke or thought reported the same level of warmth and mirth as they had experienced while singing. Lyra produced the same volume of yellow light, but she was singing, so there was no differentiating variable for her between the second and third attempts."

"It just felt right," Lyra said apologetically. "I tried to think or speak, just to test the theory, but…"

Sprinkle leapt onto her shoulder and began chattering emphatically.

"She says that instinct is its own form of proof," Chef Flax translated. He poured Lyra another mug of tea and handed it to her with a wink. "And she's right. Keep going, Caramelle."

"For the final two attempts, we all tried different recipes," Caramelle continued. "At Lyra's and Chef Flax's suggestion, we simply started baking whatever came to mind. First, we each sang 'The Joy Song' while completing the recipe. Our last attempt involved some singing, some thinking, and some speaking. All reported a marked increase in both warmth and mirth, compared to the first three attempts."

"How many recipes did we test, Meringue?" Professor Puff inquired.

Caramelle scanned her notes quickly. "Eight. Quiche for Chef Flax, two different types of scones for Professor Honeycomb and Boysen, shortbread for Professor Genoise, soda bread for Professor Puff, chocolate chip cookies for Lyra…"

"I needed to reclaim that recipe." Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. "And it worked, thank the seasonings."

"Lemon drizzle sponge for me…" Caramelle blushed. "And… a four-tiered meringue cake with whipped cream and strawberries. From Mac."

Mac glanced shyly at the two gorgeous cakes he'd created in record time. "They came out beautifully."

"And you enjoyed it, right?" Boysen prompted.

"Oh, yes." Mac nodded so enthusiastically, his glasses almost fell off again. "I felt the magic most strongly on that last one. I could have sworn I was glowing."

Boysen leaned close and whispered to Lyra. "That's because he was…"

Lyra drowned another giggle burst in a sip of tea.

"Thank you, Aspiring Baker Meringue," Professor Puff said warmly. "We have made more progress than I realized."

"We know the spell isn't limited to a particular recipe," Professor Honeycomb observed.

Professor Genoise tried, and failed, to yawn elegantly. "Nor to one mode of delivery. Singing, speaking, thinking…"

"And it works." Chef Flax's eyes twinkled at Lyra. "That's the most important thing. Enjoyment magic is real."

"So it is." Professor Puff rose from her stool and placed her empty mug on the counter. "And therefore, to answer Meringue's question from earlier, our next step is clear: to demonstrate this spell for the academy board."

Lyra's heartbeat quickened as the Texture headmistress turned to her.

"Aspiring Baker Treble must attend the next board meeting."